Jeremiah23

Jeremiah 23 begins with God's condemnation of wicked pastors who scatter His flock, promising to raise a righteous Branch from David who will reign justly and save His people. The chapter then vehemently denounces false prophets and priests, whose lies and profaneness lead the people astray, declaring that God will punish them severely. Finally, God forbids the people from misusing the phrase "The burden of the LORD," warning of severe consequences for those who pervert His words.

Condemnation of Bad Shepherds (Leaders)

1
Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! says the LORD. ​
2
Therefore thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, against the shepherds who feed my people: You have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them; behold, I will visit on you the evil of your doings, says the LORD. ​
3
I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and multiply. ​
4
I will set up shepherds over them, who shall feed them; and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall any be lacking, says the LORD.

The Promise of the Righteous Branch

5
Behold, the days come, says the LORD, that I will raise to David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. ​
6
In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely; and this is his name by which he shall be called: the LORD our righteousness. ​
7
Therefore behold, the days come, says the LORD, that they shall no more say, As the LORD lives, who brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; ​
8
but, As the LORD lives, who brought up and who led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all the countries where I had driven them. They shall dwell in their own land.

Judgment Against False Prophets

9
Concerning the prophets. My heart within me is broken, all my bones shake; I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom wine has overcome, because of the LORD, and because of his holy words. ​
10
For the land is full of adulterers; for because of swearing the land mourns; the pastures of the wilderness are dried up. Their course is evil, and their might is not right;
11
for both prophet and priest are profane; yes, in my house have I found their wickedness, says the LORD. ​
12
Therefore their way shall be to them as slippery places in the darkness: they shall be driven on, and fall therein; for I will bring evil on them, even the year of their visitation, says the LORD.
13
I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria; they prophesied by Baal, and caused my people Israel to err.
14
In the prophets of Jerusalem also I have seen a horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies; and they strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that no one returns from his wickedness: they have all become to me as Sodom, and its inhabitants as Gomorrah. ​
15
Therefore thus says 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 ungodliness has gone out into all the land.

True Prophecy vs. False Dreams

16
Thus says the LORD of Hosts, Don’t listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you: they teach you vanity; they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD.
17
They say continually to those who despise me, the LORD has said, You shall have peace; and to everyone who walks in the stubbornness of his own heart they say, No evil shall come on you. ​
18
For who has stood in the council of the LORD, that he should perceive and hear his word? who has marked my word, and heard it? ​
19
Behold, the LORD’s storm, his wrath, has gone out. Yes, a whirling storm. It shall burst on the head of the wicked.
20
the LORD’s anger shall not return, until he has executed, and until he have performed the intents of his heart: in the latter days you shall understand it perfectly.
21
I sent not these prophets, yet they ran: I didn’t speak to them, yet they prophesied. ​
22
But if they had stood in my council, then had they caused my people to hear my words, and had turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings.

God’s Omnipresence and Power of the Word

23
Am I a God at hand, says the LORD, and not a God afar off? ​
24
Can any hide himself in secret places so that I shall not see him? says the LORD. Don’t I fill heaven and earth? says the LORD. ​
25
I have heard what the prophets have said, who prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed.
26
How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets who prophesy lies, even the prophets of the deceit of their own heart?
27
who think to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbor, as their fathers forgot my name for Baal.
28
The prophet who has a dream, let him tell a dream; and he who has my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is the straw to the wheat? says the LORD. ​
29
Isn’t my word like fire? says the LORD; and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces? ​
30
Therefore behold, I am against the prophets, says the LORD, who steal my words everyone from his neighbor.
31
Behold, I am against the prophets, says the LORD, who use their tongues, and say, He says.
32
Behold, I am against those who prophesy lying dreams, says the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their vain boasting: yet I didn’t send them, nor commanded them; neither do they profit this people at all, says the LORD.

The Misuse of 'The Burden of the LORD'

33
When this people, or the prophet, or a priest, shall ask you, saying, What is the burden of the LORD? Then you shall tell them, What burden! I will cast you off, says the LORD. ​
34
As for the prophet, and the priest, and the people, who shall say, The burden of the LORD, I will even punish that man and his house.
35
You shall say everyone to his neighbor, and everyone to his brother, What has the LORD answered? and, What has the LORD spoken?
36
You shall mention the burden of the LORD no more: for every man’s own word shall be his burden; for you have perverted the words of the living God, of the LORD of Hosts our God. ​
37
You shall say to the prophet, What has the LORD answered you? and, What has the LORD spoken?
38
But if you say, The burden of the LORD; therefore thus says the LORD: Because you say this word, The burden of the LORD, and I have sent to you, saying, You shall not say, The burden of the LORD;
39
therefore, behold, I will utterly forget you, and I will cast you off, and the city that I gave to you and to your fathers, away from my presence: ​
40
and I will bring an everlasting reproach on you, and a perpetual shame, which shall not be forgotten.

Study Notes for Jeremiah 23

Verse 1

The term 'pastors' (shepherds) refers to the political and spiritual leaders of Judah (kings, princes, priests) who have failed to guide and protect God’s people, leading instead to their destruction and exile.

Verse 2

The scattering of the flock refers directly to the defeat and deportation of the people of Judah by foreign powers, which God views as the direct consequence of the leaders' negligence.

Verse 3

This verse offers the first promise of restoration. God himself will gather the 'remnant' (those who survive exile) and return them to the land, ensuring they will thrive again.

Verse 5

This is a key Messianic prophecy. The 'Branch' (Hebrew: *Tzemach*) is a royal, Davidic title, promising a future king who will rule with perfect justice and restore the kingdom permanently.

Verse 6

The name 'THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS' (Yahweh Tsidkenu) links the future king directly to God’s own righteous character, guaranteeing security and justice for both Judah and Israel.

Verse 7

The future restoration (the 'New Exodus' from Babylon/exile) will be so magnificent that it will eclipse the memory of the original Exodus from Egypt, becoming the primary historical reference point for God’s saving power.

Verse 9

Jeremiah expresses profound, almost physical agony over the moral decay and false messages of the prophets, emphasizing that his distress is rooted in the holiness and revealed word of God.

Verse 11

The corruption extends to the highest levels; both prophet and priest are 'profane' (unholy). Wickedness is found even in 'my house,' referring specifically to the Temple in Jerusalem.

Verse 14

The prophets of Jerusalem are accused of both sexual immorality ('adultery') and doctrinal corruption ('walk in lies'). Their depravity is so great that God compares them to the utterly destroyed cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Verse 17

The core message of the false prophets was 'peace' (*shalom*). This message, often called 'smooth things,' was dangerous because it assured the people of safety despite their continued rebellion and sin.

Verse 18

A true prophet must have 'stood in the counsel of the LORD' (Hebrew: *sod*). This refers to the divine assembly or council where God reveals his plans, emphasizing the necessity of direct, verified revelation.

Verse 21

God stresses that the false prophets act entirely on their own initiative and desire, lacking any divine authorization, thereby demonstrating the fraudulence of their claims.

Verse 23

The rhetorical question emphasizes God's immediate presence ('at hand') but also his transcendence and power ('afar off'), refuting the idea that the false prophets can hide their lies.

Verse 24

This verse affirms God's omnipresence (He fills heaven and earth), establishing the theological foundation for his ability to judge all secret deeds and words spoken by the false prophets.

Verse 28

The rhetorical question 'What is the chaff to the wheat?' powerfully contrasts the worthlessness of human invention (dreams) with the substantial, life-giving nature of God's genuine word.

Verse 29

God's word is metaphorically described as 'fire' (purifying and consuming) and a 'hammer' (shattering and breaking resistance), emphasizing its irresistible power and efficacy.

Verse 33

The Hebrew word *massa* ('burden') was used for a solemn prophetic oracle. The people began using it sarcastically or lightly to mock Jeremiah’s warnings, treating God's weighty message as trivial.

Verse 36

By forbidding the use of 'The burden of the LORD,' God indicates that the people have so corrupted the language of prophecy that their own foolish words will now become the 'burden' that crushes them.

Verse 39

The ultimate punishment for mocking God's word is being 'utterly forget[ten].' This is a terrifying reversal of the covenant relationship, signifying complete rejection and final judgment.

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