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 29:17KJV
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Jeremiah 29:17 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 29:17 mean?

Jeremiah 29:17 describes God declaring that He will bring harsh judgments—war (the sword), hunger (famine), and disease (pestilence)—on certain people, making them as worthless as rotten figs that are so bad they cannot be eaten. The verse uses the image of spoiled figs to show just how severe and complete this coming punishment will be.

In this verse, the prophet Jeremiah is relaying a message from God (the LORD of hosts) to the people of Judah who remained in Jerusalem after others were taken into exile. God is warning that those who did not go into exile will face devastating consequences for their actions and disobedience. The comparison to "vile figs" emphasizes that these people have become so corrupt that they are beyond use or restoration, highlighting the seriousness of their situation.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 29:17

  • "Vile" (שָׁעֵרָה, sha'erah) is often understood as "bad" or "worthless," and here it describes figs that are so spoiled they cannot be eaten. This word choice stresses the utter rejection and unusability of the people being judged.
  • "Figs" (תְּאֵנָה, te'enah) are a common symbol in Jeremiah, and in this context, they represent people. Good figs symbolize those who are favored, while bad figs stand for those who are rejected.
  • "Eaten" (אָכַל, akhal) is used to show that the figs are not just unpleasant but completely inedible, reinforcing the idea that the people have reached a point of total corruption.
  • "Evil" (רַע, ra') here means not just moral evil but also something that is ruined or spoiled, deepening the sense of total loss and judgment.

Why Jeremiah 29:17 matters

  • Jeremiah 29:17 clarifies that not everyone left in Jerusalem after the exile is safe or blessed; in fact, those who remained are the ones facing the harshest judgment.
  • The verse connects to Jeremiah’s earlier vision of two baskets of figs (Jeremiah 24), helping the reader see the continuity in Jeremiah’s warnings and the seriousness of ignoring God’s message.
  • The vivid imagery of rotten figs helps readers grasp the depth of the people’s corruption and the completeness of the coming judgment, making the warning both memorable and sobering.

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 24:3 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.

“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 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:

“pestilence” Hebrew H1698 · used in 48 verses

  • Exodus 5:3 And they said, The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days' journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the LORD our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword.
  • Psalms 91:3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
  • Jeremiah 42:22 Now therefore know certainly that ye shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, in the place whither ye desire to go and to sojourn.

“famine” Hebrew H7458 · used in 88 verses

  • Genesis 12:10 And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land.
  • 2 Kings 25:3 And on the ninth day of the fourth month the famine prevailed in the city, and there was no bread for the people of the land.
  • Jeremiah 32:24 Behold the mounts, they are come unto the city to take it; and the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans, that fight against it, because of the sword, and of the famine, and of the pestilence: and what thou hast spoken is come to pass; and, behold, thou seest it.