Version: King James Version (public domain)
Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
Jeremiah 29:11 is God’s promise of “thoughts of peace, and not of evil”, written in a letter to the Jews exiled in Babylon: after seventy years they would have a future and a hope.
Bible text
10 For thus saith the Lord, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.
11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
12 Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.
13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
14 And I will be found of you, saith the Lord: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the Lord; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.
Original text
Ki anokhi yada’ti et-hamachashavot asher anokhi choshev aleikhem, ne’um Adonai: machshevot shalom velo lera’ah, latet lakhem acharit vetikvah.
Historical context
A letter into exile. In 597 BC, King Jehoiachin and part of Judah’s elite were deported to Babylon. Jeremiah, who stayed in Jerusalem, sent them a letter (Jeremiah 29:1–3).
Against false hope. Prophets such as Hananiah announced a return within two years (Jeremiah 28). Jeremiah says the opposite: build houses, plant gardens, marry and “seek the peace of the city” (v. 7), because the exile will last seventy years (v. 10).
The promise comes after. Only after that hard warning does verse 11 come: God has “thoughts of peace” and a future for his people.
Explanation
“I know the thoughts”
The verse opens with God saying he knows his own plans. At a time when the people did not understand what was happening, security came not from understanding but from the one making the plans.
Peace, not evil
The Hebrew word is shalom: not just the absence of war but complete well-being. It is the same word used in verse 7, “seek the peace of the city”.
A future and a hope
The phrase acharit vetikvah can be translated “a future and a hope” or, as in the KJV, “an expected end”. The promise looks to the end of the exile, not to an instant solution.
“You”, plural
In Hebrew, the “you” is plural. The promise was made to the people as a whole. Many readers apply it to personal life, but the original text speaks to a community that would wait for decades.
Read next
How each tradition reads it
Protestant
It is one of the most quoted verses in evangelical culture, found on graduation cards and in messages of encouragement. Many pastors stress that it should be read with verses 10 and 12–13: the promise includes waiting and a wholehearted search for God.
Jewish
In Jewish reading, the chapter shapes an attitude toward life in the diaspora: live well where you are and pray for the city (v. 7), without losing hope of return. The book of Daniel (9:2) shows Daniel studying Jeremiah’s “seventy years”.
Academic
Scholars date the letter shortly after the first deportation (597 BC). The “seventy years” are read either as a round figure for a lifetime or as the approximate span of Babylonian rule (c. 609–539 BC). The Greek text of Jeremiah (Septuagint) is shorter than the Hebrew and arranges the book differently.
Each reading is attributed to the tradition that holds it. VersePath does not take sides.
Reflect
The promise of verse 11 came with an instruction: build houses and seek the peace of the city where they were. While you wait for something to change, what can you “build” and “plant” where you are right now?
Did you know?
- Jeremiah’s letter was carried to Babylon by two messengers, Elasah and Gemariah (Jeremiah 29:3).
- The “you” in the verse is plural in Hebrew: the promise was for the whole people.
- The KJV renders the ending “to give you an expected end”; most modern versions have “a future and a hope”.
- “Jeremiah 29:11” is searched over 100,000 times a month in the United States.
Frequently asked questions
What does Jeremiah 29:11 mean?
That God had plans of peace for the exiled people and promised them a future with hope, even after a long time of waiting.
Who was Jeremiah 29:11 written to?
To the Jews deported to Babylon in 597 BC, in a letter sent by the prophet Jeremiah.
Is Jeremiah 29:11 a promise for me?
It was addressed to the people of Israel. Jews and Christians also read it as an expression of God’s character, who has good plans for those who seek him (vv. 12–13).
Why does the KJV say “an expected end”?
Because the Hebrew acharit means “end” or “outcome”. Modern translations usually render acharit vetikvah as “a future and a hope”.