Thomas Aquinas Commentary Jeremiah 28:1-4

"And it came to pass the same year, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fourth year, in the fifth month, that Hananiah the son of Azzur, the prophet, who was of Gibeon, spake unto me in the house of Jehovah, in the presence of the priests and of all the people, saying, Thus speaketh Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. Within two full years will I bring again into this place all the vessels of Jehovah`s house, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place, and carried to Babylon: and I will bring again to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, with all the captives of Judah, that went to Babylon, saith Jehovah; for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon." — Jeremiah 28:1-4 (ASV)

Here, the author turns his attention specifically to certain false prophets. He first addresses a prophet who was telling the future to the remnant in Jerusalem. Second, he addresses certain men who were prophesying to the captives in Babylonia, as introduced in the verse, and these are the words of the book which Jeremiah the prophet sent (Jeremiah 29:1).

Regarding the first prophet in Jerusalem, the text presents two main points: the false comfort he offered, and the subsequent condemnation of this falsehood through Jeremiah, which begins at the verse, and the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah (Jeremiah 28:12).

The false comfort itself was delivered in two ways. First, it was given through the prophet's words. Second, it was given through his actions, as described in the verse, and Hananiah the prophet took the chain from the neck of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 28:10).

Focusing on the comfort given through words, the passage first presents the false prophecy and then Jeremiah's response to it, which begins, and Jeremiah spoke (Jeremiah 28:5).

The false prophecy is introduced by establishing its context: the time, in the fourth year; the prophet, Hananiah, who was a prophet by reputation; and the place, in the house of the Lord. This location recalls the earlier verse, I find their evil in my house, says the Lord (Jeremiah 23:11). Following this introduction comes the message of false comfort itself, which begins with the words, thus says the Lord.

This message contains two main promises. First, he promises liberty: I have broken—meaning, destroyed—the yoke. He speaks in the past tense to express the certainty of the event, even though this yoke was to be broken at a later time, not then. As Isaiah says, The yoke shall spoil because of oil (Isaiah 10:27).

Second, he predicts the nearness of its fulfillment: yet two years. This specific timeframe is given so that the people would not interpret it as symbolic "years of years," as described in Ezekiel 4:6: a day for a year, yea, a day for a year, have I appointed to you. This two-year fulfillment specifically includes the return of the temple vessels (and I shall cause all the vessels of the house of the Lord to be brought back to this place) and the liberation of their princes (and Jehoiakim). The promise about the vessels recalls their capture, described in Lamentations 1:10: the enemy put out his hand to all her desirable things. The promise about the princes contradicts what was said in the previous chapter, as recorded in the verse, O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord (Jeremiah 22:29).