FocusWarning, intercession, and refusal
Connection to the wholeOracles and enacted signs expose covenant unfaithfulness and the coming judgment, including the warning about Babylon.
interpretation Jeremiah 24:2
KJVOne basket had very good figs, even like the figs that are first ripe: and the other basket had very naughty figs, which could not be eaten, they were so bad.
Read it in context
The Good and Bad Figs
Start reading at Jeremiah 24:1 (Jeremiah 24:1 to Jeremiah 24:10).
An editorial reading unit, not a claim that the surrounding context stops here. Book background below applies to the shared passage; individual verses may need more specific explanation.
Oracles and enacted signs expose covenant unfaithfulness and the coming judgment, including the warning about Babylon.
- 24:1 The LORD shewed me, and, behold, two baskets of figs were set before the temple of the LORD, after that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon had carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, and the princes of Judah, with the carpenters and smiths, from Jerusalem, and had brought them to Babylon.
- 24:2 One basket had very good figs, even like the figs that are first ripe: and the other basket had very naughty figs, which could not be eaten, they were so bad.
- 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.
- 24:4 Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
- 24:5 Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge them that are carried away captive of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans for their good.
- 24:6 For I will set mine eyes upon them for good, and I will bring them again to this land: and I will build them, and not pull them down; and I will plant them, and not pluck them up.
- 24:7 And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the LORD: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.
- 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:
- 24:9 And I will deliver them to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth for their hurt, to be a reproach and a proverb, a taunt and a curse, in all places whither I shall drive them.
- 24:10 And I will send the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, among them, till they be consumed from off the land that I gave unto them and to their fathers.
Who
- Who wrote the book? Jeremiah son of Hilkiah is the prophet behind the book, with Baruch serving as his scribe. The complete collection includes narrative and a historical appendix as well as Jeremiah's dictated words. Biblical references: Jeremiah 1:1; Jeremiah 36:4; Jeremiah 36:32. stated in the text
- Who was present or being addressed in this passage? In the surrounding chapter context (Jeremiah 21:1–24:10): Jeremiah addresses royal envoys, Judah's kings, shepherds, and prophets; the people and exiles are the subjects of the messages concerning leadership and judgment. stated in the text
- Who was the book written to? Judah and Jerusalem before and during the Babylonian crisis, exiles in Babylon, and later readers of the preserved prophetic collection. Individual oracles name additional recipients. Biblical references: Jeremiah 2:2; Jeremiah 29:1; Jeremiah 46:1. stated in the text
What
- What is the topic of this reading unit? The Good and Bad Figs. Read Jeremiah 24:1 through Jeremiah 24:10 as a connected unit. interpretation
- How does it contribute to the book? Oracles and enacted signs expose covenant unfaithfulness and the coming judgment, including the warning about Babylon. interpretation
When
- When are the events or message set? The opening dates Jeremiah's ministry from Josiah's reign toward the captivity of Jerusalem. Individual messages also name particular reigns and events, and the book is not arranged as a simple diary. book background
Where
- What is the book’s geographic setting? Judah and Jerusalem dominate, with messages to exiles in Babylon, accounts involving Egypt, and oracles concerning other nations. book background
- Where does the context start? This passage sits in The Good and Bad Figs (Jeremiah 24:1 to Jeremiah 24:10). Start reading at Jeremiah 24:1. An editorial reading unit, not a claim that the surrounding context stops here. Book background below applies to the shared passage; individual verses may need more specific explanation.
How
- How does this book connect with Jesus Christ? Hebrews explicitly quotes Jeremiah's new-covenant promise in its explanation of Christ's priestly work. The quotation retains the named houses of Israel and Judah; later application should account for that wording. See Jeremiah 31:31, Hebrews 8:8, Hebrews 8:10. interpretation
- How should this book guide our response? Listen to unwelcome truth and distinguish it from reassuring claims unsupported by God's word. Do not detach promises of restoration from the judgment, exile, and response described around them. interpretation
Cited: Jeremiah 24:1, Jeremiah 24:10, Jeremiah 31:31, Hebrews 8:8, Hebrews 8:10
Who wrote it, and how we know
Jeremiah, with Baruch as scribe
Named in Scripture
What Scripture saysThe book names Jeremiah and records that Baruch wrote at his dictation.
Jeremiah 1:1Jeremiah 36:4Jeremiah 36:32
Early traditionTradition names Jeremiah with Baruch as scribe.
What is debatedThe closing chapter parallels 2 Kings and appears to be added.
Related passages
- One basket Jer 24:5-7 Hos 9:10 Mic 7:1
- naughty Jer 24:8-10 Isa 5:4,7 Ezek 15:2-5 Mal 1:12-14 Matt 5:13
Cross references from CrossReferences-org (CC BY 4.0).
Macro-Structure
See how this passage fits the chapter and the book.
Macro-Structure of Jeremiah 24
Jeremiah records words associated with his prophetic ministry and accounts surrounding Judah's fall. The book is not arranged as one continuous dated diary. Read each oracle's audience, occasion, and conditions rather than assigning every promise to every reader. Local headings and stanza divisions are editorial reading aids adapted from public-domain BSB headings; verse boundaries and Scripture links use the KJV. Connections describe the surrounding book movement.
Jeremiah 1:1 Jeremiah 1:2 Jeremiah 36:4
Suggested literary divisions. Headings summarize the passage; they are not part of the biblical text.
Macro-Structure of Jeremiah
Jeremiah records words associated with his prophetic ministry and accounts surrounding Judah's fall. The book is not arranged as one continuous dated diary. Read each oracle's audience, occasion, and conditions rather than assigning every promise to every reader.
Jeremiah 1:1 Jeremiah 1:2 Jeremiah 36:4
Jeremiah's call
Jeremiah 1:1–19FocusCommission and opposition
Connection to the wholeThe call establishes the prophet's task and the opposition he will face in delivering the LORD's words.
interpretation FocusWarning, intercession, and refusal
Connection to the wholeOracles and enacted signs expose covenant unfaithfulness and the coming judgment, including the warning about Babylon.
interpretation The prophet contested
Jeremiah 26:1–29:32FocusTrue and false messages
Connection to the wholeNarratives and letters contrast competing claims about the LORD's word and address life under Babylonian power, including the exiles' situation.
interpretation Promises of restoration
Jeremiah 30:1–33:26FocusReturn, covenant, and hope
Connection to the wholeWords of restoration appear amid announced judgment, including the new covenant promise; their wording and named audience must remain visible.
interpretation Jerusalem's fall and its aftermath
Jeremiah 34:1–45:5FocusRejected words and continuing disobedience
Connection to the wholeThe accounts follow conflicts around the prophetic word, the destruction of Jerusalem, and the choices of survivors, with a word to Baruch.
interpretation Oracles against the nations
Jeremiah 46:1–51:64FocusJudgment on the surrounding powers
Connection to the wholeThe collected oracles extend the judgment announcements beyond Judah and culminate in the words against Babylon.
interpretation The fall of Jerusalem recounted
Jeremiah 52:1–34FocusDestruction and the exiled king
Connection to the wholeThe historical appendix recounts the disaster and closes with Jehoiachin's release, placing the preceding messages beside their historical aftermath.
interpretation Suggested literary divisions. Headings summarize the passage; they are not part of the biblical text.