Jeremiah 26 9

Jeremiah 26:9 kjv

Why hast thou prophesied in the name of the LORD, saying, This house shall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be desolate without an inhabitant? And all the people were gathered against Jeremiah in the house of the LORD.

Jeremiah 26:9 nkjv

Why have you prophesied in the name of the LORD, saying, 'This house shall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be desolate, without an inhabitant'?" And all the people were gathered against Jeremiah in the house of the LORD.

Jeremiah 26:9 niv

Why do you prophesy in the LORD's name that this house will be like Shiloh and this city will be desolate and deserted?" And all the people crowded around Jeremiah in the house of the LORD.

Jeremiah 26:9 esv

Why have you prophesied in the name of the LORD, saying, 'This house shall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be desolate, without inhabitant'?" And all the people gathered around Jeremiah in the house of the LORD.

Jeremiah 26:9 nlt

"What right do you have to prophesy in the LORD's name that this Temple will be destroyed like Shiloh? What do you mean, saying that Jerusalem will be destroyed and left with no inhabitants?" And all the people threatened him as he stood in front of the Temple.

Jeremiah 26 9 Cross References

VerseTextReference
Jeremiah 7:26"Yet they did not listen or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck..."Listening to prophets
Jeremiah 18:11"Now therefore, speak to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying..."Message of repentance
Jeremiah 20:1"When Pashhur the priest... heard Jeremiah prophesying these things,"Priest's opposition
Jeremiah 26:2"Thus says the LORD: Stand in the court of the LORD’s house, and speak to all the cities of Judah..."Prophetic commission
Jeremiah 26:8"When Jeremiah finished speaking all that the LORD had commanded him to speak to all the people, the priests and the prophets and all the people seized him, saying, “You must die!"Accusation of death
Jeremiah 36:20"But when they came to the king in the room of the scribe... all the officials were sitting there."Facing opposition
Isaiah 5:20"Woe to those who call evil good and good evil,"Perversion of truth
Isaiah 30:10"who say to the seers, 'Do not see,' and to the prophets, 'Do not prophesy to us what is right...'"Rejection of prophecy
Ezekiel 3:18"If I say to the wicked, ‘You will surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to give him life, that wicked person shall die in his iniquity..."Responsibility of prophet
Matthew 23:37"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her!"Rejection of messengers
Luke 11:47"Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets whom your fathers killed."Building tombs of prophets
Acts 7:52"Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They even killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One..."Persecution of prophets
Romans 11:3"Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have dug down your altars, and I am left alone, and they seek my life.”God's faithfulness
1 Samuel 16:7"But the LORD said to Samuel, 'Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him...'"God sees the heart
Proverbs 16:18"Pride goes before destruction, and an early arrogant spirit before a fall."Pride and destruction
Jeremiah 7:23"But this command I gave them, ‘Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people..."Obedience to God
Deuteronomy 28:20"The LORD will strike you with wasting disease, with fever, and with inflammation..."Consequences of disobedience
Jeremiah 29:32"and to the lying prophets I will bring no end. From him who did not perform his duty as priest, and who with the prophets taught falsehoods, there will be no descendants of his family..."False prophets
1 Kings 18:40"And Elijah said to them, 'Seize the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape.'"Execution of false prophets
2 Timothy 4:3"For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions..."Enduring false teaching
John 15:20"Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you."Persecution of disciples
Acts 5:40"and when they had called the apostles and flogged them, they commanded them not to speak in the name of Jesus at all, and then released them."Persecution of apostles

Jeremiah 26 verses

Jeremiah 26 9 Meaning

The people of Jerusalem, stirred up by the priests and prophets, sought to put Jeremiah to death. They considered his prophecy of destruction upon the city, as a consequence of its wickedness, to be treasonous. They believed his message would weaken the city's defenses and incite the enemy.

Jeremiah 26 9 Context

Jeremiah 26 records a pivotal moment where the prophet Jeremiah is brought to trial for his prophetic pronouncements. The chapter begins with Jeremiah delivering God's message of impending doom upon Jerusalem due to its persistent sin and idolatry, particularly emphasizing that the Temple itself would be destroyed if they did not repent. This sermon is delivered publicly in the court of the Lord’s house, reaching a wide audience. The immediate reaction, as detailed in this verse, is the violent opposition from the established religious authorities – the priests and the prophets – along with the general populace. They misinterpret Jeremiah’s words not as a divine warning intended for repentance, but as an act of sedition aimed at demoralizing the city during a time of political and military tension. This highlights the deep-seated resistance to God’s word by those in power and the popular misconception of God's justice. This passage fits within Jeremiah’s broader ministry, which was characterized by constant opposition and persecution from his own people and leadership.

Jeremiah 26 9 Word Analysis

  • "and" (וְ): Conjunction connecting the actions of seizing Jeremiah and the immediate accusation.
  • "the priests" (הַכֹּהֲנִים): The priestly class, responsible for temple worship and religious instruction. Their opposition signifies a betrayal of their spiritual role.
  • "and" (וְ): Conjunction.
  • "the prophets" (הַנְּבִיאִים): Religious leaders claiming divine inspiration, many of whom were false prophets offering comforting lies instead of the truth. Their alignment with the priests reveals a united front against true prophecy.
  • "and" (וְ): Conjunction.
  • "all the people" (כָּל־הָעָם): The general population, swayed by the leadership’s agenda and likely fear.
  • "seized" (וַיֹּאחֵזוּ): A strong verb indicating a forceful apprehension, like grasping or laying hold of.
  • "him" (אֹתוֹ): Pronoun referring to Jeremiah.
  • "saying" (לֵאמֹר): Introducing their accusation.
  • "You shall surely die" (מוֹת תָּמוּת): A direct and forceful declaration of their intent and verdict. This Hebrew idiom (a finite verb followed by a gerund) emphasizes certainty and totality of the judgment they wished to pronounce. It’s a capital offense in their eyes.

Words Group Analysis:

  • "the priests and the prophets": This powerful alliance of religious authorities shows a corrupted spiritual leadership that had become aligned against God’s true messenger, preferring comforting falsehoods over God’s challenging truth. They were the ones who should have been interpreting and applying God’s law, but instead, they distorted it to condemn the prophet.
  • "all the people seized him": This phrase highlights the collective action against Jeremiah. The condemnation was not limited to the leaders but embraced by the broader populace, indicating widespread rejection of God’s word and judgment on the nation.
  • "You shall surely die": This declaration is the ultimate accusation of blasphemy and sedition from their perspective. They believed Jeremiah’s prophecy was not just wrong, but a direct attack on their covenant, their city, and their hope, deserving the severest penalty.

Jeremiah 26 9 Bonus Section

Jeremiah's accusers saw his prophecy not as a conditional warning, but as an unconditional indictment. They conflated God's judgment with national suicide. Their fear of an enemy conquest led them to silence the very messenger who was calling them to repent, the only path that could potentially avert the catastrophe. This mirrors situations where institutions, political or religious, prioritize their own preservation or popular approval over faithfulness to truth. The prophetic task is often to confront the prevailing narrative, even when that means facing condemnation from the very people they are called to serve. The phrase "You shall surely die" is a severe pronouncement that in ancient Israelite law required rigorous proof of guilt, which Jeremiah lacked, thus highlighting the unjust nature of their accusation.

Jeremiah 26 9 Commentary

The unified condemnation by the priests, prophets, and the people illustrates a nation deeply entrenched in its sin. These groups represented the spiritual and civil leadership, and their joint action shows a powerful resistance to the divine warning. They accused Jeremiah of deserving death, equating his prophecy of judgment with a crime against the state and their national identity. This was a classic instance of "stoning the prophets" – punishing those who delivered God’s unpopular truth rather than heeding the message. Their action stemmed from a desire for security and a misunderstanding of God’s character and justice, which always offers a path to repentance before judgment. The intensity of their reaction ("You shall surely die") reveals their spiritual blindness and the depth of their opposition to God’s prophetic voice through Jeremiah.