Jeremiah 23:17

17 They keep speaking to those who hate me. They say, 'The LORD says you will have peace.' They speak to all those who do what their stubborn hearts want them to do. They tell them, 'No harm will come to you.'

Jeremiah 23:17 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 23:17

They say still unto them that despise me
That despised the word, worship, and ordinances of the Lord; with such mockers and scoffers at religion, such abandoned creatures, they associated themselves; finding that their prophecies and doctrines met with approbation and success among them. The Septuagint version is, "they say to them that put away the word of the Lord"; reject it, and cast it behind their backs; see ( Acts 13:46 ) ; the Lord hath said, ye shall have peace;
all manner of prosperity; that they should dwell in their own land, and not go into captivity, and enjoy the good things of it in peace and prosperity; this they pretended they had from the Lord; which was an aggravation of their sins; not only to tell a lie, but to tell it in the name of the Lord, and in direct opposition to what the true prophets said from the mouth of the Lord, particularly Jeremiah: and they say unto everyone that walketh after the imagination of his
own heart;
which is evil, and that continually, ( Genesis 6:5 ) ; whose course of life is after the lusts of his own wicked heart; and a worse guide than these a man cannot well have: and this is a true character and description of an unregenerate man, who walks after the flesh, and not after the Spirit; after his own carnal heart, and the dictates of it; and not according to the will and word of God: and yet to such, to whom the Lord says, "there is no peace", the false prophets said, no evil shall come upon you;
no evil of punishment for the evil of sin, as the prophets of the Lord had threatened; such as the sword, famine, pestilence, and captivity.

Jeremiah 23:17 In-Context

15 So the LORD who rules over all speaks about the prophets. He says, "I will make them eat bitter food. I will make them drink poisoned water. The prophets of Jerusalem have spread their ungodly ways all through the land."

16 The LORD who rules over all says to the people of Judah, "Do not listen to what the prophets are saying to you. They fill you with false hopes. They talk about visions that come from their own minds. What they say does not come from my mouth.

17 They keep speaking to those who hate me. They say, 'The LORD says you will have peace.' They speak to all those who do what their stubborn hearts want them to do. They tell them, 'No harm will come to you.'

18 But which of them has ever stood in my courts? Have they been there to see a vision or hear my message? Who has listened and heard my message there?

19 A storm will burst out because of my burning anger. A windstorm will sweep down on the heads of sinful people