Jeremiah 29:11 is a favorite verse among Christians. It’s a popular verse for gifts. There is much hope in knowing God’s plans and thoughts for his people, and this verse brings much comfort. But it’s worth a good look at the King James’s translation of Jeremiah 29:11 to get at the entire message of this verse.
Let’s compare this verse in the two most popular Bible translations in the world today, the King James Version (KJV) and the New International Version (NIV).
- KJV: 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.
- NIV: For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Look closely at the last phrase of the verse in each translation. There is an important difference between “an expected end” (KJV) and “hope and a future” (NIV). Let’s explore this difference.
God's Covenant with Israel
In the Old Testament, God made a covenant with the his people, the Israelites. The stipulations of this covenant—the blessings and curses (see Deuteronomy 28)—were conditioned on Israel’s obedience to God’s commands.
Israel in Exile
By the prophet Jeremiah’s time, though, the Israelites had turned their backs on God. Israel’s northern kingdom had been wiped out by Assyrian invasions, and the southern kingdom had been conquered and taken into exile to Babylon.
During this exile, Jeremiah wrote a letter to the elders, recorded in Jeremiah 29. He tells the elders that God still has a plan for them despite their disobedience. Verse 11 is familiar to us, but we need to read that verse in the context of the whole letter.
There we find Jeremiah specifically speaking to Jewish exiles. God promises to gather his people from their Babylonian “captivity” (v. 14) and return them to Jerusalem after seventy years of captivity is over (v. 10). This prophetic promise, therefore, was already fulfilled about 2500 years ago when Israel made its way back from captivity
Jeremiah Reminds
Jeremiah speaks of an “expected end,” but that only makes sense within the larger context of God’s original covenant with Israel back in Deuteronomy. God laid out the expectations of that covenant. It was God’s hope that the outcome would be blessing and peace, as the covenant stipulated. Through Jeremiah, God is repeating that promise to the Jewish exiles.
However, in the immediate context, the “expected end” refers to God’s promise to end the exile after seventy years. Here are verses 10-11 together:
“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. 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 Today
How should we understand this promise in Jeremiah 29:11 today? Does the “expected end” prophesied for Israel actually imply a “hope and a future” for the covenant family of God?
The truth of God’s Word assures us that God’s covenant promises are fulfilled in the person of Jesus. Romans 8:28, “God works all things together for good for those who love him,” sounds a lot like Jeremiah 29:11. As we consider the covenant promises that are ours in Christ, we can observe the following truths about this verse.
Doesn’t Guarantee Security
For example, God does not always deliver his people from earthly peril. Consider John the Baptist (Matthew 14), Stephen (Acts 8), and the apostle James (Acts 12)—plus many more who died because of their faith in God—not to mention present-day martyrs.
Doesn’t Guarantee Financial Success
Nowhere in the New Testament are followers of Jesus promised physical comfort or financial security. Just the opposite. Jesus says, “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
God’s Covenant Promises an Eternal End in Glory
However, while Christians don’t have the same circumstances as the people receiving Jeremiah’s message, they know the same God whose character remains constant, and his promises remain sure. (“All God’s promises are yes in Christ.”)
And while we may suffer trials, or experience difficulty in this life, our relationship with God because of Christ’s rescue of us remains. Nothing can separate us from his love for us (Romans 8:38-39). He will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). He is with us always, “even unto the end of the world” (Matthew 28:20).
Above all, we look forward to a future home in heaven with him, our ultimate “expected end,” where we will live forever in His love and presence for eternity.
And that is the hope of every believer.
