Jeremiah 23:25
Read Jeremiah 23:25 Using Other Translations
What does Jeremiah 23:25 mean?
I have heard what the prophets said, that prophesy lies in
my
name
Or, "I hear what the prophets say" F7, &c. though they
thought God was at a distance from them, in the highest heavens,
and neither saw, nor heard, nor took any notice of what was done
on earth, they were greatly mistaken; he heard and observed with
indignation the false doctrines and lying prophecies which they
delivered out in his name to the people, whether in public or in
private; for he is the Lord God omniscient and omnipresent; and
therefore, though they deceived the people, they could not
deceive him; who knew all their schemes and all their designs,
from what principles they acted, and with what views;
saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed;
not a common dream, but a divine dream; this was one way in which
the Lord formerly made known his mind and will to his servants, (
Numbers
12:6 ) ; wherefore these false prophets, in imitation of the
true ones, and in order to gain credit from the people, pretended
they had a dream from the Lord, in which such and such things
were revealed to them; and this is repeated by them for the
greater certainty of it, and to raise the people's attention as
to something very uncommon and extraordinary. So the Targum,
``saying, a word of prophecy has been shown to me in a dream.''Now, though the people could not contradict them, or know any otherwise than as they might observe that they agreed not with the word of God, or with his will, as made known by the true prophets of the Lord; for if a man says he has dreamed so and so, another cannot say he has not; because no man knows the things of a man, save the spirit of a man that is in him; yet God, that knows all things, knew that these were all lies and impostures, and that they had never had a dream from him, or any revelation of his will in that way.
F7 (wrma) "dicunt", Calvin, Cocceius.
