Jeremiah 29:6
Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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This command to "take wives and have sons and daughters" might seem counterintuitive for people in exile, but it's actually a radical act of faith. By establishing families and multiplying in Babylon, they were defying despair and actively living out God's promise of future restoration, even when their present circumstances screamed otherwise.
Jeremiah is writing a letter from Jerusalem to the Judean exiles in Babylon, sent by royal ambassadors. This message, intended to counter false hopes of a quick return, instructs the captives to settle down, build lives, and raise families in Babylon, emphasizing God's will for them to multiply and not decrease during their long exile. The advice encourages them to live as normally as possible within their forced circumstances until God's appointed time for their return.
Imagine being ripped from your home, your family, your everything. What do you do next? God's command here might surprise you.
When the people of Judah were exiled to Babylon, their lives were thrown into utter chaos. But amidst this upheaval, God gave them a directive that seemed counterintuitive: "Take wives and have sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease."
Don't Stop Living
This wasn't a command to settle in Babylon forever, but a call to continue the essential rhythms of life, even in exile. It meant planting, building, and, crucially, continuing their families. They were to embrace the responsibilities of marriage and parenthood, ensuring the continuation of their people.
A Sign of Hope
Multiplying wasn't just about survival; it was a radical act of faith. By continuing to have children, they were acting as if deliverance was certain, even though it was far off. It was a declaration that God’s promises to Abraham – that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars – would still come to pass, even in a foreign land.
How can you be fully present in a temporary situation? God's people in Babylon were given practical instructions for living, not just waiting.
The exiles in Babylon were meant to live in their temporary home, not as if it were their permanent one. God commanded them to "take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage." This was about responsible family planning within their community, arranging marriages among their own people.
Building for the Future (Eventually)
This instruction emphasized building a future, but it was a future rooted in hope for return, not resignation to perpetual exile. It meant engaging in the ordinary duties of life – marrying off children, raising families – in a way that sustained their community while acknowledging their ultimate destiny was back in Judah.
Trusting God's Timeline
This command to marry and multiply wasn't an endorsement of settling permanently in Babylon, but a pragmatic instruction to live normal lives and ensure the continuation of God's people during a long period of exile, reinforcing the hope of a future return.
597 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar deports King Jehoiachin and thousands of Jewish leaders and skilled workers to Babylon, initiating the Babylonian exile.
c. 594 BC— this verse
Zedekiah's Embassy to Babylon
King Zedekiah, likely under pressure from his officials and possibly seeking to secure his position, sends envoys to Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. This is the context for Jeremiah's letter.
c. 594 BC
Jeremiah's Letter to the Exiles
Jeremiah, at God's command, sends a letter via the envoys to the exiles in Babylon, instructing them to settle down, build homes, plant gardens, marry, and multiply, as their exile would last seventy years.
586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem and Second Deportation
Nebuchadnezzar destroys Jerusalem and the Temple, deporting more people to Babylon. This event underscores the gravity of Jeremiah's message to those already in exile.
This passage records God's initial command for humanity to 'be fruitful and multiply,' a command echoed in Jeremiah's instruction to the exiles, highlighting the importance of continuing life and lineage even in difficult circumstances.
Deuteronomy 7:13-14Here, God promises blessings, including fruitfulness, to those who obey Him. Jeremiah's message, while given in a context of judgment, still points towards God's faithfulness to preserve and multiply His people, echoing this promise of continued blessing through offspring.
Psalm 107:36-37This psalm describes God's care for those in exile, allowing them to settle, cultivate land, and multiply. It parallels Jeremiah's directive to the exiles in Babylon, showing God's sustained provision for His people even in a foreign land.
Isaiah 49:19-20The prophet Isaiah foretold a future restoration where the exiles would return and find their land too small for their numbers. Jeremiah's instruction to multiply in Babylon serves as a foundational step towards that future abundance, demonstrating God's long-term plan for His people's growth.
Romans 8:28This New Testament passage assures believers that God works all things for good. Jeremiah's instructions to the exiles, even amidst their hardship, reflect God's overarching plan to use their current situation for their ultimate good and preservation.
calvinJeremiah 29:3-6: "By the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan, and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, (whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent unto Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon) saying,"
Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; that ye may be increased there, and not diminished.
Accipite uxores et generate filios et filias; et accipite filiis vestris uxores, et filias vestras date n…
pooleJeremiah 29:6: "Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; that ye may be increased there, and not diminished."
That is, Be not uneasy in your minds, not resolving what to do, through the prophecies of the false prophets, that tell you the captivity shall be but two years, or at least very short; but do all things which you would do if Babylon were to be your fixed habitation (as it is li…
This command to "take wives and have sons and daughters" might seem counterintuitive for people in exile, but it's actually a radical act of faith. By establishing families and multiplying in Babylon, they were defying despair and actively living out God's promise of future restoration, even when their present circumstances screamed otherwise.
Jeremiah is writing a letter from Jerusalem to the Judean exiles in Babylon, sent by royal ambassadors. This message, intended to counter false hopes of a quick return, instructs the captives to settle down, build lives, and raise families in Babylon, emphasizing God's will for them to multiply and not decrease during their long exile. The advice encourages them to live as normally as possible within their forced circumstances until God's appointed time for their return.
Jeremiah is writing a letter from Jerusalem to the Judean exiles in Babylon, sent by royal ambassadors. This message, intended to counter false hopes of a quick return, instructs the captives to settle down, build lives, and raise families in Babylon, emphasizing God's will for them to multiply and not decrease during their long exile. The advice encourages them to live as normally as possible within their forced circumstances until God's appointed time for their return.
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It was a difficult balance: live fully where you are, yet always look forward to God's promised deliverance. This meant not getting so comfortable that they forgot their homeland, but also not despairing to the point of ceasing to live. They were to be a faithful presence, multiplying and not decreasing, trusting God’s perfect timing for their return.
c. 585-539 BC
Life in Babylonian Exile
The Jewish exiles live in Babylon, gradually establishing communities and adapting to their new reality as Jeremiah had instructed, while maintaining hope for eventual return.
539 BC
Fall of Babylon to Persia
Cyrus the Great conquers Babylon, paving the way for the eventual decree allowing the Jewish exiles to return to their homeland.
538 BC
Edict of Cyrus
Cyrus issues a decree permitting the Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their Temple, fulfilling the seventy-year prophecy.
"Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease." — This command to "take wives and have sons and daughters" might seem counterintuitive for people in exile, but it's actually a radical act of faith. By establishing families and multiplying in Babylon…
