Jeremias 35

ARC · Chapter 35/52

1A palavra que do Senhor veiu a Jeremias, nos dias de Joaquim, filho de Josias, rei de Judah, dizendo:

2Vae á casa dos rechabitas, e falla com elles, e leva-os á casa do Senhor, a uma das camaras e dá-lhes vinho a beber.

3Então tomei a Jasanias, filho de Jeremias, filho de Habazinias, e a seus irmãos, e a todos os seus filhos, e a toda a casa dos rechabitas;

4E os levei á casa do Senhor, á camara dos filhos de Hanan, filho de Jigdalias, homem de Deus, que está junto á camara dos principes, que está sobre a camara de Maaseias, filho de Sallum, guarda do vestibulo:

5E puz diante dos filhos da casa dos rechabitas taças cheias de vinho, e copos, e disse-lhes: Bebei vinho.

6Porém elles disseram: Não beberemos vinho; porque Jonadab, filho de Rechab, nosso pae, nos mandou, dizendo: Não bebereis vinho, nem vós nem vossos filhos perpetuamente;

7Nem edificareis casa, nem semeareis semente, nem plantareis vinha, nem a possuireis; mas habitareis em tenda todos os vossos dias, para que vivaes muitos dias sobre a face da terra, em que vós andaes peregrinando.

8Obedecemos pois á voz de Jonadab, filho de Rechab, nosso pae, em tudo quanto nos ordenou; de maneira que não bebemos vinho em todos os nossos dias, nem nós, nem nossas mulheres, nem nossos filhos, nem nossas filhas,

9Nem edificamos casas para nossa habitação: nem temos vinha, nem campo, nem semente.

10E habitamos em tendas, e assim ouvimos e fizemos conforme tudo quanto nos mandou Jonadab, nosso pae.

11Succedeu, porém, que, subindo Nabucodonozor, rei de Babylonia, a esta terra, dissemos: Vinde, e vamo-nos a Jerusalem, por causa do exercito dos chaldeos, e por causa do exercito dos syros; e assim ficámos em Jerusalem.

12Então veiu a palavra do Senhor a Jeremias, dizendo:

13Assim diz o Senhor dos Exercitos, o Deus de Israel: Vae, e dize aos homens de Judah e aos moradores de Jerusalem: Porventura nunca acceitareis ensino, para ouvirdes as minhas palavras? diz o Senhor.

14As palavras de Jonadab, filho de Rechab, que ordenou a seus filhos que não bebessem vinho, foram guardadas; pois não beberam até este dia, antes ouviram o mandamento de seu pae, e eu vos tenho fallado a vós, madrugando e fallando, porém vós não me ouvistes a mim.

15E vos enviei a todos os meus servos, os prophetas, madrugando, e enviando, e dizendo: Convertei-vos agora, cada um do seu mau caminho, e fazei boas as vossas acções, e não sigaes a outros deuses para servil-os; e assim ficareis na terra que vos dei a vós e a vossos paes; porém não inclinastes o vosso ouvido, nem me obedecestes a mim

16Porquanto os filhos de Jonadab, filho de Rechab, guardaram o mandamento de seu pae que lhes ordenou; e este povo não me obedeceu:

17Por isso assim diz o Senhor, o Deus dos Exercitos, o Deus de Israel: Eis que trarei sobre Judah, e sobre todos os moradores de Jerusalem, todo o mal que fallei contra elles; porquanto lhes tenho fallado, e não ouviram; e clamei a elles, e não responderam.

18E á casa dos rechabitas disse Jeremias: Assim diz o Senhor dos Exercitos, o Deus de Israel: Porquanto obedecestes ao mandamento de Jonadab, vosso pae, e guardastes todos os seus mandamentos, e fizestes conforme tudo quanto vos ordenou,

19Portanto assim diz o Senhor dos Exercitos, Deus d'Israel: Nunca faltará varão a Jonadab, filho de Rechab, que assista perante a minha face todos os dias.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Jeremiah publicly tests the Rechabites, offering them wine, but they refuse out of obedience to an old command from their ancestor Jonadab. God uses their faithfulness as an example to rebuke Judah.

Explanation

The Rechabites were a semi-nomadic clan who lived by strict rules of simplicity set by their ancestor centuries earlier — no wine, no permanent houses, no farming. Their consistent, voluntary obedience to a simple human code stands in sharp contrast to the disobedience of the people of Judah toward the direct commands of God himself. This is a powerful example of how the faithfulness of a group less 'religious' in official standing can shame the unfaithfulness of those who should know the truth better — and because of this loyalty, God promises that the Rechabite line will never lack a man to stand before him.

Fun facts

  • The Rechabites are also mentioned in 2 Kings 10:15-23, linked to Jehu in the elimination of Baal worship, showing a tradition of religious zeal that spanned generations.
  • Living in tents and avoiding settled farming, as Jonadab commanded, was a form of cultural resistance against assimilation with Canaanite agricultural practices, which were often tied to fertility cults.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Jeremias 35:1A step back in time: this scene took place still during the reign of Jehoiakim, decades before the final siege — the book of Jeremiah does not follow a straight chronological order.
  2. Jeremias 35:2God tells Jeremiah to run a public test with the Rechabites, a nomadic clan known for keeping strict rules of simple living for generations, by offering them wine right inside the temple.
  3. Jeremias 35:3Jeremiah gathers the whole Rechabite family, several generations, for the test to take place before witnesses.
  4. Jeremias 35:4A location detail: the scene takes place in a specific chamber of the temple, near the chamber of the officials — a formal, visible setting, not a hidden one.
  5. Jeremias 35:5Jeremiah literally sets cups of wine in front of them and invites them to drink — setting the stage for the test of obedience.
  6. Jeremias 35:6The Rechabites were a nomadic clan following an old vow from their ancestor Jonadab: never drink wine, never build permanent houses, always live in tents. A lifestyle of rigid faithfulness to a human rule, far simpler than God’s law.
  7. Jeremias 35:7The ancestor Jonadab’s rule went beyond wine: it forbade building houses, planting crops, and owning fixed property, keeping the family permanently nomadic, living in tents as a simple and separate way of life.
  8. Jeremias 35:8The Rechabites confirm that they kept the rule to the letter for generations, including the women and children — obedience without exception, even after so much time.
  9. Jeremias 35:9They insist that they never built a house or had a vineyard or a field — they lived exactly as their ancestor had ordered, without adapting the rule to circumstances.
  10. Jeremias 35:10A summary of their obedience: they lived in tents and followed everything Jonadab commanded, without question.
  11. Jeremias 35:11They make just one concrete exception: when the Babylonian invasion (and also the Arameans) threatened the region, they took refuge behind the walls of Jerusalem for safety — the only time they broke the nomadic pattern, and only out of extreme necessity.
  12. Jeremias 35:12A transition formula: after the test with the Rechabites comes God’s explanation of what the scene means for Judah.
  13. Jeremias 35:13God uses what has just happened as a rhetorical question to Judah: why does a clan follow the order of a human ancestor to the letter, while the whole people will not follow the order of God Himself?
  14. Jeremias 35:14The point of the episode is an uncomfortable comparison. If a clan can manage to obey without fail a rule invented by some ancestor, why can all of Judah not obey the law of their own God, repeated by prophets generation after generation?
  15. Jeremias 35:15It repeats the common accusation in the book: God sent prophets insistently calling for repentance, and the people simply did not listen — the contrast with the obedient Rechabites becomes even more glaring.
  16. Jeremias 35:16It sums up the chapter’s central contrast: a human clan obeyed an ancestor for generations, but the chosen people did not obey God Himself.
  17. Jeremias 35:17Because of this contrast, the judgment announced against Judah is confirmed — God spoke repeatedly and was not heard, so the announced disaster will come to pass.
  18. Jeremias 35:18Jeremiah changes who he is addressing: now he speaks directly to the Rechabites to announce the reward for their obedience.
  19. Jeremias 35:19The reward: Jonadab’s line will never lack descendants standing in God’s presence — a simple, faithful clan receives a promise similar to the one made to David’s dynasty.

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