Jeremiah 29:3 (DRB)

Passage

By the hand of Elasa the son of Saphan, and Gamarias the son of Helcias, whom Sedecias king of Juda sent to Babylon to Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon, saying:

Nearby Context

Jeremiah 29:1 Now these are the words of the letter which Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the residue of the ancients that were carried into captivity, and to the priests, and to the prophets, and to all the people, whom Nabuchodonosor had carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon:

Jeremiah 29:2 After that Jechonias the king, and the queen, and the eunuchs, and the princes of Juda, and of Jerusalem, and the craftsmen, and the engravers were departed out of Jerusalem:

Jeremiah 29:3 By the hand of Elasa the son of Saphan, and Gamarias the son of Helcias, whom Sedecias king of Juda sent to Babylon to Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon, saying:

Jeremiah 29:4 Thus saith the Lord of hosts the God of Israel, to all that are carried away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon:

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

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "hand", "elasa", "saphan", "gamarias", "helcias", "sedecias", "king", and "juda". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "hand" and "elasa", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "After that Jechonias the king and the..." into verse 4's "Thus saith the Lord of hosts the...", so "hand" and "elasa" 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 "hand" and "elasa" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.