Jeremiah 29:22
Because of them this curse shall be used by all the exiles from Judah in Babylon: “The LORD make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire,”
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
{ "studyTitle": "When False Prophets Become a Curse", "timeMinutes": 8, "concepts": [ { "title": "The Power of a Terrible Example", "hook": "Ever heard a saying that’s so common you don’t even think about its origin? This verse shows how extreme sin can create such memorable warnings.", "teaching": "Jeremiah 29:22 reveals a chilling reality: sin, especially the sin of spiritual leaders, can lead to a curse that gets passed down. \n\n### From Prophets to Proverbs\n\nThe false prophets Zedekiah and Ahab, who had misled God's people with lies, met a horrific end. They were roasted alive by the king of Babylon. This wasn't just a punishment; it was a spectacle. Their suffering became so notorious that the exiled Jews in Babylon would use their names as a curse. \n\nImagine saying, 'May the LORD make you like Zedekiah and Ahab!' It was a way to wish the absolute worst on someone, invoking the memory of their agonizing death. This illustrates how profoundly the actions of those who claim to speak for God can impact others, even long after they are gone.", "readItAgain": "Notice how the verse states, 'Because of them this curse shall be used by all the exiles from Judah in Babylon…'", "reflectionPrompt": "How can the extreme consequences of sin in the lives of others serve as a powerful, though somber, reminder for your own walk with God?", "supportingReferences": [ { "reference": "Isaiah 65:15", "connection": "This verse also speaks of people being used as a curse, showing a pattern of God using extreme examples to mark sin." }, { "reference": "Malachi 3:5", "connection": "This passage echoes God's awareness and promise of judgment against those who practice deceit and oppression, similar to the false prophets." } ] }, { "title": "God's Knowledge of Deception", "hook": "Do you ever feel like your hidden sins or deceptive words go unnoticed? Think again.", "teaching": "The passage emphasizes that God sees and knows the deceitful words and actions of false prophets, even when they think they’re getting away with it.\n\n### The Lord Is Witness\n\nThese prophets, Zedekiah and Ahab, didn't just lie; they lied in God's name. They likely convinced themselves, and others, that God would not hold them accountable in a foreign land like Babylon. But Jeremiah, echoing God’s own heart, makes it clear: 'Even I know, and am a witness, saith the Lord.'\n\nThis divine knowledge isn't just about catching sinners. It speaks to God's deep involvement and His ultimate justice. He witnesses the lies, the manipulation, and the harm caused by those who twist His words for their own gain. Their fiery end wasn't a surprise to God; it was the consequence of His full knowledge and righteous judgment.", "readItAgain": "Read again how the commentary highlights God's perspective: 'Even I know, and am a witness, saith the Lord.'", "reflectionPrompt": "When facing difficult situations or witnessing injustice, how does knowing that God is a witness to all actions bring you comfort or challenge?", "supportingReferences": [ { "reference": "Hebrews 4:13", "connection": "This verse reminds us that nothing in creation is hidden from God's sight; everything is 'plain and open before the eyes of him who we must give account.'" }, { "reference": "Jeremiah 23:24", "connection": "This verse warns against trying to hide from God, as He fills both heaven and earth, seeing everything." } ] } ] }
Ask a follow-up
Ask Sola things like:
Live chat about Jeremiah 29:22 is available in the Sola app.
Following Jeremiah's letter advising the exiles to settle in Babylon, two false prophets, Zedekiah and Ahab, stirred up rebellion. This verse reveals that these deceivers would be remembered not as heroes, but as a cautionary tale. All the Judean exiles in Babylon would use them as a benchmark for curses, praying that God would deal with wrongdoers as severely as the Babylonian king dealt with these treacherous prophets by roasting them alive.
When God's people want to curse someone, they don't just wish them bad luck. They invoke a specific, gruesome fate as a warning.
This verse describes how the exiles in Babylon would use a terrible curse involving false prophets Zedekiah and Ahab.
The Power of a Name
Divine Justice in Action
Why 'roasted in the fire'? This wasn't just any punishment; it was a deliberate, agonizing display designed to leave a lasting scar on the collective memory.
The detail about Zedekiah and Ahab being 'roasted in the fire' is particularly chilling and significant.
A Slow, Public Agony
More Than Just Punishment
Understand the original words
alah · Hebrew Noun
A divine declaration of judgment or condemnation. It signifies the invocation of God's wrath or the withdrawal of His favor upon someone for their rebellion or wickedness.
golah · Hebrew Noun
Those taken captive and forced to live in a foreign land. In the biblical context, it often refers to the judgment of God upon His people for their disobedience, yet also serves as a context for repentance and preservation.
This verse reflects the deep trauma of the Babylonian exile, where the brutal execution of Zedekiah and Ahab by Nebuchadnezzar became a horrifying symbol. The curse invokes this horrific event, highlighting how these false prophets brought about their own terrifying end and became a byword for divine judgment on deceitful leaders.
c. 597 BC
First Babylonian Deportation
King Nebuchadnezzar deports thousands of Judeans, including Jehoiachin and Ezekiel, to Babylon. This marks the beginning of the Babylonian exile for many.
c. 588-586 BC— this verse
Siege and Fall of Jerusalem
Nebuchadnezzar besieges Jerusalem, leading to its destruction and the final major deportation of Judeans to Babylon. Zedekiah, the last king of Judah, witnesses the brutal end of his kingdom.
c. 586 BC
Execution of Zedekiah and Ahab
Zedekiah, the puppet king of Judah, is captured after attempting to flee Jerusalem. Nebuchadnezzar blinds him and takes him to Babylon, where he and another false prophet, Ahab, are reportedly roasted in the fire.
c. 580 BC
Jeremiah's Letter to Exiles
Jeremiah sends a letter to the exiles in Babylon, advising them to settle down and build lives there, warning against false prophets who promise a quick return.
c. 580 BC
Shemaiah's Opposition
Shemaiah, a false prophet among the exiles, writes to Jerusalem opposing Jeremiah and urging the priests to imprison him. Jeremiah responds by prophesying Shemaiah's downfall.
This passage speaks about how people will leave behind a name to be used as a curse, similar to how Zedekiah and Ahab become a formula for imprecation in Jeremiah 29:22.
Daniel 3:6This passage describes the Chaldeans' fiery furnace punishment, providing historical context for the brutal execution method mentioned for Zedekiah and Ahab in Jeremiah 29:22.
Malachi 3:5This verse highlights God's witness to evil and His judgment, echoing the emphasis in Jeremiah 29:22-23 that God knows and sees the wicked deeds of false prophets.
Luke 13:31This passage shows how religious authorities tried to intimidate Jesus, drawing a parallel to how false prophets in Jeremiah 29 tried to manipulate and silence Jeremiah.
pooleJeremiah 29:22: "And of them shall be taken up a curse by all the captivity of Judah which are in Babylon, saying, The LORD make thee like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire;"
As false teachers are of the highest sort of transgressors, speaking lies in the name and under pretence of the authority of the God of truth; so God in his providence ordinarily makes them the greatest examples of his vengeance. God threateneth to bring them to an end that should turn in…
ellicottJeremiah 29:22: "And of them shall be taken up a curse by all the captivity of Judah which are in Babylon, saying, The LORD make thee like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire;"
(22) Of them shall be taken up a curse . . . —We note the characteristic tendency of Hebrew thought to fix on individual cases of highest blessedness, as in Ruth 4:11 , or of deepest shame, as here, and to bring them into formulae of blessing and of cursing. Jeremiah 29:23Because they hav…
{ "studyTitle": "When False Prophets Become a Curse", "timeMinutes": 8, "concepts": [ { "title": "The Power of a Terrible Example", "hook": "Ever heard a saying that’s so common you don’t even think about its origin? This verse shows how extreme sin can create such memorable warnings.", "teaching": "Jeremiah 29:22 reveals a chilling reality: sin, especially the sin of spiritual leaders, can lead to a curse that gets passed down. \n\n### From Prophets to Proverbs\n\nThe false prophets Zedekiah and Ahab, who had misled God's people with lies, met a horrific end. They were roasted alive by the king of Babylon. This wasn't just a punishment; it was a spectacle. Their suffering became so notorious that the exiled Jews in Babylon would use their names as a curse. \n\nImagine saying, 'May the LORD make you like Zedekiah and Ahab!' It was a way to wish the absolute worst on someone, invoking the memory of their agonizing death. This illustrates how profoundly the actions of those who claim to speak for God can impact others, even long after they are gone.", "readItAgain": "Notice how the verse states, 'Because of them this curse shall be used by all the exiles from Judah in Babylon…'", "reflectionPrompt": "How can the extreme consequences of sin in the lives of others serve as a powerful, though somber, reminder for your own walk with God?", "supportingReferences": [ { "reference": "Isaiah 65:15", "connection": "This verse also speaks of people being used as a curse, showing a pattern of God using extreme examples to mark sin." }, { "reference": "Malachi 3:5", "connection": "This passage echoes God's awareness and promise of judgment against those who practice deceit and oppression, similar to the false prophets." } ] }, { "title": "God's Knowledge of Deception", "hook": "Do you ever feel like your hidden sins or deceptive words go unnoticed? Think again.", "teaching": "The passage emphasizes that God sees and knows the deceitful words and actions of false prophets, even when they think they’re getting away with it.\n\n### The Lord Is Witness\n\nThese prophets, Zedekiah and Ahab, didn't just lie; they lied in God's name. They likely convinced themselves, and others, that God would not hold them accountable in a foreign land like Babylon. But Jeremiah, echoing God’s own heart, makes it clear: 'Even I know, and am a witness, saith the Lord.'\n\nThis divine knowledge isn't just about catching sinners. It speaks to God's deep involvement and His ultimate justice. He witnesses the lies, the manipulation, and the harm caused by those who twist His words for their own gain. Their fiery end wasn't a surprise to God; it was the consequence of His full knowledge and righteous judgment.", "readItAgain": "Read again how the commentary highlights God's perspective: 'Even I know, and am a witness, saith the Lord.'", "reflectionPrompt": "When facing difficult situations or witnessing injustice, how does knowing that God is a witness to all actions bring you comfort or challenge?", "supportingReferences": [ { "reference": "Hebrews 4:13", "connection": "This verse reminds us that nothing in creation is hidden from God's sight; everything is 'plain and open before the eyes of him who we must give account.'" }, { "reference": "Jeremiah 23:24", "connection": "This verse warns against trying to hide from God, as He fills both heaven and earth, seeing everything." } ] } ] }
Following Jeremiah's letter advising the exiles to settle in Babylon, two false prophets, Zedekiah and Ahab, stirred up rebellion. This verse reveals that these deceivers would be remembered not as heroes, but as a cautionary tale. All the Judean exiles in Babylon would use them as a benchmark for curses, praying that God would deal with wrongdoers as severely as the Babylonian king dealt with these treacherous prophets by roasting them alive.
Following Jeremiah's letter advising the exiles to settle in Babylon, two false prophets, Zedekiah and Ahab, stirred up rebellion. This verse reveals that these deceivers would be remembered not as heroes, but as a cautionary tale. All the Judean exiles in Babylon would use them as a benchmark for curses, praying that God would deal with wrongdoers as severely as the Babylonian king dealt with these treacherous prophets by roasting them alive.
"Because of them this curse shall be used by all the exiles from Judah in Babylon: “The LORD make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire,”" — { "studyTitle": "When False Prophets Become a Curse", "timeMinutes": 8, "concepts": [ { "title": "The Power of a Terrible Example", "hook": "Ever heard a saying that’s so common…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
