The Lord Rebukes False Oracles
Jeremiah 23:33-40
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Jer.23.33 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וכי: CONJ
- ישאלך: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- העם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
- או: CONJ
- הנביא: NOUN,m,sg,def
- או: CONJ
- כהן: NOUN,m,sg,const
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
- מה: PRON,int
- משא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ואמרת: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- אליהם: PREP,3,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- מה: PRON,int
- משא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ונטשתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,?,sg
- אתכם: PRT+PRON,2,m,pl
- נאם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Jeremiah 23:16 (verbal): Directly addresses false prophets: 'Hearken not to the words of the prophets... they speak a vision of their own heart,' paralleling the command to reject the prophets/priests who claim to speak the LORD's burden.
- Jeremiah 23:21-22 (thematic): Contrasts true and false prophetic authority—God distinguishes prophets actually sent by him from those who falsely claim his word, echoing the denunciation and the threat of forsaking or judging false spokesmen.
- Ezekiel 13:6-9 (verbal): Condemns prophets who prophesy out of their own minds and say 'Thus says the Lord' though he has not spoken—parallels Jeremiah's rebuke of those who present false 'burdens' in God's name.
- Deuteronomy 18:20-22 (structural): Provides the law's criterion for identifying false prophets (if their words do not come to pass they have not spoken for the LORD), furnishing the legal/theological framework underlying Jeremiah's rejection of spurious messages.
Alternative generated candidates
- And if this people, or the prophet, or the priest asks you, 'What is the burden of the LORD?' you shall say to them, 'What burden? I will forsake you,' declares the LORD.
- If this people or the prophet or the priest asks you, 'What is the burden of the LORD?' then you shall say to them, 'What burden? I will cast you off, declares the LORD.'
Jer.23.34 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- והנביא: NOUN,m,sg,def
- והכהן: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,def
- והעם: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- יאמר: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- משא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ופקדתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,com,sg
- על: PREP
- האיש: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ההוא: DEM,ms,sg
- ועל: CONJ+PREP
- ביתו: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Jeremiah 23:21 (structural): Immediate context: contrasts true prophets sent by YHWH with those who run and prophesy without being sent—background for punishing those who falsely claim 'the word/burden of the LORD.'
- Jeremiah 14:14 (verbal): Same charge language: YHWH declares that prophets are 'prophesying lies in my name, I sent them not,' establishing divine disapproval and grounds for punishment of false prophets.
- Deuteronomy 18:20 (verbal): Legal precedent: a prophet who presumptuously speaks in God's name something God did not command shall die—parallels Jeremiah's threat to punish anyone claiming a false 'burden of the LORD.'
- Ezekiel 13:9 (thematic): Prophetic condemnation of false prophets whose words lead the people astray; Ezekiel threatens judgment on such prophets, echoing Jeremiah's punishment of those claiming false oracles.
Alternative generated candidates
- And the prophet and the priest and the people who say, 'The burden of the LORD'—I will punish that man and his house.
- But the prophet and the priest and the people who say, 'The burden of the LORD'—I will punish that man and his house.
Jer.23.35 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כה: ADV
- תאמרו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- על: PREP
- רעהו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3ms
- ואיש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- אחיו: NOUN,3,m,sg,abs
- מה: PRON,int
- ענה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ומה: CONJ+PRON,int
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Jeremiah 23:25 (verbal): Same prophetic context condemning those who 'prophesy lies in my name' — both verses address false prophetic speech and the claim to speak for the LORD.
- Jeremiah 5:31 (thematic): Condemns prophets who speak lies and court popular approval; parallels the chapter's critique of unreliable prophets and the people's complicity.
- Ezekiel 13:2-3 (thematic): God commands judgment against false prophets who follow their own spirit and utter false visions — a close thematic parallel to Jeremiah's rebuke of spurious prophetic claims.
- Micah 3:5-7 (thematic): Critiques prophets who give misleading or self-serving messages of peace rather than speaking God's word, echoing Jeremiah's concern over deceptive prophecy.
- Deuteronomy 13:1-3 (thematic): Law on testing prophets who claim 'Thus says the LORD' but lead Israel astray — provides the canonical criterion implicit in Jeremiah's challenge to what prophets say the LORD has answered.
Alternative generated candidates
- Thus you shall say, one to his neighbor and one to his brother: 'What has the LORD answered? What has the LORD spoken?'
- Thus each will say to his neighbor, and each to his brother, 'What has the LORD answered? What has the LORD spoken?'
Jer.23.36 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ומשא: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- תזכרו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- עוד: ADV
- כי: CONJ
- המשא: NOUN,m,sg,def
- יהיה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- לאיש: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- דברו: INF,qal,inf+3ms
- והפכתם: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,2,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- דברי: NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,1,c,sg
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- חיים: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- צבאות: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- אלהינו: NOUN,m,pl,abs,poss:1,pl
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 4:2 (thematic): Commands not to add to or take away from God's words; parallels Jeremiah's rebuke of altering/appropriating the word of the living God.
- Deuteronomy 12:32 (thematic): Another explicit injunction against adding to God's instructions—echoes the concern with preserving the integrity of divine revelation found in Jeremiah 23:36.
- Proverbs 30:6 (verbal): A pithy warning not to add to God's words lest He rebuke you; parallels Jeremiah's accusation that people have 'turned' or corrupted the words of the living God.
- Revelation 22:18-19 (thematic): A New Testament warning against adding to or taking away from prophetic scripture, resonating with Jeremiah's condemnation of altering God's message.
- Ezekiel 13:2-3 (thematic): God condemns false prophets who follow their own spirit and speak misleading words—parallels Jeremiah's denunciation of those who make the burden their own and pervert the word of the Lord.
Alternative generated candidates
- You shall no longer say 'the burden of the LORD,' for 'the burden' will be a man's word; you have turned the words of the living God—the LORD of hosts, our God.
- 'The burden of the LORD' you shall no longer mention; for the burden belongs to the man—his word—and you have turned aside the words of the living God, the LORD of hosts, our God.
Jer.23.37 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כה: ADV
- תאמר: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- הנביא: NOUN,m,sg,def
- מה: PRON,int
- ענך: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ומה: CONJ+PRON,int
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Jeremiah 23:21 (structural): Same chapter's rebuke of false prophets and God's evaluation of prophetic claims—continues the theme of questioning who truly speaks 'the word of the LORD.'
- Jeremiah 23:16 (verbal): Uses the recurring formula 'Thus says the LORD' and condemns prophets who proclaim words not from Yahweh—connects to the challenge 'what is the word of the LORD?'."
- Deuteronomy 18:20-22 (thematic): Gives the legal test for authentic prophecy (prediction/fulfillment), directly relevant to interrogating a prophet's claim about 'the word of the LORD.'
- 1 Kings 22:15-23 (thematic): The Micaiah episode contrasts true and false prophetic speech and shows royal/institutional testing of prophetic messages—parallels the questioning of a prophet's claim to speak for Yahweh.
- Ezekiel 2:7 (verbal): God commissions Ezekiel to 'speak my words' whether people listen or not—echoes the verbal motif of speaking and discerning 'the word of the LORD' addressed in Jeremiah 23:37.
Alternative generated candidates
- Thus you shall say to the prophet: 'What has the LORD answered you? What has the LORD spoken to you?'
- So you shall say to the prophet, 'What has the LORD answered you? What has the LORD spoken to you?'
Jer.23.38 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואם: CONJ
- משא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- תאמרו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- לכן: ADV
- כה: ADV
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- יען: CONJ
- אמרכם: NOUN,m,sg,const,2,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- הדבר: NOUN,m,sg,def
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
- משא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ואשלח: VERB,qal,impf,1,_,sg
- אליכם: PREP+PRON,2,pl
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
- לא: PART_NEG
- תאמרו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- משא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Jeremiah 23:30-32 (verbal): Immediate context: the chapter condemns prophets who say 'Thus says the LORD' or 'an oracle of the LORD' when God has not sent them; repeats the same accusation and judgment.
- Jeremiah 14:14 (verbal): God declares that prophets are 'prophesying lies in my name' — directly parallel to Jeremiah's rebuke of those calling their messages 'oracle of the LORD' though God did not send them.
- Ezekiel 13:6-9 (thematic): Ezekiel denounces false prophets who say 'Thus says the LORD' without revelation and promises judgment — a parallel denunciation of unauthorized claims to speak for God.
- Deuteronomy 18:20-22 (structural): Legal criterion for true prophecy: a prophet who presumes to speak in God's name without command is to be punished; provides the theological-legal backdrop for Jeremiah's condemnation.
- Zechariah 13:2-4 (thematic): Speaks of purging false prophets so that on that day prophets will be ashamed and deny being prophets — echoes the theme of exposing and rejecting spurious 'oracles of the LORD.'
Alternative generated candidates
- And if you say, 'The burden of the LORD,' then thus says the LORD: Because you have called this word 'the burden of the LORD,' behold, I will send to you, saying, 'You shall not say
- And if you should say, 'The burden of the LORD,' then thus says the LORD: Because you have called this thing 'the burden of the LORD,' behold, I will send to you and say, 'You shall no longer say
Jer.23.39 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- לכן: ADV
- הנני: PRT+PRON,1,sg
- ונשיתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,sg
- אתכם: PRT+PRON,2,m,pl
- נשא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ונטשתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,sg
- אתכם: PRT+PRON,2,m,pl
- ואת: CONJ
- העיר: NOUN,f,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- נתתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- לכם: PREP,2,m,pl
- ולאבותיכם: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs+2,pl
- מעל: PREP
- פני: NOUN,m,sg,cons
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 31:16-18 (thematic): God warns that because the people turn away He will forsake them and hide His face — parallel language of divine abandonment as punishment.
- Leviticus 26:31-33 (thematic): God promises to make the land desolate and scatter the people from the land — echoes of being removed from the city/land given to their fathers.
- Jeremiah 12:7 (verbal): Same prophetic theme and near-verbatim idea: God declares He has forsaken His house/heritage — an internal Jeremiah parallel about divine abandonment of the place God gave them.
- 1 Kings 9:6-7 (cf. 2 Chronicles 7:20) (allusion): In the covenant context Solomon is warned that if Israel forsakes God He will cast off the house/city He established — a covenantal promise of rejection similar to Jeremiah’s threat.
- Psalm 78:59-64 (thematic): The psalm describes God’s anger, rejecting Israel, abandoning the sanctuary and delivering people to the sword — a parallel outcome of divine rejection and loss of the granted city/heritage.
Alternative generated candidates
- Therefore, behold, I will banish you; I will forsake you, and the city that I gave to you and to your fathers I will remove from before my face.
Jer.23.40 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ונתתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- עליכם: PREP+PRON,2mp
- חרפת: NOUN,f,sg,const
- עולם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וכלמות: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,const
- עולם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- לא: PART_NEG
- תשכח: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 28:37 (thematic): Divine curse that makes the guilty nation a perpetual byword/proverb among the nations—comparable to Jeremiah’s declaration of enduring reproach and shame as punishment for covenant unfaithfulness.
- Isaiah 65:15 (thematic): God will make a people’s name a curse and leave them with a lasting stigma—parallels the idea of an imposed, enduring disgrace that will not be forgotten.
- Ezekiel 16:63 (allusion): After recounting Jerusalem’s sins God says they will ‘remember their ways and be ashamed’—an analogous motif of divinely effected shame and everlasting disgrace in prophetic judgment.
- Lamentations 2:15 (thematic): Passersby publicly mock and reproach Jerusalem, portraying the city’s humiliation as communal and enduring—reflects the theme of perpetual public shame present in Jeremiah 23:40.
Alternative generated candidates
- And I will lay upon you everlasting shame and perpetual disgrace that shall not be forgotten.
And when this people, or the prophet, or the priest asks you, 'What is the burden of the LORD?' you shall say to them, 'What burden? I have forsaken you,' declares the LORD. And the prophet and the priest and the people who say, 'The burden of the LORD'—I will punish that man and his house. Thus you shall say: If one says to his neighbor or to his brother, 'What has the LORD answered? What has the LORD spoken?'
Do not say 'the burden of the LORD' any more, for that 'burden' will be the man's own word, and you have turned aside the words of the living God, the LORD of hosts our God. Thus you shall say to the prophet, 'What is your vision, and what is the word of the LORD?' And if you say, 'The burden of the LORD,' then thus says the LORD: Because you have called this thing 'the burden of the LORD,' I will send to you and say, 'Do not say
Therefore, behold, I will reject you; I will forsake you, and I will remove from before me the city that I gave to you and to your fathers. And I will lay upon you an everlasting reproach and a perpetual shame that shall not be forgotten.