Jeremiah 23:30

30 "I'm against the prophets who steal my words from each other," declares the LORD.

Jeremiah 23:30 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 23:30

Therefore, behold, I [am] against the prophets, saith the
Lord
The false prophets, with whom the Lord was displeased; he set himself against them, and was determined to bring wrath and ruin on them. So the Targum,

``therefore, behold, I send my fury against the false prophets;''

that steal my word,
or "words" ^F17, everyone from his neighbour;
either from the true prophets; beginning their prophecies as they did, with a "thus saith the Lord"; and mingling some words and phrases used by them, the better to ingratiate themselves among the people, and that they might be taken for the prophets of the Lord; as Pelagius, Austin says, used the word "grace", the better to hide his sentiments, and cause them the more easily to be received by the people: or from the false prophets; they privately meeting, and consulting, and agreeing together what they should say to the people, as if they were the words of the Lord: or else from the people themselves; lessening their esteem for the words of the Lord; making them negligent of them and indifferent to them; and causing them to forget what they had heard and received.

---

FOOTNOTES:

F17 (yrbd) "verba mea", Munster, Pagniuus, Montanus, Schmidt.

Jeremiah 23:30 In-Context

28 The prophet who has a dream should tell his dream. However, the person who has my word should honestly speak my word. What does grain have to do with straw?" asks the LORD.

29 "Isn't my word like fire or like a hammer that shatters a rock?" asks the LORD.

30 "I'm against the prophets who steal my words from each other," declares the LORD.

31 "I'm against the prophets who speak their own thoughts and say that they speak for me.

32 I'm against those who prophesy dreams they made up," declares the LORD. "They tell the dreams they made up and lead my people astray with their lies and their wild talk. I didn't send them or command them to go. They don't help these people at all," declares the LORD.