Jeremiah 23:38 meaning summary explained with word-by-word analysis enriched with context, commentary and Cross References from KJV, NIV, ESV and NLT.
Jeremiah 23:38 kjv
But since ye say, The burden of the LORD; therefore thus saith the LORD; Because ye say this word, The burden of the LORD, and I have sent unto you, saying, Ye shall not say, The burden of the LORD;
Jeremiah 23:38 nkjv
But since you say, 'The oracle of the LORD!' therefore thus says the LORD: 'Because you say this word, "The oracle of the LORD!" and I have sent to you, saying, "Do not say, 'The oracle of the LORD!' "
Jeremiah 23:38 niv
Although you claim, 'This is a message from the LORD,' this is what the LORD says: You used the words, 'This is a message from the LORD,' even though I told you that you must not claim, 'This is a message from the LORD.'
Jeremiah 23:38 esv
But if you say, 'The burden of the LORD,' thus says the LORD, 'Because you have said these words, "The burden of the LORD," when I sent to you, saying, "You shall not say, 'The burden of the LORD,'"
Jeremiah 23:38 nlt
But suppose they respond, 'This is a prophecy from the LORD!' Then you should say, 'This is what the LORD says: Because you have used this phrase, "prophecy from the LORD," even though I warned you not to use it,
Jeremiah 23 38 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ex 20:7 | "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain..." | Warning against profanity or empty use of God's name. |
| Lev 10:3 | "Among those who are near me I will be sanctified..." | God demands holiness and reverence from His people. |
| Num 15:30-31 | "But the person who does anything defiantly... reviles the LORD..." | Willful defiance against God's word is severely judged. |
| Deut 18:20 | "But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name..." | False prophets or speaking for God without authority is condemned. |
| 1 Sam 15:23 | "For rebellion is as the sin of divination..." | Disobedience is akin to severe spiritual transgressions. |
| 2 Ki 17:13-14 | "The LORD warned Israel... yet they would not listen..." | Refusal to listen to prophetic warnings brings judgment. |
| Ps 50:16-17 | "But to the wicked God says: 'What right have you to recite my statutes... you cast my words behind you.'" | Hypocrisy and disdain for God's law. |
| Prov 1:7 | "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom..." | Lack of reverence leads to despising God's instruction. |
| Isa 5:24 | "Because they have rejected the law of the LORD..." | Rejecting God's teachings brings destruction. |
| Jer 7:23-24 | "Obey my voice, and I will be your God... But they did not obey..." | God seeks obedience, but the people resisted. |
| Jer 23:21 | "I did not send the prophets, yet they ran..." | Condemnation of prophets who act without divine commission. |
| Jer 23:25-27 | "I have heard what the prophets have said... who try to make my people forget my name." | False prophets corrupting God's truth. |
| Jer 23:30-32 | "Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets who steal my words..." | God directly opposes those who falsely claim His words. |
| Jer 23:39-40 | "Therefore, behold, I will surely lift you up... bring everlasting reproach upon you." | Immediate consequence of the sin addressed in v.38. |
| Eze 20:13 | "But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness..." | Rebellious acts against God's commands. |
| Mal 1:6-8 | "A son honors his father... but you despise my name..." | Despising God's name through improper worship and attitude. |
| Matt 15:8-9 | "This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me..." | External profession without genuine internal reverence. |
| Luke 10:16 | "The one who rejects you rejects me..." | Rejecting God's messengers is rejecting God Himself. |
| Heb 4:12-13 | "For the word of God is living and active..." | Emphasizes the power and discernment of God's word. |
| 2 Tim 4:3-4 | "For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching..." | People seeking pleasing messages over truth. |
| 2 Pet 3:3-4 | "Scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing..." | Mockery of divine warnings and promises. |
| Jude 1:8 | "These people also... defy authority and blaspheme the glorious ones." | Contempt for divine authority and sacred things. |
Jeremiah 23 verses
Jeremiah 23 38 meaning
Jeremiah 23:38 sternly declares the Lord's judgment upon those who continue to misuse the phrase "the burden of the LORD." Despite being explicitly commanded by God through His prophet Jeremiah not to utter this specific phrase, the people and false prophets persistently employed it, demonstrating contempt for God's prophetic word and His divine authority. This verse underscores that their defiant act, after receiving a clear prohibition, is a direct offense that warrants divine punishment, highlighting the serious nature of irreverence towards God's revelations.
Jeremiah 23 38 Context
Jeremiah 23 addresses the spiritual decay of Judah, primarily due to ungodly leadership and rampant false prophecy. The chapter opens with a denunciation of negligent shepherds (leaders) and a promise of a future righteous King (Jer 23:1-8). It then intensely focuses on false prophets, contrasting their deceitful dreams and flattering lies with the true, powerful, and challenging word of the Lord (Jer 23:9-32). Verse 33 introduces the problem of the "burden of the LORD" (מַשָּׂא יְהוָה, maśśāʼ YHWH), where the people use this term sarcastically or disrespectfully to mock the weighty oracles, especially those of judgment, that God sends through Jeremiah. God strictly forbids the use of this phrase, making it clear that it's no longer to be used in that context (Jer 23:34-37). Verse 38 explicitly states the reason for imminent judgment: the people's knowing defiance in continuing to use the forbidden phrase, after God had specifically prohibited it. This reflects deep spiritual blindness and contempt for divine instruction in the face of impending Babylonian exile.
Jeremiah 23 38 Word analysis
- But if you say: This opening condition (wĕ’im tō’mrû) highlights a deliberate, ongoing action. The plural "you" encompasses both the false prophets who likely propagated the flippant use and the general populace who adopted it, implying a widespread act of defiance within Judah.
- ‘The burden of the LORD,’: The Hebrew maśśāʼ YHWH (מַשָּׂא יְהוָה) literally means "load" or "oracle." In prophetic literature, maśśāʼ often denotes a weighty, serious pronouncement, frequently one of judgment (e.g., Isa 13:1 "The burden of Babylon"). However, in Jeremiah's day, it had become a derisive, dismissive jest. The people considered God's word, particularly the calls for repentance and warnings of doom, a bothersome, heavy load, a nuisance, rather than sacred revelation. Their flippant use showed a lack of reverence and seriousness towards divine communication.
- then thus says the LORD:: This standard prophetic formula (kōh ’āmar YHWH) unequivocally declares that the subsequent words are a direct, authoritative decree from God Himself. It underscores the absolute truth and inescapable consequence of His judgment.
- ‘Because you said this word, ‘The burden of the LORD,’: This repetition (ya‘an ’ăšer ’ămartem ’et haddāḇār hazzeh maśśāʼ YHWH) emphasizes the precise transgression. The specific "word" they uttered is pinpointed as the source of offense. It is not just the general spirit of scoffing but the defiant act of speaking the forbidden phrase. God specifies their word choice as the act leading to consequence.
- and I have sent to you, saying, ‘You shall not say, ‘The burden of the LORD,’ This crucial clause reveals the heightened culpability. It explicitly states that God had already issued a direct prohibition (lō’ tō’mĕrû maśśāʼ YHWH) against using this phrase. Therefore, their continued utterance was not merely irreverence but deliberate, direct disobedience to a revealed divine command, a flagrant rejection of His authority. The sending of the command through Jeremiah authenticates the divine instruction.
Jeremiah 23 38 Bonus section
The concept of a "burden" (מַשָּׂא - maśśāʼ) often implies a heavy weight, something one must bear or carry. While this literal sense informed the use of the term for a "prophetic oracle" – indicating a weighty, significant message delivered by the prophet – the people had twisted it. For them, it was not the burden of the LORD (God's heavy word through them), but rather God Himself as a burden (His commands, His presence, His truth, His prophet's messages, were an annoyance they wanted to be rid of). This inversion reveals a deep spiritual malaise: rather than carrying God's word reverently, they felt burdened by God's word. This shift highlights a common human tendency to perceive truth that demands repentance or change as oppressive, rather than liberating. Jeremiah 23:38 shows God drawing a firm boundary, indicating that there is a line beyond which deliberate mockery and disdain for His self-revealed will lead to inevitable and severe consequences. It reinforces that divine communication is sacred, never to be trifled with, and commands obedience and profound respect.
Jeremiah 23 38 Commentary
Jeremiah 23:38 serves as a chilling indictment of those who disregard divine instructions. The core offense lies in the defiant and mocking misuse of the sacred term "the burden of the LORD" (מַשָּׂא יְהוָה) after God had explicitly forbidden it. What began as an expression for a weighty, often foreboding, prophetic message from God, devolved into a cynical jest, trivializing God's solemn communication. The verse emphasizes that such conscious disobedience and irreverence, particularly in rejecting a direct divine command concerning the respect due to His word, evokes His wrath. It demonstrates how superficial religion, where divine truth is seen as a burdensome inconvenience, hardens the heart and incurs judgment, separating true reverence from empty religious talk. For instance, comparing the flippant attitude in Judah to scoffing at a judge's solemn decree in a courtroom: it demonstrates contempt not just for the words, but for the authority behind them. Similarly, trivializing a parent's clear command teaches a child disregard for authority.