Jeremiah 29:5 (DRB)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

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.

Jeremiah 29:6 Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters: and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, and let them bear sons and daughters: and be ye multiplied there, and be not few in number.

Jeremiah 29:7 And seek the peace of the city, to which I have caused you to be carried away captives; and pray to the Lord for it: for in the peace thereof shall be your peace.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "build", "houses", "dwell", "plant", "orchards", 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 the Lord of hosts the..." 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.