The Meaning of Jeremiah 29:31 Explained

Jeremiah 29:31

KJV: Send to all them of the captivity, saying, Thus saith the LORD concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite; Because that Shemaiah hath prophesied unto you, and I sent him not, and he caused you to trust in a lie:

YLT: Send unto all the removal, saying, Thus said Jehovah concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite, Because that Shemaiah prophesied to you, and I -- I have not sent him, and he doth cause you to trust on falsehood,

Darby: Send to all them of the captivity, saying, Thus saith Jehovah concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite: Because that Shemaiah hath prophesied unto you, and I sent him not, and he hath caused you to trust in falsehood;

ASV: Send to all them of the captivity, saying, Thus saith Jehovah concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite: Because that Shemaiah hath prophesied unto you, and I sent him not, and he hath caused you to trust in a lie;

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Send  to all them of the captivity,  saying,  Thus saith  the LORD  concerning Shemaiah  the Nehelamite;  Because that Shemaiah  hath prophesied  unto you, and I sent  him not, and he caused you to trust  in a lie: 

What does Jeremiah 29:31 Mean?

Context Summary

Jeremiah 29:1-32 - Shepherds That Mislead God's Flock
It is God's purpose to care for His people through shepherds (pastors) who are responsible to Him. Jesus our Lord is the Branch into which we may be grafted. He is our King who saves us and clothes us with His own spotless righteousness. God finds us in Him, Philippians 3:9. Because He reigns, we are saved and dwell in safety. When we are brought into contact with false shepherds, whether the failure be in doctrine or example, let us ask for the broken heart of Jeremiah 23:9.
God is everywhere present; as the latter paragraph indicates, He is near at hand to overhear the blasphemy of those who deride religion, and to be a very present help in time of trouble. If He fills heaven and earth, can He not fill thy heart? If His Word is like fire, let it cleanse thee! If it is as a hammer, let it pulverize thy pride! Let those of us who essay to teach and preach, not steal our words from our neighbors, or utter our own, but receive them from the source of all truth. [source]

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 29

1  Jeremiah sends a letter to the captives in Babylon to be quiet there,
8  and not to believe the dreams of their prophets;
10  and that they shall return with grace after seventy years
15  He foretells the destruction of the rest for their disobedience
20  He shows the fearful end of Ahab and Zedekiah, two false prophets
24  Shemaiah writes a letter against Jeremiah
30  Jeremiah foretells his doom

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 29:31 mean?

Send to all those in captivity saying thus says Yahweh concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite because that has prophesied to you Shemaiah and I not have sent him and he has caused to trust you in a lie
שְׁלַ֤ח עַל־ כָּל־ הַגּוֹלָה֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר כֹּ֚ה אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֔ה אֶל־ שְׁמַעְיָ֖ה הַנֶּחֱלָמִ֑י יַ֡עַן אֲשֶׁר֩ נִבָּ֨א לָכֶ֜ם שְׁמַעְיָ֗ה וַֽאֲנִי֙ לֹ֣א שְׁלַחְתִּ֔יו וַיַּבְטַ֥ח אֶתְכֶ֖ם עַל־ שָֽׁקֶר

שְׁלַ֤ח  Send 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: שָׁלַח  
Sense: to send, send away, let go, stretch out.
כָּל־  all  those  in 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
הַגּוֹלָה֙  captivity 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: גֹּולָה  
Sense: exiles, exile, captivity.
לֵאמֹ֔ר  saying 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
כֹּ֚ה  thus 
Parse: Adverb
Root: כֹּה  
Sense: thus, here, in this manner.
אָמַ֣ר  says 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
יְהוָ֔ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
אֶל־  concerning 
Parse: Preposition
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
שְׁמַעְיָ֖ה  Shemaiah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: שְׁמַעְיָה 
Sense: a prophet of the Lord in the reign of king Rehoboam of Judah.
הַנֶּחֱלָמִ֑י  the  Nehelamite 
Parse: Article, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: נֶחֱלָמִי  
Sense: the designation of a false prophet Shemaiah taken into captivity to Babylon; name is formed from his native place or his progenitor.
יַ֡עַן  because 
Parse: Adverb
Root: יַעַן  
Sense: because, therefore, because that, on account of prep.
אֲשֶׁר֩  that 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
נִבָּ֨א  has  prophesied 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: נָבָא  
Sense: to prophesy.
לָכֶ֜ם  to  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person masculine plural
שְׁמַעְיָ֗ה  Shemaiah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: שְׁמַעְיָה 
Sense: a prophet of the Lord in the reign of king Rehoboam of Judah.
וַֽאֲנִי֙  and  I 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Pronoun, first person common singular
Root: אֲנִי  
Sense: I (first pers.
שְׁלַחְתִּ֔יו  have  sent  him 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common singular, third person masculine singular
Root: שָׁלַח  
Sense: to send, send away, let go, stretch out.
וַיַּבְטַ֥ח  and  he  has  caused  to  trust 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: בָּטוּחַ 
Sense: to trust.
שָֽׁקֶר  a  lie 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: שֶׁקֶר  
Sense: lie, deception, disappointment, falsehood.