“This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Like these good figs, so I regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I have sent away from this place to the land of the Chaldeans.
Parallel translations
- WEB “Yahweh, the God of Israel says: ‘Like these good figs, so will I regard the captives of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans, for good.
- KJV Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge them that are carried away captive of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans for their good.
- NKJV “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ‘Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge those who are carried away captive from Judah, whom I have sent out of this place for their own good, into the land of the Chaldeans.
- NASB “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘Like these good figs, so I will regard as good the captives of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans.
- NLT “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: The good figs represent the exiles I sent from Judah to the land of the Babylonians.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God identifies the good figs as the exiles of Judah sent to Babylon, whom He regards for good. The deportation, far from rejection, serves His gracious purpose for them.
Overview
Contrary to expectation, the LORD declares the Babylonian captives to be the good figs whom He has sent away 'for good.' Their exile is part of God's disciplinary mercy, not abandonment. This reframes suffering and displacement as a sphere in which God works redemptively for His people's ultimate benefit (cf. Rom 8:28).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- Zech 13:9This third I will bring through the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are My people,’ and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God.’”
- Nah 1:7The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of distress; He cares for those who trust in Him.
- Ps 94:12–14Blessed is the man You discipline, O LORD, and teach from Your law,
- Deut 8:16He fed you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers had not known, in order to humble you and test you, so that in the end He might cause you to prosper.
- 1 Cor 8:3But the one who loves God is known by God.
- Rev 3:19Those I love, I rebuke and discipline. Therefore be earnest and repent.
- Gal 4:9But now that you know God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you are turning back to those weak and worthless principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?
- Ps 119:71It was good for me to be afflicted, that I might learn Your statutes.
- Ps 119:67Before I was afflicted, I went astray; but now I keep Your word.
- Heb 12:5–10And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not take lightly the discipline of the Lord, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you.
- Matt 25:12But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’
- John 10:27My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me.
- 2 Tim 2:19Nevertheless, God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord must turn away from iniquity.”
- Rom 8:28And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.
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Christ at the center
Against the failure of false shepherds Jeremiah promises the Righteous Branch, 'The LORD our righteousness,' and the new covenant written on the heart and sealed in the blood of Christ.
How Jeremiah 24:5 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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