What does Jeremiah 29:11 mean?
Jeremiah wrote these words in a letter to Jewish exiles carried off to Babylon. False prophets were promising a quick return home, but God told them to settle in, because the exile would last seventy years. This promise came in that hard setting. God had not forgotten them; his intentions were for peace and a real future, even when circumstances said otherwise. Though first spoken to a nation, the verse reveals God's character: he plans for his people's good, often through long seasons of waiting rather than instant rescue. Readers today can trust him with an uncertain future, knowing hardship does not cancel his purposes.
Jeremiah 29:11 in the World English Bible
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you,” says the LORD, “thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you hope and a future.
Context
10 For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.
11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
12 Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.
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Frequently asked questions
What does Jeremiah 29:11 mean?
Jeremiah wrote these words in a letter to Jewish exiles carried off to Babylon. False prophets were promising a quick return home, but God told them to settle in, because the exile would last seventy years. This promise came in that hard setting. God had not forgotten them; his intentions were for peace and a real future, even when circumstances said otherwise. Though first spoken to a nation, the verse reveals God's character: he plans for his people's good, often through long seasons of waiting rather than instant rescue. Readers today can trust him with an uncertain future, knowing hardship does not cancel his purposes.
What does Jeremiah 29:11 say in the KJV?
Jeremiah 29:11 (KJV) reads: “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”