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Jeremiah 35

KJV · Chapter 35/52

1The word which came unto Jeremiah from the Lord in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, saying,

2Go unto the house of the Rechabites, and speak unto them, and bring them into the house of the Lord, into one of the chambers, and give them wine to drink.

3Then I took Jaazaniah the son of Jeremiah, the son of Habaziniah, and his brethren, and all his sons, and the whole house of the Rechabites;

4And I brought them into the house of the Lord, into the chamber of the sons of Hanan, the son of Igdaliah, a man of God, which was by the chamber of the princes, which was above the chamber of Maaseiah the son of Shallum, the keeper of the door:

5And I set before the sons of the house of the Rechabites pots full of wine, and cups, and I said unto them, Drink ye wine.

6But they said, We will drink no wine: for Jonadab the son of Rechab our father commanded us, saying, Ye shall drink no wine, neither ye, nor your sons for ever:

7Neither shall ye build house, nor sow seed, nor plant vineyard, nor have any: but all your days ye shall dwell in tents; that ye may live many days in the land where ye be strangers.

8Thus have we obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab our father in all that he hath charged us, to drink no wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, nor our daughters;

9Nor to build houses for us to dwell in: neither have we vineyard, nor field, nor seed:

10But we have dwelt in tents, and have obeyed, and done according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us.

11But it came to pass, when Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon came up into the land, that we said, Come, and let us go to Jerusalem for fear of the army of the Chaldeans, and for fear of the army of the Syrians: so we dwell at Jerusalem.

12Then came the word of the Lord unto Jeremiah, saying,

13Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Go and tell the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Will ye not receive instruction to hearken to my words? saith the Lord.

14The words of Jonadab the son of Rechab, that he commanded his sons not to drink wine, are performed; for unto this day they drink none, but obey their father’s commandment: notwithstanding I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking; but ye hearkened not unto me.

15I have sent also unto you all my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, Return ye now every man from his evil way, and amend your doings, and go not after other gods to serve them, and ye shall dwell in the land which I have given to you and to your fathers: but ye have not inclined your ear, nor hearkened unto me.

16Because the sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have performed the commandment of their father, which he commanded them; but this people hath not hearkened unto me:

17Therefore thus saith the Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring upon Judah and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the evil that I have pronounced against them: because I have spoken unto them, but they have not heard; and I have called unto them, but they have not answered.

18And Jeremiah said unto the house of the Rechabites, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Because ye have obeyed the commandment of Jonadab your father, and kept all his precepts, and done according unto all that he hath commanded you:

19Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not want a man to stand before me for ever.

📖 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. Jeremiah 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. Jeremiah 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. Jeremiah 35:3Jeremiah gathers the whole Rechabite family, several generations, for the test to take place before witnesses.
  4. Jeremiah 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. Jeremiah 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. Jeremiah 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. Jeremiah 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. Jeremiah 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. Jeremiah 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. Jeremiah 35:10A summary of their obedience: they lived in tents and followed everything Jonadab commanded, without question.
  11. Jeremiah 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. Jeremiah 35:12A transition formula: after the test with the Rechabites comes God’s explanation of what the scene means for Judah.
  13. Jeremiah 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. Jeremiah 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. Jeremiah 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. Jeremiah 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. Jeremiah 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. Jeremiah 35:18Jeremiah changes who he is addressing: now he speaks directly to the Rechabites to announce the reward for their obedience.
  19. Jeremiah 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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