Jeremiah 29:5 (ASV)

Passage

Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them.

Nearby Context

Jeremiah 29:3 by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan, and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, (whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent unto Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon,) saying,

Jeremiah 29:4 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all the captivity, whom I have caused to be carried away captive from Jerusalem unto Babylon:

Jeremiah 29:5 Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them.

Jeremiah 29:6 Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply ye there, and be not diminished.

Jeremiah 29:7 And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray unto Jehovah for it; for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "build", "houses", "dwell", "plant", "gardens", and "fruit". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "build" and "houses", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "Thus saith Jehovah of hosts the God..." into verse 6's "Take ye wives and beget sons and...", so "build" and "houses" belong inside that flow. In Jeremiah context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "build" and "houses" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.