The letter was entrusted to Elasah son of Shaphan and Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. It stated:
Zedekiah . . . sent unto Babylon--In Jer 51:59, Zedekiah himself goes to Babylon; here he sends ambassadors. Whatever was the object of the embassy, it shows that Zedekiah only reigned at the pleasure of the king of Babylon, who might have restored Jeconiah, had he pleased.
Jeremiah's letter to the scattered exiles served a vital purpose: written Scripture carries the same divine authority as spoken word, and at a distance it delivers the seasonable comfort God's dispersed children desperately need. The case of these captives was melancholy indeed; they looked like greater sinners than those left behind.
AI summary
Commenting on Jeremiah 29:1-7
By the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan, and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, (whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon) saying, (c) To entreat of some equal condition.