Jeremiah 27:9

KJV

Therefore hearken not ye to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreamers, nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers, which speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon:

KJV (with Strong's)

Therefore hearken {H8085} not ye to your prophets {H5030}, nor to your diviners {H7080}, nor to your dreamers {H2472}, nor to your enchanters {H6049}, nor to your sorcerers {H3786}, which speak {H559} unto you, saying {H559}, Ye shall not serve {H5647} the king {H4428} of Babylon {H894}:

Complete Jewish Bible

"'"You, therefore, don't listen to your prophets, diviners, dreamers, magicians or sorcerers, when they tell you that you won't be subject to the king of Bavel;

Berean Standard Bible

But as for you, do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your interpreters of dreams, your mediums, or your sorcerers who declare, ‘You will not serve the king of Babylon.’

American Standard Version

But as for you, hearken ye not to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreams, nor to your soothsayers, nor to your sorcerers, that speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon:

Commentary

### SUMMARY
Jeremiah 27:9 presents a forceful divine injunction from the prophet Jeremiah, warning the people of Judah against heeding the deceptive counsel of false prophets, diviners, dreamers, enchanters, and sorcerers. These illicit spiritual guides propagated a message of false hope, assuring the populace that they would not be subjected to the rule of the Babylonian king. This verse critically underscores the necessity of discerning true divine revelation from dangerous human deception, particularly when God's authentic word demands difficult obedience, such as submission to a foreign power as an act of divine judgment.

### CONTEXT
* **Literary Context:** Jeremiah 27:9 is strategically positioned within a series of prophecies (Jeremiah 27-28) that directly address Judah's impending and inevitable subjugation to Babylon. The preceding verses in [Jeremiah 27](/jeremiah/27 "Jeremiah 27 - The Yoke of Babylon") establish God's sovereign decree that all nations, including Judah, must serve Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, or face severe judgment through sword, famine, and pestilence. Jeremiah's symbolic act of wearing a wooden yoke (later an iron yoke in [Jeremiah 28](/jeremiah/28 "Jeremiah 28 - Hananiah's False Prophecy")) visually underscores this message of unavoidable servitude. This specific verse serves as a direct command from the Lord to King Zedekiah and the surrounding nations, urging them to submit to Babylon and, crucially, not to listen to any voices that promise otherwise. It sets the stage for the dramatic confrontation with the false prophet Hananiah in the subsequent chapter, who publicly contradicts Jeremiah's prophecy of Babylonian dominion, promising a swift end to the exile and the return of the temple vessels (cf. [Jeremiah 28:1-4](/jeremiah/28-1-4 "Jeremiah 28:1-4 - Hananiah's False Prophecy")).
* **Historical & Cultural Context:** This prophecy unfolds during the tumultuous reign of King Zedekiah of Judah, specifically around 594-593 BC. By this point, Judah had already endured two significant deportations to Babylon (in 605 BC and 597 BC), leaving the nation in a precarious state, teetering on the brink of complete destruction. The ancient Near East was a melting pot of diverse religious and spiritual practices, where various forms of divination, magic, and prophecy were commonplace. Both rulers and common people frequently sought guidance from such sources, especially amidst political instability and national crises. Within this environment, false prophets often gained considerable popularity by delivering messages that resonated with popular desires for peace, independence, and a swift end to hardship, rather than conveying God's often challenging and unpopular truth. The specific message "Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon" was a direct counter-narrative to God's divinely decreed judgment, which Jeremiah was commissioned to deliver, making the discernment of truth a matter of national survival and obedience.
* **Key Themes:** Jeremiah 27:9 powerfully contributes to several overarching themes prevalent in the book of Jeremiah and the broader prophetic literature. Foremost, it highlights the **peril of false prophecy and spiritual deception**, emphasizing that not all messages claiming divine origin are genuinely from God. It profoundly underscores God's **absolute sovereignty over nations and history**, demonstrating His capacity to utilize even a pagan king like Nebuchadnezzar as an instrument of His divine judgment and discipline against His own people (cf. [Jeremiah 25:9](/jeremiah/25-9 "Jeremiah 25:9 - Nebuchadnezzar, God's Servant")). The passage also stresses the **critical importance of spiritual discernment**—the ability to distinguish truth from falsehood, especially when the truth is unpopular, challenging, or demands difficult sacrifices. This discernment is vital for the people to comprehend God's will and avoid further calamity. Finally, it reinforces the theme of **unwavering obedience to God's true word**, even when that word calls for difficult submission, presenting it as the only path to eventual preservation and divine favor. While the false prophets offered a comforting lie, Jeremiah presented a difficult truth that promised life to those who would heed it (cf. [Jeremiah 38:17-18](/jeremiah/38-17-18 "Jeremiah 38:17-18 - Jeremiah's Counsel to Zedekiah")).

### EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
#### Key Word Analysis
* **hearken (Hebrew, _shâmaʻ'_):** This primitive root signifies to hear intelligently, often implying deep attention, willing obedience, or consent. In this context, the emphatic "hearken not" functions as a strong imperative, a divine command to actively refuse to listen to, acknowledge, or obey the words of the false spiritual guides. It demands a deliberate act of turning away from their counsel, refusing to give it any credence, authority, or influence over one's actions.
* **prophets (Hebrew, _nâbîyʼ'_):** Derived from a root meaning "to bubble up" or "to announce," _nâbîyʼ_ refers to one who speaks for God, an inspired messenger or spokesperson. Here, the term is employed pejoratively to denote those who falsely claimed to be prophets of Yahweh but were, in reality, speaking from their own imaginations, deceptive spirits, or for personal gain, delivering messages that directly contradicted God's revealed will. They were illegitimate claimants to a sacred and divinely appointed office.
* **serve (Hebrew, _ʻâbad'_):** This primitive root means "to work" in any sense, but by implication, it extends to "to serve," "to be enslaved," or "to become a bondman." In Jeremiah 27:9, it specifically refers to the act of becoming subjects or bondmen to the king of Babylon. The false prophets were vehemently denying that this servitude was God's decreed will for Judah, promising instead immediate freedom and independence. Jeremiah's message, conversely, affirmed that this "serving" was a necessary, albeit painful, component of God's disciplinary plan for His people.

#### Verse Breakdown
* **"Therefore hearken not ye to your prophets,"**: This opening clause establishes the central prohibition, "hearken not," which is a direct, authoritative command against listening to or obeying the first and most prominent category of deceptive spiritual guides—those who claim divine inspiration but speak falsehoods. The "therefore" logically links this prohibition to God's preceding declarations of His absolute sovereignty over nations and His unalterable decree concerning Babylon's dominion.
* **"nor to your diviners,"**: This expands the scope of the prohibition to include those who practiced divination, seeking knowledge of the future or divine will through illicit means such as omens, lots, necromancy, or other forbidden magical practices, rather than through legitimate, direct revelation from God.
* **"nor to your dreamers,"**: This refers to individuals who claimed to receive and interpret dreams as a source of divine guidance or foreknowledge, often outside the legitimate and rare instances where God truly communicated through dreams to His chosen servants, such as Joseph or Daniel.
* **"nor to your enchanters,"**: This category encompasses those who engaged in various forms of sorcery, fortune-telling, or magic, often associated with observing clouds, interpreting omens from natural phenomena, or specific times deemed auspicious for portents.
* **"nor to your sorcerers,"**: This final category in the comprehensive list refers to practitioners of witchcraft, spells, or black magic, practices explicitly and repeatedly forbidden by God's law in the Old Testament. The exhaustive enumeration underscores the wide array of illicit spiritual practices the people were engaging in and were commanded to abandon.
* **"which speak unto you, saying,"**: This transitional phrase serves to identify the common characteristic shared by all these false guides: they are actively speaking messages to the people. It effectively introduces and sets up the content of their deceptive prophecy.
* **"Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon:"**: This is the core of the false message, a direct and dangerous contradiction to God's authentic command delivered through Jeremiah. It represents a comforting lie that appealed to nationalistic pride and a fervent desire for immediate freedom and independence, but it ultimately promised a path that would lead to greater destruction because it defied God's sovereign and disciplinary plan.

#### Literary Devices
Jeremiah 27:9 employs several potent literary devices to amplify its urgent warning and underscore the pervasive nature of deception. The most prominent is **Polysyndeton**, vividly demonstrated by the repeated use of the conjunction "nor to your" ("nor to your diviners, nor to your dreamers, nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers"). This deliberate and extensive repetition of conjunctions creates a cumulative, almost overwhelming effect, emphasizing the exhaustive and comprehensive nature of the forbidden sources of counsel. It highlights that the people were surrounded by a multitude of deceptive voices, none of which were to be trusted. This also functions as a powerful instance of **Anaphora**, where the same word or phrase ("nor to your") is repeated at the beginning of successive clauses, drawing significant attention to the detailed enumeration of the illicit and forbidden spiritual practices. Furthermore, there is a clear implicit **Contrast** established between the true, albeit difficult and unpopular, word of God delivered by Jeremiah and the comforting but ultimately destructive lies propagated by the various false spiritualists. The verse is also delivered in an **Imperative Mood** ("hearken not"), signaling a direct, authoritative, and non-negotiable command from God Himself, demanding immediate and unequivocal obedience from the people.

### THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Jeremiah 27:9 is a profound theological statement on the nature of divine truth, the exercise of God's authority, and the insidious danger of human deception. It underscores God's absolute sovereignty, demonstrating His capacity to orchestrate global events and utilize even pagan nations as instruments of His divine will and judgment. Crucially, the verse highlights the spiritual peril of seeking counsel or guidance from any source outside of God's revealed word. The comprehensive list of illicit spiritual practices serves as a stark reminder of God's consistent and unwavering prohibition against all forms of occultism, magic, and divination, which fundamentally divert attention and trust away from Him as the sole, legitimate source of truth, wisdom, and guidance. The core issue is not merely the content of the false message ("Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon") but the illegitimate authority and inherently deceptive nature of the messengers themselves, who offered a false peace that would inevitably lead to greater destruction and suffering. This passage issues a timeless call to God's people for radical spiritual discernment, demanding that they prioritize God's difficult, unvarnished truth over any comforting, yet ultimately destructive, lies.

* [Deuteronomy 18:10-12](/deuteronomy/18-10-12 "Deuteronomy 18:10-12 - Abominable Practices Forbidden")
* [1 John 4:1](/1_john/4-1 "1 John 4:1 - Test the Spirits")
* [2 Timothy 3:16-17](/2_timothy/3-16-17 "2 Timothy 3:16-17 - All Scripture is God-breathed")

### REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Jeremiah 27:9 delivers a timeless and profoundly urgent warning for believers across all generations. In an age saturated with an overwhelming deluge of information, conflicting ideologies, and a proliferation of voices claiming authority, insight, or divine revelation, the imperative to "hearken not" to deceptive messages remains profoundly relevant. This verse challenges us to cultivate a robust spiritual discernment, rigorously testing all teachings, prophecies, worldviews, and even personal convictions against the unshakeable, unchanging truth of God's written Word. It serves as a potent reminder that divine truth is not always comfortable, convenient, or aligned with our immediate desires; genuine divine revelation often calls for difficult obedience, self-denial, or submission to circumstances we would instinctively prefer to avoid. We are cautioned against those who promise only ease, prosperity, or who validate our every desire without challenging our sin or calling us to God's higher, often sacrificial, purposes. Ultimately, this passage calls us to cultivate a deep and unwavering trust in God's absolute sovereignty, acknowledging that His plans, even when they involve hardship, discipline, or perceived loss, are always designed for our ultimate good, His glory, and the unfolding of His perfect will.

#### Questions for Reflection
* **What are the contemporary "prophets, diviners, dreamers, enchanters, or sorcerers" in my life today—voices, media, or sources of information that might offer comforting lies instead of God's difficult truth?**
* **How do I actively and consistently practice spiritual discernment to test messages, teachings, and influences against the supreme authority of God's Word?**
* **Am I more inclined to seek messages that affirm my desires, comfort my anxieties, or validate my choices, or am I genuinely open to God's challenging, sometimes uncomfortable, and transformative truths?**
* **In what specific areas of my life might God be calling me to "serve" or submit to a difficult circumstance, relationship, or period of hardship that feels like "Babylon," trusting implicitly in His sovereign plan and ultimate redemptive purpose?**

### FAQ
**What was the specific message the false prophets were giving that directly contradicted Jeremiah's divine message?**

Answer: The false prophets, diviners, dreamers, enchanters, and sorcerers were consistently telling the people of Judah, "Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon." This message stood in direct opposition to God's explicit word delivered through Jeremiah, which commanded the people to submit to Babylonian rule as a necessary divine judgment for their persistent sin and rebellion. Jeremiah's message was clear: resisting Babylon would only lead to further destruction, famine, and pestilence, while submission, though painful, would preserve life and ensure eventual restoration (cf. [Jeremiah 27:12-13](/jeremiah/27-12-13 "Jeremiah 27:12-13 - Jeremiah's Warning to Zedekiah")).

**Why was it so critically important for the people not to listen to these false spiritual guides?**

Answer: It was critically important because listening to these false guides meant a direct defiance of God's explicit command and sovereign plan. Their comforting lies would lead the people into open rebellion against God's decreed judgment, resulting in intensified suffering, widespread famine, devastating pestilence, and ultimately the complete destruction of Jerusalem and a prolonged, bitter exile (cf. [Jeremiah 27:8](/jeremiah/27-8 "Jeremiah 27:8 - Consequences of Disobedience")). For the people of Judah, discerning and obeying God's true word was literally a matter of life and death, both spiritually and physically.

**What enduring lessons does this verse teach us about discerning truth in our contemporary world?**

Answer: This verse teaches us that we must maintain constant vigilance against all forms of spiritual deception, regardless of their source, their apparent sincerity, or how comforting or appealing their message may seem. It profoundly emphasizes that God's truth, as immutably revealed in His inspired Word, is the ultimate and sole standard for testing all claims of divine revelation, all teachings, and all worldviews. We are called to rigorously compare every message, every teaching, or every prophecy against the consistent, unchanging witness of Holy Scripture. We are also warned to be especially wary of messages that promise only ease, prosperity, or immediate gratification while neglecting the essential call to repentance, difficult obedience, and humble submission to God's will, even when that will is challenging or counter-cultural (cf. [2 Timothy 4:3-4](/2_timothy/4-3-4 "2 Timothy 4:3-4 - People will seek teachers who tickle their ears")).

### CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Jeremiah 27:9, with its stern and comprehensive warning against false prophets and deceptive spiritual guides, finds its profoundest fulfillment and ultimate significance in the person and redemptive work of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the **True Prophet** whom God promised to raise up, far surpassing all previous prophets, and to whom all humanity is commanded to listen and obey (cf. [Deuteronomy 18:15](/deuteronomy/18-15 "Deuteronomy 18:15 - The Prophet like Moses"), powerfully affirmed in [Acts 3:22-23](/acts/3-22-23 "Acts 3:22-23 - Peter's Sermon on Jesus as the Prophet")). Unlike the false prophets of Jeremiah's day who spoke lies for personal gain or to appease popular sentiment, Jesus spoke only the unvarnished truth of God, often challenging deeply entrenched popular opinions and calling for radical, self-sacrificial obedience, even to the point of His own suffering and death (cf. [John 8:45](/john/8-45 "John 8:45 - Jesus Speaks Truth")). He Himself warned His disciples against false prophets who appear in deceptive "sheep's clothing" but are inwardly "ravenous wolves," urging His followers to discern them by their fruits (cf. [Matthew 7:15-20](/matthew/7-15-20 "Matthew 7:15-20 - False Prophets")). The "serving the king of Babylon" in Jeremiah's context finds its spiritual parallel in the New Testament call to submit to God's sovereign will and authority, even when it involves suffering, hardship, or difficult circumstances, knowing that true freedom and spiritual liberation come not from earthly rebellion but from humble, willing submission to Christ's Lordship (cf. [Romans 6:18](/romans/6-18 "Romans 6:18 - Freed from Sin, Enslaved to Righteousness")). Ultimately, Jesus, through His perfect life, atoning death, and glorious resurrection, decisively disarmed and triumphed over all spiritual powers of deception, including those represented by "diviners, dreamers, enchanters, and sorcerers" (cf. [Colossians 2:15](/colossians/2-15 "Colossians 2:15 - Triumph Over Powers and Authorities")). In Him, believers are divinely equipped to discern truth from falsehood and to live in the glorious freedom of God's perfect will, no longer needing to "hearken" to any voice but His.

Note: Commentary is generated by AI with a directive for Biblical fidelity. Always rely on the Holy Spirit for discernment. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

Cross-References

Jeremiah 14:14

Then the LORD said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart.

Jeremiah 29:8

¶ For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Let not your prophets and your diviners, that [be] in the midst of you, deceive you, neither hearken to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed.

Malachi 3:5

And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in [his] wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger [from his right], and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts.

Isaiah 8:19

And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead?

Isaiah 47:12

Stand now with thine enchantments, and with the multitude of thy sorceries, wherein thou hast laboured from thy youth; if so be thou shalt be able to profit, if so be thou mayest prevail.

Isaiah 47:14

Behold, they shall be as stubble; the fire shall burn them; they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame: [there shall] not [be] a coal to warm at, [nor] fire to sit before it.

Jeremiah 23:25

I have heard what the prophets said, that prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed.