Jeremiah 23:33

False Prophecy

33 “When these people, or a prophet or a priest, ask you, ‘What is the message from the LORD?’ say to them, ‘What message? I will forsake you, declares the LORD.’

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Jeremiah 23:33 in Other Translations

KJV

33 And when this people, or the prophet, or a priest, shall ask thee, saying, What is the burden of the LORD? thou shalt then say unto them, What burden? I will even forsake you, saith the LORD.

ESV

33 "When one of this people, or a prophet or a priest asks you, 'What is the burden of the LORD?' you shall say to them, 'You are the burden, and I will cast you off, declares the LORD.'

NLT

33 “Suppose one of the people or one of the prophets or priests asks you, ‘What prophecy has the LORD burdened you with now?’ You must reply, ‘You are the burden! The LORD says he will abandon you!’

MSG

33 "And anyone, including prophets and priests, who asks, 'What's God got to say about all this, what's troubling him?' tell him, 'You, you're the trouble, and I'm getting rid of you.'" God's Decree.

CSB

33 "Now when these people or a prophet or a priest asks you: What is the burden of the Lord? you will respond to them: What is the burden? I will throw you away"-[this is] the Lord's declaration.

Jeremiah 23:33 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 23:33

And when this people, or a prophet, or a priest, shall ask
thee
Any of the people, who were grown very profane; or any of the false prophets, who encouraged them in their irreligion and impiety; or any of the priests, who were in combination with them against the true prophets of the Lord; when any of these, in a scoffing jeering manner, should ask the Prophet Jeremiah, saying, what [is] the burden of the Lord?
or prophesy in the name of the Lord, as the Targum; and because some of the prophecies are called "burdens", see ( Isaiah 13:1 ) ; hence, by way of derision, they called every one so; and because many of these, though not all, were predictions of judgments and calamities that were to come on men; therefore they accounted all that the true prophets brought from the Lord as such, and sneering asked, what bad news do you bring now? what calamities are now to befall us? as if he was always a bringer of evil tidings; thou shalt then say unto [them], what burden?
making as if he was ignorant of what they meant; or rather as expressing indignation and resentment at the question; do you ask me such a question? I will tell you what it is, as follows: though the words may be rendered without an interrogation, "thou shalt then say unto [them], that which is a burden" ^F20; which will fall heavy upon them, and be a burden unto them, and sink them down into ruin and destruction; I will even forsake you, saith the Lord;
so that they should have no more of his presence among them, or of prophecy with them, or of his protection of them.

FOOTNOTES:

F20 (avm hm ta Mhyla trmaw) "dicito ad eos quodnam onus sit", Schmidt. So the Tigurine version, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Jeremiah 23:33 In-Context

31 Yes,” declares the LORD, “I am against the prophets who wag their own tongues and yet declare, ‘The LORD declares.’

32 Indeed, I am against those who prophesy false dreams,” declares the LORD. “They tell them and lead my people astray with their reckless lies, yet I did not send or appoint them. They do not benefit these people in the least,” declares the LORD.

33 “When these people, or a prophet or a priest, ask you, ‘What is the message from the LORD?’ say to them, ‘What message? I will forsake you, declares the LORD.’

34 If a prophet or a priest or anyone else claims, ‘This is a message from the LORD,’ I will punish them and their household.

35 This is what each of you keeps saying to your friends and other Israelites: ‘What is the LORD’s answer?’ or ‘What has the LORD spoken?’