Jeremiah 28:4 kjv
And I will bring again to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, with all the captives of Judah, that went into Babylon, saith the LORD: for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.
Jeremiah 28:4 nkjv
And I will bring back to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, with all the captives of Judah who went to Babylon,' says the LORD, 'for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.' "
Jeremiah 28:4 niv
I will also bring back to this place Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah and all the other exiles from Judah who went to Babylon,' declares the LORD, 'for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.'?"
Jeremiah 28:4 esv
I will also bring back to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the exiles from Judah who went to Babylon, declares the LORD, for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon."
Jeremiah 28:4 nlt
And I will bring back Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the other captives that were taken to Babylon. I will surely break the yoke that the king of Babylon has put on your necks. I, the LORD, have spoken!'"
Jeremiah 28 4 Cross References
Verse | Text | Reference |
---|---|---|
Jeremiah 28:17 | For in this year that you prophesy rebellion against the LORD, you shall die. | Jeremiah 28:11 (Direct fulfillment) |
Jeremiah 28:16 | and say, 'Thus says the LORD: "I have broken the yoke of Babylon, | Jeremiah 27:2-3 (Prophetic context of opposition) |
Isaiah 9:15 | The elder and the honored man, he is the head; And the prophet who teaches lies, he is the tail. | Isaiah 9:15 (Consequence of false prophecy) |
Jeremiah 14:14 | Then the LORD said to me: "The prophets prophesy falsely in my name. I have not sent them, commanded them, nor spoken to them. They prophesy to you a false vision, confirmation, and worthlessness, and the deceit of their heart. | Jeremiah 14:14 (False prophets condemned) |
Ezekiel 13:3 | Thus says the Lord GOD: "Woe to the foolish prophets, who follow their own spirit and there is nothing they have seen! | Ezekiel 13:3 (Judgment on false prophets) |
Deuteronomy 18:20-22 | But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die. And if you say in your heart, 'How shall we know a word that the LORD has not spoken?'— when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the word does not come about or happen, that is the word which the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously, you shall not be afraid of him. | Deuteronomy 18:20-22 (Testing prophets) |
Jeremiah 20:11 | But the LORD is with me as a mighty, terrifying One; Therefore my persecutors will stumble and will not prevail. They will be greatly shamed, because they have not succeeded, With an everlasting disgrace which will not be forgotten. | Jeremiah 20:11 (God's protection of Jeremiah) |
Jeremiah 23:32 | Behold, I am against those who prophesy false dreams, says the LORD, and give them their reward and lead my people astray by their falsehoods and recklessness. Yet I did not send them or command them, nor do they profit this people at all,” declares the LORD. | Jeremiah 23:32 (False prophecies condemned) |
Amos 7:14-17 | Then Amos answered and said to Amaziah, “I am no prophet, nor am I a prophet’s son. But I am a shepherd of sheep and a binder of | Amos 7:14-17 (God's true prophets vs. false ones) |
Zechariah 11:17 | "Woe to the worthless shepherd who abandons the flock! A sword will be upon his arm and upon his right eye; his arm will be surely withered and his right eye totally blinded." | Zechariah 11:17 (Judgment on unworthy leaders) |
Matthew 24:24 | "For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect." | Matthew 24:24 (Warning against false prophets) |
1 John 4:1 | Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. | 1 John 4:1 (Discernment of spirits) |
Acts 5:3-5 | But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God." And Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard these things. | Acts 5:3-5 (Lying to the Holy Spirit) |
2 Timothy 4:3-4 | For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. | 2 Timothy 4:3-4 (Enduring false teachers) |
2 Peter 2:1-3 | But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. Because of greed, these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been lingering. | 2 Peter 2:1-3 (Warning against false teachers) |
Jude 1:10-11 | But these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they do according to nature, like brute beasts, of these they are ignorant. Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain; they have rushed headlong into error for profit, like the error of Balaam, and perished in rebellion of Korah. | Jude 1:10-11 (Characteristics of false teachers) |
Revelation 13:13-14 | It performs great and miraculous signs, even making fire come down out of the sky to the earth in the sight of all people. And because of the signs which were permitted to it to be performed in the presence of the beast, it deceives the inhabitants of the earth, telling them to make an image to the beast that had the wound from the sword and yet had come to life. | Revelation 13:13-14 (Deceptive signs and wonders) |
Isaiah 30:10 | Who say to the seers, "Do not see," And to the prophets, "Do not prophesy to us right things; Speak to us smooth things, prophesy deceits. | Isaiah 30:10 (Demand for pleasant lies) |
Jeremiah 6:14 | They have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people superficially, Saying, Peace, peace!" when there is no peace. | Jeremiah 6:14 (False healing of wounds) |
Galatians 1:8-9 | But even if we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. | Galatians 1:8-9 (False gospel) |
Jeremiah 28 verses
Jeremiah 28 4 Meaning
This verse signifies the pronouncement of judgment against Hananiah by Jeremiah, revealing God's intended punishment due to Hananiah's false prophecy. It marks a direct confrontation where divine retribution is foretold.
Jeremiah 28 4 Context
This verse is situated within the broader narrative of Jeremiah's confrontation with the false prophet Hananiah in Jerusalem during the reign of King Zedekiah (Jeremiah 28). Hananiah had publicly prophesied that the Babylonian yoke would be broken within two years, contradicting Jeremiah's message of continued submission and impending exile. Jeremiah, at God's command, responded by predicting Hananiah's death within the same year as his false prophecy. This event is set against the backdrop of the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem, a period of immense anxiety and division among the people of Judah, where pronouncements of immediate deliverance were appealing but ultimately deceptive.
Jeremiah 28 4 Word Analysis
- “Thus”: (koh - כֹּה) - In this manner; so. It indicates the authoritative manner of the message being conveyed, linking directly to the divine source.
- “says”: (ne'um - נְאֻם) - Utterance; declaration. A common prophetic formula emphasizing that the words are from God.
- “the”: (yhwh - יְהוָה) - The personal covenant name of God.
- “LORD”: - God's covenantal name, "Yahweh," signifies His faithfulness and power, grounding the prophecy in His character.
- “your”: (ka) - Possessive pronoun, referring to Hananiah.
- “neck”: (tsavar - צַוָּאר) - Neck. Figuratively, it represents the imposition of a yoke or burden. Jeremiah breaks a wooden yoke on his own neck to symbolize breaking the Babylonian yoke, which Hananiah falsely claimed was broken.
- “of”: (Genitive)
- “iron”: (barzel - בַּרְזֶל) - Iron. Represents a strong, unbreakable yoke, signifying the firm grip and oppression of the Babylonian kingdom. The juxtaposition with wood implies that what appeared easily broken (wood) was actually as strong and unyielding as iron.
- “so”: (ken - כֵּן) - In this way; thus. Mirrors the opening "thus," emphasizing the fulfillment of the prediction.
- “I”: (ani - אָנִי) - I. Personal pronoun, asserting the speaker's identity and agency.
- “have”: (Auxiliary verb)
- “broken”: (shevartî - שָׁברתי) - I have broken. Perfect tense, indicating a completed action, emphasizing that God's divine intervention will definitively accomplish what Hananiah falsely claimed.
- “the”: (moqed - מוֹקֵד) - Perhaps from a root meaning "to kindle," or related to qedem (east), but in this context, likely refers to the "yoke" itself or the "binding" of the yoke. Some scholars suggest moked relates to a fitting or brace of the yoke. The Septuagint translates it as "yoke."
- “yoke”: (`ol - עוֹל) - Yoke. Symbol of servitude, oppression, and bondage.
- “that”: ('asher - אֲשֶׁר) - That; which. Relative pronoun.
- “was”: (hayoh - הָיָה) - Being; to be.
- “upon”: (`al - עַל) - Upon; over; against.
- “the”: (kol - כָּל) - All; every.
- “neck”: (tsavar - צַוָּאר) - Neck.
- “of”: (Genitive)
- “all”: (kol - כָּל) - All; every.
- “the”: (goy - גּוֹי) - Nations; peoples.
- “nations”: - Refers to all the nations subjugated by Babylon, placing Judah within a global context of Babylonian dominance.
Phrase/Words Group Analysis:
- “Thus says the LORD”: This is a classic prophetic formula. It asserts divine authority and origin for the message. The repeated use in Jeremiah underscores the absolute certainty and divine backing of his prophecies, particularly when contrasted with false prophets.
- “your neck... iron”: The image is vivid. Jeremiah had worn a wooden yoke, symbolizing a broken or manageable burden. Hananiah's response in Jeremiah 28:13 used similar imagery but replaced wood with iron in his actions against Jeremiah's words. Jeremiah's counter-statement here confirms the severity and unbreakable nature of the true yoke of Babylonian authority. The iron yoke signifies an even stronger, more severe, and permanent form of subjugation than the wooden one.
- “I have broken the yoke”: This clause is spoken by the LORD (through Jeremiah) in response to Hananiah's prophecy and action. It contrasts Hananiah's claims by asserting God's own powerful breaking of a different yoke – perhaps the true yoke on all nations, which implied the future breaking of Babylon's power by God. The grammar implies that the LORD himself will break what has been imposed upon the nations, implying that Hananiah's claims about premature freedom were false. The specific wording suggests that the LORD has accomplished or will accomplish the breaking of that burden (which was iron).
Jeremiah 28 4 Bonus Section
The confrontation between Jeremiah and Hananiah highlights a critical theological principle: the test of prophecy. True prophecy is rooted in God's established word and confirmed by God's sovereign actions, not by wishful thinking or political expediency. Hananiah represents those who seek to please the populace with comforting lies rather than deliver God's challenging truth. This incident serves as a profound illustration of the dangers of spiritual deception and the responsibility of those who claim to speak for God. The contrast between wooden and iron yokes symbolizes the difference between a temporary illusion of freedom and the grim reality of God's judgment and eventual deliverance.
Jeremiah 28 4 Commentary
Jeremiah's words in this verse are not merely a refutation of Hananiah but a divine declaration of fact. By stating "Thus says the LORD, 'I have broken the yoke of iron,'" God Himself reasserts His ultimate sovereignty and control over the nations. This declaration contrasts starkly with Hananiah's wooden yoke, which he used to mime the breaking of Babylonian power. The mention of an "iron yoke" signifies the enduring and inescapable nature of Babylon's authority over Judah and the surrounding nations. God is stating that any supposed breaking of this dominion, as falsely prophesied by Hananiah, is incorrect. Instead, the Lord Himself will ultimately break the nations' subjugation. This includes a specific pronouncement against Hananiah: he will die within the year for his deceptive prophecy, underscoring the seriousness with which God views false prophecy that leads His people astray.