Jeremiah 5:13

13 The prophets are so much wind; the word isn't in them. Thus and so may it be done to them.

Jeremiah 5:13 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 5:13

And the prophets shall become wind
Their prophecies shall vanish into air; they shall become of no effect; they shall never be accomplished: and the word is not in them;
not the word of the Lord; he never spoke by them; they speak of themselves; they never were inspired or commissioned by him to say what they do: thus shall it be done unto them; the same evils they say shall befall us shall come upon them; they shall perish by the sword or famine; we have reason to believe that our predictions are as good as theirs, and will be fulfilled: or, "thus let it be done to them" ^F25; as they have prophesied shall be done to us; and so are an imprecation. The Targum interprets the whole of the false prophets, as if they were the words of the Lord concerning them, which is,

``but the false prophets shall be for nothing, and their false prophecy shall not be confirmed; this revenge shall be taken of them;''

and so Kimchi interprets it of the prophets that prophesied peace to them, and said that the above mentioned should not come upon them; and Jarchi takes the last clause to be the words of the prophet to them that say the above words; namely, that thus it shall be done to them, what the Lord has said.

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FOOTNOTES:

F25 (Mhl hvey hk) "sic fiat illis"; so some in Vatablus; "sic eveniat ipsis", Cocceius.

Jeremiah 5:13 In-Context

11 The people of Israel and Judah have been utterly faithless to me, declares the LORD.

12 They have lied about the LORD and said, "He'll do nothing! Disaster won't come upon us; we won't see war or famine."

13 The prophets are so much wind; the word isn't in them. Thus and so may it be done to them.

14 Therefore, the LORD God of heavenly forces proclaims: Because you have spoken this way, I will put my words in your mouth as a fire; it will consume the people, who are but kindling.

15 I am about to bring a distant nation against you, people of Israel, declares the LORD. It is an established nation, an ancient nation, a nation whose language you don't know, whose speech you won't understand.