# Jeremiah 27 📖: The Yoke of Babylon [[📚 Explore the Bible Books]] [[-Jeremiah Overview]] | [[Jeremiah 26]] | [[Jeremiah 28]] > [!info] Table of Contents > [[#📜 Scripture Text (NET)]] > [[#📖 Verse-by-Verse Commentary]] > [[#🤔 Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights]] > [[#🧠 Chapter Summary]] > [[#✝️ Christ in This Chapter]] > [[#🔎 Key Principles / 🛟 Life Application]] > [[#💬 Discussion Questions]] > [[#✍️ Key Verses to Remember]] > [[#🔗 Related Passages/Cross Reference]] > [[#🙏 Devotional Reflection]] > [[#📂 Internal Notes]] ## 📜 Scripture Text (NET) (The NET Bible: New English Translation. Biblical Studies Press, 2005) ### Jeremiah Counsels Submission to Babylon [[#Verse 01.]] The Lord spoke to Jeremiah early in the reign of Josiah’s son, King Zedekiah of Judah.  [[#Verse 02.]]The Lord told me, “Make a yoke out of leather straps and wooden crossbars and put it on your neck.  [[#Verse 03.]] Use it to send messages to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, and Sidon. Send them through the envoys who have come to Jerusalem to King Zedekiah of Judah.  [[#Verse 04.]] Charge them to give their masters a message from me. Tell them, ‘The Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says to give your masters this message:  [[#Verse 05.]] “I made the earth and the people and animals on it by my mighty power and great strength, and I give it to whomever I see fit.  [[#Verse 06.]] I have at this time placed all these nations of yours under the power of my servant, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. I have even made all the wild animals subject to him. [[#Verse 07.]] All nations must serve him and his son and grandson until the time comes for his own nation to fall. Then many nations and great kings will in turn subjugate Babylon.  [[#Verse 08.]] But suppose a nation or a kingdom will not be subject to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. Suppose it will not submit to the yoke of servitude to him. I, the Lord, affirm that I will punish that nation. I will use the king of Babylon to punish it with war, starvation, and disease until I have destroyed it. [[#Verse 09.]] So do not listen to your prophets or to those who claim to predict the future by divination, by dreams, by consulting the dead, or by practicing magic. They keep telling you, ‘You do not need to be subject to the king of Babylon.’  [[#Verse 10.]] Do not listen to them, because their prophecies are lies. Listening to them will only cause you to be taken far away from your native land. I will drive you out of your country and you will die in exile. [[#Verse 11.]] Things will go better for the nation that submits to the yoke of servitude to the king of Babylon and is subject to him. I will leave that nation in its native land. Its people can continue to farm it and live in it. I, the Lord, affirm it!”’” [[#Verse 12.]] I told King Zedekiah of Judah the same thing. I said, “Submit to the yoke of servitude to the king of Babylon. Be subject to him and his people. Then you will continue to live.  [[#Verse 13.]] There is no reason why you and your people should die in war or from starvation or disease. That’s what the Lord says will happen to any nation that will not be subject to the king of Babylon.  [[#Verse 14.]] Do not listen to the prophets who are telling you that you do not need to serve the king of Babylon. For they are prophesying lies to you. [[#Verse 15.]] For I, the Lord, affirm that I did not send them. They are prophesying lies to you in my name. If you listen to them, I will drive you and the prophets who are prophesying lies out of the land and you will all die in exile.” [[#Verse 16.]] I also told the priests and all the people, “The Lord says, ‘Do not listen to what your prophets are saying. They are prophesying to you that the valuable articles taken from the Lord’s temple will be brought back from Babylon very soon. But they are prophesying a lie to you.  [[#Verse 17.]] Do not listen to them. Be subject to the king of Babylon. Then you will continue to live. Why should this city be made a pile of rubble?’”  [[#Verse 18.]] I also told them, “If they are really prophets and the Lord is speaking to them, let them pray earnestly to the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. Let them plead with him not to let the valuable articles that are still left in the Lord’s temple, in the royal palace of Judah, and in Jerusalem be taken away to Babylon.  [[#Verse 19.]] For the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has already spoken about the two bronze pillars, the large bronze basin called ‘The Sea,’ and the movable bronze stands. He has already spoken about the rest of the valuable articles that are left in this city.  [[#Verse 20.]] He has already spoken about these things that King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon did not take away when he carried Jehoiakim’s son King Jeconiah of Judah and the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem away as captives from Jerusalem to Babylon.  [[#Verse 21.]] Indeed, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, has already spoken about the valuable articles that are left in the Lord’s temple, in the royal palace of Judah, and in Jerusalem.  [[#Verse 22.]] He has said, ‘They will be carried off to Babylon. They will remain there until it is time for me to show consideration for them again. Then I will bring them back and restore them to this place.’ I, the Lord, affirm this!” ## 📖 Verse-by-Verse Commentary ###### Overall. ###### Verse 01. ###### Verse 02. ###### Verse 03. ###### Verse 04. ###### Verse 05. ###### Verse 06. ###### Verse 07. ###### Verse 08. ###### Verse 09. ###### Verse 10. ###### Verse 11. ###### Verse 12. ###### Verse 13. ###### Verse 14. ###### Verse 15. ###### Verse 16. ###### Verse 17. ###### Verse 18. ###### Verse 19. ###### Verse 20. ###### Verse 21. ###### Verse 22. ## 🤔 Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights 1. Most Hebrew manuscripts read "Jehoiakim" in 27:1, but the chapter's content (27:3, 12) points to Zedekiah's reign, and some ancient versions read Zedekiah. 2. A yoke was a wooden crossbar fastened with straps around the necks of working animals. 3. Envoys from Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, and Sidon came to Jerusalem (27:3), likely to plan a revolt against Babylon. 4. God calls Nebuchadnezzar "My servant" (27:6). 5. God says even the wild animals would serve Nebuchadnezzar (27:6), a picture of complete dominion. 6. The nations had prophets, diviners, dreamers, fortune-tellers, and sorcerers (27:9). God calls their words lies. 7. The bronze pillars, the bronze Sea, and the stands (27:19) were famous furnishings Solomon made for the temple (1 Kings 7:15-39). 8. The bronze Sea was a huge basin that held water for the priests' washing. 9. The prophets claimed the temple vessels would soon return from Babylon (27:16). God said the rest would also be taken. 10. God promised to bring the vessels back (27:22), and Ezra 1:7-11 records Cyrus returning thousands of temple articles. ## 🧠 Chapter Summary > [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way. ## ✝️ Christ in This Chapter Christ is the One whose yoke is easy and whose burden is light (Matthew 11:29-30). Judah would not accept the yoke God placed on them (27:8), but Jesus invites the weary to take His yoke and find rest. ## 🔎 Key Principles / 🛟 Life Application > [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way. ## 💬 Discussion Questions 1. God told Jeremiah to wear a yoke as a living message (27:2). Why do you think God sometimes calls His people to accept a hard situation rather than escape it? 2. God says He gives the earth to whomever He pleases (27:5). How does God's sovereignty over nations affect the way we view world events? 3. False prophets told the people what they wanted to hear (27:9-10, 14-16). How can we guard ourselves from voices that tell us only pleasant things? ## ✍️ Key Verses to Remember - 📖 verse 5: By My great power I made the earth, and I give it to whomever I please. - 📖 verse 12: Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon and live. - 📖 verse 22: The temple vessels will be taken to Babylon, and then God will bring them back. ## 🔗 Related Passages/Cross Reference - 🔗 [[Matthew 11#Verse 29.|Matthew 11:29-30]] - Take My yoke, for it is easy. - 🔗 [[Daniel 02#Verse 21.|Daniel 2:21]] - God removes kings and sets up kings. - 🔗 [[Romans 13#Verse 01.|Romans 13:1]] - Governing authorities are established by God. - 🔗 [[Ezra 01#Verse 07.|Ezra 1:7-11]] - Cyrus returns the temple vessels. - 🔗 [[2 Timothy 04#Verse 03.|2 Timothy 4:3-4]] - People turn away from truth to myths. ## 🙏 Devotional Reflection 📝 SOAP: [[Jeremiah 27 - SOAP|Trouble Does Not Last Forever]] ## 📂 Internal Notes