Jeremiah 23:13 kjv
And I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria; they prophesied in Baal, and caused my people Israel to err.
Jeremiah 23:13 nkjv
"And I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria: They prophesied by Baal And caused My people Israel to err.
Jeremiah 23:13 niv
"Among the prophets of Samaria I saw this repulsive thing: They prophesied by Baal and led my people Israel astray.
Jeremiah 23:13 esv
In the prophets of Samaria I saw an unsavory thing: they prophesied by Baal and led my people Israel astray.
Jeremiah 23:13 nlt
"I saw that the prophets of Samaria were terribly evil,
for they prophesied in the name of Baal
and led my people of Israel into sin.
Jeremiah 23 13 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Jeremiah 23:15 | "Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts concerning the prophets: 'Behold, I will feed them with bitter food and give them poisoned water to drink, for from the prophets of Jerusalem profanity has gone out into all the land.'" | Condemnation of false prophets |
| Ezekiel 13:3 | "Thus says the Lord GOD: Woe to the foolish prophets, who follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!" | Foolishness of false prophets |
| Isaiah 9:15 | "The elderly and the honorable man, he is the head; And the prophet who teaches lies, he is the tail." | Falsehood and disgrace |
| Micah 3:5 | "Thus says the LORD concerning the prophets who lead my people astray, who cry, ‘Peace,’ when they have something to chew, but declare war on those who do not put something in their mouths:" | Deceptive prophets |
| 1 Kings 18:27 | "And when it was noon, Elijah mocked them, saying, “Cry aloud, for he is a god; either he is musing, or he is gone aside, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened.”" | Mocking false worship |
| Zechariah 13:3 | "And if anyone still prophesies, his father and his mother who bore him shall say to him, ‘You shall not live, for you speak lies in the name of the LORD,’ and his father and his mother who bore him shall pierce him through when he prophesies." | Judgment for false prophecy |
| Jeremiah 6:14 | "They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace." | False peace |
| Jeremiah 8:11 | "They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace." | False peace |
| Ezekiel 34:2-4 | "Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to them, to the shepherds, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not shepherds feed the flock?... You have strengthened the weak, healed the sick, and bound up the broken; but you have not strengthened the weak, healed the sick, and bound up the broken; but you have not brought back the strayed, nor sought for the lost, and you have dominion over them with force and with cruelty." | Condemnation of negligent shepherds |
| Jeremiah 29:8 | "For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that they dream," | Warning against deception |
| Acts 15:24 | "since we have heard that some who went out from us have troubled you with words, unsettling your minds, although we gave them no such instruction," | Troubling words |
| 2 Timothy 4:3 | "For there will come a time when they will not endure sound doctrine, but, having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires," | Unsound doctrine |
| Jude 1:16 | "These are grumblers, discontented, following their own passions and their mouths speak swelling words, harshly flattering people to gain an advantage." | Flattery and self-interest |
| Proverbs 26:28 | "A mouth that lies kills the soul." | Deceptive speech |
| John 8:44 | "You are of your father the devil, and your heart’s desire is to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of lies." | The devil as father of lies |
| Jeremiah 14:14 | "Then the LORD said to me: ‘The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them, nor commanded them, nor spoken to them. They are prophesying to you a lying vision, worthless divination, and the deceit of their own minds.’" | Lying in God's name |
| Jeremiah 23:17 | "They continually say to those who despise the LORD, ‘It shall be well with you’; and to everyone who walks in the stubbornness of his own heart, they say, ‘No harm shall come to you.’" | False reassurance |
| Jeremiah 23:30 | "Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets,’ declares the LORD, ‘who steal my words from one another." | Stealing God's words |
| Matthew 7:15 | "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves." | Warning against false prophets |
| Acts 5:38 | "So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of human origin, it will fail." | Human origin fails |
Jeremiah 23 verses
Jeremiah 23 13 Meaning
This verse vividly illustrates God's condemnation of the false prophets in Judah. It describes their deceptive actions, comparing them to those who provoke a fire. Their actions are futile and self-destructive, serving no true purpose for God's people.
Jeremiah 23 13 Context
This verse is situated within Jeremiah's larger prophecy concerning the unfaithful shepherds and prophets of Judah during a time of impending judgment. The nation is facing exile due to its sinfulness, yet the false prophets continue to deceive the people with promises of peace and security. Jeremiah's message in this chapter directly confronts their deceitful practices and warns of God's impending wrath upon them.
Jeremiah 23 13 Word Analysis
וּלְנָבִיא (ul'naví) - "And to the prophet"
- וְ (ve) - "and" - A conjunctive particle, linking this statement to the preceding condemnation.
- לְ (le) - "to" - Preposition indicating the recipient or destination.
- נָבִיא (naví) - "prophet" - A spokesperson or oracle, one who speaks for God. The context here highlights false prophets.
חָזִיוּ (ḥázú) - "they have seen" or "they see"
- From the root חָזָה (ḥázá), meaning "to see," "to behold," "to envision." This term often refers to prophetic visions received from God.
- Here, it’s used in the hiph'il (causative) or qal (simple active) perfect form, indicating a completed action or state. The context implies they claim to have seen visions, but these are actually deceptive or their own fabrication.
שָׁוְא (shav') - "vanity," "emptiness," "falsehood," "lie."
- This word signifies that which is empty, hollow, and without substance or truth.
- When linked to prophetic seeing, it means they are seeing worthless, deceptive visions, or that their visions are empty of divine truth.
וְקֹצְרֵי (vekots'rey) - "and reap" or "and cutters"
- וְ (ve) - "and"
- קֹצְרֵי (kots'rey) - from the root קָצַר (katsar), meaning "to cut off," "to reap."
- This participle, in the plural construct form, implies the action of reaping or cutting.
פָסֶק (pések) - "division," "cessation," "respite," or here possibly a destructive act.
- The exact meaning can be debated, but in this context, combined with the imagery of fire, it points to bringing something to a destructive end or cutting it off by force. The prophets' actions are characterized as destructive and ultimately futile.
אָנֹכִי (anokhi) - "I" (emphatic first-person pronoun).
- This emphatically asserts God’s direct involvement and judgment against these prophets.
אֶל־ (el) - "against" or "to."
- Here it indicates opposition or the direction of the judgment.
בְּעוּרִים (be'urim) - "burning," "consumption by fire."
- The plural noun from בְּעִירָה (be'irah), related to the root בָּעַר (ba'ar), meaning "to burn," "to consume," "to be kindled."
- This strongly evokes the imagery of destructive fire, a common metaphor for divine judgment.
עָלֵימוֹ (aleymo) - "upon them."
- עַל (al) - "upon," "over."
- הֵמָּה (hemá) - "them."
- It signifies the imposition of God's judgment directly onto the false prophets.
Analysis of Word Groups:
"The prophets have prophesied falsehood (שָׁוְא) and have seen (חָזִיוּ) division/destruction": This phrase is pregnant with meaning. The prophets are not receiving true visions from God; instead, they proclaim empty, deceitful messages that will lead to a severance or destruction (פסק) that is brought about by their own actions (קצרים).
"And they cut off/reap destruction (פָּסֶק) upon them with burning (בְּעוּרִים)": This powerfully links their prophetic deception to their own ruin. Their false prophecies are like a fire they kindle, which ultimately consumes them. The futility is highlighted by the "cutting off" or division implied by pések in conjunction with the destructive burning.
Jeremiah 23 13 Bonus Section
The imagery of "reaping division/destruction" (kots'rey pasék) is unique. It suggests that the false prophets' words, instead of sowing seeds of truth and growth, produce only breakage and an end to things. This cutting off is intrinsically linked to "burning" (be'urim), emphasizing the finality and severity of God's judgment, much like a devastating fire consumes everything in its path. This aligns with the New Testament warning against false teachers who cause division and bring swift destruction upon themselves (2 Peter 2:1).
Jeremiah 23 13 Commentary
Jeremiah confronts false prophets who claim divine authority but deliver hollow and destructive messages. They are portrayed as acting with futility, akin to trying to reap something without sowing, or their efforts lead to a final destructive act. God declares His judgment against them, likening their self-inflicted ruin to being consumed by fire. Their prophecies are empty visions (shav') that lead to their own downfall and the division (pések) of their message's impact. They are not sent by God, and their messages do not serve the people, only leading to further judgment. Their actions are akin to sparking a fire that ultimately consumes themselves, signifying a self-destructive path.