Jeremiah 23 14

Jeremiah 23:14 kjv

I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies: they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness; they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah.

Jeremiah 23:14 nkjv

Also I have seen a horrible thing in the prophets of Jerusalem: They commit adultery and walk in lies; They also strengthen the hands of evildoers, So that no one turns back from his wickedness. All of them are like Sodom to Me, And her inhabitants like Gomorrah.

Jeremiah 23:14 niv

And among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen something horrible: They commit adultery and live a lie. They strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that not one of them turns from their wickedness. They are all like Sodom to me; the people of Jerusalem are like Gomorrah."

Jeremiah 23:14 esv

But in the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible thing: they commit adultery and walk in lies; they strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that no one turns from his evil; all of them have become like Sodom to me, and its inhabitants like Gomorrah."

Jeremiah 23:14 nlt

But now I see that the prophets of Jerusalem are even worse!
They commit adultery and love dishonesty.
They encourage those who are doing evil
so that no one turns away from their sins.
These prophets are as wicked
as the people of Sodom and Gomorrah once were."

Jeremiah 23 verses

Jeremiah 23 14 meaning

The Lord unequivocally states His direct observation of the horrific conduct displayed by the prophets in Jerusalem. These spiritual leaders, rather than guiding the people, engage in both moral and spiritual adultery and consistently practice deceit, primarily through false prophecies. Their corrupt actions have a destructive consequence: they bolster evildoers and obstruct individuals from turning away from their wicked ways. Because of this profound depravity, the Lord declares them to be entirely like the utterly corrupt and morally reprobate cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Jeremiah 23 14 Context

Jeremiah chapter 23 is a profound denunciation of the false prophets prevalent in Judah during Jeremiah's ministry, specifically those residing in Jerusalem. This period in Judah's history was characterized by a severe spiritual decline, widespread idolatry, and social injustice, all occurring under the looming threat of Babylonian invasion. Jeremiah, as God's true prophet, repeatedly called for national repentance and warned of impending judgment and exile. In stark contrast, the false prophets offered messages of peace, security, and prosperity, directly contradicting God's revealed will. Verse 14 specifically zeroes in on the capital city, Jerusalem, exposing the deep moral corruption and spiritual malfeasance of these religious leaders, who were meant to be examples of righteousness and upholders of God's truth. Their actions not only mirrored the nation's apostasy but actively fostered it, proving to be a major stumbling block to any potential repentance.

Jeremiah 23 14 Word analysis

• I have seen also: This declaration signifies God's personal and direct observation. It emphasizes that the condemnation is based on undeniable, firsthand divine knowledge, not hearsay. God's omniscience leaves no room for doubt about the prophets' culpability.
• in the prophets: The accusation specifically targets the individuals holding the sacred office of prophecy, highlighting the severity of the corruption within spiritual leadership. They were supposed to speak for God, yet acted against Him.
• of Jerusalem: Pinpoints the epicenter of the problem—the very heart of the nation's religious and political life. The capital city, meant to be a beacon, was profoundly corrupted.
• an horrible thing: (Hebrew: שַׁעֲרֻרִיָּה, shaʿarūrîyāh) This powerful term denotes something appalling, disgusting, shocking, or repulsive. It's an egregious abomination that evokes a shudder. It suggests a sin so extreme it causes profound moral revulsion.
• they commit adultery: (Hebrew: נֹאָפִים, nōʾafîm) This implies both literal sexual immorality, which defiles the individual and office, and, critically, spiritual adultery. Spiritual adultery denotes unfaithfulness to God through idolatry or devotion to worldly ways, breaking the covenant relationship, much like a marriage vow.
• and walk in lies: (Hebrew: וְהָלְכוּ בַשֶּׁקֶר, vəhāləkhû vaššeqer) "Walk" implies a consistent lifestyle and established practice. Šeqer refers to falsehood, deceit, and emptiness. This is primarily directed at their false prophecies—claiming divine revelation that did not originate from God, but from their own imaginations, leading the people astray.
• they strengthen also the hands of evildoers: Instead of using their influence to call sinners to repentance and justice, these prophets actively emboldened them. They effectively removed any incentive for the wicked to change their ways, making them more secure in their sin.
• that none doth return from his wickedness: This describes the direct, tragic consequence of the false prophets' influence. Their messages and lifestyles nullified any conviction for sin, preventing individuals from turning back to God. They undermined the core purpose of true prophetic ministry, which is to call to repentance.
• they are all of them unto me as Sodom: This is the ultimate, most severe biblical comparison for moral depravity. Sodom was annihilated due to its extreme wickedness and sexual perversion. To compare God's chosen leaders to Sodom means their sin was utterly pervasive and heinous in God's sight.
• and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah: This phrase reiterates and intensifies the comparison to Sodom, collectively invoking both cities that were utterly destroyed as divine judgment. It emphasizes the complete and irredeemable nature of their corruption.

Word-groups analysis

• "I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing": This segment immediately sets a severe tone. God's direct observation ('I have seen') underscores the certainty of their guilt. The "horrible thing" found within the respected "prophets of Jerusalem" implies an unimaginable level of corruption where sanctity should be.
• "they commit adultery, and walk in lies": This identifies the dual nature of their sin: internal moral decay (adultery, spiritual and/or physical) and external deceptive practices (false prophecy and an unprincipled lifestyle). Both fundamentally betray God's covenant and truth.
• "they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness": This phrase details the devastating societal and spiritual impact of the prophets' corruption. They actively facilitated sin, hindering the very repentance that was crucial for the nation's survival and God's reconciliation.
• "they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah": This climatic pronouncement serves as an absolute judgment. The comparison signifies extreme, pervasive depravity, implying that their wickedness mirrored that which invited God's catastrophic judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah, leaving them deserving of a similar fate.

Jeremiah 23 14 Bonus section

The choice of comparing the prophets of Jerusalem to Sodom and Gomorrah is extraordinarily significant. These cities served as ultimate biblical archetypes of irreversible human depravity and subsequent cataclysmic divine wrath, generally reserved for the most gentile and wicked societies. For God to use this parallel for His own covenant people, and specifically their religious leaders, reveals the profound extent of their apostasy. It implies their sin was not merely equivalent to gentile wickedness, but arguably worse, given their covenant relationship, divine knowledge, and spiritual authority, making their betrayal even more egregious. This illustrates that possessing sacred knowledge and office heightens accountability before God, not diminishes it. Their active strengthening of evildoers suggests not a passive failure but a proactive detrimental influence, where spiritual leadership became an agency for societal decline rather than redemption.

Jeremiah 23 14 Commentary

Jeremiah 23:14 delivers a crushing divine indictment against the false prophets of Jerusalem. God, seeing their profound corruption directly, condemns them for personal moral decay (adultery, both literal and spiritual infidelity) and theological falsehood (walking in lies through deceitful prophecies). Their spiritual leadership was antithetical to God's will; instead of prompting repentance, they actively encouraged and sustained evildoing, preventing people from turning to God. This grave sin of misleading the elect and promoting unrighteousness brought forth God's ultimate comparison: these prophets were as utterly wicked as Sodom and Gomorrah, deserving of similarly severe judgment. The verse reveals God's intolerance for hypocrisy in sacred office and the catastrophic spiritual damage caused by leaders who corrupt both morals and truth.