281 Now in the same year , in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah , in the fourth year , in the fifth month , Hananiah the son of Azzur , the prophet , who was from Gibeon , spoke to me in the house of the Lord in the presence of the priests and all the people , saying , 2 " Thus says the Lord of hosts , the God of Israel , 'I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon . 3 'Within two years I am going to bring back to this place all the vessels of the Lord'S house , which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place and carried to Babylon . 4 'I am also going to bring back to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim , king of Judah , and all the exiles of Judah who went to Babylon ,' declares the Lord , 'for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon .' " 5 Then the prophet Jeremiah spoke to the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests and in the presence of all the people who were standing in the house of the Lord , 6 and the prophet Jeremiah said , " Amen ! May the Lord do so ; may the Lord confirm your words which you have prophesied to bring back the vessels of the Lord'S house and all the exiles , from Babylon to this place . 7 "Yet hear now this word which I am about to speak in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people ! 8 "The prophets who were before me and before you from ancient times prophesied against many lands and against great kingdoms , of war and of calamity and of pestilence . 9 "The prophet who prophesies of peace , when the word of the prophet comes to pass , then that prophet will be known as one whom the Lord has truly sent ."
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Jeremiah 28:1-9
Commentary on Jeremiah 28:1-9
(Read Jeremiah 28:1-9)
Hananiah spoke a false prophecy. Here is not a word of good counsel urging the Jews to repent and return to God. He promises temporal mercies, in God's name, but makes no mention of the spiritual mercies which God always promised with earthly blessings. This was not the first time Jeremiah had prayed for the people, though he prophesied against them. He appeals to the event, to prove Hananiah's falsehood. The prophet who spake only of peace and prosperity, without adding that they must not by wilful sin stop God's favours, will be proved a false prophet. Those who do not declare the alarming as well as the encouraging parts of God's word, and call men to repentance, and faith, and holiness, tread in the steps of the false prophets. The gospel of Christ encourages men to do works meet for repentance, but gives no encouragement to continue in sin.