Jeremiah 18 18

Jeremiah 18:18 kjv

Then said they, Come and let us devise devices against Jeremiah; for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, and let us smite him with the tongue, and let us not give heed to any of his words.

Jeremiah 18:18 nkjv

Then they said, "Come and let us devise plans against Jeremiah; for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come and let us attack him with the tongue, and let us not give heed to any of his words."

Jeremiah 18:18 niv

They said, "Come, let's make plans against Jeremiah; for the teaching of the law by the priest will not cease, nor will counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophets. So come, let's attack him with our tongues and pay no attention to anything he says."

Jeremiah 18:18 esv

Then they said, "Come, let us make plots against Jeremiah, for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, let us strike him with the tongue, and let us not pay attention to any of his words."

Jeremiah 18:18 nlt

Then the people said, "Come on, let's plot a way to stop Jeremiah. We have plenty of priests and wise men and prophets. We don't need him to teach the word and give us advice and prophecies. Let's spread rumors about him and ignore what he says."

Jeremiah 18 verses

Jeremiah 18 18 Meaning

Jeremiah 18:18 portrays the defiant response of the people of Judah, specifically their leaders and influential figures, to Jeremiah's prophetic message of repentance and God's sovereign power over nations. This verse captures their malevolent plot: they intend to strategize ways to undermine and harm Jeremiah, fueled by their misguided belief that divine wisdom, law, and prophetic revelation will always be present through their established religious and intellectual authorities (priests, wise men, and their own chosen prophets). Their plan is twofold: to destroy Jeremiah's reputation through slander and verbal assault, and critically, to collectively and deliberately ignore his words, thereby nullifying his prophetic authority and message.

Jeremiah 18 18 Context

Jeremiah chapter 18 opens with God sending Jeremiah to the potter's house (Jer 18:1-4). This imagery serves as a powerful parable: just as a potter can reshape or discard clay, God has sovereign authority over nations, to build them up or tear them down (Jer 18:5-10). He warns Judah that if they persist in their wickedness, He will bring disaster upon them, and urges them to repent from their evil ways (Jer 18:11). The immediate preceding verses (Jer 18:11-12) recount God's direct call for Judah to repent and turn from their evil. However, the people stubbornly declare, "There is no hope: but we will walk after our own devices, and we will every one do the imagination of his evil heart." This declaration sets the stage for their heightened defiance and rejection of Jeremiah's message in verse 18. Their rejection is deeply rooted in a proud reliance on their own established religious and societal structures, leading to a direct conspiracy against God's messenger.

Jeremiah 18 18 Word analysis

• Then said they (וַיֹּאמְרוּ, wa-yomeru): Marks a dramatic shift from God's word and Jeremiah's pleading to the united voice of opposition. "They" refers to the hostile majority, likely the priestly establishment, the royal court's wise advisors, and false prophets. This collective declaration signifies widespread spiritual apostasy.
• Come (לְכוּ, lekhu): An urgent imperative, a call to gather and strategize. It mirrors an invitation but for an evil purpose, signaling an active conspiracy.
• and let us devise devices (וְנַחְשְׁבָה חֲשָׁבוֹת, wᵉnachshᵉvah ḥashavot): Literally "let us plan plans" or "think thoughts." It emphasizes deliberate and calculated plotting. The word ḥashavot ("devices" or "plans") is ironically the same word used for God's plans of judgment (Jer 18:8, 11). The people are usurping divine prerogative by crafting evil plans.
• against Jeremiah (עַל יִרְמְיָהוּ, ʿal Yirmeyahu): The target is explicitly named, indicating a personal vendetta against God's messenger, driven by the discomfort his truth brings.
• for the law shall not perish from the priest (כִּי לֹא תֹאבַד תּוֹרָה מִכֹּהֵן, ki lo tovād Torāh mi-kōhēn): This is their foundational assertion of authority. Torah (instruction, law) was indeed to be kept and taught by the priests (Lev 10:11; Deut 33:10). Their argument assumes an infallible, unchallengeable continuance of this office regardless of their moral or spiritual state, ignoring the fact that a corrupt priesthood loses its right to mediate God's law. They misuse the promise to the institution to justify their corrupt behavior and reject a true prophet.
• nor counsel from the wise (וְעֵצָה מֵחָכָם, wᵉʿētzāh mē-ḥākhām): ʿEtzah (counsel, advice) refers to practical wisdom and policy, traditionally given by respected elders and state advisors (Prov 11:14). They claim an inherent, unbreakable link between their wisdom and divine guidance, ignoring instances where "the wisdom of their wise men shall perish" (Isa 29:14).
• nor the word from the prophet (וְדָבָר מִנָּבִיא, wᵉdāvār mi-nāviʾ): Davār (word) specifically refers to the prophetic message from God. They assert that God's word will always come through "a prophet," implying their chosen or established prophets (often false), not Jeremiah. This undermines Jeremiah's authentic divine calling.
• Come (לְכוּ, lekhu): Repeated for emphasis, underscoring the urgency and concerted effort in their malevolent intent.
• and let us smite him with the tongue (וְנַכֵּהוּ בַלָּשׁוֹן, wᵉnakkehu va-lashōn): To "smite with the tongue" is a powerful idiom for slander, malicious accusation, defamation, or verbal assault designed to destroy a person's reputation and credibility (Ps 57:4, Ps 64:3-4). This is a spiritual weapon aiming to delegitimize Jeremiah without direct physical harm initially.
• and let us not give heed (וְלֹא נַקְשִׁיבָה, wᵉlo naqshīvāh): "Let us not pay attention," a deliberate, conscious decision to ignore and shut out Jeremiah's message. It implies not just passive disinterest but an active refusal to listen and receive.
• to any of his words (אֶל כָּל דְּבָרָיו, el kol dᵉvarāv): An absolute and comprehensive rejection of all Jeremiah says. This is the ultimate act of rebellion, choosing self-will over divine truth, solidifying their commitment to their own corrupt "devices" mentioned earlier.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "Then said they, Come, and let us devise devices against Jeremiah": This group reveals a premeditated, communal intent to harm. It highlights the direct attack on the messenger rather than just ignoring the message, illustrating a hardened and vindictive heart. The echo of "devices" (plans) with God's plans emphasizes their presumption to usurp divine authority or act in opposition to it.
• "for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet": This triadic statement forms the theological and intellectual foundation of their rebellion. It's a defiant assertion of their entrenched institutions – priestly tradition, secular wisdom, and false prophecy – as being immune to failure, effectively claiming that God's presence and truth are perpetually tied to their own structures, regardless of their own faithfulness. This is their false justification for rejecting Jeremiah.
• "Come, and let us smite him with the tongue, and let us not give heed to any of his words": This second imperative phrase outlines their two-pronged strategy for neutralizing Jeremiah. Firstly, they will launch a public relations attack (slander), and secondly, they will perform a complete blackout on his message. This shows an ultimate spiritual blindness and defiance, preferring to silence the truth-teller and refuse truth, rather than to acknowledge their own error.

Jeremiah 18 18 Bonus section

• The declaration in Jer 18:18 reveals a distorted understanding of "irrevocability" or "unchanging" principles. While God's covenant with the Levitical priesthood for Torah teaching was significant (Deut 33:8-10) and wisdom literature underscored the importance of the wise (Prov 1:6), these promises were conditional upon faithfulness. The enemies interpreted these roles as guarantees of their personal authority regardless of their moral and spiritual state.
• The three classes mentioned (priest, wise, prophet) represent the three main pillars of Israelite spiritual, governmental, and intellectual life. Their united opposition demonstrates the pervasive nature of Judah's spiritual corruption, from the religious leadership to the political strategists and even to competing false prophets.
• This verse prefigures the hostility Jesus faced from the religious establishment (chief priests, scribes, elders – the New Testament counterparts of priests, wise, and prophets) who also sought to discredit and silence Him by verbal accusations and eventually ignored or twisted His words, rejecting Him as God's ultimate Word and Prophet.
• The "smiting with the tongue" (slander) is often seen as a greater threat in ancient Near Eastern cultures than physical harm, as one's reputation was paramount. To be discredited was to be rendered powerless, much like modern-day character assassination.

Jeremiah 18 18 Commentary

Jeremiah 18:18 exposes the deep spiritual sickness pervading Judah's leadership in Jeremiah's day. Confronted with a prophet who faithfully relayed God's warning of impending judgment and the call to repentance, their response was not introspection, but a hardened resolve to resist, even actively suppress, the divine word. Their arguments, presented as anchors of stability ("the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet"), reveal a profound theological error. They conflated the enduring nature of divine institutions with the unassailable authority of their current, corrupt incumbents. True Torah (divine instruction), legitimate counsel (divine wisdom), and genuine word (prophetic revelation) were, in fact, absent from them, having been replaced by self-serving traditions and human cunning. Their plan was practical yet sinister: to attack Jeremiah's reputation through malicious gossip and slander (smiting with the tongue), thereby discrediting his message in the eyes of the people, and then, most damningly, to consciously refuse to listen to any of his divinely inspired words. This dual approach of character assassination and deliberate spiritual deafness represents the ultimate rejection of God himself, choosing collective self-deception and defiant rebellion over repentance and life. It's a tragic illustration of how religious form can persist even when spiritual substance has departed, leading to open hostility against divine truth.