Jeremiah 29:6-7
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. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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This command to marry and multiply in exile isn't about encouraging them to settle permanently, but about preserving God's chosen people. It’s a practical instruction to embrace life and continue their lineage within the harsh reality of captivity, holding onto the assurance of God's future faithfulness even while enduring His present discipline.
Jeremiah sent this letter by ambassadors to the Jewish exiles in Babylon, who were likely swayed by false prophets promising a quick return. God's message, however, directs them to settle down, build homes, marry, and raise families, acknowledging that their exile will last for a significant period—seventy years. This instruction wasn't about giving up hope, but about living faithfully and productively during their divinely appointed time in exile.
Imagine receiving instructions to settle down and build a family in a place you know you're not supposed to be forever. That's the tension Jeremiah's letter brings.
God's message to the exiles in Jeremiah 29 wasn't about giving up hope. Instead, it was a directive for how to live while waiting.
Plant and Multiply
The command to "take wives and have sons and daughters" and to "take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage" might seem counterintuitive for people in exile. They were far from their promised land, facing a long wait.
The Purpose of Persistence
However, this wasn't an encouragement to forget their homeland or assimilate completely. It was about living faithfully within their present circumstances. By continuing to build families, they were to ensure the survival and growth of their community, demonstrating trust that God's promises would eventually be fulfilled, even if the timeline was long.
The exiles were told to multiply, not diminish. This wasn't just practical advice; it was a profound expression of God's unfailing commitment to His people.
The instruction to "multiply there, and do not decrease" carries a deep theological weight.
God's Covenant Promise
For Abraham's descendants, the continuation of their lineage was intrinsically linked to God's covenant promises. To decrease or diminish would feel like a failure of God's faithfulness. Jeremiah's message, therefore, is a reassurance that God's covenant purposes would endure, even through the hardship of exile.
Trusting the Timing
While they were to live normal lives, settling in and raising families, this wasn't a signal for permanent residence. It was a command to trust God's appointed time for their return. Their multiplication in Babylon was a testament that God's redemptive plan was still very much active, setting the stage for their eventual restoration.
Understand the original words
golah · Hebrew Noun
A state of separation from one's homeland, often as a divine judgment for sin, which serves as a testing ground for faith and faithfulness to God in a foreign land.
shalom · Hebrew Noun
A comprehensive term encompassing peace, prosperity, health, completeness, and wholeness; it signifies God’s desire for the flourishing of his people even in difficult circumstances.
YHWH · Hebrew Noun
The supreme personal name of God in the Old Testament, representing His covenantal faithfulness, holiness, and self-existence.
This instruction to marry and multiply in Babylon, given during the exile, was a paradox: it meant settling into exile for a long duration, yet it also affirmed God's promise that the Abrahamic line would continue and ultimately return.
605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar conquers Judah and deports a portion of the population, including members of the royal family and educated elite, to Babylon.
597 BC
Second Deportation to Babylon
Following a rebellion, Nebuchadnezzar deports more people, including King Jehoiachin and the prophet Ezekiel, to Babylon.
c. 593 BC— this verse
Jeremiah's Letter Sent to Babylon
Jeremiah, by God's command and likely with the reluctant permission of King Zedekiah, sends a letter via royal ambassadors to the exiles in Babylon.
586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem and Third Deportation
Jerusalem is destroyed, and the remaining population, except for the very poor, is exiled to Babylon, marking the end of the Judean kingdom.
This passage echoes God's promise to grow Abraham's descendants, similar to how Jeremiah is telling the exiles to multiply in Babylon, assuring them that God's covenant promise of a great nation would not fail even in exile.
Deuteronomy 7:13This verse highlights God's blessing of fruitfulness in crops and offspring as a sign of His favor, paralleling Jeremiah's instruction to the exiles to marry and multiply, signifying God's continued, albeit chastening, blessing upon them.
Psalm 137:8-9While this Psalm expresses a lament over Babylon's destruction, Jeremiah's instruction to multiply in verse 6 offers a stark contrast, showing God's long-term plan for His people that extends even to their oppressors' land, implying eventual deliverance and a future for their lineage.
Ezra 1:1This verse marks the beginning of the end of the exile foretold by Jeremiah, demonstrating how the command to multiply and establish families in Babylon was a necessary step in preserving God's people for their eventual return and restoration.
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 marry and multiply in exile isn't about encouraging them to settle permanently, but about preserving God's chosen people. It’s a practical instruction to embrace life and continue their lineage within the harsh reality of captivity, holding onto the assurance of God's future faithfulness even while enduring His present discipline.
Jeremiah sent this letter by ambassadors to the Jewish exiles in Babylon, who were likely swayed by false prophets promising a quick return. God's message, however, directs them to settle down, build homes, marry, and raise families, acknowledging that their exile will last for a significant period—seventy years. This instruction wasn't about giving up hope, but about living faithfully and productively during their divinely appointed time in exile.
Jeremiah sent this letter by ambassadors to the Jewish exiles in Babylon, who were likely swayed by false prophets promising a quick return. God's message, however, directs them to settle down, build homes, marry, and raise families, acknowledging that their exile will last for a significant period—seventy years. This instruction wasn't about giving up hope, but about living faithfully and productively during their divinely appointed time in exile.
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c. 538 BC
Edict of Cyrus
Cyrus the Great, king of Persia, issues a decree allowing the Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their temple.
"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. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into…" — This command to marry and multiply in exile isn't about encouraging them to settle permanently, but about preserving God's chosen people. It’s a practical instruction to embrace life and continue the…
