Jeremiah 23 35

Jeremiah 23:35 kjv

Thus shall ye say every one to his neighbour, and every one to his brother, What hath the LORD answered? and, What hath the LORD spoken?

Jeremiah 23:35 nkjv

Thus every one of you shall say to his neighbor, and every one to his brother, 'What has the LORD answered?' and, 'What has the LORD spoken?'

Jeremiah 23:35 niv

This is what each of you keeps saying to your friends and other Israelites: 'What is the LORD's answer?' or 'What has the LORD spoken?'

Jeremiah 23:35 esv

Thus shall you say, every one to his neighbor and every one to his brother, 'What has the LORD answered?' or 'What has the LORD spoken?'

Jeremiah 23:35 nlt

You should keep asking each other, 'What is the LORD's answer?' or 'What is the LORD saying?'

Jeremiah 23 35 Cross References

VerseTextReference
Jeremiah 23:35"But that is not what you must say. You may ask, 'What does the LORD say?' or 'How can I answer?'"Direct contrast to their pronouncements
Jeremiah 23:30"Therefore I am against these prophets,' declares the LORD, 'who steal from one another words they have heard."God's judgment against false prophets
Jeremiah 23:32"The LORD detests false prophets who are leading my people astray with their myths and their empty speech."God's abhorrence of misleading prophecies
Deuteronomy 18:20"'But if a prophet falsely claims to speak for me or speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet must die.'"Old Testament penalty for false prophecy
Deuteronomy 18:22"You may say to yourself, 'How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the LORD?'"Question about discerning true prophecy
Ezekiel 13:3"This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Woe to the foolish prophets who are following their own spirit and have seen nothing!"Warning against prophets following their own spirit
Ezekiel 13:6"You have seen false visions and made false prophecies. You say, 'The LORD declares,' when the LORD has not sent them; yet you expect your words to be confirmed."Accusation of claiming God's message falsely
1 Kings 22:13"The messenger who had gone to call Micaiah now said to him, 'Look, the prophets are all agreeing that the king should march out. Their predictions are all favorable. Let your word be like theirs and speak favorably.'"Pressure on prophets to agree with authority
Acts 20:30"Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them."False teachers arising within the church
2 Peter 2:1"But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you."Prophecy of future false teachers
2 Peter 2:3"In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been delayed."Exploitation and fabricated stories
1 John 4:1"Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world."Exhortation to test spirits
Matthew 7:15"Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves."Warning against deceptive prophets
Galatians 1:8"But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God's curse!"Condemnation of altered gospel
Jeremiah 14:14"Then the LORD said to me, 'The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them, commanded them, nor spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions, misleading delusions, and the idolatry of their own minds.'"Similar accusation against prophets
Romans 2:21"You, then, who teach others, do not teach yourself. Do not steal and yet commit adultery."Hypocrisy of teachers
2 Timothy 3:13"But evil people and impostors will become worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived."Deception and being deceived
John 8:44"You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies."The devil as the father of lies
Revelation 18:23"the light of a lamp will never again shine in you, and the voice of bridegroom and bride will never again be heard in you. For your merchants were the great ones of the earth, because all nations were deceived by your sorcery."Deception leading to judgment
Leviticus 20:27"‘A man or an even a woman who is a medium or a spiritist shall surely be put to death; they shall be stoned with stones; their blood shall be upon them.'"Judgment for illicit spiritual communication
1 Samuel 15:23"For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has also rejected you as king.”"Rejection of God's word akin to sorcery

Jeremiah 23 verses

12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031323334353637383940

Jeremiah 23 35 Meaning

This verse declares that God will hold people accountable for their prophetic utterances, specifically for lying in His name. It highlights God's discernment and His judgment against deception, especially when it is claimed to be divinely inspired. The core message is about the severe consequences of falsely claiming God's authority for one's words.

Jeremiah 23 35 Context

Jeremiah 23 is situated within Jeremiah's ministry, a period of severe judgment facing Judah due to its widespread apostasy and disobedience to God's covenant. The chapter directly confronts the false prophets who were offering comfort and prosperity to a people heading toward destruction. These prophets proclaimed messages of peace and security, directly contradicting God's word delivered through Jeremiah, who was foretelling imminent Babylonian exile as divine judgment. They were seen as misleading the populace and the king, thus exacerbating the nation's spiritual and political peril. Verse 35 follows God's indictment of these prophets for stealing messages from one another and their own imaginations, attributing them to God. It provides the direct consequence and divine standard for authentic prophecy.

Jeremiah 23 35 Word Analysis

  • "But": Introduces a strong contrast to what has been implied or previously stated.
  • "what": Refers to the message, the content of what is being spoken.
  • "ye": The plural "you," indicating the addressed prophets.
  • "should": Indicates obligation or a proper course of action.
  • "speak": The act of vocal utterance, prophecy.
  • "a vision": A divine revelation, often imagery or a message from God. The false prophets claim to have visions.
  • "which": Relative pronoun, connecting the vision to its description.
  • "they": Refers to the prophets who have these visions.
  • "have": Possession, indicating ownership of the vision.
  • "seen": Perceived with the eyes or understood through revelation.
  • "they": Again, the false prophets.
  • "lie": Speak falsely, deceive.
  • "in": Within the realm or in the context of.
  • "my": God's.
  • "name": The authority and identity of God. To lie in God's name means to claim His authority for false words.
  • "saying": Uttering, speaking.
  • "Thus": In this manner, so. Indicates the specific way a message is delivered.
  • "saith": Says (archaic form).
  • "the": Definite article.
  • "LORD": Yahweh, the covenant name of God, emphasizing His personal relationship and authority.
  • "what": Query word, posing a question.
  • "doth": Does (archaic).
  • "the": Definite article.
  • "LORD": Yahweh.
  • "say": Speak.
  • "or": Alternative conjunction.
  • "how": Manner or way.
  • "can": Ability or possibility.
  • "I": The speaker, referring to the person being addressed or asked.
  • "answer": Respond to a question or situation.

Group Analysis:

  • "But what ye should speak": This is a divine directive from God. He is commanding the false prophets what they ought to be proclaiming instead of their own deceptive messages.
  • "a vision which they have seen": This phrase describes the false prophetic claims, highlighting that their "visions" are not divine but human constructs.
  • "they lie in my name": This is a crucial accusation, pointing to the act of blasphemy where God's name is invoked to lend credibility to falsehood.
  • "Thus saith the LORD": This is the prophetic formula, always signifying genuine divine speech. By demanding they use this authentically, God contrasts their practice with truth.
  • "What doth the LORD say?": This represents the correct way for prophets or anyone interacting with prophetic claims to seek divine truth. It is a question for confirmation from God's true source.
  • "How can I answer?": This phrase, in its original context as posed by the prophet in Jeremiah 23:36, suggests confusion or helplessness regarding what to say. However, in the context of verse 35, God is perhaps setting up a scenario where the false prophets should be seeking this kind of answer from Him, rather than fabricating their own. Or, it could imply that their own perceived inability to answer genuinely exposes their deception.

Jeremiah 23 35 Bonus Section

The historical context of the 7th-century BC in Judah, as well as during the exile, saw an increase in both genuine prophetic voices and outright charlatans. The people of Judah were looking for reassurances of impending doom not happening, or even signs of national victory. The false prophets provided this emotional and psychological comfort, making their messages popular, even though they contradicted the sober warnings of prophets like Jeremiah and Ezekiel. This created a severe dissonance that God addresses. The phrase "lie in my name" is deeply significant, touching upon the gravest of sins – taking the Creator's name in vain, not just casually, but to validate untruths. This underscores that true prophecy is not about popular opinion or fulfilling personal desires, but about faithfully conveying God's revealed will, even when it is difficult or unpopular.

Jeremiah 23 35 Commentary

Verse 35 acts as a divine retort and a correctional instruction to the false prophets. It reveals God's standard for truth and attribution. When prophets claimed divine insight, they were responsible for the accuracy and source of their words. They were "seeing visions" that were, in reality, "lies" fabricated in God's name. God asserts that such deception is unacceptable and will not go unnoticed or unpunished. The verse shifts from condemning their falsehood to directing them on how they should operate: by asking what the Lord truly says, or admitting their lack of divine authority if they cannot ascertain it. This points to a prophetic office rooted in obedience, dependence on God, and integrity, rather than self-aggrandizement or political expediency. The principle extends to all who claim to speak for God: accountability for the truthfulness and divine origin of their message is paramount.