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.
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.
- BSB “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.
- 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 13:9And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.
- Nah 1:7The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.
- Ps 94:12–14Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O LORD, and teachest him out of thy law;
- Deut 8:16Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end;
- 1 Cor 8:3But if any man love God, the same is known of him.
- Rev 3:19As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
- Gal 4:9But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?
- Ps 119:71It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.
- Ps 119:67Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word.
- Heb 12:5–10And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:
- Matt 25:12But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.
- John 10:27My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
- 2 Tim 2:19Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
- Rom 8:28And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the 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
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.