Jeremiah 23:36

Translation
King James Version
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.
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KJV (with Strong's)
And the burden H4853 of the LORD H3068 shall ye mention H2142 no more: for every man's H376 word H1697 shall be his burden H4853; for ye have perverted H2015 the words H1697 of the living H2416 God H430, of the LORD H3068 of hosts H6635 our God H430.
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Complete Jewish Bible
Don't use the expression, "burden of ADONAI" any more; for every person's own word will be his burden. Must you twist the words of the living God, of ADONAI-Tzva'ot, our God
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Berean Standard Bible
But refer no more to the burden of the LORD, for each man’s word becomes the burden, so that you pervert the words of the living God, the LORD of Hosts, our God.
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American Standard Version
And the burden of Jehovah shall ye mention no more: for every man’s own word shall be his burden; for ye have perverted the words of the living God, of Jehovah of hosts our God.
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World English Bible Messianic
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.
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Geneva Bible (1599)
And the burden of the Lord shall yee mention no more: for euery mans worde shall bee his burden: for ye haue peruerted the words of the liuing God, the Lord of hostes our God.
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Young's Literal Translation
And the burden of Jehovah ye do not mention any more, For the burden to each is--His word, And ye have overturned the words of the living God, Jehovah of Hosts, our God.
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See also
Isaiah 3:82 Peter 3:16Psalms 120:3Jeremiah 10:10Psalms 64:82 Kings 19:4Proverbs 17:20
In the KJVVerse 19,521 of 31,102

Study This Verse

SUMMARY

Jeremiah 23:36 delivers a profound divine indictment against the people of Judah and their false prophets for their irreverent and mocking treatment of God's prophetic messages. The Lord emphatically declares an end to their trivialization of His "burden" (prophetic oracle), asserting that from this point forward, their own deceitful and perverted words will become their true, crushing burden—a heavy weight of inescapable accountability and judgment. This powerful pronouncement underscores God's absolute sovereignty over His word and His righteous wrath against any who deliberately distort, diminish, or profane His sacred truth.

CONTEXT

  • Literary Context: This verse serves as the climactic and most severe pronouncement within a specific prophetic exchange in Jeremiah chapter 23, which focuses on God's condemnation of unfaithful leaders and, particularly, false prophets. The immediate preceding verses set the stage: the Lord directly addresses the people's mocking question, "What is the burden of the LORD?" (Jeremiah 23:33). God's response in Jeremiah 23:34-35 warns of severe punishment for those who continue to use this phrase derisively, declaring that He will "utterly forsake" them and "cast them out of my presence." Verse 36 intensifies this judgment, making it clear that the very words they speak—especially their distortions of divine truth—will become their own spiritual and judicial "burden." This passage stands in stark contrast to the genuine prophetic messages of judgment and hope that Jeremiah faithfully delivered, such as the promise of a righteous Branch in Jeremiah 23:5-6.
  • Historical & Cultural Context: Jeremiah's prophetic ministry unfolded during a tumultuous period in Judah's history, spanning the final decades before the devastating Babylonian exile (c. 627-586 BC). The nation was steeped in spiritual apostasy, characterized by pervasive idolatry, social injustice, and a profound disregard for God's covenant. False prophets, often aligned with the corrupt leadership, proliferated, offering soothing but deceptive messages of peace and prosperity, directly contradicting Jeremiah's dire warnings of impending judgment and exile (Jeremiah 14:13-14). The term "burden of the LORD" (Hebrew: massâ') was a recognized technical term for a prophetic oracle, typically one conveying a heavy or ominous message of judgment. However, by this time, the people and the false prophets, weary of Jeremiah's consistent pronouncements of doom, had begun to use the term massâ' derisively, treating God's solemn pronouncements as a tiresome joke or an empty cliché. This mockery reflected a deep-seated spiritual rebellion and a profound disrespect for the divine word itself, occurring amidst the escalating geopolitical pressures from the ascendant Babylonian empire.
  • Key Themes: This verse powerfully contributes to several overarching themes prominent in Jeremiah and the broader prophetic tradition. Firstly, it emphatically highlights the authority and sanctity of God's word, emphasizing that divine revelation is not a plaything to be trifled with or manipulated for human convenience. Secondly, it underscores the theme of divine judgment on false prophecy and spiritual deception, demonstrating God's absolute intolerance for those who mislead His people or deliberately distort His truth. The concept of accountability for words is also central; the verse asserts that human speech, particularly when it touches upon divine matters, carries immense spiritual and eternal weight. Finally, by referring to Himself as "the living God, of the LORD of hosts our God," the passage reinforces the active, sovereign, and unique nature of Yahweh, contrasting His vibrant truth with the dead lies of human invention and the impotent idols worshipped by the nations. This passage serves as a stark reminder of the severe consequences of rejecting or perverting the genuine word of God, a theme woven throughout Jeremiah's prophetic ministry, as seen in his call to genuine repentance in Jeremiah 7:1-7.

EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS

Key Word Analysis

  • Burden (Hebrew, massâ', H4853): This word is pivotal to the verse's meaning and the broader context. While its literal meaning is a "load" or "burden," in prophetic literature, it specifically denotes a "prophetic utterance" or "oracle," often one conveying a heavy or ominous message of judgment. The profound irony here is that the people mockingly inquire about "the burden of the LORD," treating God's serious message as a trivial imposition. God's response is a divine reversal, declaring that their own perverted words will become their true, weighty burden—a spiritual and judicial accountability that they must personally bear.
  • Perverted (Hebrew, hâphak', H2015): This primitive root means "to turn about or over," and by implication, "to change, overturn, return, pervert." In this specific context, it signifies a deliberate and willful act of distorting, corrupting, or twisting something from its original, intended state. It implies a conscious effort to render God's words ineffective, false, or misleading by misrepresenting them, whether through outright lies, selective omission, or by trivializing their sacred nature. This is a grave accusation, highlighting the severe sin of manipulating divine revelation for personal gain, convenience, or to avoid uncomfortable truths.
  • Word (Hebrew, dâbâr', H1697): This highly versatile Hebrew term encompasses "a word," "matter," "thing," "affair," or "speech." Its significant repetition in the verse—"every man's word shall be his burden; for ye have perverted the words of the living God"—underscores its critical importance. It highlights the direct and inescapable connection between human speech and divine truth. The contrast is stark: the "words of the living God" are sacred, authoritative, and inherently true, while "every man's word" (especially when perverted) carries the weighty consequence of human responsibility and potential condemnation. The integrity of dâbâr is paramount, whether it originates from the divine or from humanity.

Verse Breakdown

  • "And the burden of the LORD shall ye mention no more:" This opening clause functions as a direct, authoritative divine command, a cessation order from God Himself. It explicitly prohibits the people from continuing their irreverent and mocking use of the phrase "the burden of the LORD." This prohibition vividly reveals God's righteous anger at their profound disrespect and their trivialization of His sacred prophetic messages, which were intended to call them to repentance and warn them of impending judgment. Their flippant attitude had transformed a solemn theological term into a profane jest.
  • "for every man's word shall be his burden;" This clause articulates the immediate consequence and the nature of the divine judgment. God declares that the very words spoken by individuals, particularly those who have engaged in mockery or perverted His truth, will now become their own "burden." This is a profound statement of accountability: the weight of their own deceit, their own irreverence, and their own false prophecies will fall squarely and inescapably upon them. It implies a heavy spiritual and judicial consequence, where their own speech acts as a self-indictment and a source of their own distress.
  • "for ye have perverted the words of the living God, of the LORD of hosts our God." This final clause provides the explicit and damning reason for the divine judgment. The people are accused of having "perverted" (twisted, distorted, corrupted, or turned upside down) God's words. The phrase emphasizes the immense gravity of their offense by identifying the ultimate source of these words: "the living God" (underscoring His active, dynamic, sovereign, and unique nature, in stark contrast to dead idols or fabricated human messages) and "the LORD of hosts our God" (stressing His supreme power, His absolute authority over all creation, and His covenant relationship with Israel). This perversion is not merely a misunderstanding but a deliberate act of twisting divine revelation, which constitutes a direct affront to God's character, authority, and holiness.

Literary Devices

Jeremiah 23:36 is profoundly rich in literary devices that amplify its powerful and condemning message. The most prominent is Wordplay or Pun, ingeniously centered on the Hebrew term massâ' ("burden"). The people had been using massâ' mockingly to refer to God's prophetic oracles, treating them as tiresome, unwanted loads. God responds with sharp irony, turning this very word back on them, declaring that their own words—their deceitful, perverted speech—will become their true "burden" of judgment and accountability. This ironic reversal powerfully highlights divine justice. Repetition of key terms like "burden" (massâ') and "word" (dâbâr') reinforces their central significance and the overarching theme of accountability for speech. The verse also employs stark Contrast, setting the sacred, life-giving "words of the living God" against the perverted, burdensome "every man's word," thereby sharply distinguishing divine truth from human falsehood and rebellion. The overall tone is one of Divine Declaration or Oracular Style, characterized by direct address, absolute authority, and an emphatic pronouncement, emphasizing God's unassailable sovereignty and His righteous indignation against those who defile His holy word.

THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS

Jeremiah 23:36 profoundly articulates God's unwavering commitment to the integrity and sanctity of His divine word, and His severe judgment against those who profane it. Theologically, it asserts that God's revelation is not a trivial matter to be mocked, manipulated, or twisted, but a sacred trust with eternal implications. It underscores the timeless principle that human words, especially those purporting to speak for or about God, carry immense spiritual weight and accountability. The perversion of God's word is presented as a grave sin, a direct assault on the character of "the living God, of the LORD of hosts our God," who is truth itself. This passage serves as a timeless warning against spiritual deception and irreverence, emphasizing the critical need for discernment, reverence, and faithfulness in handling all matters of divine truth.

REFLECTION AND APPLICATION

Jeremiah 23:36 stands as a powerful and enduring challenge to all who engage with the divine word, whether as communicators, teachers, or listeners. It calls us to a profound and active reverence for God's truth, reminding us that His words are not to be treated lightly, twisted for personal convenience, or dismissed with irreverent mockery. For those entrusted with speaking about God—pastors, teachers, parents, and evangelists—this verse demands unwavering integrity, meticulous accuracy, and profound humility, recognizing that we are stewards of sacred revelation and will be held accountable for how we represent Him. For all believers, it fosters a spirit of vigilant discernment, urging us to test all teachings, messages, and cultural narratives against the clear, unadulterated truth of Scripture, guarding against any message that subtly or overtly perverts the character, commands, or promises of the "living God." In an age saturated with information, misinformation, and competing narratives, this passage compels us to cherish the authentic voice of God, allowing His truth to profoundly shape our lives rather than attempting to reshape His truth to fit our fleeting desires or cultural trends. It reminds us that our words, too, carry immense weight, and that our greatest "burden" should be the faithful proclamation and living out of His uncompromised word.

Questions for Reflection

  • In what subtle or overt ways might I, or my community, be "perverting the words of the living God" today, perhaps by ignoring inconvenient truths or emphasizing popular ideas over biblical ones?
  • How does my daily speech, especially when discussing spiritual matters or sharing my faith, reflect my reverence (or lack thereof) for God's word?
  • What "burdens" (i.e., negative consequences, spiritual weight, or relational damage) might my own words be creating for myself or others, particularly if they are not aligned with divine truth?
  • How can I cultivate a deeper sense of awe, seriousness, and intentionality when engaging with Scripture, moving beyond a casual or consumerist approach to God's revelation?

FAQ

What does "the burden of the LORD" mean in this context?

Answer: In Jeremiah 23:36, "the burden of the LORD" (Hebrew: massâ') refers to a prophetic oracle or a message from God, often one that is heavy with a warning or judgment. However, the people and false prophets of Jeremiah's day were using this term mockingly and disrespectfully, treating God's serious pronouncements as a tiresome joke or an empty cliché. God's response in this verse is a powerful act of divine irony and judgment, declaring that their own deceitful and irreverent words will become their true "burden"—a heavy weight of accountability and judgment that they must personally bear. It signifies God's absolute intolerance for the trivialization and profaning of His sacred word.

Why is perverting God's words such a serious offense?

Answer: Perverting God's words is an exceptionally serious offense because it directly attacks God's character, authority, and very nature. God is truth itself (John 14:6), and His words are an extension of His being—pure, infallible, and life-giving (Psalm 12:6). To "pervert" them (Hebrew: hâphak') means to twist, distort, corrupt, or turn them upside down from their original meaning and divine intent. This not only misleads people and leads them astray but also fundamentally misrepresents God, undermines His sovereignty, and ultimately denies His living presence and power in the world. It is an act of profound spiritual rebellion that carries severe divine judgment, as seen in this passage and others like Deuteronomy 4:2 and Revelation 22:18-19.

CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT

Jeremiah 23:36, with its stern warning against perverting God's word and the declaration that "every man's word shall be his burden," finds its ultimate fulfillment and profound resolution in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the very Word of God incarnate (John 1:1), the perfect embodiment of divine truth who never perverted, distorted, or diminished a single word from God. Unlike the false prophets who spoke their own words and consequently bore their own burdens of judgment, Jesus spoke only what the Father commanded Him (John 12:49), and His words are spirit and life, never a burden in the sense of condemnation (John 6:63). Furthermore, Jesus did not merely speak truth; He bore the ultimate burden—the crushing weight of humanity's sin and the curse of the law (Isaiah 53:4, Galatians 3:13). Through His atoning sacrifice on the cross, He carried the full weight of our perversions, our rebellious words, and our spiritual accountability, thereby freeing all who believe in Him from the crushing burden of divine judgment. Thus, while Jeremiah 23:36 condemns the perversion of God's word and warns of the burden of human accountability, Christ offers complete release from that burden through His perfect obedience and substitutionary death, inviting us instead to take His "yoke" which is easy and His "burden" which is light (Matthew 11:28-30). He is the true Prophet, whose words are never perverted, and whose finished work removes the burden of our sin, offering true rest for our souls.

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Commentary on Jeremiah 23 verses 33–40

The profaneness of the people, with that of the priests and prophets, is here reproved in a particular instance, which may seem of small moment in comparison of their greater crimes; but profaneness in common discourse, and the debauching of the language of a nation, being a notorious evidence of the prevalency of wickedness in it, we are not to think it strange that this matter was so largely and warmly insisted upon here. Observe,

I. The sin here charged upon them is bantering God's prophets and dialect they used, and jesting with sacred things. They asked, What is the burden of the Lord? Jer 23:33 and Jer 23:34. They say, The burden of the Lord, Jer 23:38. This was the word that gave great offence to God, that, whenever they spoke of the word of the Lord, they called it, in scorn and derision, the burden of the Lord. Now, 1. This was a word that the prophets much used, and used it seriously, to show what a weight the word of God was upon their spirits, of what importance it was, and how pressingly it should come upon those that heard it. The words of the false prophets had nothing ponderous in them, but God's words had; those were as chaff, these as wheat. Now the profane scoffers took this word, and made a jest and a byword of it; they made people merry with it, that so, when the prophets used it, they might not make people serious with it. Note, It has been the artifice of Satan, in all ages, to obstruct the efficacy of sacred things by turning them into matter of sport and ridicule; the mocking of God's messengers was the baffling of his messages. 2. Perhaps this word was caught at and reproached by the scoffers as an improper word, newly-coined by the prophets, and not used in that sense by any classic author. It was only in this and the last age that the word of the Lord was called the burden of the Lord, and it could not be found in their lexicons to have that signification. But if men take a liberty, as we see they do, to form new phrases which they think more expressive and significant in other parts of learning, why not in divinity? But especially we must observe it as a rule that the Spirit of God is not tied to our rules of speaking. 3. Some think that because when the word of the Lord is called a burden it signifies some word of reproof and threatening, which would lay a load upon the hearers (yet I know not whether that observation will always hold), therefore in using this word the burden of the Lord in a canting way they reflected upon God as always bearing hard upon them, always teasing them, always frightening them, and so making the word of God a perpetual uneasiness to them. They make the word of God a burden to themselves, and then quarrel with the ministers for making it a burden to them. Thus the scoffers of the latter days, while they slight heaven and salvation, reproach faithful ministers for preaching hell and damnation. Upon the whole we may observe that, how light soever men may make of it, the great God takes notice of, and is much displeased with, those who burlesque sacred things, and who, that they may make a jest of scripture truths and laws, put jests upon scripture language. In such wit as this I am sure there is no wisdom, and so it will appear at last. Be you not mockers, lest your bands be made strong. Those that were here guilty of this sin were some of the false prophets, who perhaps came to steal the word of God from the true prophets, some of the priests, who perhaps came to seek occasions against them on which to ground an information, and some of the people, who had learned of the profane priests and prophets to play with the things of God. The people would not have affronted the prophet and his God thus if the priests and the prophets, those ringleaders of mischief, had not shown them the way.

II. When they are reproved for this profane way of speaking they are directed how to express themselves more decently. We do not find that the prophets are directed to make no more use of this word; we find it used long after this (Zac 9:1; Mal 1:1; Nah 1:1; Hab 1:1); and we do not find it once used in this sense by Jeremiah either before or after. It is true indeed that in many cases it is advisable to make no use of such words and things as some have made a bad use of, and it may be prudent to avoid such phrases as, though innocent enough, are in danger of being perverted and made stumbling-blocks. But here God will have the prophet keep to his rule (Jer 15:19), Let them return unto thee, but return not thou unto them. Do not thou leave off using this word, but let them leave off abusing it. You shall not mention the burden of the Lord any more in this profane careless manner (Jer 23:36), for it is perverting the words of the living God and making a bad use of them, which is an impious dangerous thing; for, consider, he is the Lord of hosts our God. Note, If we will but look upon God as we ought to do in his greatness and goodness, and be but duly sensible of our relation and obligation to him, it may be hoped that we shall not dare to affront him by making a jest of his words. It is an impudent thing to abuse him that is the living God, the Lord of hosts, and our God. How then must they express themselves? He tells them (Jer 23:37): Thus shalt thou say to the prophet, when thou art enquiring of him, What hath the Lord answered thee? And what hath the Lord spoken? And they must say thus when they enquire of their neighbours, Jer 23:35. Note, We must always speak of the things of God reverently and seriously, and as becomes the oracles of God. It is a commendable practice to enquire after the mind of God, to enquire of our brethren what they have heard, to enquire of our prophets what they have to say from God; but then, to show that we enquire for a right end, we must do it after a right manner. Ministers may learn here, when they reprove people for what they say and do amiss, to teach them how to say and do better.

III. Because they would not leave off this bad way of speaking, though they were admonished of it, God threatens them here with utter ruin. They would still say, The burden of the Lord, though God had sent to them to forbid them, Jer 23:38. What little regard have those to the divine authority that will not be persuaded by it to leave an idle word! But see what will come of it. 1. Those shall be severely reckoned with that thus pervert the words of God, that put a wrong construction on them and make a bad use of them; and it shall be made to appear that it is a great provocation to God to mock his messengers: I will even punish that man and his house; whether he be prophet or priest, or one of the common people, it shall be visited upon him, Jer 23:34. Perverting God's word, and ridiculing the preachers of it, are sins that bring ruining judgments upon families and entail a curse upon a house. Another threatening we have Jer 23:36. Every man's word shall be his own burden; that is, the guilt of this sin shall be so heavy upon him as to sink him into the pit of destruction. God shall make their own tongue to fall upon them, Psa 64:8. God will give them enough of their jest, so that the burden of the Lord they shall have no heart to mention any more; it will be too heavy to make a jest of. They are as the madman that casts firebrands, arrows, and death, while they pretend to be in sport. 2. The words of God, though thus perverted, shall be accomplished. Do they ask, What is the burden of the Lord? Let the prophet ask them, What burden do you mean? Is it this: I will even forsake you? Jer 23:33. This is the burden that shall be laid and bound upon them (Jer 23:39, Jer 23:40): "Behold I, even I, will utterly forget you, and I will forsake you. I will leave you, and have no thoughts of returning to you." Those are miserable indeed that are forsaken and forgotten of God; and men's bantering God's judgments will not baffle them. Jerusalem was the city God had taken to himself as a holy city, and then given to them and their fathers; but that shall now be forsaken and forgotten. God had taken them to be a people near to him; but they shall now be cast out of his presence. They had been great and honourable among the nations; but now God will bring upon them an everlasting reproach and a perpetual shame. Both their sin and their punishment shall be their lasting disgrace. It is here upon record, to their infamy, and will remain so to the world's end. Note, God's word will be magnified and made honourable when those that mock at it shall be vilified and made contemptible. Those that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.

Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 33–40. Public domain.
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JeromeAD 420
Commentary on Jeremiah
(Verse 33 and following) So if this people, or a prophet, or a priest asks you, saying: what is the burden of God (or what is the assumption of the Lord)? you shall say to them: You are the burden (or assumption). For I will cast (or hurl) you away, says the Lord. And the prophet and the priest and the people, who says the burden (or assumption) of the Lord, I will visit (or avenge) upon that man and upon his house. Each one will say to his friend (nearest in the Vulgate) and to his brother: what did the Lord answer, and what did the Lord speak? And the burden (or assumption) of the Lord will not be remembered anymore, because the burden (or assumption) will be each one's own word (in the Alexandrian version). The Hebrew word massa means burden and weight, as interpreted by Aquila as ἅρμα, that is, burden and weight: Symmachus, Septuagint, and Theodotion translate it as assumption. Therefore, wherever it is heavy, what the Lord threatens, and full of weight and labor, and unendurable, it is also called a burden in the title ἅρμα, that is, weight. Wherever, indeed, the Lord promises prosperity, or after a threat, he promises better things, there the Vision is spoken, or certainly the word of the Lord: and it was clear from the very title of the prophecy of the weight, or vision, and the Word of God, what kind of prediction would follow. Therefore, since the Prophets used to announce sad things and threaten punishments to the sinful people, in order to turn them back to repentance: but the merciful and compassionate Lord delayed his judgment for a long time, the deceived people, led astray by the fraud of false prophets, thought that what the Lord threatened would not come true, and they turned the true matter into a game and a joke; and mocking the prophets, they said: Here again he sees the weight and burden of the Lord. And so it happened that, not at all seriously but as a joke and mockery, the burden and weight were called the Vision. Therefore, the Lord instructed that whether the people, the prophets, or the priests asked Jeremiah what the burden or assumption of the Lord was, he should respond to them and say: You are the burden, and you are the assumption. For I will take you and cast you away, and I will crush you and make you perish. But if anyone thereafter, whether a prophet, a priest, or a member of the people, dares to name the burden and weight of the Lord, I will visit," he said, "upon that man and upon his house; and I will destroy him forever. Therefore let each person say to his neighbor and friend, 'Surely it is not the burden of the Lord?' But what did the Lord respond? And what did the Lord say? You have forgotten the Old: burden and weight, or assumption, should no longer resound in your mouth. For to each person, his own words and deeds will be considered a burden and weight, according to what is written: 'By your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned' (Matthew 15).
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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