Jeremiah 23:21 kjv
I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.
Jeremiah 23:21 nkjv
"I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran. I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.
Jeremiah 23:21 niv
I did not send these prophets, yet they have run with their message; I did not speak to them, yet they have prophesied.
Jeremiah 23:21 esv
"I did not send the prophets, yet they ran; I did not speak to them, yet they prophesied.
Jeremiah 23:21 nlt
"I have not sent these prophets,
yet they run around claiming to speak for me.
I have given them no message,
yet they go on prophesying.
Jeremiah 23 21 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Jeremiah 23:21 | The prophets did not run when God sent them, nor did they speak from His words. | Context of unfaithfulness |
| Jeremiah 23:16 | Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you. | Warning against false prophecy |
| Jeremiah 14:14 | I did not send these prophets, yet they have run. | Lack of divine commission |
| Ezekiel 13:6 | They have seen false visions and lying divinations. | The nature of false prophecy |
| Deuteronomy 18:20 | The prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded... | Consequence of speaking without divine authority |
| 1 Kings 22:28 | Do not let Micaiah prophesy to you. | Opposition to true prophecy |
| 2 Corinthians 2:17 | We are not peddlers of God’s word for profit. | Integrity of prophetic ministry |
| Galatians 1:8 | If we or an angel from heaven should preach to you anything contrary to what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. | Adherence to the true gospel |
| 1 Peter 4:11 | Whoever speaks, as one speaks from the utterances of God. | Speaking God's words |
| Romans 10:14 | How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher? | The necessity of sent messengers |
| Jeremiah 6:14 | "Peace, peace," when there is no peace. | False promises of security |
| Jeremiah 8:11 | They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying, "Peace, peace," when there is no peace. | Superficial healing and reassurance |
| Hosea 4:6 | My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. | Consequence of unfaithful leadership/prophecy |
| Isaiah 58:1 | Cry aloud; do not hold back; lift up your voice like a trumpet. | Call to uncompromised proclamation |
| Acts 4:19 | But Peter and John said to them, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge." | Prioritizing God's command over human authority |
| Matthew 24:11 | Many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. | Prophecy of false prophets |
| 2 Timothy 4:3 | For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching... | Future rejection of true doctrine |
| Revelation 18:23 | by your sorcery all the nations were led astray. | Deceptive practices |
| John 12:49 | For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak. | Jesus' obedience to the Father's command |
| Acts 5:29 | We must obey God rather than men. | Prioritizing God's will |
| Amos 7:15 | Go, prophesy to my people Israel. | Divine commissioning of true prophets |
| Acts 13:2 | While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." | Holy Spirit's direction in ministry |
Jeremiah 23 verses
Jeremiah 23 21 Meaning
Jeremiah 23:21 states that the prophets did not run when God sent them, nor did they speak to the people from His words. Instead, they prophesied falsehoods from their own imaginations. This verse highlights the profound disconnect between these unfaithful prophets and the authentic prophetic calling. It points to a lack of urgency, a failure in obedience, and a corruption of divine communication, substituting divine truth with human invention.
Jeremiah 23 21 Context
Jeremiah 23:21 is situated within a broader indictment of the false prophets who ministered to Judah during Jeremiah's time. The surrounding verses in chapter 23 continue to condemn their deceitful practices, their selfish motivations, and their failure to address the spiritual sickness of the nation. The people of Judah were facing imminent judgment due to their sins, yet these false prophets offered misleading messages of peace and prosperity, preventing them from repenting and turning back to God. Jeremiah's prophecy is set against the backdrop of impending Babylonian exile, a consequence of persistent disobedience that the false prophets had effectively obscured.
Jeremiah 23 21 Word Analysis
“The prophets” (הַנְּבִיאִים – hannebi’îm): This plural form indicates the prevalence of false prophets. It refers to individuals who claimed to speak for God, but their messages were tainted by self-interest and deceit.
“did not run” (לֹא־רָצוּ – lō’-rāṣû): The Hebrew root רָצָה (rāṣâ) means to run, to flee, or to be eager. In this context, it signifies a lack of readiness or a refusal to move with divine urgency. True prophets were commissioned and impelled by God to deliver His messages swiftly, often to a reluctant audience. These false prophets, however, lacked this divine compulsion.
“when God sent them” (בְּשַׁלְּחִי־אֹתָם – bəšaləḥî-’ōtām): This phrase emphasizes that God initiated the prophetic calling and commission. The failure here is a disobedience to God's sending, a lack of active participation in the divine mandate.
“nor did they speak from His words” (וְלֹא־דִבְּרוּ מִדְּבָרָיו – wəlō’-dibbərû middəbārāw): This is a core accusation. The prophetic office inherently involved relaying God’s exact message. “From His words” (מִדְּבָרָיו – middəbārāw) implies speaking His communicated will and truth, not what they derived from their own thoughts or desires.
“they prophesied falsehoods” (נִבְּאוּ־שֶׁקֶר – nibbě’û-šeqer): “Falsehoods” (שֶׁקֶר – šeqer) signifies lies, deception, and vanity. Their prophecies were not divinely inspired but were products of deceit and illusion.
“from their own imaginations” (מִלִּבָּם – millibbām): The heart (לֵב – lēḇ) in Hebrew thought is the seat of intellect, will, and emotion. This points to their prophecies originating from their internal biases, desires, and unrighteous plans, rather than from God’s revealed truth.
Words-group analysis:
- “did not run…nor did they speak”: This pair highlights a dual failure: a lack of energetic, divinely-prompted action and a corruption of the content of their message. It shows a passive complicity in the people’s error and an active propagation of lies.
- “from His words” vs. “from their own imaginations”: This establishes a direct contrast between true prophecy, which is rooted in divine revelation, and false prophecy, which stems from human depravity and creativity. It underscores the integrity and divine source of genuine prophetic speech.
Jeremiah 23 21 Bonus Section
The concept of “running” also speaks to the readiness and zeal expected of God’s messengers. This lack of eagerness implies a disinterest or reluctance to engage with the divine task, contrasting sharply with figures like Elijah who fervently confronted Ahab or Moses who passionately interceded for Israel. The danger highlighted here is not just uttering falsehoods, but the subtle danger of presenting one's own thoughts or popular opinions as divine pronouncements, a temptation that has plagued ministries across eras. The ultimate consequence for the people was continued delusion and increased judgment, as the opportunity for repentance was deliberately obscured by these unfaithful voices.
Jeremiah 23 21 Commentary
The prophets condemned in Jeremiah 23:21 are stark examples of ministry divorced from divine authority and urgency. They failed in the two fundamental aspects of prophecy: obedient execution and accurate transmission of God's message. Instead of being swift messengers, they were passive participants in the nation’s spiritual decline. Moreover, they actively corrupted God’s message, substituting truth with comforting lies fabricated from their own desires. This unfaithfulness served to mislead the people, offering false hope and preventing genuine repentance. Their prophecies were not grounded in God's decrees but in the deceitful workings of their own minds and hearts, a direct opposition to the prophetic mandate as demonstrated by true prophets throughout Scripture.