Jeremiah 29:8

8 The Lord of hosts, God of Israel, saith these things, Your prophets, that be in the midst of you, and your diviners, deceive you not (Let not your prophets, and your diviners, who be in the midst of you, deceive you); and take ye none heed to your dreams, which ye dream;

Jeremiah 29:8 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 29:8

For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel
(See Gill on Jeremiah 29:4); let not your prophets and your diviners, that [be] in the midst of
you, deceive you;
their false prophets, as the Targum; and there were many such in the captivity; see ( Ezekiel 13:2-4 ) ; and such who pretended to divine and foretell future things, and so impose upon the people, who were too apt to believe them; these insinuated, that in a little time they should have their liberty, and return to their own land again, contrary to the prophecies that came from the Lord himself: neither hearken to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed;
for that of a speedy return to their own land was no other than a dream, which they both dreamed themselves; their thoughts running on it in the daytime, they dreamed of it at night; and fancied it was from the Lord; a divine dream; and so built much upon it; and also which they encouraged the false prophets and diviners to dream, and tell their dreams, by their listening to them, and being pleased with them, giving credit to them as if they came from God.

Jeremiah 29:8 In-Context

6 take ye wives, and engender ye sons and daughters, and give ye wives to your sons, and give ye your daughters to husbands, and bear they sons and daughters; and be ye multiplied there, and do not ye be few in number.
7 And seek ye [the] peace of the cities, to which I made you to pass over; and pray ye the Lord for it, for in the peace thereof shall be peace to you. (And seek ye the peace of any city, to which I made you to be carried away captive; yea, pray ye to the Lord for it, for in its peace shall be peace for you.)
8 The Lord of hosts, God of Israel, saith these things, Your prophets, that be in the midst of you, and your diviners, deceive you not (Let not your prophets, and your diviners, who be in the midst of you, deceive you); and take ye none heed to your dreams, which ye dream;
9 for they prophesy falsely to you in my name, and I sent not them, saith the Lord. (for they prophesy falsely to you in my name, and I did not send them, saith the Lord.)
10 For the Lord saith these things, When seventy years begin to be [ful]filled in Babylon, I shall visit you, and I shall raise on you my good word, and I shall bring you again to this place.
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.