Jeremias 23:24

24 Shall any one hide himself in secret places, and I not see him? Do I not fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord.

Jeremias 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.

Jeremias 23:24 In-Context

22 But if they had stood in my counsel, and if they had hearkened to my words, then would they have turned my people from their evil practices.
23 I am a God nigh at hand, saith the Lord, and not a God afar off.
24 Shall any one hide himself in secret places, and I not see him? Do I not fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord.
25 I have heard what the prophets say, what they prophesy in my name, saying falsely, I have seen a night vision.
26 How long shall be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies, when they prophesy the purposes of their own heart?

The Brenton translation of the Septuagint is in the public domain.