Jeremiah 26:11

Translation
King James Version
Then spake the priests and the prophets unto the princes and to all the people, saying, This man is worthy to die; for he hath prophesied against this city, as ye have heard with your ears.
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KJV (with Strong's)
Then spake H559 the priests H3548 and the prophets H5030 unto the princes H8269 and to all the people H5971, saying H559, This man H376 is worthy H4941 to die H4194; for he hath prophesied H5012 against this city H5892, as ye have heard H8085 with your ears H241.
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Complete Jewish Bible
The cohanim and prophets said to the officials and all the people, "This man deserves a death sentence, because he has prophesied against this city; you have heard it with your own ears."
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Berean Standard Bible
Then the priests and prophets said to the officials and all the people, “This man is worthy of death, for he has prophesied against this city, as you have heard with your own ears!”
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American Standard Version
Then spake the priests and the prophets unto the princes and to all the people, saying, This man is worthy of death; for he hath prophesied against this city, as ye have heard with your ears.
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World English Bible Messianic
Then spoke the priests and the prophets to the princes and to all the people, saying, This man is worthy of death; for he has prophesied against this city, as you have heard with your ears.
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Geneva Bible (1599)
Then spake the Priestes, and the prophets vnto the princes, and to all the people, saying, This man is worthie to die: for he hath prophecied against this citie, as ye haue heard with your eares.
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Young's Literal Translation
And the priests and the prophets speak unto the heads, and unto all the people, saying, `Judgment of death is for this man, for he hath prophesied against this city, as ye have heard with your ears.'
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See also
Jeremiah 38:4Deuteronomy 18:20Matthew 26:66Acts 6:11Acts 6:14Jeremiah 18:23Acts 25:2
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Persecution of Prophets
Persecution of Prophets View full PDF

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In the KJVVerse 19,584 of 31,102

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SUMMARY

Jeremiah 26:11 marks a perilous turning point in the prophet Jeremiah's ministry, encapsulating the fierce opposition he encountered from Judah's entrenched religious and political establishments. Following his audacious Temple Sermon, where he foretold Jerusalem's destruction if the people failed to repent, the Temple priests and the false prophets, whose authority and comforting narratives were directly challenged, formally accused Jeremiah before the nation's leaders and the populace, demanding his execution for what they deemed a capital offense against both the city and divine order.

CONTEXT

  • Literary Context: This verse immediately follows Jeremiah's courageous "Temple Sermon," a pivotal prophetic utterance delivered in the very court of the Lord's house, as detailed in Jeremiah 26:1-9. In this sermon, Jeremiah proclaimed a stark, divinely ordained warning: if the people of Judah did not abandon their wicked ways and obey God's law, the revered Temple in Jerusalem would suffer the same fate as Shiloh, and the city itself would become "a curse to all the nations of the earth" (Jeremiah 26:6). Such a message directly contradicted the popular, yet misguided, belief that Jerusalem and its Temple were inviolable due to God's presence, provoking immediate outrage among the priests, prophets, and the assembled people. Verse 11 precisely captures their furious and decisive response to this perceived blasphemy and treason, setting the stage for Jeremiah's subsequent trial and miraculous vindication by the princes and elders.

  • Historical & Cultural Context: Jeremiah's prophetic ministry unfolded during one of the most tumultuous periods in Judah's history, spanning the reigns of multiple kings from Josiah to Zedekiah, leading up to and during the devastating Babylonian exile. The nation was deeply entrenched in widespread idolatry, pervasive social injustice, and a superficial religiosity that prioritized outward ritual over genuine covenant obedience. The Temple, rather than serving as a sacred space for true worship and heartfelt repentance, had tragically devolved into what the Lord Himself called a "den of robbers" (Jeremiah 7:11) in the people's eyes, functioning as a superstitious charm against foreign invasion. The priests and prophets, who were divinely appointed to be spiritual guides and guardians of truth, frequently colluded with the corrupt political establishment, delivering comforting but deceptive messages of peace and prosperity even as the nation hurtled towards divine judgment (Jeremiah 14:14). Jeremiah's message, therefore, was not merely unpopular; it was perceived as a direct assault on the very core of national identity, religious security, and the foundational myths of their society, branding him a dangerous enemy of the state in the eyes of the elite.

  • Key Themes: Jeremiah 26:11 powerfully underscores several recurring and critical themes woven throughout the book of Jeremiah. Firstly, it starkly highlights the persecution of the true prophet, as Jeremiah's unwavering proclamation of God's uncomfortable truth leads directly to threats against his very life. This motif of suffering for righteousness is a consistent thread in Jeremiah's narrative, notably seen also in his imprisonment by Pashhur (Jeremiah 20:1-2). Secondly, the verse vividly illustrates the profound conflict between true and false prophecy, where the "prophets" who accuse Jeremiah are those who preach a comforting but ultimately deceptive message of peace, standing in stark contrast to Jeremiah's divinely ordained message of impending judgment and urgent repentance. This theological tension is central to Jeremiah's entire prophetic work, as extensively detailed in Jeremiah 23. Finally, the demand for Jeremiah's death signifies a profound and tragic rejection of God's gracious call to repentance. Rather than internalizing the divine warning and turning back to the Lord, the leaders and people chose instead to silence the messenger, harboring the deluded belief that by eliminating Jeremiah, they could somehow avert the prophecy itself, thereby demonstrating a deep spiritual blindness and a dangerous hardening of hearts.

EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS

Key Word Analysis

  • Priests (Hebrew, kôhên', H3548): This term (H3548) refers to individuals consecrated to officiate in sacred rites, particularly within the Temple cult. In Jeremiah's era, many priests had become deeply corrupt, prioritizing their own power, prestige, and the maintenance of Temple rituals over genuine righteousness and faithful adherence to God's covenant. Their accusation against Jeremiah reveals a profound spiritual apostasy, as those entrusted with mediating God's presence to the people instead actively sought to silence His authentic messenger, demonstrating a betrayal of their sacred office.
  • Prophets (Hebrew, nâbîyʼ', H5030): While Jeremiah himself was a true prophet, the "prophets" (H5030) mentioned here are predominantly those who delivered false messages of peace and prosperity, often in direct opposition to God's revealed word. They were popular figures who catered to the people's desires, telling them what they wanted to hear, thereby becoming complicit in the nation's spiritual decline and moral compromise. Their demand for Jeremiah's death underscores the intense rivalry and theological conflict between genuine divine revelation, which often brings discomfort, and deceptive human pronouncements, which offer false comfort.
  • Worthy (Hebrew, mishpâṭ', H4941): This word (H4941), frequently translated as "judgment" or "justice," here carries the precise legal sense of a "verdict" or "sentence." The phrase "worthy to die" (Hebrew: mishpat mavet) indicates that the priests and false prophets were not merely expressing anger or personal animosity; they were formally accusing Jeremiah of a capital crime under Mosaic Law. This accusation likely pertained to speaking presumptuously in God's name or leading the people astray (Deuteronomy 18:20), a grave legal charge carrying the ultimate penalty of execution.

Verse Breakdown

  • "Then spake the priests and the prophets unto the princes and to all the people, saying,": This opening clause meticulously sets the scene, identifying the accusers—the religious establishment, comprising both the Temple priests and the popular false prophets—and their crucial audience. This audience includes the highest political leadership, the "princes" (or officials), and the general populace ("all the people"). The immediate and public nature of their accusation underscores the gravity of the situation and their clear intent to garner widespread support and legitimacy for their condemnation of Jeremiah.
  • "This man [is] worthy to die;": This is the unequivocal core of their accusation, functioning as a formal legal charge and a pronouncement of a death sentence. By declaring Jeremiah "worthy to die," they are asserting that his actions constitute a capital offense under the law, most likely treason against the state or blasphemy against God and His chosen city. This phrase reveals their conviction that Jeremiah's message was not merely offensive but criminally punishable.
  • "for he hath prophesied against this city,": This provides the specific, damning reason for their accusation. Jeremiah's prophecy of Jerusalem's impending destruction and desolation was perceived not as a divine warning but as an act of subversion, undermining national morale, religious confidence, and the very stability of the kingdom. To them, speaking "against this city" was tantamount to speaking against God's chosen dwelling place, His covenant people, and the divine promises of protection, thus equating it with rebellion.
  • "as ye have heard with your ears.": This concluding phrase serves as a powerful rhetorical appeal to the collective memory and direct experience of the assembled audience. The accusers emphasize that Jeremiah's "crime" was not a hidden transgression but a publicly declared act, thereby seeking to validate their grave charge by appealing to the shared knowledge and direct witness of the princes and all the people present, attempting to secure their complicity in the condemnation.

Literary Devices

Jeremiah 26:11 is replete with compelling literary devices that amplify its dramatic and theological weight. The most prominent is Conflict, vividly portraying the direct confrontation between the true prophet of God, Jeremiah, and the corrupt religious and political establishment of Judah. This immediate clash highlights the deep spiritual and ideological division within the nation regarding God's will and their future. There is profound Irony at play: those who, by their sacred office, should be God's faithful representatives (the priests and prophets) are precisely the ones rejecting and condemning His authentic messenger. The legalistic language, "worthy to die" (Hebrew: mishpat mavet), employs Forensic Rhetoric, framing Jeremiah's divinely inspired prophetic message as a criminal act deserving of capital punishment, thereby attempting to legitimate their call for his execution under the guise of law. Finally, the phrase "as ye have heard with your ears" functions as an explicit Appeal to Witness, directly engaging the audience and attempting to secure their complicity in the condemnation by reminding them of Jeremiah's public pronouncements, thereby leveraging shared experience to solidify their accusation.

THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS

Jeremiah 26:11 profoundly illustrates the enduring conflict between divine truth and human resistance, particularly when that truth challenges deeply entrenched power structures, popular misconceptions, and comforting falsehoods. The religious leaders' demand for Jeremiah's death reveals a profound spiritual blindness, a preference for self-preservation, and a rejection of genuine repentance. This episode underscores a consistent prophetic pattern throughout Scripture where God's faithful messengers are often rejected, persecuted, and even killed by the very people they are sent to warn and save—a pattern that tragically culminates in the ultimate rejection and crucifixion of Jesus Christ. It also highlights the inherent danger of religious authority becoming an instrument of oppression and spiritual tyranny rather than a conduit for God's grace, truth, and redemptive purposes, demonstrating how easily human traditions, self-interest, and institutional power can supersede divine revelation and true righteousness.

REFLECTION AND APPLICATION

Jeremiah 26:11 stands as a stark and challenging reminder that unwavering faithfulness to God's truth often comes at a significant cost, particularly when that truth confronts popular opinion, deeply ingrained religious hypocrisy, or prevailing societal norms. For believers today, this passage issues a profound call for courageous commitment to discerning and speaking God's unvarnished word, even when it is unpopular, inconvenient, or directly challenges the status quo. It compels us to engage in honest self-examination: do we genuinely welcome God's corrective word, or do we, like the priests and prophets of Judah, instinctively seek to silence or dismiss it when it makes us uncomfortable or exposes our shortcomings? True spiritual maturity involves humbly embracing repentance and correction, recognizing that God's warnings are ultimately expressions of His profound love, designed to lead us to life, restoration, and flourishing, not destruction. We are called to be people of truth, not merely people of comfort, and to stand firm in our convictions, trusting that God's ultimate vindication, though sometimes delayed in human terms, is absolutely certain and just.

Questions for Reflection

  • In what areas of my personal life, my church, or my broader community might God's truth be unpopular or challenging to prevailing assumptions?
  • How do I typically react when God's word, through Scripture or faithful messengers, confronts my own comfort zones, deeply held traditions, or unexamined biases?
  • What specific lessons does Jeremiah's extraordinary courage in the face of death threats teach me about standing for truth and justice in my own context today?
  • How can I cultivate a greater openness and responsiveness to God's corrective word, even when it is difficult to hear or demands significant personal change?

FAQ

Why were the priests and prophets so eager to condemn Jeremiah to death?

Answer: The priests and prophets were intensely eager to condemn Jeremiah to death because his prophetic message directly threatened their authority, popularity, and the prevailing religious and political narratives that ensured their comfort and power. Jeremiah's prophecy that the revered Temple would be destroyed like Shiloh (Jeremiah 26:6) and that Jerusalem would become "a curse" was deemed not merely offensive but blasphemous against God and treasonous against the state. This message fundamentally challenged the deeply held, yet ultimately false, belief in Jerusalem's inviolability and exposed the superficiality and hypocrisy of their religious practices. For the priests, Jeremiah undermined their sacred role as guardians of the Temple and its rituals. For the false prophets, his divine message exposed their comforting but deceptive pronouncements of peace and prosperity (Jeremiah 14:14), revealing them as charlatans. They viewed Jeremiah not as a genuine prophet of God, but as a dangerous agitator and a national enemy who deserved death for speaking "against this city."

CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT

Jeremiah's harrowing experience in Jeremiah 26 profoundly foreshadows the persecution, rejection, and ultimate vindication of Jesus Christ, the Messiah. Just as Jeremiah faithfully delivered God's uncomfortable truth to a rebellious people, directly challenging the corrupt religious establishment and boldly prophesying the destruction of the Temple (Jeremiah 7:11-14), so too did Jesus confront the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees and declare the impending destruction of the Jerusalem Temple (Matthew 23:37-38). The religious leaders of Jeremiah's day, driven by self-preservation and a rejection of divine truth, sought to silence the divine messenger, accusing him of a capital crime and demanding his death because his message exposed their sin and threatened their entrenched power. This very charge against Jeremiah, "worthy to die," echoes the unjust verdict pronounced against Jesus by the Sanhedrin (Matthew 26:66). Ultimately, both Jeremiah and Jesus were divinely vindicated, though in distinct yet equally powerful ways: Jeremiah by the unexpected intervention of the princes and elders of Judah in this very chapter, and Jesus by His glorious resurrection from the dead, which definitively proved His divine authority, the absolute truth of His message, and His identity as the ultimate Prophet, Priest, and King who perfectly fulfilled all of God's promises and warnings, ushering in the new covenant.

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Commentary on Jeremiah 26 verses 7–15

One would have hoped that such a sermon as that in the foregoing verses, so plain and practical, so rational and pathetic, and delivered in God's name, would work upon even this people, especially meeting them now at their devotions, and would prevail with them to repent and reform; but, instead of awakening their convictions, it did but exasperate their corruptions, as appears by this account of the effect of it.

I. Jeremiah is charged with it as a crime that he had preached such a sermon, and is apprehended for it as a criminal. The priests, and false prophets, and people, heard him speak these words, Jer 26:7. They had patience, it seems, to hear him out, did not disturb him when he was preaching, nor give him any interruption till he had made an end of speaking all that the Lord commanded him to speak, Jer 26:8. So far they dealt more fairly with him than some of the persecutors of God's ministers have done; they let him say all he had to say, and yet perhaps with a bad design, in hopes to have something worse yet to lay to his charge; but, having no worse, this shall suffice to ground an indictment upon: He hath said, This house shall be like Shiloh, Jer 26:9. See how unfair they are in representing his words. He had said, in God's name, If you will not hearken to me, then will I make this house like Shiloh; but they leave out God's hand in the desolation (I will make it so) and their own hand in it in not hearkening to the voice of God, and charge it upon him that he blasphemed this holy place, the crime charged both on our Lord Jesus and on Stephen: He said, This house shall be like Shiloh. Well might he complain, as David does (Psa 56:5), Every day they wrest my words; and we must not think it strange if we, and what we say and do, be thus misrepresented. When the accusation was so weakly grounded, no marvel that the sentence passed upon it was unjust: Thou shalt surely die. What he had said agreed with what God had said when he took possession of the temple (Kg1 9:6-8), If you shall at all turn from following after me, then this house shall be abandoned; and yet he is condemned to die for saying it. It is not out of any concern for the honour of the temple that they appear thus warm, but because they are resolved not to part with their sins, in which they flatter themselves with a conceit that the temple of the Lord will protect them; therefore, right or wrong, Thou shalt surely die. This outcry of the priests and prophets raised the mob, and all the people were gathered together against Jeremiah in a popular tumult, ready to pull him to pieces, were gathered about him (so some read it); they flocked together, some crying one thing and some another. The people that were at first present were hot against him (v. 8), but their clamours drew more together, only to see what the matter was.

II. He is arraigned and indicted for it before the highest court of judicature they had. Here, 1. The princes of Judah were his judges, Jer 26:10. Those that filled the thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David, the elders of Israel, they, hearing of this tumult in the temple, came up from the king's house, where they usually sat near the court, to the house of the Lord, to enquire into this matter, and to see that nothing was done disorderly. They sat down in the entry of the new gate of the Lord's house, and held a court, as it were, by a special commission of Oyer and Terminer. 2. The priests and prophets were his prosecutors and accusers, and were violently set against him. They appealed to the princes, and to all the people, to the court and the jury, whether this man were not worthy to die, Jer 26:11. The corrupt priests and counterfeit prophets have always been the most bitter enemies of the prophets of the Lord; they had ends of their own to serve, which they thought such preaching as this would be an obstruction to. When Jeremiah prophesied in the house of the king concerning the fall of the royal family (Jer 22:1, etc.), the court, though very corrupt, bore it patiently, and we do not find that they persecuted him for it; but when he comes into the house of the Lord, and touches the copyhold of the priests, and contradicts the lies and flatteries of the false prophets, then he is adjudged worthy to die. For the prophets prophesied falsely, and the priests bore rule by their means, Jer 5:31. Observe, When Jeremiah is indicted before the princes the stress of his accusation is laid upon what he said concerning the city, because they thought the princes would be most concerned about that. But concerning the words spoken they appeal to the people, "You have heard what he hath said; let it be given in evidence."

III. Jeremiah makes his defence before the princes and the people. He does not go about to deny the words, nor to diminish aught from them; what he has said he will stand to, though it cost him his life; he owns that he had prophesied against this house and this city, but, 1. He asserts that he did this by good authority, not maliciously nor seditiously, not out of any ill-will to his country nor any disaffection to the government in church or state, but, The Lord sent me to prophesy thus: so he begins his apology (Jer 26:12), and so he concludes it, for this is that which he resolves to abide by as sufficient to bear him out (Jer 26:15): Of a truth the Lord hath sent me unto you, to speak all these words. As long as ministers keep closely to the instructions they have from heaven they need not fear the opposition they may meet with from hell or earth. He pleads that he is but a messenger, and, if he faithfully deliver his message, he must bear no blame; but he is a messenger from the Lord, to whom they were accountable as well as he, and therefore might demand regard. If he speak but what God appointed him to speak, he is under the divine protection, and whatever affront they offer to the ambassador will be resented by the Prince that sent him. 2. He shows them that he did it with a good design, and that it was their fault if they did not make a good use of it. It was said, not by way of fatal sentence, but of fair warning; if they would take the warning, they might prevent the execution of the sentence, Jer 26:13. Shall I take it ill of a man that tells me of my danger, while I have an opportunity of avoiding it, and not rather return him thanks for it, as the greatest kindness he could do me? "I have indeed (says Jeremiah) prophesied against this city; but, if you will now amend your ways and your doings, the threatened ruin shall be prevented, which was the thing I aimed at in giving you the warning." Those are very unjust who complain of ministers for preaching hell and damnation, when it is only to keep them from that place of torment and to bring them to heaven and salvation. 3. He therefore warns them of their danger if they proceed against him (Jer 26:14): "As for me, the matter is not great what become of me; behold, I am in your hand; you know I am; I neither have any power, nor can make any interest, to oppose you, nor is it so much my concern to save my own life: do with me as seems meet unto you; if I be led to the slaughter, it shall be as a lamb." Note, It becomes God's ministers, that are warm in preaching, to be calm in suffering and to behave submissively to the powers that are over them, though they be persecuting powers. But, for themselves, he tells them that it is at their peril if they put him to death: You shall surely bring innocent blood upon yourselves, Jer 26:15. They might think that killing the prophet would help to defeat the prophecy, but they would prove wretchedly deceived; it would but add to their guilt and aggravate their ruin. Their own consciences could not but tell them that, if Jeremiah was (as certainly he was) sent of God to bring them this message, it was at their utmost peril if they treated him for it as a malefactor. Those that persecute God's ministers hurt not them so much as themselves.

Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 7–15. Public domain.
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JeromeAD 420
Commentary on Jeremiah
(Verse 11) And the priests and prophets spoke to the officials and to all the people, saying: This man deserves the punishment of death, for he has prophesied against this city, as you have heard with your own ears. But the leading men of the city, who had come from the king's palace to the temple, sat in the gateway of the temple and in the new gateway, in order to calm the people and gather them for a meeting. The priests and false prophets accused Jeremiah, and the prophet would have perished if the accusers themselves had the power of judgment. From this, we understand that those who were devoted to religion were seen as more cruel towards the Prophet due to envy of his holiness than those who were in charge of public affairs.
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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