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Thursday, July 24th, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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The NET Bible®

Jeremiah 24:3

The Lord said to me, "What do you see, Jeremiah?" I answered, "I see figs. The good ones look very good. But the bad ones look very bad, so bad that they cannot be eaten."

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Fig Tree;   Israel, Prophecies Concerning;   Righteous;   Symbols and Similitudes;   Thompson Chain Reference - Jeremiah;   The Topic Concordance - Covenant;   Israel/jews;   Pestilence;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Fig-Tree, the;   Saints, Compared to;  

Dictionaries:

- Fausset Bible Dictionary - Ezekiel;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Jeremiah;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Evil;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Apocalyptic Literature;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Captivity;   Jehoiachin;   Zedekiah (2);  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
The Lord said to me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?”
Hebrew Names Version
Then said the LORD to me, What see you, Yirmeyahu? I said, Figs; the good figs, very good; and the bad, very bad, that can't be eaten, they are so bad.
King James Version
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.
English Standard Version
And the Lord said to me, "What do you see, Jeremiah?" I said, "Figs, the good figs very good, and the bad figs very bad, so bad that they cannot be eaten."
New American Standard Bible
Then the LORD said to me, "What do you see, Jeremiah?" And I said, "Figs: the good figs are very good, and the bad ones, very bad, which cannot be eaten due to rottenness."
New Century Version
The Lord said to me, "What do you see, Jeremiah?" I answered, "I see figs. The good figs are very good, but the rotten figs are too rotten to eat."
Amplified Bible
Then the LORD said to me, "What do you see, Jeremiah?" And I said, "Figs, the good figs, very good; and the bad figs, very bad, so rotten that they cannot be eaten."
World English Bible
Then said Yahweh to me, What see you, Jeremiah? I said, Figs; the good figs, very good; and the bad, very bad, that can't be eaten, they are so bad.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Then saide the Lorde vnto mee, What seest thou, Ieremiah? And I said, Figges: ye good figges verie good, & the naughtie verie naughtie, which cannot be eaten, they are so euill.
Legacy Standard Bible
Then Yahweh said to me, "What do you see, Jeremiah?" And I said, "Figs, the good figs, very good; and the rotten figs, very rotten, which cannot be eaten due to rottenness."
Berean Standard Bible
"Jeremiah," the LORD asked, "what do you see?" "Figs!" I replied. "The good figs are very good, but the bad figs are very bad, so bad they cannot be eaten."
Contemporary English Version
"Jeremiah," the Lord asked, "what do you see?" "Figs," I said. "Some are very good, but the others are too rotten to eat."
Complete Jewish Bible
Then Adonai asked me, "Yirmeyahu, what do you see?" I answered, "Figs — the good figs are very good; but the bad ones are very bad, so bad they are inedible."
Darby Translation
And Jehovah said unto me, What seest thou, Jeremiah? And I said, Figs: the good figs very good; and the bad very bad, which cannot be eaten for badness.
Easy-to-Read Version
The Lord said to me, "What do you see, Jeremiah?" I answered, "I see figs. The good figs are very good, and the rotten figs are very rotten. They are too rotten to eat."
George Lamsa Translation
Then the LORD said to me, What do you see, Jeremiah? And I said, Figs; the good figs, very good; and the bad figs, very bad, so that they cannot be eaten because they are so bad.
Good News Translation
Then the Lord said to me, "Jeremiah, what do you see?" I answered, "Figs. The good ones are very good, and the bad ones are very bad, too bad to eat."
Lexham English Bible
And Yahweh asked me, "What are you seeing, Jeremiah?" And I said, "Figs—the good figs, very good, and the bad figs, very bad, that cannot be eaten because of their bad quality."
Literal Translation
And Jehovah said to me, What do you see, Jeremiah? And I said, Figs. The good figs are very good, and the bad are very bad, so that they cannot be eaten from their badness.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Then sayde the LORDE vnto me: what seist thou Ieremy? I sayde: fyges, where of some be very good, and some so euel, that no man maye eate them.
American Standard Version
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.
Bible in Basic English
Then the Lord said to me, What do you see, Jeremiah? And I said, Figs; the good figs are very good, and the bad very bad, and of no use for food, they are so bad.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Then said the LORD 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.'
King James Version (1611)
Then said the Lord vnto me; What seest thou Ieremiah? and I said: Figges: the good figges, very good and the euill, very euill, that cannot be eaten, they are so euill.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Then sayd the Lord vnto me: What seest thou Ieremie? I sayde, figges, whereof some be very good, and some so euyll that no man may eate them.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the Lord said to me, What seest thou, Jeremias? and I said, Figs; the good figs, very good; and the bad, very bad, which cannot be eaten, for their badness.
English Revised Version
Then said the LORD 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.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And the Lord seide to me, Jeremye, what thing seest thou? And Y seide, Figis, goode figis, ful goode, and yuele figis, ful yuele, that moun not be etun, for tho ben yuele figis.
Update Bible Version
Then Yahweh said to me, What do you see, Jeremiah? And I said, Figs; the good figs, very good; and the bad, very bad, that can't be eaten, they are so bad.
Webster's Bible Translation
Then said the LORD to 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.
New King James Version
Then the LORD said to me, "What do you see, Jeremiah?" And I said, "Figs, the good figs, very good; and the bad, very bad, which cannot be eaten, they are so bad."
New Living Translation
Then the Lord said to me, "What do you see, Jeremiah?" I replied, "Figs, some very good and some very bad, too rotten to eat."
New Life Bible
Then the Lord said to me, "What do you see, Jeremiah?" And I said, "Figs, the good figs very good, and the bad figs very bad, so bad that they cannot be eaten."
New Revised Standard
And the Lord said to me, "What do you see, Jeremiah?" I said, "Figs, the good figs very good, and the bad figs very bad, so bad that they cannot be eaten."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then said Yahweh unto me, - What canst thou see, Jeremiah? And I said, Figs: the good figs, very good; and the bad, very bad, which cannot be eaten, for badness.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the Lord said to me: What seest thou, Jeremias? And I said: Figs, the good figs, very good: and the bad figs, very bad, which cannot be eaten because they are bad.
Revised Standard Version
And the LORD said to me, "What do you see, Jeremiah?" I said, "Figs, the good figs very good, and the bad figs very bad, so bad that they cannot be eaten."
Young's Literal Translation
And Jehovah saith unto me, `What art thou seeing, Jeremiah?' and I say, `Figs, the good figs [are] very good, and the bad [are] very bad, that are not eaten for badness.'
THE MESSAGE
God said to me, "Jeremiah, what do you see?" "Figs," I said. "Excellent figs of the finest quality, and also rotten figs, so rotten they can't be eaten."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then the LORD said to me, "What do you see, Jeremiah?" And I said, "Figs, the good figs, very good; and the bad figs, very bad, which cannot be eaten due to rottenness."

Contextual Overview

1 The Lord showed me two baskets of figs sitting before his temple. This happened after King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon deported Jehoiakim's son, King Jeconiah of Judah. He deported him and the leaders of Judah, along with the craftsmen and metal workers, and took them to Babylon. 2 One basket had very good-looking figs in it. They looked like those that had ripened early. The other basket had very bad-looking figs in it, so bad they could not be eaten. 3 The Lord said to me, "What do you see, Jeremiah?" I answered, "I see figs. The good ones look very good. But the bad ones look very bad, so bad that they cannot be eaten." 4 The Lord said to me, 5 "I, the Lord , the God of Israel, say: ‘The exiles whom I sent away from here to the land of Babylon are like those good figs. I consider them to be good. 6 I will look after their welfare and will restore them to this land. There I will build them up and will not tear them down. I will plant them firmly in the land and will not uproot them. 7 I will give them the desire to acknowledge that I am the Lord . I will be their God and they will be my people. For they will wholeheartedly return to me.' 8 "I, the Lord , also solemnly assert: ‘King Zedekiah of Judah, his officials, and the people who remain in Jerusalem or who have gone to live in Egypt are like those bad figs. I consider them to be just like those bad figs that are so bad they cannot be eaten. 9 I will bring such disaster on them that all the kingdoms of the earth will be horrified. I will make them an object of reproach, a proverbial example of disaster. I will make them an object of ridicule, an example to be used in curses. That is how they will be remembered wherever I banish them. 10 I will bring war, starvation, and disease on them until they are completely destroyed from the land I gave them and their ancestors.'"

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

What: Jeremiah 1:11-14, 1 Samuel 9:9, Amos 7:8, Amos 8:2, Zechariah 4:2, Zechariah 5:2, Zechariah 5:5-11, Matthew 25:32, Matthew 25:33

Cross-References

Genesis 6:2
the sons of God saw that the daughters of humankind were beautiful. Thus they took wives for themselves from any they chose.
Genesis 6:4
The Nephilim were on the earth in those days (and also after this) when the sons of God were having sexual relations with the daughters of humankind, who gave birth to their children. They were the mighty heroes of old, the famous men.
Genesis 14:19
He blessed Abram, saying, "Blessed be Abram by the Most High God, Creator of heaven and earth.
Genesis 14:22
But Abram replied to the king of Sodom, "I raise my hand to the Lord , the Most High God, Creator of heaven and earth, and vow
Genesis 21:23
Now swear to me right here in God's name that you will not deceive me, my children, or my descendants. Show me, and the land where you are staying, the same loyalty that I have shown you."
Genesis 24:3
so that I may make you solemnly promise by the Lord , the God of heaven and the God of the earth: You must not acquire a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living.
Genesis 24:4
You must go instead to my country and to my relatives to find a wife for my son Isaac."
Genesis 24:14
I will say to a young woman, ‘Please lower your jar so I may drink.' May the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac reply, ‘Drink, and I'll give your camels water too.' In this way I will know that you have been faithful to my master."
Genesis 24:15
Before he had finished praying, there came Rebekah with her water jug on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah (Milcah was the wife of Abraham's brother Nahor).
Genesis 24:17
Abraham's servant ran to meet her and said, "Please give me a sip of water from your jug."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Then said the Lord unto me, what seest thou, Jeremiah?.... 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" b; 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; they have a good will to that which is good, and good affections for God and Christ, and divine things; they have the good Spirit of God and his graces in them, and Christ and his word dwelling in them: and they do good things, and are prepared for every good work; they are good to others; pleasantly and acceptably good to God through Christ; and profitably good to their fellow saints and fellow creatures. On the other hand, those that are bad are exceeding bad; as they are by nature children of wrath, unclean, corrupt, loathsome, and abominable in the sight of God; so they are from their youth upward, and continue so, and are never otherwise; all in them, and that comes from them, are evil; their hearts are desperately wicked, the thoughts and imaginations of their hearts are evil continually; their words are idle, corrupt, and filthy, and all their actions sinful; there is no good in them, nor any done by them; they are good for nothing; they are of no use to God, to themselves, or others; sin has made them like itself, exceeding sinful: and now between these two sorts there is no medium; though all sins are not alike; and some in a comparative sense may be called greater or lesser sinners; yet all are exceeding bad, even the least: they are all of the same nature, and have the same wicked hearts; though some may be outwardly righteous before men; and hypocrites and formal professors are worst of all. There never were but two sorts of persons in the world; the seed of the woman, and the seed of the serpent; the children of God, and the children of the devil; and so things will appear hereafter at the great day; the one will be placed at Christ's right hand as good and righteous men, the other at his left hand as wicked, and will have separate states to all eternity: and so those figs are explained in the Talmud c; the good figs, they are the perfect righteous; the bad figs, they are the perfect wicked.

b מרע "prae pravitate", Junius Tremellius, Piscator, Cocceius "prae malitia", Schmidt. c T. Bab. Erubim, fol. 21. 2.


 
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