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.
Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the LORD.
And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase.
And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the LORD.
Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.
Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that they shall no more say, The LORD liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;
But, The LORD liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land.
¶ Mine heart within me is broken because of the prophets; all my bones shake; I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom wine hath overcome, because of the LORD, and because of the words of his holiness.
For the land is full of adulterers; for because of swearing the land mourneth; the pleasant places of the wilderness are dried up, and their course is evil, and their force is not right.
Wherefore their way shall be unto them as slippery ways in the darkness: they shall be driven on, and fall therein: for I will bring evil upon them, even the year of their visitation, saith the LORD.
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.
They say still unto them that despise me, The LORD hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you.
The anger of the LORD shall not return, until he have executed, and till he have performed the thoughts of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly.
But if they had stood in my counsel, and had caused my people to hear my words, then they should have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings.
Which think to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbour, as their fathers have forgotten my name for Baal.
The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the LORD.
Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the LORD.
¶ 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.
And the burden of the LORD shall ye mention no more: for every man's word shall be his burden; for ye have perverted the words of the living God, of the LORD of hosts our God.
But since ye say, The burden of the LORD; therefore thus saith the LORD; Because ye say this word, The burden of the LORD, and I have sent unto you, saying, Ye shall not say, The burden of the LORD;
Therefore, behold, I, even I, will utterly forget you, and I will forsake you, and the city that I gave you and your fathers, and cast you out of my presence:
And I will bring an everlasting reproach upon 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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