Jeremiah 23:1-10

1 Woe to the shepherds, that scatter and draw the flock of my pasture, saith the Lord. (Woe to the shepherds of the people, who scatter and draw away the flock of my pasture, saith the Lord.)

2 Therefore the Lord God of Israel saith these things to the shepherds that feed my people, Ye have scattered my flock, and have cast them out, and have not visited them; lo! I shall visit on you the malice of your studies, saith the Lord. (And so the Lord God of Israel saith these things to the shepherds who feed my people, Ye have scattered my flock, and have cast them out, and have not cared for them/and have not watched over them; lo! I shall punish you for the malice of your deeds, saith the Lord.)

3 And I shall gather together the remnants of my flock from all lands, to which I shall cast them out thither; and I shall turn them (again) to their fields (and I shall return them to their fields), and they shall increase, and shall be multiplied.

4 And I shall raise up shepherds on them, and they shall feed them; they shall no more dread, and shall not be afeared (and they shall no longer have fear, and shall not be afraid); and none shall be sought of the number (of them), saith the Lord

5 Lo! days come, saith the Lord, and I shall raise a just burgeoning, either seed, to David; and he shall reign a king, and he shall be wise, and he shall make doom and rightfulness in earth. (Lo! days come, saith the Lord, and I shall raise up a just Burgeoning, or a descendant, of David; and he shall reign a King, and he shall be wise, and he shall make judgement and righteousness in all the land/and he shall make Law and justice in all the land.)

6 In those days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell trustily; and this is the name which they shall call him, The Lord our rightful [Our rightwise Lord].

7 For this thing lo! days come, saith the Lord, and they shall no more say, The Lord liveth, that led the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt; (For this thing lo! days shall come, saith the Lord, and they shall no more say, The Lord liveth, who led the Israelites out of the land of Egypt;)

8 but, The Lord liveth, that led out (who led out), and brought (back) the seed of the house of Israel from the land of the north, and from all lands to which I had cast them out thither; and they shall dwell in their [own] land.

9 To the prophets; Mine heart is contrite, either all-broken for sorrow, in the midst of me, all my bones trembled together; I am made as a man drunken, and as a man wet of wine, of the face of the Lord, and of the face of the holy words of him (I am made like a drunken man, and like one who is wet with wine, because of the Lord, and because of his holy words);

10 for the land is filled with adulterers. For the earth mourned of the face of cursing; the fields of desert be made dry, the course of them is made evil, and their strength is unlike. (for the land is filled with adulterers. Because of cursing/Because of them, the earth mourned; the fields of the desert be made dry, their course is made evil, and their strength is not rightly used.)

Jeremiah 23:1-10 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JEREMIAH 23

This chapter contains threatenings to the Jewish governors, and to their priests and prophets, on account of their manifold sins; intermixed with gracious promises to the Lord's people, and particularly with a famous promise of the Messiah. The pastors or governors of Israel are charged with scattering and driving away the Lord's flock, for which they are threatened, Jer 23:1,2; and a promise is made of the gathering of the remnant of them, and of setting up other shepherds over them, under whom they should increase, and be comfortable, Jer 23:3,4; particularly the Messiah is promised; as David's righteous Branch; as a prosperous and righteous King; as the author of righteousness to his people, under whom they should have salvation and safety, Jer 23:5,6; so that in comparison of this salvation, the deliverance out of Egypt should not be spoken of, Jer 23:7,8; and then follows a sad complaint of the priests and prophets; of their profaneness, their adultery, swearing, lying, hypocrisy, and deception of the people; for all which they are severely threatened, Jer 23:9-15; wherefore the people are exhorted not to hearken to them, promising them peace and safety; whereas, by attending to the word of God, it might easily be seen that a storm of wrath was gone forth, and was ready to break, and would fall upon the head of the wicked, to the executing of the thoughts and purposes of God's heart, Jer 23:16-20; and the Lord declares he had not sent these prophets, as might be known from their not turning the people from their evil ways, Jer 23:21,22; whose conduct and behaviour could not be hid from the sight of the Lord, nor their prophecies from his ears, which were no other than dreams, and the deceits of their own hearts; and there was as great a difference between them and the word of the Lord, as between chaff and wheat; seeing his word in his hand is of great virtue and efficacy, whereas there was none in theirs, Jer 23:23-29; wherefore the Lord declares himself to be against these prophets, for stealing his word from their neighbour; for making use of his name, when they were not sent by him; and for causing the people to err by their lies, Jer 23:30-32; and both people, priest, and prophet, are severely threatened for jeering and scoffing at the word of the Lord, calling it the burden of the Lord; which phrase they are forbid to use in a sneering way; and should they persist in it, they are told that God would forsake and forget them, and cast them out, and everlastingly punish them, Jer 23:39,40.