(After that Jeconiah the king, and the queen, and the eunuchs, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, and the carpenters, and the smiths, were departed from Jerusalem;)

JEREMIAH 29:2KJV
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Jeremiah 29:2 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 29:2 mean?

Jeremiah 29:2 notes that King Jeconiah, the queen, royal officials, and skilled workers had already been taken away from Jerusalem. This sets the stage for the letter Jeremiah is about to send to the exiles in Babylon, showing that many important people had already been removed from the city.

Jeremiah, a prophet in Jerusalem, is writing to those who have been exiled to Babylon. This verse lists the groups who were taken: Jeconiah (also known as Jehoiachin), the queen mother, high-ranking officials, and skilled tradesmen like carpenters and smiths. The verse highlights that Jerusalem had lost not just its leaders but also people essential for its functioning, underlining the seriousness of the exile.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 29:2

  • יְכָנְיָה (Yekonyah, "Jeconiah"): This is the Hebrew name for King Jeconiah, also called Jehoiachin. His removal marks a turning point in Judah’s history, as he represented the royal line.
  • הַמֶּלֶךְ (ha-melekh, "the king"): The word for "king" here emphasizes that the highest authority had been taken away, not just ordinary citizens.
  • הַחָרָשִׁים (ha-charashim, "the carpenters") and הַמַּסְגֵּרִים (ha-masgerim, "the smiths"): These words refer to skilled workers. Their exile meant Jerusalem lost its ability to repair, build, and defend itself, showing the exile’s deep impact.

Why Jeremiah 29:2 matters

  • Jeremiah 29:2 clarifies that the letter Jeremiah sends is meant for people already in exile, not those still in Jerusalem, which shapes the message’s tone and content.
  • The verse highlights the thoroughness of the Babylonian conquest, showing that both leaders and skilled workers were targeted, leaving Jerusalem weakened.
  • Understanding who was taken helps explain why Jeremiah’s letter focuses on how the exiles should live in Babylon, since the community there included people of influence and ability.

Where else these words appear

“queen” Hebrew H1377 · used in 6 verses

  • 1 Kings 11:19 And Hadad found great favour in the sight of Pharaoh, so that he gave him to wife the sister of his own wife, the sister of Tahpenes the queen.
  • 1 Kings 15:13 And also Maachah his mother, even her he removed from being queen, because she had made an idol in a grove; and Asa destroyed her idol, and burnt it by the brook Kidron.
  • 2 Chronicles 15:16 And also concerning Maachah the mother of Asa the king, he removed her from being queen, because she had made an idol in a grove: and Asa cut down her idol, and stamped it, and burnt it at the brook Kidron.

“Jeconiah” Hebrew H3204 · used in 7 verses

  • 1 Chronicles 3:16 And the sons of Jehoiakim: Jeconiah his son, Zedekiah his son.
  • Esther 2:6 Who had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captivity which had been carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away.
  • Jeremiah 27:20 Which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took not, when he carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah from Jerusalem to Babylon, and all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem;

“smiths” Hebrew H4525 · used in 7 verses

  • 2 Kings 24:14 And he carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valour, even ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths: none remained, save the poorest sort of the people of the land.
  • Psalms 142:7 Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thy name: the righteous shall compass me about; for thou shalt deal bountifully with me.
  • Isaiah 42:7 To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.

“carpenters” Hebrew H2796 · used in 32 verses

  • Exodus 28:11 With the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet, shalt thou engrave the two stones with the names of the children of Israel: thou shalt make them to be set in ouches of gold.
  • 1 Chronicles 14:1 Now Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and timber of cedars, with masons and carpenters, to build him an house.
  • Isaiah 44:12 The smith with the tongs both worketh in the coals, and fashioneth it with hammers, and worketh it with the strength of his arms: yea, he is hungry, and his strength faileth: he drinketh no water, and is faint.