Jeremiah 23:24

24 A man shall not be privy in hid places, and I shall not see him, saith the Lord. Whether I fill not heaven and earth? saith the Lord. (Shall a man hide himself in a secret place, and shall I not see him? saith the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and the earth? saith the Lord.)

Jeremiah 23:24 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 23:24

Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see
him? saith the Lord
If a man should hide himself in the most secret and hidden places of the earth, and do his works in the most private manner, so that no human eye can see him, he cannot hide himself or his actions from the Lord, who can see from heaven to earth, and through the darkest and thickest clouds, and into the very bowels of the earth, and the most hidden and secret recesses and caverns of it. The darkness and the light are both alike to him; and also near and distant, open and secret places: do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord;
not only with inhabitants, and with other effects of his power and providence; but with his essence, which is everywhere, and is infinite and immense, and cannot be contained in either, or be limited and circumscribed by space and place; see ( 1 Kings 8:27 ) . The Targum is,

``does not my glory fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord;''
both of them are full of his glory; and every person and thing in either must be seen and known by him; and so the false prophets and their lies; in order to convince of the truth of which, all this is said, as appears by the following words.

Jeremiah 23:24 In-Context

22 If they had stood in my counsel, and had made known my words to my people, forsooth I had turned them away from their evil way, and from their worst thoughts. (But if they had stood in my council, and had told out my words to my people, then they would have turned them away from their evil ways, and from their worst thoughts.)
23 Guessest thou, whether I am God of nigh, saith the Lord, and not God afar? (Thinkest thou, that I am the God of near at hand, but not also the God of far away?)
24 A man shall not be privy in hid places, and I shall not see him, saith the Lord. Whether I fill not heaven and earth? saith the Lord. (Shall a man hide himself in a secret place, and shall I not see him? saith the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and the earth? saith the Lord.)
25 I heard what things the prophets said, prophesying leasing in my name (prophesying lies in my name), and saying, I dreamed dreams.
26 How long is this thing in the heart of (the) prophets, prophesying leasing (prophesying lies), and prophesying the deceit of their (own) heart?
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.