✝
← Bible
ARCBLIVREKJVVBL

Jeremiah 28

KJV · Chapter 28/52

1And it came to pass the same year, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fourth year, and in the fifth month, that Hananiah the son of Azur the prophet, which was of Gibeon, spake unto me in the house of the Lord, in the presence of the priests and of all the people, saying,

2Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon.

3Within two full years will I bring again into this place all the vessels of the Lord’s house, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place, and carried them to Babylon:

4And I will bring again to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, with all the captives of Judah, that went into Babylon, saith the Lord: for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.

5Then the prophet Jeremiah said unto the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests, and in the presence of all the people that stood in the house of the Lord,

6Even the prophet Jeremiah said, Amen: the Lord do so: the Lord perform thy words which thou hast prophesied, to bring again the vessels of the Lord’s house, and all that is carried away captive, from Babylon into this place.

7Nevertheless hear thou now this word that I speak in thine ears, and in the ears of all the people;

8The prophets that have been before me and before thee of old prophesied both against many countries, and against great kingdoms, of war, and of evil, and of pestilence.

9The prophet which prophesieth of peace, when the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known, that the Lord hath truly sent him.

10Then Hananiah the prophet took the yoke from off the prophet Jeremiah’s neck, and brake it.

11And Hananiah spake in the presence of all the people, saying, Thus saith the Lord; Even so will I break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from the neck of all nations within the space of two full years. And the prophet Jeremiah went his way.

12Then the word of the Lord came unto Jeremiah the prophet, after that Hananiah the prophet had broken the yoke from off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, saying,

13Go and tell Hananiah, saying, Thus saith the Lord; Thou hast broken the yokes of wood; but thou shalt make for them yokes of iron.

14For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; I have put a yoke of iron upon the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they shall serve him: and I have given him the beasts of the field also.

15Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto Hananiah the prophet, Hear now, Hananiah; The Lord hath not sent thee; but thou makest this people to trust in a lie.

16Therefore thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will cast thee from off the face of the earth: this year thou shalt die, because thou hast taught rebellion against the Lord.

17So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

The false prophet Hananiah publicly breaks Jeremiah's yoke, promising that the captivity would end in two years. Jeremiah replies that, on the contrary, the yoke would become iron, and Hananiah dies that same year.

Explanation

This is a direct confrontation between true and false prophecy, presented vividly: Hananiah offers a popular, optimistic message, exactly the opposite of what Jeremiah announced. Jeremiah's response is at first almost gentle ('Amen! May the LORD do so'), but he makes clear that only time would prove who spoke the truth. Hananiah's death that same year, exactly as Jeremiah predicted, serves as divine confirmation of true prophetic authenticity, according to the very standard set in Deuteronomy 18:22 — if the word does not come to pass, the prophet was not sent by God.

Fun facts

  • Hananiah was from Gibeon, a city just a few miles from Jerusalem, showing that false prophets often came from within the recognized religious establishment itself, not from outside it.
  • Hananiah's death within the one-year timeframe Jeremiah predicted (v.16-17) precisely follows the test set out in Deuteronomy 18:20-22 for identifying a false prophet.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Jeremiah 28:1Hananiah was a rival prophet to Jeremiah, active in the same period and in the same temple: he promised that in just two years the sacred objects and King Jehoiachin himself would return from Babylon. A popular hope, but one that directly contradicted the seventy years Jeremiah had announced in chapter 25.
  2. Jeremiah 28:2Hananiah imitates the official prophetic formula only to say the opposite of Jeremiah: that the Babylonian yoke was already broken — a false hope soon disproved by events.
  3. Jeremiah 28:3Hananiah promises that in just two years the temple vessels carried off by Nebuchadnezzar will return — the exact opposite of what Jeremiah had just announced in the previous chapter.
  4. Jeremiah 28:4He goes further and even promises the return of King Jehoiachin (Jeconiah), exiled since 597 BC, and of all the deportees — an optimistic prophecy much easier to swallow than Jeremiah’s.
  5. Jeremiah 28:5The scene is public, inside the temple, with priests and people watching the direct confrontation between the two prophets — this is not a backroom dispute.
  6. Jeremiah 28:6Jeremiah’s response is surprising: he wishes Hananiah were right, because that would mean the end of the people’s suffering — but his personal wish does not change what God actually said.
  7. Jeremiah 28:7Jeremiah asks for attention before countering, preparing the people for a practical test that will decide which of the two speaks the truth.
  8. Jeremiah 28:8Jeremiah recalls that Israel’s prophetic tradition had always been one of warning and judgment, not easy comfort — announcing good things that do not happen is a warning sign, not confirmation.
  9. Jeremiah 28:9The criterion Jeremiah proposes is simple: only time proves who is truly a prophet. If the promise of peace comes true, only then can it be known that it came from God.
  10. Jeremiah 28:10When Hananiah breaks Jeremiah’s wooden yoke in front of everyone, God answers through Jeremiah with an even harsher image: in place of a wooden yoke that breaks easily, an iron yoke will come, impossible to snap. Submission to Babylon will be even heavier than the initial demonstration suggested.
  11. Jeremiah 28:11After breaking Jeremiah’s wooden yoke as a symbolic gesture, Hananiah repeats the promise that in two years Babylonian rule will end. Jeremiah leaves without answering on the spot.
  12. Jeremiah 28:12Only after the public confrontation does God give Jeremiah the final answer to bring back to Hananiah — the initial silence was not agreement.
  13. Jeremiah 28:13God’s answer turns Hananiah’s demonstration against himself: breaking a wooden yoke changes nothing, because now the yoke will be made of iron — even heavier and more final.
  14. Jeremiah 28:14God confirms that even the wild animals will serve Nebuchadnezzar, reinforcing that submission to Babylon, first announced in chapter 27, is a non-negotiable divine order.
  15. Jeremiah 28:15Jeremiah accuses Hananiah directly of lying, not of an innocent mistake: he made the people trust a false hope at the worst possible moment.
  16. Jeremiah 28:16The law in Deuteronomy 18:22 said the test of a true prophet was whether his word came true. Hananiah’s death, in the very year he predicted the end of the captivity, works as public confirmation that he had prophesied a lie.
  17. Jeremiah 28:17The sentence is carried out quickly: Hananiah dies in the seventh month of that same year, only a few months after making the false prophecy — solid proof of who truly spoke for God.

Chapters

12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031323334353637383940414243444546474849505152

Our apps

Our apps →

Bible in Stories

The Bible told as a story, with audio and videos.

📱 Get the app

World in Stories

True stories of humanity that sound made up.

App StoreGoogle Play

Feito! Pequenas Vitórias

A light daily routine for people who lose track of the day.

App StoreGoogle Play