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Person

Hananiah

Man living at the time of Divided Monarchy

Hananiah, a false prophet, opposed Jeremiah's prophecies and falsely predicted the end of the Babylonian captivity within two years.

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Hananiah, son of Azzur, was a false prophet who confronted Jeremiah during the reign of King Zedekiah of Judah (Jeremiah 28). At the beginning of Zedekiah's reign, Hananiah publicly contradicted Jeremiah's prophecy that the Babylonian captivity would last seventy years. In the presence of the priests and all the people in the temple, Hananiah falsely prophesied that within two years, God would break the yoke of the king of Babylon and bring back the temple vessels and the exiles (Jer.28.1-4). He also removed the yoke from Jeremiah's neck, which symbolized the Babylonian captivity, and broke it (Jer.28.10-11). In response, Jeremiah prophesied that Hananiah would die within a year for making the people trust in a lie (Jer.28.15-16). As Jeremiah had foretold, Hananiah died two months later (Jer.28.17). This event demonstrated the importance of discerning true prophets from false ones and the consequences of speaking falsely in the name of the Lord. Hananiah's actions and fate serve as a warning against those who would lead God's people astray with false promises and deceptive messages.

Family

Father
Azzur

Connections

Part of: Last kings of Judah and the prophets of the exile

Jeremiah and Hananiah: conflicting prophecies

RoleStated in the text

Hananiah son of Azzur said in the temple that the exile would end within two years and broke Jeremiah's yoke. Jeremiah replied that prophecies are known by fulfilment and that Hananiah would die that year, which happened.

Where the text shows it: Jer 28:1-4 — Hananiah's oracleJer 28:10-11 — The yoke brokenJer 28:15-17 — Judgement and deathDeut 18:21-22 — The test of a prophet

Sources: Jer 28:1-4 · Jer 28:10-11 · Jer 28:15-17 · Deut 18:21-22

Where Hananiah appears

8 verses in 1 book · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s H2608

Jeremiah8

Names, family links and references: STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Short descriptions were drafted with AI assistance by STEPBible. Family links follow STEPBible’s scholarly decisions where genealogies are ambiguous.