Passage
Surely thus said Jehovah concerning the king who is sitting on the throne of David, and concerning all the people that is dwelling in this city, your brethren who went not forth with you in the removal;
Jeremiah 29:16 (YLT)
Nearby Context
Jeremiah 29:14 And I have been found of you--an affirmation of Jehovah; and I have turned back <FI>to<Fi> your captivity, and have gathered you out of all the nations, and out of all the places whither I have driven you--an affirmation of Jehovah--and I have brought you back unto the place whence I removed you.
Jeremiah 29:15 `Because ye have said, Jehovah hath raised up to us prophets in Babylon,
Jeremiah 29:16 Surely thus said Jehovah concerning the king who is sitting on the throne of David, and concerning all the people that is dwelling in this city, your brethren who went not forth with you in the removal;
Jeremiah 29:17 Thus said Jehovah of Hosts, Lo, I am sending among them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and I have given them up as figs that <FI>are<Fi> vile, that are not eaten for badness.
Jeremiah 29:18 And I have pursued after them with sword, with famine, and with pestilence, and have given them for a trembling to all kingdoms of the earth, for a curse and for an astonishment, and for a hissing, and for a reproach among all the nations whither I have driven them,
Study Lenses
The verse centers on "surely", "thus", "said", "jehovah", "concerning", "king", "sitting", and "throne". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "surely" and "thus", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 15's "Because ye have said Jehovah hath raised..." into verse 17's "Thus said Jehovah of Hosts Lo I...", so "surely" and "thus" 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 "surely" and "thus" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.