Jeremiah 23:9-19

Lying Prophets

9 Concerning the prophets: ¹My heart is broken within me; ²all my bones shake; I am like a drunken man, like a man overcome by wine, because of the Lord and because of his holy words.

10 ³For the land is full of adulterers; ⁴because of the curse ⁵the land mourns, and ⁶the pastures of the wilderness are dried up. ⁷Their course is evil, and their might is not right.

11 ⁸“Both prophet and priest are ungodly; even ⁹in my house I have found their evil, declares the Lord.

12 ¹⁰Therefore their way shall be to them like slippery paths ¹¹in the darkness, into which they shall be driven and fall, for I will bring disaster upon them ¹²in the year of their punishment, declares the Lord.

13 In the prophets of ¹³Samaria ¹⁴I saw an unsavory thing: ¹⁵they prophesied by Baal ¹⁶and led my people Israel astray.

14 But in the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible thing: ¹⁷they commit adultery and walk in lies; ¹⁸they strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that no one turns from his evil; ¹⁹all of them have become like Sodom to me, ²⁰and its inhabitants like Gomorrah. ”

15 Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts concerning the prophets: ²¹“Behold, I will feed them with bitter food ²²and give them ²³poisoned water to drink, for from the prophets of Jerusalem ungodliness has gone out into all the land. ”

16 Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you, ²⁴filling you with vain hopes. ²⁵They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord.

17 They say continually to those who despise the word of the Lord, ²⁶‘It shall be well with you’; and to everyone who ²⁷stubbornly follows his own heart, they say, ²⁸‘No disaster shall come upon you. ’”

18 For ²⁹who among them has stood in the council of the Lord to see and to hear his word, or who has paid attention to his word and listened?

19 ³⁰Behold, the storm of the Lord! Wrath has gone forth, ³¹a whirling tempest; it will burst upon the head of the wicked.

Jeremiah 23:9-19 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.

Cross References

• 1. 23:9 Ezek. 6:9
• 2. 23:9 Hab. 3:16
• 3. 23:10 ch. 5:7, 8; 9:2
• 4. 23:10 Ps. 10:7; 59:12; Hos. 4:2, 3
• 5. 23:10 ch. 4:28
• 6. 23:10 ch. 9:10; 12:4; Ps. 107:34
• 7. 23:10 [ch. 22:17]
• 8. 23:11 [ver. 33, 34; Zeph. 3:4]; See ch. 6:13
• 9. 23:11 ch. 7:30; 32:34; Ezek. 8:16; 23:39
• 10. 23:12 Ps. 35:6; 73:18
• 11. 23:12 Prov. 4:19; [ch. 13:16]
• 12. 23:12 ch. 11:23
• 13. 23:13 Isa. 7:9; Ezek. 16:46, 51, 53, 55; 23:4, 33
• 14. 23:13 Lam. 2:14
• 15. 23:13 ch. 2:8
• 16. 23:13 Isa. 9:16; Mic. 3:5
• 17. 23:14 ch. 29:23
• 18. 23:14 Ps. 64:5; Ezek. 13:22
• 19. 23:14 Isa. 1:9, 10; 13:19
• 20. 23:14 Isa. 1:9, 10; 13:19
• 21. 23:15 ch. 9:15; Prov. 5:4
• 22. 23:15 ch. 9:15; Prov. 5:4
• 23. 23:15 ch. 8:14
• 24. 23:16 [Ps. 12:2]
• 25. 23:16 [ver. 21, 26; Num. 16:28]
• 26. 23:17 [Zech. 10:2]; See ch. 6:14
• 27. 23:17 See ch. 3:17
• 28. 23:17 ch. 5:12; Mic. 3:11
• 29. 23:18 ver. 22; Isa. 40:14
• 30. 23:19 ch. 30:23
• 31. 23:19 ch. 25:32