Jeremiah 28

Prophet dies for faking prophecy

Fake prophet with a false prophecy

1Later that year, [1] Hananiah, a prophet from the town of Gibeon [2] and son of Azzur, spoke to me at the Jerusalem Temple. I was worshiping there with priests and others. It was summertime—the fifth month of the year. Zedekiah was still in his fourth year as king of Judah. The prophet said:

2“This is what the LORD of everyone and the God of Israel says: You’re free. I’ve broken the yoke that Babylon’s king made you wear. 3Within two years, I’ll bring back everything Babylon took from this Temple. [3] They’re done dominating you. 4I’ll also bring back everyone they took captive from us, including King Jehoiachin, son of King Jehoiakim. I will end Babylon’s domination and break the yoke they forced us to wear.”

Jeremiah’s push-back

5Then Jeremiah replied to Hananiah in front of all the priests and everyone else standing there at the Temple. He said, 6“Well amen to that. May the LORD do everything you just said he would do—bring back the sacred Temple articles and all the people who got deported.

7But listen to this, everyone. 8There have been plenty of prophets before us. Since ancient times, they’ve warned many countries and sprawling kingdoms of coming war, famine, and disease. 9As for prophets who predict peace instead, believe it when you see it. You’ll know they’re a genuine prophet of the LORD when their prophecy comes true.”

10Hananiah pulled the wooden yoke off Jeremiah’s neck and broke it apart. [4] 11Then Hananiah said, “And there you go. That’s how the LORD will break the yoke of Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar. All the nations will be free within two years.” Jeremiah left the Temple grounds.

God forces nations to yield to Babylon

12Later, the LORD sent Jeremiah another message. He said, 13“Go tell Hananiah that the LORD says this:

You broke the wooden bars on the yoke. Now you’ll get a yoke with iron bars. 14I am the LORD of everyone and the God of Israel, and I’ve put iron yokes on the necks of all the nations I mentioned earlier. [5] They will all serve King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. I even gave him the animals in those nations.”

15Then Jeremiah told prophet Hananiah, “Come on, Hananiah. We both know the LORD didn’t give you any message to deliver to the people. You lied to them. But the problem is that they believe you. 16So, the LORD says he’s going to sweep you off the earth. You’ll be dead within the year for you took a stand against the LORD.”

17Hananiah died that autumn, two months [6] after he broke Jeremiah’s yoke.

Footnotes

Intro Notes to Jeremiah

128:1

About 593 BC, just around seven years before Babylon burned and leveled Jerusalem. “The fifth month” would have been Av, from about mid-July to mid-August. But the Hebrew text leaves us guessing about the dates and wondering if there’s an editorial mistake. The text could read as though it’s the first year of Zedekiah’s reign and yet the fourth year. So, scholars have to do what we did—go with a guess and call a spade a spade—and a guess a guess.

228:1

Gibeon has been linked to a dirt mound of ruins called Tel el-Jib less than a day’s walk west of Jericho. Archaeologists found jar handles there stamped “Gibeon.” The city was on hills overlooking the Jordan River Valley, about 16 miles (25 km) away. Gibeon was one kilometer higher (over half a mile) than the Jericho plains. Gibeon’s ruins are now on the northern outskirts of today’s Jerusalem. But in King Solomon’s time, it was about seven miles (11 km) north, roughly a two-hour walk.

328:3

Babylonians deported the people of Judah once before the massive exile in 586 BC. About a decade earlier, in 597 BC, invading Babylonians took treasures from the Temple along with Judah’s top leaders

428:10

Perhaps Hananiah thought that breaking the yoke would illustrate that his prophecy was coming true, beginning now. Or maybe he was mad about the barely veiled insult.

528:14

Jeremiah 27:3.

628:17

He died “in the seventh month” of the year. That’s the Jewish month of Tishrei, from mid-September to mid-October. He had delivered a fake prophecy and broken Jeremiah’s yoke in the fifth month (28:1).