Jeremiah 29:11
11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a future and a hope.
About this passage
Jeremiah 29:11 comes from a letter the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the Judeans who had been taken into exile in Babylon. The letter tells them to build houses, plant gardens and seek the welfare of the city where they now live, because the exile will last a long time.
The verse promises plans for welfare and a future with hope, and verse 10 ties this to the end of seventy years for Babylon. Many scholars therefore read it first as a word to that exiled community, not as a guarantee for each individual.
It is widely used today as a source of encouragement. Readers who apply it personally usually do so by analogy, and the surrounding verses are a reminder that the hope it offers is set within hardship and patience.
Questions
Who was Jeremiah 29:11 written to?
The verse is part of a letter from Jeremiah to the Judean exiles in Babylon, probably written after the first deportation in the early sixth century BCE. Its first audience was that community, though later readers have applied it more widely.
Does Jeremiah 29:11 promise personal success?
Readers disagree. In context it is a promise to the exiles that God has plans for their welfare after a long period of exile. Many apply it to individuals by analogy, but the passage itself does not promise any particular personal outcome.