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Jeremiah 24:3

Old Testament Major Prophet ASV (1901)

What does Jeremiah 24:3 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “Then said Jehovah unto me, What seest thou, Jeremiah? And I said, Figs; the good figs, very good; and the bad, very bad, that cannot be eaten, they are so bad.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

Then said Jehovah unto me, What seest thou, Jeremiah? And I said, Figs; the good figs, very good; and the bad, very bad, that cannot be eaten, they are so bad.
Jeremiah 24:3 — American Standard Version

Context — Jeremiah 24

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
1Jehovah showed me, and, behold, two baskets of figs set before the temple of Jehovah, after that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon had carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and the princes of Judah, with the craftsmen and smiths, from Jerusalem, and had brought them to Babylon.
2One basket had very good figs, like the figs that are first-ripe; and the other basket had very bad figs, which could not be eaten, they were so bad.
3Then said Jehovah unto me, What seest thou, Jeremiah? And I said, Figs; the good figs, very good; and the bad, very bad, that cannot be eaten, they are so bad.
4And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,
5Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel: Like these good figs, so will I regard the captives of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans, for good.
6For I will set mine eyes upon them for good, and I will bring them again to this land: and I will build them, and not pull them down; and I will plant them, and not pluck them up.
← Jeremiah 24:2Jeremiah 24:4 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“Then said the Lord unto me, what seest thou, Jeremiah? etc.] This question is put, in order that, upon his answer to it, he might have an explication of the vision: and I said, figs; the good figs, very good; and the evil, very evil, that cannot be eaten, they are so evil; or “so bad”, or “because of badness”f509; which may be applied to mankind in general; who may be distinguished into good and bad: those that are good, who are made so by the grace of God; for none are so by nature, or of themselves; they are very good: they have many good things in them; they have a good heart, a new and a clean heart, and a right spirit created in them; they have a good understanding of spiritual things;…”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“What: Jer 1:11-14; Sa1 9:9; Amo 7:8, Amo 8:2; Zac 4:2, Zac 5:2, Zac 5:5-11; Mat 25:32, Mat 25:33 Jeremiah 24:5”
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Keil & Delitzsch
C. F. Keil & F. Delitzsch · Commentary on the Old Testament · 19th-century historical commentary
“The question: what seest thou? serves merely to give the object seen greater prominence, and does not imply the possibility of seeing wrong (Ng.). Jeremiah 24:4”
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Related study paths

Read Jeremiah 24 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification