Jeremiah 29:22 (WEB)

Passage

A curse will be taken up about them by all the captives of Judah who are in Babylon, saying, ‘Yahweh make you like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire;’

Nearby Context

Jeremiah 29:20 Hear therefore Yahweh’s word, all you captives, whom I have sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon.

Jeremiah 29:21 Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel, says concerning Ahab the son of Kolaiah, and concerning Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, who prophesy a lie to you in my name: “Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and he will kill them before your eyes.

Jeremiah 29:22 A curse will be taken up about them by all the captives of Judah who are in Babylon, saying, ‘Yahweh make you like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire;’

Jeremiah 29:23 because they have done foolish things in Israel, and have committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives, and have spoken words in my name falsely, which I didn’t command them. I am he who knows, and am witness,” says Yahweh.

Jeremiah 29:24 Concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite you shall speak, saying,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "curse", "taken", "captives", "judah", "babylon", "saying", "yahweh", and "make". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "curse" and "taken", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 21's "Yahweh of Armies the God of Israel..." into verse 23's "because they have done foolish things in...", so "curse" and "taken" 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 "curse" and "taken" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.