Planting gardens: Mesopotamian influence on a Hebrew trope in Jeremiah 29

Abstract

The version of the ‘building and planting’ conceptual pair found in Jeremiah 29:5 differs from the standard trope used elsewhere within the Hebrew Bible; it is the only example in which the object to be planted is a garden (גנה‎). Awareness of the exilic community’s Mesopotamian context potentially illuminates this alteration, as two mutually inclusive historical factors could have influenced the change. Jeremiah’s exhortation could account for the community’s agricultural context. By planting gardens, the exiles participated in the shift toward horticulture during the long 6th century and contributed to the שלום‎ of the region. Alternatively, Jeremiah 29:5 shares language with royal inscriptions of Esarhaddon. This proposed connection builds upon previous explorations of references to a 70-year exile elsewhere in both texts. The plausibility of the latter option would lend support to the literary coherence of Jeremiah 29:5–14, while the former suggests a 6th century provenance for the passage.

Jeremiah 29:5-7 reread through the lens of posttraumatic growth

“…Mueller's recent discussion of "building and planting" indicates a different textual context. According to Mueller (2020Mueller ( :270), an 2023 emphasis on the inner biblical examinations regarding Jeremiah 29 "failed to provide an adequate answer for the unique pairing of 'plant' and 'garden' found therein". Thus, Mueller (2020) suggests considering the context from outside of the Hebrew Bible for a more reasonable understanding of the trope of "building and planting", especially "planting garden", in Jeremiah 29:5, such as Mesopotamian agricultural or textual context.…”