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Jeremiah 28

Jeremiah 28 exposes a false promise of peace and shows that God’s word stands despite public claims made in his name.

Hananiah speaks in YHWH’s house before the priests and people during Zedekiah’s fourth year as king. He promises that Babylon’s rule will end within two years and that the captives and temple vessels will return. Jeremiah hopes for that outcome but says a promise of peace must be tested by its fulfillment. After Hananiah breaks Jeremiah’s wooden yoke, God sends Jeremiah back with a harder verdict: Babylon’s rule will stand, and Hananiah will die that year.

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1That same year, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fourth year, in the fifth month, Hananiah the son of Azzur, the prophet, who was of Gibeon, spoke to me in the LORD’s house, in the presence of the priests and of all the people, saying,
2“The LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says, ‘I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon.
3Within two full years I will 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 to Babylon.
4I will bring again to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, with all the captives of Judah, who went to Babylon,’ says the LORD; ‘for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.’”
5Then the prophet Jeremiah said to the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests, and in the presence of all the people who stood in the LORD’s house,
6even the prophet Jeremiah said, “Amen! May the LORD do so. May the LORD perform your words which you have prophesied, to bring again the vessels of the LORD’s house, and all those who are captives, from Babylon to this place.
8The prophets who have been before me and before you of old prophesied against many countries, and against great kingdoms, of war, of evil, and of pestilence.
9As for the prophet who prophesies of peace, when the word of the prophet happens, then the prophet will be known, that the LORD has truly sent him.”
10Then Hananiah the prophet took the bar from off the prophet Jeremiah’s neck, and broke it.
11Hananiah spoke in the presence of all the people, saying, “The LORD says: ‘Even so I will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from off the neck of all the nations within two full years.’” Then the prophet Jeremiah went his way.
12Then the LORD’s word came to Jeremiah, after Hananiah the prophet had broken the bar from off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, saying,
13“Go, and tell Hananiah, saying, ‘The LORD says, “You have broken the bars of wood, but you have made in their place bars of iron.”
14For the LORD of Armies, the God of Israel says, “I have put a yoke of iron on the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they will serve him. I have also given him the animals of the field.”’”
15Then the prophet Jeremiah said to Hananiah the prophet, “Listen, Hananiah! The LORD has not sent you, but you make this people trust in a lie.
16Therefore the LORD says, ‘Behold, I will send you away from off the surface of the earth. This year you will die, because you have spoken rebellion against the LORD.’”
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Key verses
Jeremiah 28:15Jeremiah identifies the central offense: Hananiah speaks without God’s commission and leads the people to trust a lie.
Jeremiah 28:16God names Hananiah’s message as rebellion and announces a death sentence whose fulfillment closes the chapter.
Jeremiah 28:1The dated temple gathering establishes that Hananiah’s claim is public, heard by priests and people during Zedekiah’s reign.
Where this chapter reaches

Deuteronomy shares the concern with distinguishing a prophet sent by God from one who speaks without his command, including the test of fulfillment. Ezekiel and 1 Kings also depict prophets offering false assurances, with God’s judgment exposing the gap between their claims and his word.

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After reading the whole chapter

What do you notice about Jeremiah’s response before and after Hananiah breaks the wooden yoke?

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What makes Hananiah’s promise appealing, and what grounds does the chapter give for rejecting it?

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Questions people ask about Jeremiah 28

Why was Hananiah a false prophet in Jeremiah 28?

Hananiah claimed that YHWH would end Babylon’s rule and return the captives and temple vessels within two years. God then told Jeremiah that Babylon’s rule would continue. Jeremiah declared that YHWH had not sent Hananiah and that his message made the people trust a lie.

What does the iron yoke mean in Jeremiah 28?

Hananiah broke the wooden bar from Jeremiah’s neck as a sign that Babylon’s rule would soon end. God answered with the image of an iron yoke: the nations would serve Nebuchadnezzar. Breaking the wooden sign could not break God’s decree, and the iron image underscored the firmness of that rule.

Why did Jeremiah say Amen to Hananiah?

Jeremiah expressed his desire for the captives and temple vessels to return. His response did not certify Hananiah’s message as God’s word. He followed it with a warning: earlier prophets had announced judgment, and a prophet promising peace would be recognized as sent by God when that promise came to pass.

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Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).