Jeremiah uniquely reverses his typical judgment rhetoric by promising the Babylonian exiles will receive God's covenant mercy while Jerusalem's remnant faces destruction—contradicting contemporary expectations about who deserved divine favor.
Jeremiah 24
The Good and Bad Figs
1The LORD showed me, and behold, two baskets of figs were set before the LORD’s temple, after Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and the princes of Judah, with the craftsmen and smiths, from Jerusalem, and had brought them to Babylon.
2One basket had very good figs, like the figs that are first-ripe; and the other basket had very bad figs, which could not be eaten, they were so bad.
3Then the LORD asked me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” I said, “Figs. The good figs are very good, and the bad are very bad, so bad that they can’t be eaten.”
4The LORD’s word came to me, saying,
5“The LORD, the God of Israel says: ‘Like these good figs, so I will regard the captives of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans, as good.
6For I will set my eyes on them for good, and I will bring them again to this land. I will build them, and not pull them down. I will plant them, and not pluck them up.
7I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the LORD. They will be my people, and I will be their God; for they will return to me with their whole heart.
8“‘As the bad figs, which can’t be eaten, they are so bad,’ surely the LORD says, ‘So I will give up Zedekiah the king of Judah, and his princes, and the remnant of Jerusalem who remain in this land, and those who dwell in the land of Egypt.
9I will even give them up to be tossed back and forth among all the kingdoms of the earth for evil, to be a reproach and a proverb, a taunt and a curse, in all places where I will drive them.
10I will send the sword, the famine, and the pestilence among them, until they are consumed from off the land that I gave to them and to their fathers.’”
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Theme
Through a vision of two baskets of figs, God reveals His contrasting plans for different groups of His people after Babylon's conquest. The good figs represent the exiles already taken to Babylon, whom God will restore and give new hearts to know Him. The bad figs symbolize those remaining in Jerusalem under King Zedekiah and those who fled to Egypt, who will face complete destruction and scattering among the nations.
Context
This vision follows the initial Babylonian deportation and precedes Jeremiah's letter to the exiles, establishing God's redemptive purpose for those already in captivity.
Key Themes
Outline
- 1-3 The Vision of Two Baskets Jeremiah sees two baskets of figs—one very good, one very bad—placed before the temple after the first deportation to Babylon.
- 4-7 The Good Figs Explained God identifies the good figs as the exiles in Babylon, promising to restore them to the land and give them hearts to know Him.
- 8-10 The Bad Figs Explained The bad figs represent King Zedekiah, Jerusalem's remnant, and those in Egypt, who will face sword, famine, and complete destruction.
The Good and Bad Figs
24:1–24:10 prophecy vision contemplative
Through a vision of good and bad figs, God reveals His plan to bless the exiles in Babylon while bringing judgment upon those remaining in Jerusalem and Egypt.
person_contrast
Jeremiah uniquely reverses his typical judgment rhetoric by promising the Babylonian exiles will receive God's covenant mercy while Jerusalem's remnant faces destruction—contradicting contemporary expectations about who deserved divine favor.
Insights
Cross-References
Connected passages across Scripture
Jeremiah 24:1 5 references
Lexicals 5
Jeremiah 29:2 Lexical
(after Jeconiah the king, the queen mother, the eunuchs, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the smit…
2 Kings 24:14 Lexical
He carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valor, even ten thousand captives, and all…
Esther 2:6 Lexical
who had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captives who had been carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom N…
Jeremiah 27:20 Lexical
which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon didn’t take when he carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Jud…
2 Kings 24:16 Lexical
All the men of might, even seven thousand, and the craftsmen and the smiths one thousand, all of them strong and fit for…
Jeremiah 24:2 1 reference
Jeremiah 24:6 5 references
Lexicals 5
Jeremiah 31:28 Lexical
It will happen that, like as I have watched over them to pluck up and to break down and to overthrow and to destroy and…
Jeremiah 42:10 Lexical
‘If you will still live in this land, then I will build you, and not pull you down, and I will plant you, and not pluck…
Jeremiah 45:4 Lexical
“You shall tell him, the LORD says: ‘Behold, that which I have built, I will break down, and that which I have planted I…
Jeremiah 1:10 Lexical
Behold, I have today set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, to uproot and to tear down, to destroy and to overt…
Ezekiel 36:36 Lexical
Then the nations that are left around you will know that I, the LORD, have built the ruined places and planted that whic…
Jeremiah 24:9 5 references
Lexicals 5
Jeremiah 29:18 Lexical
I will pursue after them with the sword, with the famine, and with the pestilence, and will deliver them to be tossed ba…
Jeremiah 42:18 Lexical
For the LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘As my anger and my wrath has been poured out on the inhabitants of Jer…
1 Kings 9:7 Lexical
then I will cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and I will cast this house, which I have made holy f…
Deuteronomy 28:37 Lexical
You will become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword among all the peoples where the LORD will lead you away.
2 Chronicles 7:20 Lexical
then I will pluck them up by the roots out of my land which I have given them; and this house, which I have made holy fo…
Jeremiah 24:10 5 references
Lexicals 5
Jeremiah 27:8 Lexical
“‘“‘It will happen that I will punish the nation and the kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar king of Ba…
Ezekiel 12:16 Lexical
But I will leave a few men of them from the sword, from the famine, and from the pestilence, that they may declare all t…
1 Chronicles 21:12 Lexical
either three years of famine; or three months to be consumed before your foes, while the sword of your enemies overtakes…
Ezekiel 7:15 Lexical
“‘The sword is outside, and the pestilence and the famine within. He who is in the field will die by the sword. He who i…
Ezekiel 6:12 Lexical
He who is far off will die of the pestilence. He who is near will fall by the sword. He who remains and is besieged will…
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