Then said the LORD unto me, What seest thou, Jeremiah? And I said, Figs; the good figs, very good; and the evil, very evil, that cannot be eaten, they are so evil.

JEREMIAH 24:3KJV
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Jeremiah 24:3 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 24:3 mean?

Jeremiah 24:3 describes God asking Jeremiah what he sees, and Jeremiah replying that he sees two types of figs: some are very good, and others are so bad that they cannot be eaten. The verse sets up a vision where the quality of the figs represents two distinct groups or outcomes.

In this scene, God is speaking directly to Jeremiah, using a vision to communicate a message. The figs are not just literal fruit but symbols that God will later explain. Jeremiah’s response highlights the extreme difference between the two groups—one is described as "very good" and the other as "very evil," emphasizing a sharp contrast that is important for understanding the rest of the chapter.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 24:3

  • LORD (יְהוָה, YHWH): This is the personal name of God, used here to show that the message comes directly from Israel’s covenant God, not just a generic deity.
  • good (טוֹב, tov) and evil (רַע, ra‘): These words are repeated and intensified in the verse ("very good" and "very evil"), stressing the complete difference between the two kinds of figs. The Hebrew makes clear that this is not a small or subtle distinction.
  • eaten (אָכַל, akhal): Jeremiah says the bad figs are so evil that they cannot be eaten, underlining their total uselessness. In the context of ancient Israel, inedible fruit would be seen as completely rejected or cursed.

Why Jeremiah 24:3 matters

  • The verse introduces a symbolic vision that God will use to explain His judgment and mercy toward different groups among the people of Judah.
  • The strong contrast between the "very good" and "very evil" figs prepares the reader for a message about separation and differing destinies.
  • Understanding the symbolism here helps make sense of the rest of Jeremiah 24, where God explains what each group of figs represents and what will happen to them.

Where else these words appear

“evil” Hebrew H7455 · used in 19 verses

  • Genesis 41:19 And, behold, seven other kine came up after them, poor and very ill favoured and leanfleshed, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for badness:
  • Isaiah 1:16 Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;
  • Jeremiah 24:8 And as the evil figs, which cannot be eaten, they are so evil; surely thus saith the LORD, So will I give Zedekiah the king of Judah, and his princes, and the residue of Jerusalem, that remain in this land, and them that dwell in the land of Egypt:

“Figs” Hebrew H8384 · used in 35 verses

  • Genesis 3:7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
  • Proverbs 27:18 Whoso keepeth the fig tree shall eat the fruit thereof: so he that waiteth on his master shall be honoured.
  • Jeremiah 29:17 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will send upon them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and will make them like vile figs, that cannot be eaten, they are so evil.

“Jeremiah” Hebrew H3414 · used in 133 verses

  • 2 Kings 23:31 Jehoahaz was twenty and three years old when he began to reign; and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.
  • Jeremiah 29:1 Now these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem unto the residue of the elders which were carried away captives, and to the priests, and to the prophets, and to all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon;
  • Jeremiah 38:9 My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have cast into the dungeon; and he is like to die for hunger in the place where he is: for there is no more bread in the city.