“And I bought the field at Anathoth from Hanamel my cousin, and weighed out the money to him, seventeen shekels of silver.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The text highlights that Jeremiah "weighed out the money" rather than counting it, pointing to a time when silver was a commodity valued by weight, not yet standardized coinage. This detail emphasizes the tangible, practical nature of the transaction, even as it served a profound symbolic purpose.
“And I bought the field at Anathoth from Hanamel my cousin, and weighed out the money to him, seventeen shekels of silver.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Amidst Jerusalem's siege and the looming threat of Babylonian conquest, Jeremiah, acting under direct divine command, makes a seemingly irrational purchase. He buys a field in Anathoth from his cousin Hanamel, weighing out a small sum of seventeen shekels of silver. This act, occurring while he is imprisoned and the land is vulnerable, sets the stage for a profound prophetic message about future restoration and God’s enduring promises.
In Jeremiah's day, money wasn't always in neat, stamped coins like we have today. How did they handle payments, and what does it tell us about their economy?
Money by Weight
Notice how the verse says Jeremiah 'weighed out the money' instead of 'counted it out'. This points to an ancient practice where silver and gold were often paid by weight rather than by pre-stamped coins. The 'shekel' was primarily a unit of weight, not just a coin.
This method was common before coined money became widespread. It shows us a different economic reality, where the intrinsic value of the metal was the key, not the stamp on a piece of currency. It required careful measurement and trust in the honesty of the transaction.
Seventeen shekels of silver for a field… in the middle of a siege. It sounds like a terrible deal! Why would anyone buy land then, and for so little?
The Price of a Land Under Siege
The price of seventeen shekels (which was quite a small sum, roughly £2-£3 in modern value) for a field was incredibly low. This wasn't because the field was worthless in normal times, but because of the dire circumstances:
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Hanamel, Jeremiah's cousin, was likely desperate for cash and glad to get anything for land that seemed lost. The low price reflects the collapse of normal life and economic stability.
Jeremiah wasn't just making a bad real estate investment. This purchase was a powerful message. What was the deeper meaning behind buying a field that seemed useless?
More Than Just Dirt
This wasn't a typical business transaction; it was a divine sign. The purchase of the field from Hanamel carried profound spiritual weight:
Understand the original words
sheqel · Hebrew Noun
A unit of weight used for currency in ancient Israel, typically referring to a specific weight of precious metal like silver used in commercial transactions.
Jeremiah's purchase of a field during the siege of Jerusalem was a powerful, tangible act of faith. It visually proclaimed that despite the imminent destruction and exile, God's promises of future restoration and possession of the land would ultimately be fulfilled, even after seventy years.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria
The Northern Kingdom of Israel falls to the Assyrian Empire, leading to the exile of many Israelites. This event marked the beginning of major foreign domination over the land of Israel.
605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, begins his campaigns against Judah, leading to the first exile of Judean people, including Daniel. This marked the start of the Babylonian threat to Judah.
597 BC
Second Deportation to Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar deports more Judeans, including King Jehoiachin and the prophet Ezekiel, to Babylon. Jerusalem and the Temple remain, but under Babylonian control.
586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem and Destruction of the Temple
Babylonian forces conquer Jerusalem, destroy the city and the First Temple, and deport the majority of the remaining population to Babylon. This event marks the end of the Kingdom of Judah.
c. 580 BC— this verse
Jeremiah's Purchase of the Field
While Jerusalem is under siege by the Babylonians, Jeremiah buys a field in Anathoth from his cousin Hanamel. This act, though seemingly illogical during wartime, serves as a divine sign of future restoration.
539 BC
Cyrus the Great Conquers Babylon
The Persian Empire, under Cyrus, overthrows the Babylonian Empire. This conquest paves the way for the return of the exiled Jews to their homeland.
538 BC
Edict of Cyrus Allowing Return
Cyrus issues a decree permitting the Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their Temple. This marks the beginning of the return from Babylonian exile.
This passage shows a precedent for purchasing land, though Abraham paid a much larger sum, highlighting the unique circumstances and perhaps the symbolic nature of Jeremiah's purchase.
Ruth 4:7The act of confirming transactions by removing a sandal was a practice in ancient Israel, mirroring the legalistic, yet deeply symbolic, nature of Jeremiah's purchase and the subsequent legal documentation.
Matthew 27:7This shows another instance of land being purchased with silver, specifically the potter's field, also bought under grim circumstances, offering a parallel to the devaluation of property during times of crisis.
Jeremiah 32:44This verse directly follows the purchase, stating that fields will again be bought and sold in the land, showing that Jeremiah's act was a sign of future restoration and normalcy, even amidst current despair.
barnesJeremiah 32:9: "And I bought the field of Hanameel my uncle's son, that was in Anathoth, and weighed him the money, even seventeen shekels of silver."
Seventeen shekels of silver - literally, as in the margin, probably a legal formula. Jeremiah bought Hanameel's life-interest up to the year of Jubilee, and no man's life was worth much in a siege like that of Jerusalem. As Jeremiah had no children, at his death the land would devolve to the person who would have inherited it had Jeremiah not bou…
clarkeJeremiah 32:9: "And I bought the field of Hanameel my uncle's son, that was in Anathoth, and weighed him the money, even seventeen shekels of silver."
Weighed him the money - It does not appear that there was any coined or stamped money among the Jews before the captivity; the Scripture, therefore, never speaks of counting money, but of weighing it. Seventeen shekels of silver - The shekel at this time must have been a nominal coin; it was a thing of a certain weight, or a certain worth. Sevent…
The text highlights that Jeremiah "weighed out the money" rather than counting it, pointing to a time when silver was a commodity valued by weight, not yet standardized coinage. This detail emphasizes the tangible, practical nature of the transaction, even as it served a profound symbolic purpose.
Amidst Jerusalem's siege and the looming threat of Babylonian conquest, Jeremiah, acting under direct divine command, makes a seemingly irrational purchase. He buys a field in Anathoth from his cousin Hanamel, weighing out a small sum of seventeen shekels of silver. This act, occurring while he is imprisoned and the land is vulnerable, sets the stage for a profound prophetic message about future restoration and God’s enduring promises.
Amidst Jerusalem's siege and the looming threat of Babylonian conquest, Jeremiah, acting under direct divine command, makes a seemingly irrational purchase. He buys a field in Anathoth from his cousin Hanamel, weighing out a small sum of seventeen shekels of silver. This act, occurring while he is imprisoned and the land is vulnerable, sets the stage for a profound prophetic message about future restoration and God’s enduring promises.
"“And I bought the field at Anathoth from Hanamel my cousin, and weighed out the money to him, seventeen shekels of silver." — The text highlights that Jeremiah "weighed out the money" rather than counting it, pointing to a time when silver was a commodity valued by weight, not yet standardized coinage. This detail emphasize…
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Last reviewed October 2026