Jeremiah 29:20 (YLT)

Passage

`And ye, hear ye a word of Jehovah, all ye of the captivity that I have sent from Jerusalem to Babylon,

Nearby Context

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,

Jeremiah 29:19 Because that they have not hearkened unto My words--an affirmation of Jehovah--that I sent unto them by My servants the prophets, rising early and sending, and ye hearkened not--an affirmation of Jehovah.

Jeremiah 29:20 `And ye, hear ye a word of Jehovah, all ye of the captivity that I have sent from Jerusalem to Babylon,

Jeremiah 29:21 Thus said Jehovah of Hosts, God of Israel, concerning Ahab son of Kolaiah, and concerning Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, who are prophesying to you in My name falsehood: Lo, I am giving them into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and he hath smitten them before your eyes,

Jeremiah 29:22 And taken from them hath been a reviling by all the removed of Judah that <FI>are<Fi> in Babylon, saying, Jehovah doth set thee as Zedekiah, and as Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted with fire;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "hear", "word", "jehovah", "captivity", "sent", "jerusalem", and "babylon". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "hear" and "word", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "Because that they have not hearkened unto..." into verse 21's "Thus said Jehovah of Hosts God of...", so "hear" and "word" 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 "hear" and "word" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.