Jeremiah 6 Dueling Prophecies (ch. 28)

(Not) Under the Yoke / (No) Subjugation

The etymological meaning of the word 'subjugation': state of being brought under (sub) the yoke (jugum)

Ploughing a Paddy Field, India © Yann Forget / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=20540565

1. Background to our Text:

Conflicting responses to Babylonian power

Jeremiah 27: 1-4, 8-11

Note that the passages in chapters 27, 28, and 29 all relate to events of the year 594 BCE, the fourth year of King Zedekiah of Judah

  • Kings gather in Jerusalem to oppose Babylon together; Jeremiah puts on a yoke
  • Jeremiah opposes agitation and prophecy against Babylon; the yokes of wood or iron
  • Jeremiah sends a letter to the exile community in Babylon with emissaries of King Zedekiah

John Bright, Jeremiah (Anchor Bible), Comment to ch. 29 (p. 211)

The fact that Jeremiah's letter was forwarded (29:3) through envoys sent by Zedekiah to Nebuchadnezzar's court fits well with a date in 594, for Zedekiah would have been obliged, after the disturbances that had taken place in Judah, to smooth matters over and assure Nebuchadnezzar of his loyalty.

(א) בְּרֵאשִׁ֗ית מַמְלֶ֛כֶת יְהוֹיָקִ֥ם בֶּן־יֹאושִׁיָּ֖הוּ מֶ֣לֶךְ יְהוּדָ֑ה הָיָ֞ה הַדָּבָ֤ר הַזֶּה֙ אֶֽל־יִרְמְיָ֔ה מֵאֵ֥ת ה' לֵאמֹֽר׃ (ב) כֹּֽה־אָמַ֤ר ה' אֵלַ֔י עֲשֵׂ֣ה לְךָ֔ מוֹסֵר֖וֹת וּמֹט֑וֹת וּנְתַתָּ֖ם עַל־צַוָּארֶֽךָ׃ (ג) וְשִׁלַּחְתָּם֩ אֶל־מֶ֨לֶךְ אֱד֜וֹם וְאֶל־מֶ֣לֶךְ מוֹאָ֗ב וְאֶל־מֶ֙לֶךְ֙ בְּנֵ֣י עַמּ֔וֹן וְאֶל־מֶ֥לֶךְ צֹ֖ר וְאֶל־מֶ֣לֶךְ צִיד֑וֹן בְּיַ֤ד מַלְאָכִים֙ הַבָּאִ֣ים יְרוּשָׁלַ֔͏ִם אֶל־צִדְקִיָּ֖הוּ מֶ֥לֶךְ יְהוּדָֽה׃ (ד) וְצִוִּיתָ֣ אֹתָ֔ם אֶל־אֲדֹנֵיהֶ֖ם לֵאמֹ֑ר כֹּה־אָמַ֞ר ה' צְבָאוֹת֙ אֱלֹקֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל כֹּ֥ה תֹאמְר֖וּ אֶל־אֲדֹנֵיכֶֽם׃

The events in chapter 27 take place in the fourth year of King Zedekiah, 594 BCE.

(1) At the beginning of the reign of King Jehoiakim [a few manuscripts: "Zedekiah"] son of Josiah of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the LORD: (2) Thus said the LORD to me: Make for yourself thongs and bars of a yoke, and put them on your neck. (3) And send them-b to the king of Edom, the king of Moab, the king of the Ammonites, the king of Tyre, and the king of Sidon, by envoys who have come to King Zedekiah of Judah in Jerusalem; (4) and give them this charge to their masters: Thus said the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel: Say this to your masters:

(ח) וְהָיָ֨ה הַגּ֜וֹי וְהַמַּמְלָכָ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר לֹֽא־יַעַבְד֤וּ אֹתוֹ֙ אֶת־נְבוּכַדְנֶאצַּ֣ר מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶ֔ל וְאֵ֨ת אֲשֶׁ֤ר לֹֽא־יִתֵּן֙ אֶת־צַוָּאר֔וֹ בְּעֹ֖ל מֶ֣לֶךְ בָּבֶ֑ל בַּחֶ֩רֶב֩ וּבָרָעָ֨ב וּבַדֶּ֜בֶר אֶפְקֹ֨ד עַל־הַגּ֤וֹי הַהוּא֙ נְאֻם־ה' עַד־תֻּמִּ֥י אֹתָ֖ם בְּיָדֽוֹ׃ (ט) וְ֠אַתֶּ֠ם אַל־תִּשְׁמְע֨וּ אֶל־נְבִיאֵיכֶ֜ם וְאֶל־קֹסְמֵיכֶ֗ם וְאֶל֙ חֲלֹמֹ֣תֵיכֶ֔ם וְאֶל־עֹנְנֵיכֶ֖ם וְאֶל־כַּשָּׁפֵיכֶ֑ם אֲשֶׁר־הֵ֞ם אֹמְרִ֤ים אֲלֵיכֶם֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר לֹ֥א תַעַבְד֖וּ אֶת־מֶ֥לֶךְ בָּבֶֽל׃ (י) כִּ֣י שֶׁ֔קֶר הֵ֖ם נִבְּאִ֣ים לָכֶ֑ם לְמַ֨עַן הַרְחִ֤יק אֶתְכֶם֙ מֵעַ֣ל אַדְמַתְכֶ֔ם וְהִדַּחְתִּ֥י אֶתְכֶ֖ם וַאֲבַדְתֶּֽם׃ (יא) וְהַגּ֗וֹי אֲשֶׁ֨ר יָבִ֧יא אֶת־צַוָּאר֛וֹ בְּעֹ֥ל מֶֽלֶךְ־בָּבֶ֖ל וַעֲבָד֑וֹ וְהִנַּחְתִּ֤יו עַל־אַדְמָתוֹ֙ נְאֻם־ה' וַעֲבָדָ֖הּ וְיָ֥שַׁב בָּֽהּ׃

(8) The nation or kingdom that does not serve him—King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon—and does not put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation I will visit—declares the LORD—with sword, famine, and pestilence, until I have destroyed it by his hands. (9) As for you, give no heed to your prophets, augurs, dreamers, diviners, and sorcerers, who say to you, ‘Do not serve the king of Babylon.’ (10) For they prophesy falsely to you—with the result that you shall be banished from your land; I will drive you out and you shall perish. (11) But the nation that puts its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serves him, will be left by Me on its own soil—declares the LORD—to till it and dwell on it.”

2. Our Text

Prophet versus Prophet

Jeremiah 28

(א) וַיְהִ֣י ׀ בַּשָּׁנָ֣ה הַהִ֗יא בְּרֵאשִׁית֙ מַמְלֶ֙כֶת֙ צִדְקִיָּ֣ה מֶלֶךְ־יְהוּדָ֔ה (בשנת) [בַּשָּׁנָה֙] הָרְבִעִ֔ית בַּחֹ֖דֶשׁ הַחֲמִישִׁ֑י אָמַ֣ר אֵלַ֡י חֲנַנְיָה֩ בֶן־עַזּ֨וּר הַנָּבִ֜יא אֲשֶׁ֤ר מִגִּבְעוֹן֙ בְּבֵ֣ית ה' לְעֵינֵ֧י הַכֹּהֲנִ֛ים וְכׇל־הָעָ֖ם לֵאמֹֽר׃ (ב) כֹּה־אָמַ֞ר ה' צְ-בָא֛וֹת אֱלֹקֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל לֵאמֹ֑ר שָׁבַ֕רְתִּי אֶת־עֹ֖ל מֶ֥לֶךְ בָּבֶֽל׃ (ג) בְּע֣וֹד ׀ שְׁנָתַ֣יִם יָמִ֗ים אֲנִ֤י מֵשִׁיב֙ אֶל־הַמָּק֣וֹם הַזֶּ֔ה אֶֽת־כׇּל־כְּלֵ֖י בֵּ֣ית ה' אֲשֶׁ֨ר לָקַ֜ח נְבוּכַדְנֶאצַּ֤ר מֶֽלֶךְ־בָּבֶל֙ מִן־הַמָּק֣וֹם הַזֶּ֔ה וַיְבִיאֵ֖ם בָּבֶֽל׃ (ד) וְאֶת־יְכׇנְיָ֣ה בֶן־יְהוֹיָקִ֣ים מֶלֶךְ־יְ֠הוּדָ֠ה וְאֶת־כׇּל־גָּל֨וּת יְהוּדָ֜ה הַבָּאִ֣ים בָּבֶ֗לָה אֲנִ֥י מֵשִׁ֛יב אֶל־הַמָּק֥וֹם הַזֶּ֖ה נְאֻם־ה' כִּ֣י אֶשְׁבֹּ֔ר אֶת־עֹ֖ל מֶ֥לֶךְ בָּבֶֽל׃

(ה) וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ יִרְמְיָ֣ה הַנָּבִ֔יא אֶל־חֲנַנְיָ֖ה הַנָּבִ֑יא לְעֵינֵ֤י הַכֹּֽהֲנִים֙ וּלְעֵינֵ֣י כׇל־הָעָ֔ם הָעֹמְדִ֖ים בְּבֵ֥ית ה'׃ (ו) וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ יִרְמְיָ֣ה הַנָּבִ֔יא אָמֵ֕ן כֵּ֖ן יַעֲשֶׂ֣ה ה' יָקֵ֤ם ה' אֶת־דְּבָרֶ֔יךָ אֲשֶׁ֣ר נִבֵּ֗אתָ לְהָשִׁ֞יב כְּלֵ֤י בֵית־ה' וְכׇל־הַגּוֹלָ֔ה מִבָּבֶ֖ל אֶל־הַמָּק֥וֹם הַזֶּֽה׃ (ז) אַךְ־שְׁמַֽע־נָא֙ הַדָּבָ֣ר הַזֶּ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר אָנֹכִ֖י דֹּבֵ֣ר בְּאׇזְנֶ֑יךָ וּבְאׇזְנֵ֖י כׇּל־הָעָֽם׃ (ח) הַנְּבִיאִ֗ים אֲשֶׁ֨ר הָי֧וּ לְפָנַ֛י וּלְפָנֶ֖יךָ מִן־הָעוֹלָ֑ם וַיִּנָּ֨בְא֜וּ אֶל־אֲרָצ֤וֹת רַבּוֹת֙ וְעַל־מַמְלָכ֣וֹת גְּדֹל֔וֹת לְמִלְחָמָ֖ה וּלְרָעָ֥ה וּלְדָֽבֶר׃ (ט) הַנָּבִ֕יא אֲשֶׁ֥ר יִנָּבֵ֖א לְשָׁל֑וֹם בְּבֹא֙ דְּבַ֣ר הַנָּבִ֔יא יִוָּדַע֙ הַנָּבִ֔יא אֲשֶׁר־שְׁלָח֥וֹ ה' בֶּאֱמֶֽת׃

(י) וַיִּקַּ֞ח חֲנַנְיָ֤ה הַנָּבִיא֙ אֶת־הַמּוֹטָ֔ה מֵעַ֕ל צַוַּ֖אר יִרְמְיָ֣ה הַנָּבִ֑יא וַֽיִּשְׁבְּרֵֽהוּ׃ (יא) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר חֲנַנְיָה֩ לְעֵינֵ֨י כׇל־הָעָ֜ם לֵאמֹ֗ר כֹּה֮ אָמַ֣ר ה' כָּ֣כָה אֶשְׁבֹּ֞ר אֶת־עֹ֣ל ׀ נְבֻכַדְנֶאצַּ֣ר מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶ֗ל בְּעוֹד֙ שְׁנָתַ֣יִם יָמִ֔ים מֵעַ֕ל צַוַּ֖אר כׇּל־הַגּוֹיִ֑ם וַיֵּ֛לֶךְ יִרְמְיָ֥ה הַנָּבִ֖יא לְדַרְכּֽוֹ׃ {פ}

(יב) וַיְהִ֥י דְבַר־ה' אֶֽל־יִרְמְיָ֑ה אַ֠חֲרֵ֠י שְׁב֞וֹר חֲנַנְיָ֤ה הַנָּבִיא֙ אֶת־הַמּוֹטָ֔ה מֵעַ֗ל צַוַּ֛אר יִרְמְיָ֥ה הַנָּבִ֖יא לֵאמֹֽר׃ (יג) הָלוֹךְ֩ וְאָֽמַרְתָּ֨ אֶל־חֲנַנְיָ֜ה לֵאמֹ֗ר כֹּ֚ה אָמַ֣ר ה' מוֹטֹ֥ת עֵ֖ץ שָׁבָ֑רְתָּ וְעָשִׂ֥יתָ תַחְתֵּיהֶ֖ן מֹט֥וֹת בַּרְזֶֽל׃ (יד) כִּ֣י כֹֽה־אָמַר֩ ה' צְ-בָא֜וֹת אֱלֹקֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל עֹ֣ל בַּרְזֶ֡ל נָתַ֜תִּי עַל־צַוַּ֣אר ׀ כׇּל־הַגּוֹיִ֣ם הָאֵ֗לֶּה לַעֲבֹ֛ד אֶת־נְבֻכַדְנֶאצַּ֥ר מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶ֖ל וַעֲבָדֻ֑הוּ וְגַ֛ם אֶת־חַיַּ֥ת הַשָּׂדֶ֖ה נָתַ֥תִּי לֽוֹ׃

(טו) וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יִרְמְיָ֧ה הַנָּבִ֛יא אֶל־חֲנַנְיָ֥ה הַנָּבִ֖יא שְׁמַֽע־נָ֣א חֲנַנְיָ֑ה לֹא־שְׁלָחֲךָ֣ ה' וְאַתָּ֗ה הִבְטַ֛חְתָּ אֶת־הָעָ֥ם הַזֶּ֖ה עַל־שָֽׁקֶר׃ (טז) לָכֵ֗ן כֹּ֚ה אָמַ֣ר ה' הִנְנִי֙ מְשַֽׁלֵּחֲךָ֔ מֵעַ֖ל פְּנֵ֣י הָאֲדָמָ֑ה הַשָּׁנָה֙ אַתָּ֣ה מֵ֔ת כִּי־סָרָ֥ה דִבַּ֖רְתָּ אֶל־ה'׃ (יז) וַיָּ֛מׇת חֲנַנְיָ֥ה הַנָּבִ֖יא בַּשָּׁנָ֣ה הַהִ֑יא בַּחֹ֖דֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִֽי׃ {פ}

(1) That year, early in the reign of King Zedekiah of Judah, in the fifth month of the fourth year [=594 BCE], the prophet Hananiah son of Azzur, who was from Gibeon, spoke to me in the House of the LORD, in the presence of the priests and all the people. He said: (2) “Thus said the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel: I hereby break the yoke of the king of Babylon. (3) In two years, I will restore to this place all the vessels of the House of the LORD which King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon took from this place and brought to Babylon. (4) And I will bring back to this place King Jeconiah [=Jehoiachin] son of Jehoiakim of Judah, and all the Judean exiles who went to Babylon—declares the LORD. Yes, I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.”

(5) Then the prophet Jeremiah answered the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests and of all the people who were standing in the House of the LORD. (6) The prophet Jeremiah said: “Amen! May the LORD do so! May the LORD fulfill what you have prophesied and bring back from Babylon to this place the vessels of the House of the LORD and all the exiles! (7) But just listen to this word which I address to you and to all the people: (8) The prophets who lived before you and me from ancient times prophesied war, disaster, and pestilence against many lands and great kingdoms. (9) So if a prophet prophesies good fortune, then only when the word of the prophet comes true can it be known that the LORD really sent him.”

(10) But the prophet Hananiah removed the bar from the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, and broke it; (11) and Hananiah said in the presence of all the people, “Thus said the LORD: So will I break the yoke of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon from off the necks of all the nations, in two years.” And the prophet Jeremiah went on his way.

(12) After the prophet Hananiah had broken the bar from off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: (13) “Go say to Hananiah: Thus said the LORD: You broke bars of wood, but you shall make bars of iron instead. (14) For thus said the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel: I have put an iron yoke upon the necks of all those nations, that they may serve King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon—and serve him they shall! I have even given the wild beasts to him.”

(15) And the prophet Jeremiah said to the prophet Hananiah, “Listen, Hananiah! The LORD did not send you, and you have given this people lying assurances. (16) Assuredly, thus said the LORD: I am going to banish you from off the earth. This year you shall die, for you have urged disloyalty to the LORD.” (17) And the prophet Hananiah died that year, in the seventh month.

3. Conflicts with a variety of prophets

Dalit Rom-Shiloni, Jeremiah (The Jewish Study Bible) (p. 970)

Chapters 27-29 form a special unit within Jeremiah, addressing theological and political issues between Jeremiah and other prophets whom he (and his followers) considered false prophets (this is a continuation of chapter 26, where Jeremiah himself is accused of being a false prophet). In this unique account these opponent prophets have names and they are active in Jerusalem, or already in Babylonia. The unifying theme is the false hope that the Jehoiachin exiles will soon be returning back home, and that the Babylonian regime is only a short-lived threat.

(יח) נָבִ֨יא אָקִ֥ים לָהֶ֛ם מִקֶּ֥רֶב אֲחֵיהֶ֖ם כָּמ֑וֹךָ וְנָתַתִּ֤י דְבָרַי֙ בְּפִ֔יו וְדִבֶּ֣ר אֲלֵיהֶ֔ם אֵ֖ת כׇּל־אֲשֶׁ֥ר אֲצַוֶּֽנּוּ׃ (יט) וְהָיָ֗ה הָאִישׁ֙ אֲשֶׁ֤ר לֹֽא־יִשְׁמַע֙ אֶל־דְּבָרַ֔י אֲשֶׁ֥ר יְדַבֵּ֖ר בִּשְׁמִ֑י אָנֹכִ֖י אֶדְרֹ֥שׁ מֵעִמּֽוֹ׃

(כ) אַ֣ךְ הַנָּבִ֡יא אֲשֶׁ֣ר יָזִיד֩ לְדַבֵּ֨ר דָּבָ֜ר בִּשְׁמִ֗י אֵ֣ת אֲשֶׁ֤ר לֹֽא־צִוִּיתִיו֙ לְדַבֵּ֔ר וַאֲשֶׁ֣ר יְדַבֵּ֔ר בְּשֵׁ֖ם אֱלֹקִ֣ים אֲחֵרִ֑ים וּמֵ֖ת הַנָּבִ֥יא הַהֽוּא׃ (כא) וְכִ֥י תֹאמַ֖ר בִּלְבָבֶ֑ךָ אֵיכָה֙ נֵדַ֣ע אֶת־הַדָּבָ֔ר אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹא־דִבְּר֖וֹ ה'׃ (כב) אֲשֶׁר֩ יְדַבֵּ֨ר הַנָּבִ֜יא בְּשֵׁ֣ם ה' וְלֹֽא־יִהְיֶ֤ה הַדָּבָר֙ וְלֹ֣א יָבֹ֔א ה֣וּא הַדָּבָ֔ר אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹא־דִבְּר֖וֹ ה' בְּזָדוֹן֙ דִּבְּר֣וֹ הַנָּבִ֔יא לֹ֥א תָג֖וּר מִמֶּֽנּוּ׃ {ס}

(18) I [=God] will raise up a prophet for them from among their own people, like yourself [=Moses]: I will put My words in his mouth and he will speak to them all that I command him; (19) and if anybody fails to heed the words he speaks in My name, I Myself will call him to account.

(20) But any prophet who presumes to speak in My name an oracle that I did not command him to utter, or who speaks in the name of other gods—that prophet shall die.” (21) And should you ask yourselves, “How can we know that the oracle was not spoken by the LORD?” (22) if the prophet speaks in the name of the LORD and the oracle does not come true, that oracle was not spoken by the LORD; the prophet has uttered it presumptuously: do not stand in dread of him.

John Bright, Jeremiah (Anchor Bible), Comment to ch. 28, pp. 202-203

Most instructive...is the light that [this chapter] casts upon a problem which must have perplexed the people of the day profoundly: How could one tell a true prophet from a false one? One notes that Hananiah spoke in the form of prophet address, just as Jeremiah did. Nor is there anything to suggest that he did not do so sincerely. Jeremiah, indeed indicated that he wished that he could believe what Hananiah had said (vs. 6). ...

It is interesting that Jeremiah, when Hananiah confronted him, seemed to feel that at the moment he had no word from [the Lord] to say. He therefore did not call Hananiah a liar but (vss. 6-9) merely pointed out (a) that Hananiah's words were not in the tradition of the great prophets of the past (he doubtless thought of such prophets as Isaiah and Micah), and (b) that the event would have to show who was speaking the truth. Even when Hananiah snatched the yoke from his neck and broke it, Jeremiah said nothing, but meekly went away. It was only later, when a new revelation had come to him, that he denounced Hananiah in the name of [the Lord].

4. Jeremiah's Letter to the Exile Community

Jeremiah 29

(א) וְאֵ֙לֶּה֙ דִּבְרֵ֣י הַסֵּ֔פֶר אֲשֶׁ֥ר שָׁלַ֛ח יִרְמְיָ֥ה הַנָּבִ֖יא מִירוּשָׁלָ֑͏ִם אֶל־יֶ֜תֶר זִקְנֵ֣י הַגּוֹלָ֗ה וְאֶל־הַכֹּהֲנִ֤ים וְאֶל־הַנְּבִיאִים֙ וְאֶל־כׇּל־הָעָ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֨ר הֶגְלָ֧ה נְבֽוּכַדְנֶאצַּ֛ר מִירוּשָׁלַ֖͏ִם בָּבֶֽלָה׃ (ב) אַחֲרֵ֣י צֵ֣את יְכׇנְיָֽה־הַ֠מֶּ֠לֶךְ וְהַגְּבִירָ֨ה וְהַסָּרִיסִ֜ים שָׂרֵ֨י יְהוּדָ֧ה וִירוּשָׁלַ֛͏ִם וְהֶחָרָ֥שׁ וְהַמַּסְגֵּ֖ר מִירוּשָׁלָֽ͏ִם׃ (ג) בְּיַד֙ אֶלְעָשָׂ֣ה בֶן־שָׁפָ֔ן וּגְמַרְיָ֖ה בֶּן־חִלְקִיָּ֑ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר שָׁלַ֜ח צִדְקִיָּ֣ה מֶלֶךְ־יְהוּדָ֗ה אֶל־נְבוּכַדְנֶאצַּ֛ר מֶ֥לֶךְ בָּבֶ֖ל בָּבֶ֥לָה לֵאמֹֽר׃

(ד) כֹּ֥ה אָמַ֛ר ה' צְבָא֖וֹת אֱלֹקֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל לְכׇ֨ל־הַגּוֹלָ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־הִגְלֵ֥יתִי מִירוּשָׁלַ֖͏ִם בָּבֶֽלָה׃ (ה) בְּנ֥וּ בָתִּ֖ים וְשֵׁ֑בוּ וְנִטְע֣וּ גַנּ֔וֹת וְאִכְל֖וּ אֶת־פִּרְיָֽן׃ (ו) קְח֣וּ נָשִׁ֗ים וְהוֹלִ֘ידוּ֮ בָּנִ֣ים וּבָנוֹת֒ וּקְח֨וּ לִבְנֵיכֶ֜ם נָשִׁ֗ים וְאֶת־בְּנֽוֹתֵיכֶם֙ תְּנ֣וּ לַאֲנָשִׁ֔ים וְתֵלַ֖דְנָה בָּנִ֣ים וּבָנ֑וֹת וּרְבוּ־שָׁ֖ם וְאַל־תִּמְעָֽטוּ׃ (ז) וְדִרְשׁ֞וּ אֶת־שְׁל֣וֹם הָעִ֗יר אֲשֶׁ֨ר הִגְלֵ֤יתִי אֶתְכֶם֙ שָׁ֔מָּה וְהִתְפַּֽלְל֥וּ בַעֲדָ֖הּ אֶל־ה' כִּ֣י בִשְׁלוֹמָ֔הּ יִהְיֶ֥ה לָכֶ֖ם שָׁלֽוֹם׃

(1) This is the text of the letter which the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the priests, the prophets, the rest of the elders of the exile community, and to all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had exiled from Jerusalem to Babylon— (2) after King Jeconiah, the queen mother, the eunuchs, the officials of Judah and Jerusalem, and the craftsmen and smiths had left Jerusalem. (3) [The letter was sent] through Elasah son of Shaphan and Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom King Zedekiah of Judah had dispatched to Babylon, to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon [DR: in year 594 BCE].

(4) Thus said the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, to the whole community which I exiled from Jerusalem to Babylon: (5) Build houses and live in them, plant gardens and eat their fruit. (6) Take 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. Multiply there, do not decrease. (7) And seek the welfare of the city to which I have exiled you and pray to the LORD in its behalf; for in its prosperity you shall prosper.

What was Jewish life like in Babylonia?

"Shelamyah ben Nedavyah Owes Barley" in 549 BCE

Copy by Laurie Pearce, published in Pearce and Wunsch 2014, no. 10.

Source: https://www.thetorah.com/article/judean-life-in-babylonia. Visited 11/2021

[Dr. Laurie Pearce, "Judean Life in Babylonia", The Torah.com https://www.thetorah.com/article/judean-life-in-babylonia

Lecturer in Akkadian in the Department of Near Eastern Studies, UC, Berkeley

Upon the conquest of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar deported many Judeans to Babylonia. What was their life like there? Were they assimilated, or did they stand out? What language(s) did they speak and what religious practices did they maintain? What was their social and economic standing? Babylonian records allow us glimpses into the lives of some of the deportees. ...

Subsequent to Nebuchadnezzar’s predations, Judeans who remained in the small villages of Judah probably continued to speak the local Hebrew dialects. However, as Aramaic served as the language of imperial administration, many Judeans would have learnt Aramaic. Certainly, those who were deported to Babylonia would have learned to speak Aramaic, but did they continue to speak Hebrew as well? ...

Shelamyah ben Nedavyah Owes Barley (see image above)

On the left edge of this tablet, five incised letters Š-L-M-Y-H spell the Hebrew name שלמיה, Šelamyah, rendered Šalam-Yāma (=Yawa=Yahweh) in the Akkadian text. Some of these letters present features distinctive to paleo-Hebrew script.

This mid-sixth century transaction (549 B.C.E.) belongs to a watershed period in the history of the Hebrew language when, even in Judah, the use of Aramaic script replaced the ancient Hebrew script, and yet the name on the side of this tablet is written in paleo-Hebrew script.

The tablet’s date suggests that: (1) Šalam-Yāma was born near the start of the exile, either in Judah or shortly after his family’s deportation, in Babylonia; and (2) that his father, Nadab-Yāma (נדביה), or someone in his circle, was literate and could have taught Šalam-Yāma to write in the script that would have been in use during his youth. ...

[Evidence from Jewish Names]

The name Šabbātaya, “the one of (i.e., born on) the Sabbath,” references a distinctive Judean observance, although its exclusivity to that community is not securely established. Similarly, the name Haggai marks an individual (or his parents) as a devotee of festival observance (Hebrew ag means a pilgrimage festival).

The names Šabbātaya and Haggai suggest that persons named for the special days on which they were born belonged to families that observed the Sabbath and holidays. However, not all Judeans, whether in Judah or Babylonia, observed relevant religious laws and injunctions. Contemporaneous biblical texts indicate that some Judeans, both before and after exile, ignored various Sabbath injunctions. For example, the author of the book of Jeremiah admonishes people to keep the Shabbat and not to carry burdens on the holy day (ch. 17)...]

5. Seek the welfare of the city...

"Praying for the Government," Rabbi Rachel Isaacs, director of the Center for Small Town Jewish Life at Colby College

My Jewish Learning (https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/praying-for-the-government/) Visited 11/2021

The tension between synagogue and statecraft is an old one. Since the destruction of the first Temple in 586 B.C.E., the Jewish community has recognized how our fate is inextricably tied to the welfare of the states in which we live and the quality of their governance. The prophet Jeremiah wrote from Babylon: “And seek the welfare of the city to which I have exiled you and pray to the LORD in its behalf; for in its prosperity you shall prosper.” Jeremiah 29:7 ...

...almost all Jewish communities today incorporate a prayer for the government into the weekly Shabbat service, most commonly as part of the Torah service. (A separate prayer for the State of Israel is also commonly recited at the point in the service.) The first such prayer was introduced into the Jewish prayer book by David Abudarham in the 14th century, but many prayers for the government have been crafted over the centuries. While the specific wording varies, most versions ask for blessings upon the land and for government officials to have the counsel necessary to make wise, compassionate decisions in line with the values of our tradition.

According to scholar Jonathan Sarna, the traditional prayer for local government, often called in Hebrew Hanoten Teshuah (“He who grants deliverance”), was firmly cemented into Jewish liturgy by the early 17th century. This prayer emphasizes Jewish loyalty to the broader polity and asks God to “bless, guard, protect, help, exalt, magnify, and highly aggrandize,” the sovereign in the hopes that these words of praise and God’s grace would protect the local Jewish community. The prayer represents Jewish hopes that open expressions of fealty in synagogue would provide security for their communities and lessen incidences of anti-Jewish discrimination or violence.

The original wording of Hanoten Teshuah underwent serious changes in an American context. A prayer that asks for the long and successful reign of kings and princes no longer fit a democratic context. Earlier references to European kings were replaced by the president, vice-president and appointed officers of the United States. The liberal Jewish movements changed the wording even further to fit a more progressive and self-assured relationship to governmental power.

The Traditional Prayer Book Rabbinical Council of America (Orthodox), Behrman House, 1960, p. 260

Prayer for the Government

"Seek the welfare of the city whither I have caused you to migrate, And pray to the Lord for it." - Jeremiah 29:7

Heavenly Father, uphold and bless this our country, the United States of America. Implant brotherly love among all who dwell therein. Bless Thou the constituted officers of government in this land. Set in their hearts the spirit of wisdom and understanding to uphold peace and freedom.

Siddur Lev Shalom Rabbinical Assembly (Conservative) 2016

A Prayer for Our Country

Our God and God of our ancestors, with mercy accept our prayer on behalf of our country and its government. Pour out Your blessing upon this land, upon its inhabitants, upon its leaders, its judges, officers, and officials, who faithfully devote themselves to the needs of the public. Help them understand the rules of justice You have decreed, so that peace and secu- rity, happiness and freedom, will never depart from our land.

ADONAI, God whose spirit is in all creatures, we pray that Your spirit be awakened within all the inhabitants of our land. Uproot from our hearts hatred and malice, jealousy and strife. Plant love and companionship, peace and friendship, among the many peoples and faiths who dwell in our nation. Grant us the knowledge to judge justly, the wisdom to act with compassion, and the understanding and courage to root out poverty from our land.

...

https://www.rabbinicalassembly.org/sites/default/files/AlternativePrayerCountry.pdf. (Also linked at https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/praying-for-the-government/)

[6 "Under the Yoke" in Jewish Liturgy]

הקורא קריאת שמע לא ירמוז בעיניו ולא יקרוץ בשפתיו ולא יראה באצבעותיו בפרשה ראשונ' שהוא עיקר קבלת עול מלכות שמים מפני שנראה כקורא עראי וכתיב ודברת בם ודרשינן עשה אותם קבע:

One who is [in the middle of] reciting the Sh'ma should not signal with one's eyes, mouth with one's lips, or gesture with one's fingers during the first paragraph which is the main acceptance of the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven because he [then] appears like he's reading it casually, and it is written "and you shall speak of them...", and we explain [this to mean]: do them permanently (ie. speak them in a formal/non-casual way).

עַל כֵּן נְקַוֶּה לְךָ ה' אֱלֺקֵֽינוּ לִרְאוֹת מְהֵרָה בְּתִפְאֶֽרֶת עֻזֶּֽךָ לְהַעֲבִיר גִּלּוּלִים מִן הָאָֽרֶץ וְהָאֱלִילִים כָּרוֹת יִכָּרֵתוּן לְתַקֵּן עוֹלָם בְּמַלְכוּת שַׁדַּי וְכָל בְּנֵי בָשָׂר יִקְרְאוּ בִשְׁ֒מֶֽךָ, לְהַפְנוֹת אֵלֶֽיךָ כָּל רִשְׁ֒עֵי אָֽרֶץ, יַכִּֽירוּ וְיֵדְ֒עוּ כָּל יוֹשְׁ֒בֵי תֵבֵל כִּי לְךָ תִכְרַע כָּל בֶּֽרֶךְ תִּשָּׁבַע כָּל לָשׁוֹן: לְפָנֶֽיךָ ה' אֱלֺקֵֽינוּ יִכְרְעוּ וְיִפֹּֽלוּ, וְלִכְ֒בוֹד שִׁמְךָ יְקָר יִתֵּֽנוּ, וִיקַבְּ֒לוּ כֻלָּם אֶת עֹל מַלְכוּתֶֽךָ, וְתִמְלֺךְ עֲלֵיהֶם מְהֵרָה לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד, כִּי הַמַּלְכוּת שֶׁלְּ֒ךָ הִיא וּלְעֽוֹלְ֒מֵי עַד תִּמְלוֹךְ בְּכָבוֹד, כַּכָּתוּב בְּתוֹרָתֶֽךָ ה' יִמְלֺךְ לְעֹלָם וָעֶד: וְנֶאֱמַר וְהָיָה ה' לְמֶֽלֶךְ עַל כָּל הָאָֽרֶץ בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יִהְיֶה ה' אֶחָד וּשְׁמוֹ אֶחָד:

We therefore put our hope in You, Adonoy our God, to soon behold the glory of Your might in banishing idolatry from the earth, and the false gods will be utterly exterminated to perfect the world as the kingdom of Shadai. And all mankind will invoke Your Name, to turn back to You, all the wicked of the earth. They will realize and know, all the inhabitants of the world, that to You, every knee must bend, every tongue must swear [allegiance to You]. Before You, Adonoy, our God, they will bow and prostrate themselves, and to the glory of Your Name give honor. And they will all accept [upon themselves] the yoke of Your kingdom, and You will reign over them, soon, forever and ever. For the kingdom is Yours, and to all eternity You will reign in glory, as it is written in Your Torah: Adonoy will reign forever and ever. And it is said: And Adonoy will be King over the whole earth; on that day Adonoy will be One and His Name One.