Jeremiah 29:19 (LSB)

Passage

because they have not listened to My words,’ declares Yahweh, ‘which I sent to them by My slaves the prophets, rising up early and sending; but you did not listen,’ declares Yahweh.

Nearby Context

Jeremiah 29:17 thus says Yahweh of hosts, ‘Behold, I am sending upon them the sword, famine, and pestilence, and I will make them like split-open figs that cannot be eaten due to rottenness.

Jeremiah 29:18 I will pursue them with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence; and I will give them over to be a terror to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a curse and an object of horror and of hissing, and a reproach among all the nations where I have banished them,

Jeremiah 29:19 because they have not listened to My words,’ declares Yahweh, ‘which I sent to them by My slaves the prophets, rising up early and sending; but you did not listen,’ declares Yahweh.

Jeremiah 29:20 You, therefore, hear the word of Yahweh, all you exiles, whom I have sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon.

Jeremiah 29:21 “Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning Ahab the son of Kolaiah and concerning Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, who are prophesying to you falsely in My name, ‘Behold, I will give them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will strike them down before your eyes.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "listened", "words", "declares", "yahweh", "sent", "slaves", "prophets", and "rising". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "listened" and "words", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 18's "I will pursue them with the sword..." into verse 20's "You therefore hear the word of Yahweh...", so "listened" and "words" 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 "listened" and "words" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.