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Most of the uses of the concept in the book of Jeremiah are negative. They are related either to the false concept of peace in Judah that was being promoted by political and religious leaders, or to the oracles of false prophets who were opposed to the ministry of Jeremiah. This essay argues that for these opponents (false prophets, political and religious leaders), the assurance of peace was mostly grounded in a false sense of security motivated by the traditions of Zion 's inviolability and the election of the Davidic dynasty. However, Jeremiah himself uses the word in 29:7 to urge the exiles of Judah in Babylon to seek the peace of the city where they have been forced to live. The hard question this article tries to address is: how could exiles seek the peace of their enemy? Jeremiah responds to the question in two ways: the exiles must first accept that they are not in Babylon because of the military power of the army of Nebucadnezzar, but because of their disobedience to the covenant. Secondly, Yahweh has not forgotten his people despite their current situation in exile. The author analyzes this passage in the context of Africa, where it is not uncommon to learn that refugees are creating problems for the cities where they live.

Doing biblical theology today is a difficult, complex and challenging task. The greatest challenge comes from the fact that for more than two centuries, scholars have not been able to agree on what should be called biblical theology and how to go about it. In Africa, the challenge is of a different nature: no single biblical theology on the standard of Brueggemann, Goldingay or Waltke has been produced despite a great interest in biblical studies. This article argues that there are seven important points one needs to consider in doing a relevant biblical theology: the question of the definition, of the centre of biblical theology, of the starting point, of the method, of the relevance, of the content, and the question of the relationship between the Old and the New Testament.