Jeremiah 23:23 meaning summary explained with word-by-word analysis enriched with context, commentary and Cross References from KJV, NIV, ESV and NLT.
Jeremiah 23:23 kjv
Am I a God at hand, saith the LORD, and not a God afar off?
Jeremiah 23:23 nkjv
"Am I a God near at hand," says the LORD, "And not a God afar off?
Jeremiah 23:23 niv
"Am I only a God nearby," declares the LORD, "and not a God far away?
Jeremiah 23:23 esv
"Am I a God at hand, declares the LORD, and not a God far away?
Jeremiah 23:23 nlt
Am I a God who is only close at hand?" says the LORD.
"No, I am far away at the same time.
Jeremiah 23 23 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ps 139:7-10 | Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?... If I take the wings of the morning... | God's inescapable omnipresence. |
| Jer 23:24 | "Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him?" declares the Lord. "Do I not fill heaven and earth?" | Direct continuation and expansion of His omnipresence. |
| Prov 15:3 | The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good. | God's all-seeing awareness of human actions. |
| Heb 4:13 | And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. | Nothing is hidden from God's full scrutiny. |
| Amos 9:2-3 | "If they dig into Sheol, from there shall my hand take them; if they climb up to heaven, from there I will bring them down..." | No place can conceal one from God's grasp. |
| Acts 17:27-28 | Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, for 'In him we live and move and have our being.' | God's universal immanence and closeness to humanity. |
| Deut 4:7 | For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the Lord our God is to us, whenever we call upon him? | God's unique nearness to Israel. |
| Zep 1:12 | At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and I will punish the men who are complacent... | God actively seeks out and punishes complacency/sin. |
| Job 22:12-14 | "Is not God in the height of heaven? ...'What does God know? Can he judge through the thick darkness?'" | Rebukes the false belief in God's distance and ignorance. |
| Isa 41:10 | Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you... | God's comforting and empowering presence. |
| Ps 34:18 | The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. | God's comforting proximity to the suffering. |
| Matt 28:20 | ...And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. | Christ's promise of perpetual presence with His disciples. |
| James 4:8 | Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. | Mutual drawing near, encouraging proximity to God. |
| 2 Chr 16:9 | For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him. | God's active observation and support. |
| Jer 16:17 | For my eyes are on all their ways. They are not hidden from me... | God's all-seeing judgment on their evil ways. |
| Psa 73:11 | And they say, "How does God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High?" | The wicked's challenge to God's omniscience. |
| Mal 3:13 | "Your words have been hard against me," says the Lord. "But you say, 'How have we spoken against you?'" | People speaking ill, thinking God isn't hearing or present. |
| Isa 55:6 | "Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near..." | Implies a period of His approachable proximity. |
| Psa 46:1 | God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. | God's immediate availability in distress. |
| Ez 8:12 | ...They say, 'The Lord does not see us, the Lord has forsaken the land.' | Idolatrous belief that God is distant/unaware. |
| 1 Kgs 8:27 | "But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built!" | Highlights God's transcendence, but also sets the stage for His immanent dwelling. |
| Eph 2:13 | But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. | Through Christ, alienated people are brought into God's presence. |
Jeremiah 23 verses
Jeremiah 23 23 meaning
Jeremiah 23:23 is a rhetorical question posed by God, challenging the assumption that He is a distant, unobservant deity. It declares His intimate presence and complete awareness, asserting that He is actively involved and nearby, seeing and knowing all things, rather than being remote or detached from the affairs of humanity. This verse directly refutes the belief that one can hide their deeds or thoughts from God's scrutiny.
Jeremiah 23 23 Context
Jeremiah 23 opens with a declaration against corrupt leaders (shepherds) of Israel, followed by promises of a righteous Branch (the Messiah). The chapter then shifts focus to the false prophets who are misleading the people with their own dreams, lies, and comfortable messages, claiming to speak for God while He had not sent them. These false prophets created a sense of security and a moral laxity by downplaying the consequences of sin, essentially implying that God was distant or uninterested in their true spiritual state. Jeremiah 23:23 is God's direct refutation of this complacency, emphasizing His inescapable omnipresence and omniscience. It sets the stage for God's judgment against the false prophets who propagate lies, suggesting that God doesn't see or doesn't care. Historically, Judah was facing imminent Babylonian exile, a judgment largely due to the widespread corruption and false worship which these prophets facilitated by diminishing the reality of God's active presence and moral demands.
Jeremiah 23 23 Word analysis
- Am I a God (הֲאֱלֹהִים - ha'Elohim): The prefixed 'Ha-' (הֲ) transforms "God" (אֱלֹהִים, Elohim) into a strong rhetorical question, expecting a clear "Yes" or "No" response. It’s an emphatic statement affirming His unique divine nature, not just a deity, but THE God.
- at hand (מִקָּרֹב - miqqarōḇ): Literally "from near." This signifies God's immanent presence, accessibility, and active involvement. It implies closeness in terms of both physical proximity (He is here) and awareness/engagement (He is intimately observant and responsive). It counters any thought of His indifference or detachment.
- declares the Lord (נְאֻם יְהוָה - ne’um YHWH): This is a standard prophetic formula, lending absolute divine authority to the statement. Ne’um (declaration/utterance) underscores that these are the direct words of Yahweh (יְהוָה, YHWH), the covenant God of Israel, affirming the reliability and certainty of His pronouncement.
- and not a God far off? (וְלֹא מֵרָחֹק - wə lō’ mērāḥōq): This phrase emphatically negates the opposite notion. Wə lō’ means "and not," directly rejecting the idea. Mērāḥōq means "from a distance" or "remotely." It suggests inaccessibility, unawareness, and disengagement. God explicitly denies being distant or detached, which would allow evil to go unnoticed or unpunished.
- Am I a God at hand, ... and not a God far off?: This pairing of contrasts emphasizes God's immediate presence. It’s a polemic against the worldview, implicit or explicit, that God is too high, too busy, or too removed to be concerned with or fully aware of human actions, especially sinful ones committed in secret or without overt societal consequence. It asserts God's immanence, directly challenging the false security of the wicked. This is a foundational theological truth: God is both transcendent (beyond us) and immanent (within/near us).
Jeremiah 23 23 Bonus section
The rhetorical structure of Jeremiah 23:23 is typical of Hebrew thought, using a negative parallel ("and not a God far off?") to strengthen the initial positive affirmation ("Am I a God at hand?"). This not only conveys an answer but also emphatically corrects a prevailing misunderstanding. The contrast highlights the error of a self-serving spirituality that wants a God who is close enough to bless but too far to judge, a common human temptation. This verse is fundamental to understanding God's active role in both human history and individual lives, challenging all forms of deism and apathy towards divine commandments.
Jeremiah 23 23 Commentary
Jeremiah 23:23 powerfully declares God's omnipresence and complete awareness, dispelling the delusion that He is a distant, uninterested, or oblivious deity. This statement, embedded within a larger denouncement of false prophets and the resulting moral corruption in Judah, serves as a divine warning: no thought, word, or deed is hidden from Him. Those who indulged in sin or false prophecy under the assumption of God's absence were gravely mistaken; He is "at hand," intimately observing, fully engaged, and ready to act according to His justice and truth. This verse assures the faithful of His nearness in their trials and reminds the wicked of the inescapable reality of His righteous judgment. His immanence means prayer is always heard, and accountability is inevitable.