Logos Bible Study

Jeremiah 23:14–16

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23:14But I see the prophets of Jerusalem43

doing something just as shocking.

They are unfaithful to me

and continually prophesy lies.44

So they give encouragement to people who are doing evil,

with the result that they do not stop their evildoing.45

I consider all of them as bad as the people of Sodom,

and the citizens of Jerusalem as bad as the people of Gomorrah.46

23:15So then I, the Lord who rules over all,47

have something to say concerning the prophets of Jerusalem:48

‘I will make these prophets eat the bitter food of suffering

and drink the poison water of judgment.49

For the prophets of Jerusalem are the reason50

that ungodliness51 has spread throughout the land.’ ”

23:16The Lord who rules over all52 says to the people of Jerusalem:53

“Do not listen to what

those prophets are saying to you.

They are filling you with false hopes.

They are reporting visions of their own imaginations,

not something the Lord has given them to say.54

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Footnotes

  1. 43 For location see ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; .
  2. 44 Or “they commit adultery and deal falsely.” The word “shocking” only occurs here and in 5:30 where it is found in the context of prophesying lies. This almost assures that the reference to “walking in lies” (Heb “in the lie”) is referring to false prophesy. Moreover the references to the prophets in 5:13 and in 14:13–15 are all in the context of false prophesy as are the following references in this chapter in 23:24, 26, 32 and in 28:15. This appears to be the theme of this section. This also makes it likely that the reference to adultery is not literal adultery, though two of the false prophets in Babylon were guilty of this (29:23). The reference to “encouraging those who do evil” that follows also makes more sense if they were preaching messages of comfort rather than messages of doom. The verbs here are infinitive absolutes in place of the finite verb, probably used to place greater emphasis on the action (cf. Hos 4:2 in a comparable judgment speech.)
  3. 45 Heb “So they strengthen the hands of those doing evil so that they do not turn back from their evil.” For the use of the figure “strengthen the hands” meaning “encourage” see Judg 9:24; Ezek 13:22 (and cf. 304 חָזַק Piel.2). The vav consecutive on the front of the form gives the logical consequence equivalent to “so” in the translation.
  4. 46 Heb “All of them are to me like Sodom and its [Jerusalem’s] inhabitants like Gomorrah.” The rhetoric of this passage is very forceful. Like Amos who focuses attention on the sins of the surrounding nations to bring out more forcefully the heinousness of Israel’s sin, God focuses attention on the sins of the prophets of Samaria to bring out the even worse sin of the prophets of Jerusalem. (The oracle is directed at them, not at the prophets of Samaria. See the announcement of judgment that follows.) The Lord has already followed that tack with Judah in Jeremiah 2 (cf. 2:11). Moreover, he here compares the prophets and the evil-doing citizens of Jerusalem, whom they were encouraging through their false prophesy, to the people of Sodom and Gomorrah who were proverbial for their wickedness (Deut 32:32; Isa 1:10).
  5. 47 Heb “Yahweh of armies.” See the study note on for explanation of this title.
  6. 48 Heb “Therefore, thus says the Lord … concerning the prophets.” The person is shifted to better conform with English style and the word “of Jerusalem” is supplied in the translation to avoid the possible misunderstanding that the judgment applies to the prophets of Samaria who had already been judged long before.
  7. 49 Heb “I will feed this people wormwood and make them drink poison water.” For these same words of judgment on another group see 9:15 (9:14 ). “Wormwood” and “poison water” are not to be understood literally here but are symbolic of judgment and suffering. See, e.g., 542 לַעֲנָה.
  8. 50 The compound preposition מֵאֵת (me’et) expresses source or origin (see 86 אֵת 4.c). Context shows that the origin is in their false prophesying which encourages people in their evil behavior.
  9. 51 A word that derives from this same Hebrew word is used in v. 11 at the beginning of the Lord’s criticism of the prophet and priest. This is a common rhetorical device for bracketing material that belongs together. The criticism has, however, focused on the false prophets and the judgment due them.
  10. 52 Heb “Yahweh of armies.” See the study note on for explanation of this title.
  11. 53 The words “to the people of Jerusalem” are not in the Hebrew text but are supplied in the translation to reflect the masculine plural form of the imperative and the second masculine plural form of the pronoun. These words have been supplied in the translation for clarity.
  12. 54 Heb “They tell of a vision of their own heart [= mind] not from the mouth of the Lord.”

The NET Bible First Edition, Copyright 1996-2005 by Biblical Studies Press

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

But in the prophets of Jerusalem

I have seen a horrible thing:

they commit adultery and walk in lies;

they strengthen the hands of evildoers,

so that no one turns from his evil;

all of them have become like Sodom to me,

and its inhabitants like Gomorrah.”

Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts concerning the prophets:

“Behold, I will feed them with bitter food

and give them poisoned water to drink,

for from the prophets of Jerusalem

ungodliness has gone out into all the land.”

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

Copyright 2001 Crossway Bibles

NIVNew International Version (2011)

And among the prophets of Jerusalem

I have seen something horrible:

They commit adultery and live a lie.

They strengthen the hands of evildoers,

so that not one of them turns from their wickedness.

They are all like Sodom to me;

the people of Jerusalem are like Gomorrah.”

Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty says concerning the prophets:

“I will make them eat bitter food

and drink poisoned water,

because from the prophets of Jerusalem

ungodliness has spread throughout the land.”

This is what the Lord Almighty says:

“Do not listen to what the prophets are prophesying to you;

they fill you with false hopes.

They speak visions from their own minds,

not from the mouth of the Lord.

Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 Biblica, Inc.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

Among the prophets of Jerusalem also

I saw a horrible thing:

They commit adultery and walk in lies.

They strengthen the hands of evildoers,

and none turns his back on evil.

They are all like Sodom to me;

Jerusalem’s residents are like Gomorrah.

Therefore, this is what the Lord of Armies says concerning the prophets:

I am about to feed them wormwood

and give them poisoned water to drink,

for from the prophets of Jerusalem

ungodliness has spread throughout the land.

This is what the Lord of Armies says: “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They are deluding you. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the Lord’s mouth.

Copyright 2017 Holman Bible Publishers

NLTNew Living Translation

But now I see that the prophets of Jerusalem are even worse!

They commit adultery and love dishonesty.

They encourage those who are doing evil

so that no one turns away from their sins.

These prophets are as wicked

as the people of Sodom and Gomorrah once were.”

Therefore, this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says concerning the prophets:

“I will feed them with bitterness

and give them poison to drink.

For it is because of Jerusalem’s prophets

that wickedness has filled this land.”

This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says to his people:

“Do not listen to these prophets when they prophesy to you,

filling you with futile hopes.

They are making up everything they say.

They do not speak for the Lord!

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

And in the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen something horrible.

They commit adultery, and they walk in lies,

and they make strong the hands of evildoers,

so that they have not turned back each from his wickedness.

All of them have become to me like Sodom,

and its inhabitants like Gomorrah.”

Therefore thus says Yahweh of hosts concerning the prophets:

“Look, I am going to let them eat wormwood

and I will give them water of poison to drink,

for from the prophets of Jerusalem

went out ungodliness to all the land.”

Thus says Yahweh of hosts:

“You must not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you.

They are deluding you with visions of their mind,

They do not speak from the mouth of Yahweh.

Copyright 2012 Lexham Press

KJV 1900King James Version

I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing:

They commit adultery, and walk in lies:

They strengthen also the hands of evildoers,

That none doth return from his wickedness:

They are all of them unto me as Sodom,

And the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah.

Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts concerning the prophets; Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink the water of gall: for from the prophets of Jerusalem is profaneness gone forth into all the land. Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the Lord.

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