Jeremiah 29 · Verse 7

Jeremiah 29:7

And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the Lord for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.

Jeremiah 29:7, King James Version

Jeremiah 29:7 in other translations

BSB	Seek the prosperity of the city to which I have sent you as exiles. Pray to the LORD on its behalf, for if it prospers, you too will prosper.”
WEB	Seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the LORD for it; for in its peace you will have peace.”
ASV	And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray unto Jehovah for it; for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.
YLT	And seek the peace of the city whither I have removed you, and pray for it unto Jehovah, for in its peace ye have peace.
DARBY	And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray unto Jehovah for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.
BBE	And be working for the peace of the land to which I have had you taken away prisoners, and make prayer to the Lord for it: for in its peace you will have peace.
Webster	And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray to the LORD for it: for in the peace of it ye shall have peace.

What does Jeremiah 29:7 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

7. (Ezr 6:10; Ro 13:1; 1Ti 2:2). Not only bear the Babylonian yoke patiently, but pray for your masters, that is, while the captivity lasts. God's good time was to come when they were to pray for Babylon's downfall (Jr 51:35; Psa 137:8). They were not to forestall that time. True religion teaches patient submission, not sedition, even though the prince be an unbeliever. In all states of life let us not throw away the comfort we may have, because we have not all we would have. There is here a foretaste of gospel love towards enemies (Mt 5:44).

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 7 Seek the peace of the city - Endeavor to promote, as far as you can, the prosperity of the places in which ye sojourn. Let no disaffection appear in word or act. Nothing can be more reasonable than this. Wherever a man lives and has his nourishment and support, that is his country as long as he resides in it. If things go well with that country, his interest is promoted by the general prosperity, he lives at comparative ease, and has the necessaries of life cheaper; and unless he is in a state of cruel servitude, which does not appear to have been the case with those Israelites to whom the prophet writes, (those of the first captivity), they must be nearly, if not altogether, in as good a state as if they had been in the country that gave them birth. And in this case they were much better off than their brethren now in Judea, who had to contend with famine and war, and scarcely any thing before them but God's curse and extermination.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Jeremiah 29:1-7

Two letters to the captives in Babylon; In the first, they are recommended to be patient and composed. (Jr 29:1-19) In the second, judgments are denounced against the false prophets who deceived them. (Jr 29:20-32) Verses 1-7 The written word of God is as truly given by inspiration of God as his spoken word. The zealous servant of the Lord will use every means to profit those who are far off, as well as those who…

Read the full comment on Jeremiah 29:1-7 →

Jeremiah 29:7 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וְדִרְשׁ֞וּve.dir.Shuand seekH1875

אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853

שְׁל֣וֹםshe.Lom[the] welfare ofH7965

הָעִ֗ירha.'Irthe cityH5892

אֲשֶׁ֨ר'a.SherwhereH834

הִגְלֵ֤יתִיhig.Lei.tiI have sent into exileH1540

אֶתְכֶם֙'et.Khem<obj.> youH853

שָׁ֔מָּהSha.mahthere towardsH8033

וְהִתְפַּֽלְל֥וּve.hit.pa.Luand prayH6419

בַעֲדָ֖הּva.'a.Dahfor itH1157

אֶל\־'el-toH413

יְהוָ֑הYah.wehYahwehH3068

כִּ֣יkiforH3588

בִשְׁלוֹמָ֔הּvish.lo.Mahin welfare itsH7965

יִהְיֶ֥הyih.Yehit will belongH1961

לָכֶ֖םla.Khemto <the> you

שָׁלֽוֹם\׃\ \פsha.LomwelfareH7965

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Jeremiah 29:7

1 Timothy 2:1-2
I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.
Ezra 6:10
That they may offer sacrifices of sweet savours unto the God of heaven, and pray for the life of the king, and of his sons.
Ezra 7:23
Whatsoever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it be diligently done for the house of the God of heaven: for why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons?
1 Peter 2:13-17
Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. …
Daniel 4:27
Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor; if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity.
Romans 13:1
Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
Romans 13:5
Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.
Daniel 4:19
Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was astonied for one hour, and his thoughts troubled him. The king spake, and said, Belteshazzar, let not the dream, or the interpretation thereof, trouble thee. Belteshazzar answered and said, My lord, the dream be to them that hate thee, and the interpretation thereof to thine enemies.
Daniel 6:4-5
Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him. Then said these men, We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

seek.
Da 4:27; 6:4,5; Ro 13:1,5; 1Pe 2:13-17
pray.
Ezr 6:10; 7:23; Da 4:19; 1Ti 2:1,2

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

Jeremiah 29:6
Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; that ye may be increased there, and not diminished.
Jeremiah 29:7
And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the Lord for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.
Jeremiah 29:8
For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Let not your prophets and your diviners, that be in the midst of you, deceive you, neither hearken to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed.

Read all of Jeremiah 29

Jeremiah 29:7 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Y procurad la paz de la ciudad á la cual os hice traspasar, y rogad por ella á Jehová; porque en su paz tendréis vosotros paz.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Et cherchez la paix de la ville où je vous ai transportés, et priez l’ Éternel pour elle; car dans sa paix sera votre paix.
German Elberfelder 1871	Und suchet den Frieden der Stadt, wohin ich euch weggeführt habe, und betet für sie zu Jehova; denn in ihrem Frieden werdet ihr Frieden haben.
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Et quærite pacem civitatis ad quam transmigrare vos feci, et orate pro ea ad Dominum, quia in pace illius erit pax vobis.