Jeremiah 29:31 meaning summary explained with word-by-word analysis enriched with context, commentary and Cross References from KJV, NIV, ESV and NLT.
Jeremiah 29:31 kjv
Send to all them of the captivity, saying, Thus saith the LORD concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite; Because that Shemaiah hath prophesied unto you, and I sent him not, and he caused you to trust in a lie:
Jeremiah 29:31 nkjv
Send to all those in captivity, saying, Thus says the LORD concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite: Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, and I have not sent him, and he has caused you to trust in a lie?
Jeremiah 29:31 niv
"Send this message to all the exiles: 'This is what the LORD says about Shemaiah the Nehelamite: Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, even though I did not send him, and has persuaded you to trust in lies,
Jeremiah 29:31 esv
"Send to all the exiles, saying, 'Thus says the LORD concerning Shemaiah of Nehelam: Because Shemaiah had prophesied to you when I did not send him, and has made you trust in a lie,
Jeremiah 29:31 nlt
"Send an open letter to all the exiles in Babylon. Tell them, 'This is what the LORD says concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite: Since he has prophesied to you when I did not send him and has tricked you into believing his lies,
Jeremiah 29 31 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Deut 13:1-5 | "If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you... saying, ‘Let us go after other gods’..." | Warning against false prophets and idolatry. |
| Deut 18:20 | "But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded..." | Divine judgment for prophesying without command. |
| Deut 18:21-22 | "And if you say in your heart, ‘How may we know the word that the LORD has not spoken?’..." | Test for a true prophet: their prophecy comes true. |
| Isa 28:15 | "Because you have said, 'We have made a covenant with death... for we have made lies our refuge...'" | Trusting in falsehoods and lies. |
| Jer 14:14 | "The prophets are prophesying lies in my name... a lying vision, an empty divination." | God disclaims false prophecies. |
| Jer 23:21 | "I did not send the prophets, yet they ran; I did not speak to them, yet they prophesied." | False prophets acting without God's sending. |
| Jer 23:25-27 | "I have heard what the prophets have said... who try to make my people forget my name by their dreams." | False prophets with deceptive dreams. |
| Jer 28:15-17 | "The prophet Hananiah... spoke against the LORD, and the LORD will send you away... died." | Another false prophet condemned by Jeremiah. |
| Ezek 13:1-3 | "Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel... Woe to the foolish prophets." | Ezekiel's warning against false prophets. |
| Ezek 13:6-7 | "They have seen false visions... The LORD says, 'Have you not seen a false vision and uttered a lying divination?'" | Prophets seeing and speaking lies. |
| Mic 3:11 | "Its prophets pronounce divinations for pay. Yet they lean on the LORD and say, 'Is not the LORD in the midst of us?'" | False prophets motivated by greed, claiming God's presence. |
| Zech 13:3-4 | "If anyone again prophesies, his father and mother... will say to him, 'You shall not live...'" | Future severe judgment against false prophets. |
| Matt 7:15 | "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves." | Jesus warns against deceivers. |
| Matt 24:11 | "And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray." | Eschatological warning about widespread deception. |
| Matt 24:24 | "For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders..." | Warning against deceptive signs and wonders. |
| John 8:44 | "You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth..." | Origin of lies from Satan. |
| Acts 13:6-12 | "a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus. They called to Barnabas and Saul... Paul... said, 'You son of the devil...'" | Paul confronts a specific false prophet. |
| 2 Cor 11:13-15 | "For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ... as servants of righteousness." | False teachers disguised as true servants. |
| 2 Tim 4:3-4 | "For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions..." | People choosing teachers who affirm their desires. |
| 2 Pet 2:1-3 | "But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you..." | Parallel between OT false prophets and NT false teachers. |
| 1 John 4:1 | "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world." | Call to discernment against deceptive spirits. |
| Rev 16:13 | "And I saw, coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet..." | False prophet as part of the end-time evil trinity. |
Jeremiah 29 verses
Jeremiah 29 31 meaning
Jeremiah 29:31 communicates God's explicit denunciation of Shemaiah of Nehelam, a false prophet operating among the Babylonian exiles. The verse explains that Shemaiah had delivered prophetic messages to the people, but critically, without divine authorization. His messages were categorized as a "lie," deceiving the exiles and undermining the true prophetic word of God delivered through Jeremiah concerning the duration and purpose of their captivity. This served as a stern warning against those who would offer unauthorized, superficial hope, diverging from God's actual plan.
Jeremiah 29 31 Context
Jeremiah chapter 29 forms a crucial part of Jeremiah's prophetic ministry to the Jewish exiles already in Babylon after the first deportation in 597 BC. The chapter is essentially a letter sent by Jeremiah from Jerusalem to the elders, priests, prophets, and all the people exiled. Its primary purpose was to counter the pervasive false hope promoted by false prophets both within Jerusalem (like Hananiah in chapter 28) and among the exiles themselves (like Shemaiah and Ahab, mentioned earlier in chapter 29). While the false prophets promised a swift return to Jerusalem, often within two years, Jeremiah's message was counter-cultural: settle down, build houses, marry, have families, and pray for Babylon's peace, because the exile would last seventy years (Jer 29:4-7, 10). The immediate preceding verses (29:20-30) describe the judgment pronounced against other false prophets, Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, setting the stage for the specific denunciation of Shemaiah. Jeremiah 29:31 thus introduces the LORD's direct, personal indictment against Shemaiah for undermining God's true message to His people in their desperate circumstances.
Jeremiah 29 31 Word analysis
- "Send" (שְׁלַח, shəlach): An imperative command, indicating an authoritative communication. This word, typically used for God sending His true prophets, is used here for Jeremiah sending a message to the exiles, ironically contrasting sharply with the lack of divine sending for Shemaiah, highlighting God's direct involvement in delivering His true word.
- "all the exiles" (אֶל-כָּל-הַגּוֹלָה, ʾel-kāl-haggōlâ): Refers to the entire community of Judeans forcibly removed to Babylon, particularly those deported with King Jehoiachin. They are the target audience of both Jeremiah's true message and Shemaiah's deceptive one, indicating the widespread influence of the false prophecy.
- "Thus says the LORD" (כֹּה אָמַר יְהוָה, kōh ʾāmar Yahweh): This is the authoritative prophetic formula, affirming the message originates directly from God (Yahweh), the covenant name of God. Its use here authenticates Jeremiah's message as divine truth, in stark contrast to Shemaiah's unsubstantiated claims.
- "concerning Shemaiah of Nehelam" (אֶל-שְׁמַעְיָה הַנֶּחֱלָמִי, ʾel-Šmaʿyâ hannechelāmî): Shemaiah means "heard by Yahweh" or "Yahweh has heard," a name often borne by Levites and prophets, ironically fitting a prophet but clashing with his actions. "Of Nehelam" is likely a geographical identifier or possibly derived from the root ḥālam (dream), hinting at one who dreams false visions or is deluded. This identification provides specificity, pinpointing the false prophet.
- "Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you" (יַעַן אֲשֶׁר-נִבָּא לָכֶם שְׁמַעְיָה, yaʿan ʾašer-nibbā lāḵem Šmaʿyâ): This clause states the primary accusation: Shemaiah performed the act of prophesying. The verb nibbā describes delivering a divine message, emphasizing that his offense was misusing this sacred office.
- "though I did not send him" (וַאֲנִי לֹא שְׁלַחְתִּיו, waʾănî lōʾ šəlaḥtîw): This is the critical disqualifier. The lack of divine commissioning renders his prophecy illegitimate. It highlights God's sovereignty over who speaks in His name and serves as the core indictment of all false prophets.
- "and has made you trust in a lie" (וַיַּבְטַח אֶתְכֶם עַל-שָׁקֶר, wayyaḇṭaḥ ʾetkem ʿal-šāqer): This explains the effect of Shemaiah's unauthorized prophecy: he induced the exiles to place their faith or hope (wayyaḇṭaḥ) in something false (šāqer). Šāqer signifies falsehood, deception, or something empty of truth. This action compounded his sin, as he not only spoke without God's sending but also actively misled the people, creating false assurance contrary to God's revealed will for their patient waiting in exile.
Jeremiah 29 31 Bonus section
The use of the authoritative "Thus says the LORD" (כֹּה אָמַר יְהוָה, kōh ʾāmar Yahweh) by Jeremiah here is a crucial linguistic marker. It directly counteracts any similar claims made by Shemaiah, subtly implying that while Shemaiah might have used this formula, only Jeremiah possessed the true divine warrant to utter it. The phrase "trust in a lie" (ʿal-šāqer) speaks not just of belief in falsehoods but also of seeking security and hope (baṭaḥ) in them. This exposes a deeper spiritual issue: the exiles were seeking comfort in palatable untruths rather than grappling with the challenging but ultimately true message from God regarding their prolonged exile. This narrative of false prophets against true ones served to refine and test the faith of God's people, forcing them to genuinely listen for and recognize His voice amidst a chorus of competing, comforting, but ultimately deceptive, messages.
Jeremiah 29 31 Commentary
Jeremiah 29:31 is a sharp, authoritative divine condemnation of Shemaiah, a false prophet whose activities posed a significant threat to the spiritual well-being of the Babylonian exiles. It reveals the gravity of operating in God's name without His commission. Shemaiah's fundamental transgression was twofold: speaking when God had not sent him, and consequently leading the people into a "lie." This lie was not merely an inaccurate prediction but a direct contradiction of God's revealed purpose for the exile—to patiently endure and seek the peace of Babylon for 70 years, rather than hope for immediate return. The verse underscores God's clear distinction between His true spokespersons and those who speak from their own imaginations or for their own gain. The effect of Shemaiah's deception was to cultivate a false sense of security and premature hope, hindering the exiles from accepting God's actual, though difficult, plan. This divine intervention through Jeremiah was necessary to safeguard the faithful remnant from spiritual harm and redirect them back to God's authentic message, highlighting the destructive power of false teaching and the vital importance of discerning divine truth.