Jeremiah 28

Hananiah's False Prophecy

¹That same year, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fourth year, in the fifth month, Hananiah the son of Azzur, the prophet, who was of Gibeon, spoke to me in the LORD’s house, in the presence of the priests and of all the people, saying,

²“The LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says, ‘I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon.

³Within two full years I will bring again into this place all the vessels of the LORD’s house that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place and carried to Babylon.

⁴I will bring again to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, with all the captives of Judah, who went to Babylon,’ says the LORD; ‘for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.’”

⁵Then the prophet Jeremiah said to the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests, and in the presence of all the people who stood in the LORD’s house,

⁶even the prophet Jeremiah said, “Amen! May the LORD do so. May the LORD perform your words which you have prophesied, to bring again the vessels of the LORD’s house, and all those who are captives, from Babylon to this place.

⁷Nevertheless listen now to this word that I speak in your ears, and in the ears of all the people:

⁸The prophets who have been before me and before you of old prophesied against many countries, and against great kingdoms, of war, of evil, and of pestilence.

⁹As for the prophet who prophesies of peace, when the word of the prophet happens, then the prophet will be known, that the LORD has truly sent him.”

¹⁰Then Hananiah the prophet took the bar from off the prophet Jeremiah’s neck, and broke it.

¹¹Hananiah spoke in the presence of all the people, saying, “The LORD says: ‘Even so I will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from off the neck of all the nations within two full years.’” Then the prophet Jeremiah went his way.

¹²Then the LORD’s word came to Jeremiah, after Hananiah the prophet had broken the bar from off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, saying,

¹³“Go, and tell Hananiah, saying, ‘The LORD says, “You have broken the bars of wood, but you have made in their place bars of iron.”

¹⁴For the LORD of Armies, the God of Israel says, “I have put a yoke of iron on the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they will serve him. I have also given him the animals of the field.”’”

¹⁵Then the prophet Jeremiah said to Hananiah the prophet, “Listen, Hananiah! The LORD has not sent you, but you make this people trust in a lie.

¹⁶Therefore the LORD says, ‘Behold, I will send you away from off the surface of the earth. This year you will die, because you have spoken rebellion against the LORD.’”

¹⁷So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month.

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Jeremiah confronts the false prophet Hananiah, who publicly contradicts Jeremiah's message by prophesying that Babylon's yoke will be broken within two years and the temple vessels and exiles will return. When Hananiah dramatically breaks the wooden yoke from Jeremiah's neck, God responds through Jeremiah that the wooden yoke will be replaced with an iron one, making Babylon's dominion even stronger. Jeremiah pronounces God's judgment on Hananiah for speaking falsely in the Lord's name, predicting his death within the year—a prophecy fulfilled when Hananiah dies two months later.

Context

This chapter follows Jeremiah's symbolic wearing of a yoke in chapter 27 and demonstrates the ongoing conflict between true and false prophecy that runs throughout the book.

Key Themes

Outline

1-4
Hananiah's False Prophecy The prophet Hananiah publicly declares that God will break Babylon's yoke and restore the temple vessels and exiles within two years.
5-9
Jeremiah's Initial Response Jeremiah expresses hope that Hananiah's words prove true but warns that prophets are typically tested by whether their peaceful prophecies come to pass.
10-11
The Broken Yoke Hananiah dramatically breaks the wooden yoke from Jeremiah's neck, symbolically declaring God's promise to break Babylon's power over all nations.
12-14
God's Counter-Response The Lord tells Jeremiah that breaking the wooden yoke will only result in an iron yoke, making Babylon's dominion even stronger.
15-17
Judgment on the False Prophet Jeremiah pronounces God's death sentence on Hananiah for speaking lies in the Lord's name, which is fulfilled when Hananiah dies two months later.

Hananiah's False Prophecy

28:1–28:17

narrative dialogue defiant

The false prophet Hananiah contradicts Jeremiah by prophesying Babylon's defeat within two years and breaks Jeremiah's symbolic yoke. Jeremiah responds by distinguishing true prophecy from false optimism, emphasizing that authentic prophets typically prophesy judgment rather than easy peace.

person_contrast

Jeremiah's criterion that true prophets historically prophesy "war, famine, and pestilence" rather than peace (v.8) establishes the counterintuitive principle that authentic divine messengers typically bring difficult rather than comforting words.

Insight Character Study

Cross-References

Connected passages across Scripture

Jeremiah 28:1 5 references

Lexicals 5

Jeremiah 1:3 Lexical

It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, to the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah, the…

Jeremiah 28

Hananiah's False Prophecy

Hananiah's False Prophecy

Insights

Cross-References

Jeremiah 28:1 5 references

Jeremiah 28:3 3 references

Jeremiah 28:4 5 references

Jeremiah 28:5 1 reference

Jeremiah 28:6 5 references

Jeremiah 28:9 2 references

Jeremiah 28:10 1 reference

Jeremiah 28:11 5 references

Jeremiah 28:12 1 reference

Jeremiah 28:13 1 reference

Jeremiah 28:14 5 references

Jeremiah 28:15 1 reference

Jeremiah 28:17 1 reference

Interlinear

Historical Context