Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 23:16
Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, [and] not out of the mouth of the LORD.
16. teach you vanity ] deceive you with vain hopes, speak peace to those who are going on still in wicked courses. Cp. next v. This is a test whereby the false may be distinguished from the true prophet.
of their own heart ] imagined by themselves.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
16 18. See introd. summary to section.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
How were the people to know the false prophets from the true? The former bring a message that fills with vain hopes, or speak a vision out of their own invention.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 16. Hearken not unto the words of the prophets] That is, of those who promise you safety, without requiring you to forsake your sins and turn unto the Lord; see Jer 23:17.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
People are under no religious obligation to hear any thing but the revealed will of God, and are not to obey those that call to them for what that doth not call to them; nor to listen to them, the scope of whose teaching is but to make them vain, sinfully vain, or to deceive their souls; no man is under an obligation to deceive himself. They pretend to visions, that God hath revealed his mind to them in the same way as he useth to reveal himself to true prophets; but there is no such thing, it is but a fiction of their own. Our Lord, Mat 7:15, gives us the same way to know false prophets: Jer 23:20, By their fruits you shall know them. Let their external mission be what and which way it will, if what they teach agree not with the revealed will of God, they are false prophets. Many of these priests were regularly enough descended, and the prophets regularly enough educated and constituted, yet by this showed themselves false prophets, that what they published was not from God, nor agreed with his revealed will; therefore the people were under no religious obligation to hearken to them.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
16. make you vainThey seduceyou to vanity, that is, idolatry, which will prove a vain trust toyou (Jer 2:5; 2Ki 17:15;Jon 2:8), [GESENIUS].Rather, “they delude you with vain promises of security”(Jer 23:17; compare Ps62:10) [MAURER].
of their own heartoftheir own invention (Jer 23:21;Jer 14:14).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Thus saith the Lord of hosts, hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you,…. Do not hear them; stop your ears at what they say; give no credit to them. The Targum is,
“do not receive the words of the false prophets that prophesy unto you:”
they make you vain; they filled their heads with vain and empty things, and their hearts with vain hopes, which deceived them; so the Targum,
“they deceive you;”
they taught them vain things, and made them vain and sinful in their lives and conversations; and therefore were not to be hearkened to:
they speak a vision of their own heart, [and] not out of the mouth of the Lord; what they imagined they saw was a device of their own hearts, and what was agreeable to them, which must be bad enough; a produce of their own brains; an invention of their own; mere doctrines of men, and not such as come from the mouth of God, are his revealed will, and according to his word; and therefore not to be hearkened to; for nothing is to be heard and received, in matters of religion, but what is according to the revelation of God’s will in his word; see Isa 8:20. The Targum is,
“they speak to you the wickedness of their hearts, and not by the word of the Lord.”
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Vs. 16-22: CHARACTERISTICS OF FALSE PROPHECY
1. The messages proclaimed by the professional prophets were NOT from the Lord (Jer 9:12; Jer 9:14), but from self-induced visions, out of their own minds, (Mat 7:15; 2Co 11:13-15; Gal 1:8-9); thus, Judah was warned not to trust them, (vs. 16; Jer 14:14; Jer 27:9-10; Jer 27:14-17; 1Jn 4:1; comp. Mat 24:5; Mat 24:11).
2. Their words offered false hope – promising peace to those who despised Jehovah, and assuring those who followed the stubbornness of their own hearts that no harm would befall them, (vs. 18; Jer 8:11; Jer 5:12-13; Amo 9:10; Mic 3:11; contr. Jer 13:10; Jer 18:12).
3. Because these prophets had not received the Lord’s counsel their words turned no one away from his sins, (vs. 18).
a. There was, within their words, no rebuke for sin.
b. Rather, they actually encouraged continuation in wickedness.
4. God’s wrath will fall, like a swirling tornado, upon such false prophets and upon all those who trust in their lying words, (vs. 19-20; Jer 30:23-24).
5. Though God did not send them, they went forth with lying words – all the time claiming that they proclaimed the word of Jehovah, (vs. 21-22; Jer 27:15).
a. Had they stood in the Lord’s counsel, they would have heard and proclaimed His word, (Jer 35:12; Zec 1:4; comp. 1Th 1:9 -10).
b. They would, then, have been concerned to turn Judah from her wickedness, rather than encourage her toward ever-increasing rebellion against the word of the Lord!
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
What is here said must have appeared very severe, and must have grievously offended the people; for Jeremiah forbade them to hear the teaching of the prophets. He indeed concedes to them the name of prophets, which was a sacred name; but yet he discredits them, and deprives them of all dignity. he speaks not of magicians or impostors, who were aliens to God’s people; he speaks not of Egyptians, or Chaldeans, or any like them, nor does he speak of the prophets of Samaria, but of those who daily appeared in the Temple and boasted that they were divinely chosen, endued with the spirit of revelation, and that they brought nothing but what God had committed to them. As then Jeremiah forbade them to hear these, some great perplexity must have necessarily seized the minds of all, especially of the simple, — “What does this mean? why does God suffer these unprincipled men to occupy a place in the Temple, and to exercise there the prophetic office, while at the same time they are cheats, perjurers, and impostors?”
In the same manner we see that many at this day are perplexed on account of the discords by which the Church is harassed, and as it were torn to pieces. We are constrained to contend with those who arrogate to themselves the name of the Catholic Church, who boast that they are bishops, vicars of Christ, successors of the Apostles. When therefore the ignorant see such hostile conflicts in the very bosom of the Church, they must necessarily be terrified, and such stumbling-block shakes dreadfully their faith. Hence this passage ought to be especially noticed; for though at first ignorant people may be disturbed by such a prohibition as this, yet every one who really fears God will exercise his mind, so that he may distinguish between false and true prophets; and God will never leave his chosen people destitute of the spirit of judgment and discernment, when teachers contend on both sides, and tumults nearly overthrow the Church; even then, as I have said, God will preserve his own elect, provided we piously and humbly strive to submit to his word; he will also guide us by his hand, so that we may not be deceived. Since then God had commanded Jeremiah to forbid the people to hear the false prophets, let us not at this day wonder, that faithful teachers who desire to maintain true doctrine and genuine piety, feel themselves constrained to oppose these men of titles who shelter themselves under the masked names of pastors, and prelates, and bishops, that they may delude the unwary and the ignorant; Hear not, he says, the words of the prophets who prophesy to you
He adds, They make you to be vain; that is, they infatuate you. (95) But this would not have been sufficient, had he not added what more fully confirmed it. Hence Jeremiah says, that they brought forward the vision of their own hearts, and did not speak what came from God’s mouth. This is a mark which can never deceive us, except we willingly throw ourselves into the snares and intrigues of Satan, as many do who wilfully seek to be deceived, and even hunt for falsehoods; but whosoever applies his mind to the study of truth, can never be deceived, if by this mark, which is set before us, he distinguishes between prophets and prophets; for every one who speaks according to the mere suggestions of his own mind must be an impostor. No one then ought to be deemed a sound teacher, but he who speaks from God’s mouth.
But here a question may be raised, How can the common people understand that some speak from God’s mouth, and that others propound their own glosses? I answer, That the doctrine of the Law was then sufficient to guide the minds of the people, provided they closed not their eyes; and if the Law was sufficient at that time, God does now most surely give us a clearer light by his prophets, and especially by his Gospel. Since then God has once given us his testimony, every one ought to obey him as soon as he knows what is right, what he ought to follow, and what he ought to shun.
We now then see how useful this passage is; for there is nothing more miserable than for men to be tossed here and there, and to be led astray from the way of salvation. There is therefore nothing more desirable than to know this way with certainty, Now, God shews us the way here as by the finger; for he says that those who speak from his mouth can be heard with safety; but that others are to be rejected, how much soever they may boast of being prophets, and thus seek under the guise of authority to subject men’s minds captive to themselves. And this ought to suffice at this day to put an end to all controversies; for on this no doubt depends almost every question that is now agitated in the world. The Papists will have their own devices to be taken as oracles, and claim to be the Church; but we, on the other hand, say that perfect wisdom is alone to be found in the Law, in the Prophets, and in the Gospel. Were we then to attend to the mouth of God, it would be easy to settle all the disputes between us. It hence also follows, that the Papists are deceived because they deign not to ask at God’s mouth, but choose to become slaves to men and to their own falsehoods, rather than to inquire what pleases God; for he himself has spoken, and has not spoken hiddenly, neither doubtfully nor obscurely; for there is nothing more clear than his teaching, provided men do not become wilfully blind. He then adds, —
(95) The Sept. gives this version, “for they make a vain vision for themselves; from their heart they speak, and not from the mouth of the Lord.” Though the sense is given, yet it is not a correct version. The Vulg. and Syr. keep nearer to the original, and render the first clause “and they deceive you.” The words literally are, “Infatuating you are they.” The whole verse is as follows, —
16. Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, Hearken not to the words of the prophets, Who prophesy unto you; Infatuating you are they; The vision of their own heart do they speak, And not from the mouth of Jehovah.
The “And” in the last line is supplied in several copies, is given by the Sept. and the Syr. To render “from,” as Blayney does, “after the mouth,” etc., is no improvement. To speak “from the mouth of the Lord” is very striking. All the Versions retain the preposition “from,” and the Targ. gives “word” for “mouth.” — Ed.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
2. The message of the fake prophets (Jer. 23:16-22)
TRANSLATION
(16) Thus says the LORD of hosts: Do not hearken to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you. They are causing you to become vain! They speak a vision of their heart and not from the mouth of the LORD. (17) They say continually to those who despise Me, The LORD has said: You shall have peace; and to all who walk in the stubbornness of their heart they have said: Calamity shall not come upon you. (18) For who has stood in the secret council of the LORD that he might see and hear His word?[229] Who has paid attention to His word and heard it? (19) Behold, the storm of the LORD has gone forth in fury, a whirlwind; it shall whirl upon the heads of the wicked. (20) The anger of the LORD shall not be turned back until He has accomplished and performed the plans of His heart. In the end of the days you will fully understand it. (21) I have not sent the prophets, yet they ran! I have not spoken unto them, yet they prophesied! (22) If they had stood in My council, then they would have caused My people to hear My words, and they would have caused them to turn from their wicked way, and from the evil of their deeds.
[229] His word may also be read My word. The ancient versions are divided on the translation. Actually it makes little difference which reading is adopted.
COMMENTS
The prophets of Judah are bolstering the false hopes of the people with false prophecies. Jeremiah calls for the people to repudiate these deceivers. Their prophecies did not come from the mouth of the Lord but from the vain imaginations of their own hearts. Giving heed to such empty prophecies would only cause the people to act in a vain and foolhardy way (Jer. 23:16). The false prophets were continually grinding out their pious platitudes. The Hebrew uses a grammatical device to emphasize the ceaseless flow of words which were pouring forth from these pseudo prophets. To the hardened and rebellious sinners of Judah these men were giving assurance that all would be well. The Lord has said, You shall have peace. No calamity will befall you! The expression the Lord has spoken nowhere else in the Old Testament introduces a revelation from the Lord. If this was the formula by which these false prophets actually introduced their supposed oracles, then it differed from those formulas used by Jeremiah and the other prophets whose books have been preserved in Scripture.
By means of two rhetorical questions Jeremiah denies the authority of the false prophets and at the same time implicitly affirms his own inspiration. Who has stood in the council of the Lord that he might see and hear His word? The answer is obvious. Corrupt men like the false prophets could never have stood in the presence of God. Amos asserted, Surely the Lord will do nothing unless he reveals His secret counsel (same word used by Jeremiah) unto His servants the prophets (Amo. 3:7). David declared that God extends His secret counsel to the pious (Psa. 25:14). Sometimes the prophets had visions in which they saw the Lord in consultation with His trusted servants (Isa. 6:1; 1Ki. 22:19). Eliphaz asked Job, Were you listening in the council of God? (Job. 15:8). The picture here is of the heavenly council chambers. True prophets are privy to the decisions of God relating to the children of men. This is another way of saying that the prophet receives direct revelation from God. The second rhetorical question of Jer. 23:18 points to another way in which man can ascertain the will of God. Who has paid attention to His word and heard it? When one gives heed to the word of God as revealed in Scripture, he too can learn the will of God. The false prophets had not been privileged to stand in the secret council of God nor had they paid heed to His written word.
The message which Jeremiah brought in the name of God was quite different from that which the false prophets brought. Gods judgment is already approaching like a whirlwind. It will literally dance around upon the head of the wicked. The hurricane of divine wrath is upon them (Jer. 23:19). Nothing will turn back Gods wrath. Attempting to thwart the plans of God by human means is as foolish as trying to tame a tornado at the height of its fury. Though the people may not presently be able to understand the plans and purposes of God, someday they will understand it all. At that time they will realize that they have been justly punished for their sins against God and man (Jer. 23:20). The term end of days has been explained in three ways. (I) Some think that the end of days refers to the consummation of the world. The idea would then be that at the end of the age, possibly after the second coming of Christ, men will be able to understand clearly all of Gods dealing with men. It cannot be sustained from the usage of this term in the Old Testament that it refers to the end of the world. (2) Others think that end of days refers to the Messianic age as in Jer. 48:47; Jer. 49:39; Isa. 2:2; Hos. 3:5. The idea would then be that Gods dealing with Israel would be placed in proper perspective when the Messiah comes. (3) A third view is that the term end of days simply means in future days. Cheyne points to an Assyrian inscription where precisely the same phrase is used in the general sense of future time. It is the view of this writer that end of days refers to the New Testament age.
In Jer. 23:17-20 Jeremiah emphasizes the point that the message of the false prophets is diametrically opposed to true revelation. God had not sent these prophets yet they eagerly ran to assume their prophetic office. God had not spoken to them yet they had the audacity to prophesy in His name (Jer. 23:21). As further proof that these men were deceivers Jeremiah points out that their preaching was not designed to effect any moral change. Their message has no rebuke for sin and no appeal for reformation. Therefore these men cannot be true prophets of the Lord! If they truly had stood in the secret council of God they would be diligently laboring to turn people from their evil ways (Jer. 23:22).
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(16) They make you vain.i.e., they befool, deceive you. As the next verse shows, they filled the people with vain hopes of peace. This was then, as always, the crucial test between the true prophet and the false. The one roused the conscience, caused pain and anger by his reproofs; the other soothed and quieted men with a false assurance (Jer. 6:14; Jer. 14:13). They invented a vision which did not come to them from the mouth of Jehovah. (Comp. Deu. 13:1-5.)
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
16, 17. Thus saith the Lord Having denounced punishment against the false prophets, Jeremiah now warns the people against them. His charges against them are summed up in two: 1) They speak a vision of their own heart; 2) They say Ye shall have peace.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
B. WARNING AGAINST DECEPTION BY THE PROPHETS
Jer 23:16-22
16Thus saith Jehovah Zebaoth,
Listen not to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you;
They deceive you.16
They speak their own hearts vision, not from the mouth of Jehovah.
17They say continually to my despisers:
Jehovah hath spoken,17There shall be peace to you;
And wherever one walketh18 in the hardness of his heart,
There they say: no evil shall come upon you.
18For he who hath stood in the counsel of Jehovah,
Let him perceive19 and hear his word,
Let him who hath marked my word20 proclaim it.21
19Behold, a storm-wind of Jehovah!
Fury is gone forth22and whirling storm
Upon the head of the ungodly it will be rolled.
20The anger of Jehovah will not turn back,
Till he execute and carry out the plans of his heart.
At the end of days ye will become aware of this.
21I sent not the prophets, yet they ran,
I spake not to them, yet they prophesied.
22But had they stood in my counsel,
Then they would have proclaimed my words to my people,
And have brought them back from their wicked way,
And from the wickedness of their deeds.
EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL
The main thought is: warning against false prophets who deceive the people and proclaim what comes not from the mouth of the Lord but from their own heart (Jer 23:16). Thus they proclaim peace to the despisers of the Lord, and impunity to those who go about in the hardness of their heart (Jer 23:17). Thus too they betray themselves. For he to whom is granted the honor of receiving information concerning the counsel of the Lord, cannot do otherwise than proclaim the Lords word as he received it (Jer 23:18). But the word of the Lord never proclaims impunity to the despisers. Rather concerning these is to be expected a tempest of anger from the Lord, who will not rest till He has carried out all His plans. In the end of days this will indeed be marked (Jer 23:19-20). Thus they are not sent or commissioned by the Lord (Jer 23:21). But even had they, without receiving any express commission, only assisted as witnesses to the counsel of the Lord they would have proclaimed the word of the Lord to the people, and have turned them from their wicked way (Jer 23:22). The warning against the false prophets is thus occasioned by the admission of the double fact, that the Lord has not sent them, and that they have not been present at the counsel of the Lord or received information thereof. That the Lord has not sent them will be proved by His doing just the contrary of what they predicted. But that they have not at all entered into the counsel of the Lord is seen from this, that what they proclaimed to the people does not agree with the genuine word of the Lord, and that they have not labored to turn the people from their wicked way.
Jer 23:18. For he who hath stood proclaim it. There are two modes of explanation: 1. He who has stood in the counsel of God, he sees and hears my word, he who has marked my word let him proclaim it (Graf). 2. For who has stood in the counsel of the Lord? etc. The latter explanation would however either have the meaning, that no one had stood in the counsel of the Lord, which a prophet could not say, or we must take in the sense of privately, without calling, assisting in the counsel of the Lordwhich would be arbitrary and require before Jer 23:18 the supplementation of the double thought: such things have I not said to them, and they cannot have heard them in my counsel (quasi me invito). Hence can be taken in the sense of quisquis only according to the first mode of interpretation. (Comp. Naegelsb. Gr., 79, 6). The connection is then as follows: Listen not to the prophets, they deceive you, for they proclaim their own thoughts, not my commissions, promising impunity to my despisers. For he who has stood in the counsel of the Lord, must proclaim the Lords word, which cannot possibly be favorable to His despisers. The point of the thought is therefore contained in Jer 23:17 : The despisers of the service of Jehovah were well-known people. If prophets, who pretended to speak in the name of Jehovah, promised such impunity, they thus proved themselves indisputably to be deceivers.To stand in the counsel is not to sit in the counsel (Psa 1:1). The latter designates assistance with an advisory voice.Such an one is called Isa 40:13. Comp. Rom 11:34. Standing in the counsel of the Lord, i. e. as hearers, is declared in the proper sense of prophets: Isa 6:1-8; 1Ki 22:19-23.Yet we shall not err, if we assume that Jeremiah wishes the expression here to be taken in a wider sense, in which sense Amo 3:7 is used. Comp. Psa 25:14. For we cannot suppose that all the prophets received all their revelations in the form in which, according to the passages cited, Micah and Isaiah received those mentioned.Let him perceive [see]. How can the word of the Lord be seen? A reference to Jer 2:31; Ecc 1:16 does not seem to me satisfactory. Certainly the divine revelation might partly be seen in vision (comp. Jer 23:16; Jer 1:11; Jer 1:13; Jer 24:1), partly heard (1Sa 3:9-10); it could be received by the organ of the eye or the ear.The effect of the seeing and hearing is indicated by mark: he who gives heed to my word, hears it not only with the outer but the inner ear, he may, etc.
Jer 23:19-20. Behold. a storm-wind aware of this. In antithesis to Jer 23:17 it is here set forth, what the true intention of Jehovah is with respect to the people. Both verses are repeated Jer 30:23-24.A storm-wind of Jehovah, not physical but spiritual; an outburst of divine wrath is proclaimed by the prophet.Upon the head. Comp. 2Sa 3:29.Will not turn back. The storm will produce not merely a slight passing effect but a thoroughly destructive one. It will not cease till the will of the holy and just God is completely accomplished. Comp. Isa 45:23; Psa 132:11.At the end of days, etc. Comp. Gen 49:1; Num 24:14; Deu 4:30; Deu 31:29; Isa 2:2; Jer 48:47; Jer 49:39. A contrast to the present is here involved: you do not now regard it as possible; at the end of days, however, i. e. at the conclusion of this section of history in which we live, you will indeed perceive it, viz., that it can and must be thus. End of days, therefore, expresses a relative idea. Comp. Jer 23:12.
Jer 23:21-22. I sent not their deeds. A new and perfectly clear reason for the desolation in Jer 23:16. How could those be true prophets whom the Lord sent not, to whom He spoke not? If, however, they should allege, that if not rite officially and de jure yet actually they had received information of the divine counsel, they must at least proclaim the word of Jehovah in its severity as hostile to the wicked and urging them to repentance. But since this is not the case they are irrefutably demonstrated to be false prophets and deceivers.
DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL
1. On Jer 21:2. King Zedekiah sends word to Jeremiah, that the Lord is to do according to all His miracles, that Nebuchadnezzar may withdraw. A demand rather cavalierly made in such evil circumstances. But the noble are so unfortunate! It is indeed as though it only depended on them to arrange matters with God; as if He were only waiting for them, as if it were a point of honor not to be over-hasty, but first to await a little extremity . It is a very necessary observance for a servant of the Lord, that he try his superiors, whether there is any trace remaining in them of having been once baptized, well brought up and instructed in the fear of the Lord. If he observe anything of this kind, he must insist upon it and especially not allow them to deal too familiarly with the Judge of all the earth, but plainly demonstrate to them their insufficiency and nothingness, if they measure themselves by Him. Though Zedekiah had spoken so superficially, Jeremiah answered him without hesitation, definitely and positively, and accustomed him to a different manner of dealing with the Lord. Zinzendorf. When the ungodly desire Gods help, they commonly appeal not to His saving power to heal them, but to His miraculous power to save them, while they persist in their impenitence. Starke.
2. On Jer 21:8. It is pure grace on the part of God, when He leaves to man the choice between the good and the evil; not that it is permitted him to choose the evil, but that he may choose freely the good, which he is under obligation to do, Deu 30:19. Starke. God lays before us the way of life and the way of death. The way of life is however always contrary to human reason, and that on which it sees merely death and shame. If thou wilt save thyself thou must leave the false Jerusalem, fallen under the judgment, and seek thy life where there seems to be only death. He who would save his life must lose it, and he who devotes it for the sake of the truth will save it. Diedrich.
3. On Jer 21:11-14. To be such a king is to be an abomination to the Lord, and severe judgment will follow. God appoints magistrates for His service and for the use of men; he who only seeks his own enjoyment in office, is lost. Jerusalem, situated on rocks in the midst of a plain, looks secure; but against God neither rocks avail nor aught else. The fire will break out even in them, and consume all around, together with the forest of cedar-houses in the city. The corruption is seated within, and therefore proceeds from within outwards, so that nothing of the former stock can remain. What shall a government do which no longer bears the sword of justice? What shall a church do which is no longer founded on Gods truth as its only power? Diedrich. Comp. moreover on the whole of Jeremiah 24. the extended moral reflections of Cyrillus Alex. . . Lib. I.
4. On Jer 22:1. Jeremiah is to deliver a sermon at court, in which he reminds the king of his office of magistrate, in which he is to administer justice to every man. Cramer.
It was no easy task for Jeremiah to go into the lions den and deliver such an uncourtly message to him. We are reminded of the prophet Jonah. But Jeremiah did not flee as he did.
5. On Jer 22:1-3. [But we ought the more carefully to notice this passage, that we may learn to strengthen ourselves against bad examples, lest the impiety of men should overturn our faith; when we see in Gods church things in such disorder, that those who glory in the name of God are become like robbers, we must beware lest we become on this account alienated from true religion. We must, indeed, desert such monsters, but we must take care lest Gods word, through mens wickedness, should lose its value in our esteem. We ought then to remember the admonition of Christ, to hear the Scribes and Pharisees who sat in Moses seat (Mat 23:2). Calvin.S. R. A.]
6. On Jer 22:10. [Dying saints may be justly envied, while living sinners are justly pitied. And so dismal perhaps the prospect of the times may be, that tears even for a Josiah, even for a Jesus, must be restrained, that they may be reserved for ourselves and our children (Luk 23:28). Henry.S. R. A.]
Nequaquam gentilis plangendus est atque Judus, qui in ecclesia non fuerunt et simul mortui sunt, de quibus Salvator dicit: dimitte mortuos sepelire mortuos suos (Mat 8:22). Sed eos plange, qui per scelera atque peccata egrediuntur de ecclesia et nolunt ultra reverti ad earn damnatione vitiorum. Hieron. Epist. 46 ad Rusticam. Nolite flere mortuum, sed plorate raptorem avarum, pecuni sitientem et inexplebilem auri cupidinem. Cur mortuos inutiliter ploramus? Eos ploremus, qui in melius mutari possunt. Basilius Seleucensis. Comp. Basil, Magn. Homil. 4 de Gratiarum actione post dimid.Ghislerus.
7. On Jer 22:6-9. God does not spare even the authorities. For though He has said that they are gods, when they do not rightly administer their office they must die like men (Psa 82:6) No cedars are too high for God, no splendor too mighty; He can destroy all at once, and overturn, and overturn, and overturn. Eze 21:27, Cramer.
Another passage from which it is seen how perverse and unjustifiable is the illusion that Gods election is a surety against His anger, and a permit to any wilfulness. The individual representatives of the objects of divine election should never forget that God can march over their carcases, and the ruins of their glory, to the fulfilment of His promise, and that He can rebuild on a higher stage, what He has destroyed on a lower. Comp. remarks on Jer 22:24.
8. On Jer 22:13-19. It is blasphemy to imagine that God will be frre et compagnon to all princes as such, and that He has a predilection for them as of His own kind. Does He not say to his majesty the king of Judah, with whom, in respect of the eminence of his dynasty and throne no other prince of earth could compare, that he should be buried like an ass, dragged and cast out before the gates of Jerusalem? This Jehoiakim was however an aristocrat, a heartless, selfish tyrant, who for his own pleasure trampled divine and human rights under foot. If such things were done in the green tree, what shall be done in the dry?
He who builds his house with other peoples property, collects stones for his grave. Cramer.
9. On Jer 22:14. [It was a proof of luxury when men began to indulge in superfluities. In old times the windows were small; for use only was regarded by frugal men; but afterwards a sort of madness possessed the minds of many, so that they sought to be suspended as it were in the air. And hence they began to have wider windows. The thing in itself, as I have said, is not what God condemns; but we must ever remember, that men never go to excesses in external things, except when their hearts are infected with pride, so that they do not regard what is useful, what is becoming, but are carried away by fondness for excess. Calvin.S. R. A.]
10. On Jer 22:15. God may grant the great lords a preference in eating and drinking and the splendor of royal courts, but it is not His will that these be regarded as the main things, but that true religion, right and justice must have the precedence;this is the Lords work. But cursed is he who does the Lords work remissly. Jer 48:10. Cramer.
11. On Jer 22:17. Description of haughty, proud, magnificent, merciless and tyrannical lords and rulers, who are accomplices of thieves. Cramer.
12. On Jer 22:19. [God would have burial a proof to distinguish us from brute animals even after death, as we in life excel them, and as our condition is much nobler than that of the brute creation. Burial is also a pledge as it were of immortality; for when mans body is laid hid in the earth, it is as it were a mirror of a future life. Since then burial is an evidence of Gods grace and favor towards mankind, it is on the other hand a sign of a curse, when burial is denied. Calvin.S. R. A.]
13. On Jer 22:24. Great lords often imagine that they not only sit in the bosom of God, but that they are a pearl in His crown; or as the prophet says here, Gods signet-ring. Therefore, it is impossible that they should not succeed in their designs. But God looks not on the person of the princes, and knows the magnificent no more than the poor. Job 34:19. Cramer.
14. On Jer 22:28. [What is idolized will, first or last, be despised and broken, what is unjustly honored will be justly contemned, and rivals with God will be the scorn of man. Whatever we idolize we shall be disappointed in, and then shall despise. Henry.S. R. A.]
The compliment is a very poor one for a king, who thinks somewhat of himself, and to whom it in a certain measure pertains that he be honored.But here it is the word of the Lord, and in consideration of these words it is declared in 2Ch 36:12, to be evil on the part of Zedekiah, that he did not humble himself before Jeremiah. Teachers must be much on their guard against assuming such purely prophetic, that is, extraordinary acts. It cost the servants of the Lord many a death, who were obliged thus to employ themselves, and when it is easy for one to ape it without a divine calling he thus betrays his frivolity and incompetence, if not his pride and delusion. Zinzendorf.
15. On Jer 22:28-30. Irenus (Adv. Hr. 3:30) uses this passage to prove that the Lord could not have been Josephs natural son, for otherwise he would have fallen under the curse of this passage, and appear as one not entitled to dominion (qui eum dicunt ex Joseph generatum et in eo habere spem, abdicatos se faciunt a regno, sub maledictione et increpatione decidentes, qu erga Jechoniam et in semen ejus est). Basil the Great (Epist. ad Amphilochium) endeavors to show that this passage, with its declaration that none of Jeconiahs descendants should sit on Davids throne, is not in contradiction to the prophecy of Jacob (Gen 49:10), that a ruler should not be lacking from Judah, till He came for whom the nations were hoping. Basil distinguishes in this relation between dominion and royal dignity.The former continued, the latter ceased, and this period of, so to speak, latent royalty, was the bridge to the present, in which Christ rules in an invisible manner, but yet in real power and glory as royal priest, and at the same time represents Himself as the fulfilment of the hope of the nations. In like manner John of Damascus concludes that according to this passage there could be no prospect of the fulfilment of the promise in Gen 49:10, if Mary had not virgineo modo borne the scion of David, who however was not to occupy the visible throne of David. (Orat. II. in Nativ. B. Mari p. med.)Ambrose finally (Comment. in Ev. Luc. L. III. cap. ult.) raises the question how Jeremiah could say, that ex semine Jechoni neminem regnaturum esse, since Christ was of the seed of Jeconiah and reigned? He answers: Illic (Jer 22:30) futuros ex semine Jechoni posteros non negatur et ideo de semine ejus est Christus (comp. Mat 1:11), et quod regnavit Christus, non contra prophetiam est, non enim seculari honore regnavit, nee in Jechoni sedibus sedit, sed regnavit in sede David. Ghislerus.
16. On Jer 23:2. Nonnulli prsmles gregis quosdam pro peccato a communione ceiciunt, ut pniteant, sed quali sorte vivere debeant ad melius exhortando non visitant. Quibus congrue increpans sermo divinus comminatur: pastores, qui pascunt populum meum, vos dispersistis gregem meum, ejecistis et non visitastis eum. Isidor. Hisp. de summo bono she LL. sentt. Cap. 46. Ghislerus.
17. On Jer 23:5-6. Eusebius (Dem. Ev. VII. 9) remarks that Christ among all the descendants of David is the only one, who rules over the whole earth, and everywhere not only preaches justice and righteousness by His doctrine but is Himself also the author of the rising [of the Sun] of righteousness for all, according to Psa 72:7 : , (LXX.) Cyril of Alex. (Glaphyr. in Gen. I. p. 133) explains as justitia Dei, in so far as we are made righteous in Him, not for the sake of the works of righteousness that we have done, but according to His great mercy. Rom 3:24; Tit 3:5.
18. On Jer 23:6. [If we regard God in Himself, He is indeed righteous, but not our righteousness. If we desire to have God as our righteousness, we must seek Christ; for this cannot be found except in Him. Paul says that He has been given or made to us righteousness,for what end? that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. (1Co 1:30). Since, then, Christ is made our righteousness, and we are counted the righteousness of God in Him, we hence learn how properly and fitly it has been said that He would be Jehovah, not only that the power of His divinity might defend us, but also that we might become righteous in Him, for He is not only righteous for Himself, but He is our righteousness. Calvin. See also a long note in Wordsworth, to show that Jehovah our Righteousness refers to Christ;S. R. A.]
The character of a true church is when the Lytrum, the ransom-money of Jesus Christ, is known and valued by all, and when they have written this secret, foolish and absolutely inscrutable to reason, in the heart with the finger of the living God: that Jesus by His blood has taken away the sins of the world. O let it neer escape my thought, at what a price my soul was bought. This is the evening and morning prayer of every church, which is a true sister from above. Zinzendorf.
19. On Jer 23:5-8. The return under Ezra was also a fulfilment of this promise, but inferior and preliminary: not all came, and those who did come brought their sins back with them. They were still under the Law and had to wait for Righteousness; still in their return they had a pledge that the Messiah was yet to come and prepare the true city of peace. Now, however, all has been long fulfilled and we can enjoy it perfectly, if we have the mind for it. We have now a country of which no tyrant can rob us; our walk and citizenship is in heaven. We have been delivered from all our suffering, when we sit down at the feet of Jesus to hear His word. Then there is a power of resurrection within us, So that we can fly with our souls beyond the world and laugh at all our foes. For Christ has made us righteous by His daily forgiveness, so that we may also bring ourselves daily into heaven. Yea verily, the kingdom of heaven is come very nigh unto us! Jeremiah then longed to see and hear this more nearly, and now we can have it. Diedrich.
20. On Jer 23:9. Great love renders Gods servant so ardent, that he deals powerful blows on the seducers. He does not think that he has struck a wasps nest and embittered his life here forever, for he has a higher life and gives the lower one willingly for love. Yet all the world will hold him for an incorrigible and mad enthusiast, who spares no one. He says himself that he is as it were drunk with God and His word, when he on the other hand contemplates the country. Diedrich.
21. On Jer 23:11. They are rogues. They know how to find subterfuges, and I would like to see him who accuses a false and unfaithful teacher, and manages his own case so that he does not himself come into the dilemma. Zinzendorf.
22. On Jer 23:13-14. In the prophets of Samaria I see folly. This is the character which the Lord gives to error, false religion, heterodoxy. But in the prophets of Jerusalem I find abomination. This is the description of the or thodox, when they apply their doctrine, so that either the wicked are strengthened or no one is converted. Zinzendorf.
23. On Jer 23:15. From the prophets of Jerusalem hypocrisy goes forth into all the land. This is the natural consequence of the superiority, which the consistories, academies, ministers, etc., have and in due measure ought to have, that when they become corrupt they communicate their corruption to the whole region, and it is apparent in the whole land what sort of theologians sit at the helm. Zinzendorf.
24. On Jer 23:16. Listen not to the words of the prophets, they deceive you. Luther says (Altenb. Tom. II. p. 330): But a Christian has so much power that he may and ought to come forward even among Christians and teach, where he sees that the teacher himself is wanting, etc.; and The hearers altogether have the right to judge and decide concerning all doctrine. Therefore the priests and liveried Christians have snatched this office to themselves; because, if this office remained in the church, the aforesaid could retain nothing for their own. (Altenb. Tom. II. p. 508).The exercise of this right on the part of members of the church has its difficulties. May not misunderstanding, ignorance, even wickedness cause this to be a heavy and unjust pressure on the ministers of the word, and thus mediately tend to the injury of the church? Certainly. Still it is better for the church to exercise this right than not to do so. The former is a sign of spiritual life, the latter of spiritual death. It will be easier to find a corrective for some extravagances than to save a church become religiously indifferent from the fate of Laodicea (Rev 3:16).
25. On Jer 23:16. [But here a question may be raised, How can the common people understand that some speak from Gods mouth, and that others propound their own glosses? I answer, That the doctrine of the Law was then sufficient to guide the minds of the people, provided they closed not their eyes; and if the Law was sufficient at that time, God does now most surely give us a clearer light by His prophets, and especially by His Gospel. CalvinS. R. A.]
26. On Jer 23:17. The pastors, who are welcome and gladly seen at a rich mans table, wish him in fact long life, good health, and all prosperity. What they wish they prophesy. This is not unnatural; but he who is softened by it is ill-advised. Zinzendorf.
27. On Jer 23:21. [There is a twofold call; one is internal, the other belongs to order, and may therefore be called external or ecclesiastical. But the external call is never legitimate, except it be preceded by the internal; for it does not belong to us to create prophets, or apostles, or pastors, as this is the special work of the Holy Spirit. But it often happens that the call of God is sufficient, especially for a time. For when there is no church, there is no remedy for the evil, except God raise up extraordinary teachers. Calvin.S. R. A.]
28. On Jer 23:22. If I knew that my teacher was a most abominable miscreant, personally, and in heart the worst enemy of God in his parish; so long as, for any reason, he preaches, expounds, develops, inculcates the word of God; even though he should betray here and there in his expressions, that this word was not dwelling in him; if only he does not ex professo at one time throw down what at another time he teaches of good and true quasi aliud agendo: I assure you before the Lord that I should fear to censure his preaching. Zinzendorf.
29. On Jer 23:23. Gods essential attribute is Omnipresence. For He is higher than heaven, what canst thou do? deeper than hell, what canst thou know? Longer than the earth and broader than the sea (Job 4:8). And He is not far from every one of us (Act 17:27). Cramer.We often think God is quite far from us, when He is yet near to us, has us in His arms, presses us to His heart and kisses us. Luther. When we think the Sun of righteousness, Jesus, is not risen, and is still behind the mountain, and will not come to us, He is yet nearest to us. The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart. (Psa 34:19) Deus et omni et nullo loco Cuncta Deus replens molem se fundit in omnem. MS. notes to my copy of Cramers Bibel. Si vis peccare, O homo, qure tibi locum, ubi Deus non videat. Augustine.
30. On Jer 23:28. [When any one rejects the wheat because it is covered with chaff, and who will pity him who says that he has indeed wheat on his floor, but that it is mixed with chaff, and therefore not fit for food? If we be negligent, and think that it is a sufficient excuse for despising the Word of God, because Satan brings in his fallacies, we shall perish in our sloth like him who neglects to cleanse his wheat that he might turn it to bread. Calvin.S. R. A.]
He who cannot restrain his mouth or his ink let him expectorate. But let him say openly and honestly that they are his own dreams, which he preaches. The false prophets certainly know that mere falsehood is empty straw. They therefore always mingle some of the genuine word of God amongst it. An unavailing mixture! It is in this mingling that Satans highest art is displayed, so that he at the same time furthers his own work and testifies against himself. Comp. Genesis 3
31. On Jer 23:29. Gods word is the highest reality, life and power, while the dreams of the false prophets are pretence, death and weakness. Gods word is therefore compared to a fire which burns, warms, and enlightens, so that it burns up the hardest flint, melts the thickest ice, illuminates the deepest obscurities. It is compared further to a hammer which crushes the hardest rocks into sand.He who mingles Gods wheat among his straw, will find that the wheat will become fire and burn up the straw (1Co 3:12-15). He Who handles the word of the Lord purely, let him not despair if he sees before him hearts of adamant (Zec 7:12). He who seeks peace is not ashamed to bow beneath the hammer of the word. For the destructive power of the word applies to that in us which is opposed to God, while the God-related elements are loosed and set free by those very crushing blows.He, however, to whom the peace of God is an object of derision, may feed on the straw of this world. But how will it be when finally the day comes that God will come upon him with fire and hammer? What then remains to him as the result of his straw-diet, which is in a condition to withstand the blows of the hammer and the fire?
Help, Lord, against Thy scornful foes,
Who seek our souls to lead astray;
Whose mockeries at mortal woes
Will end in terrible dismay!
Grant that Thy holy word may root
Deep in our hearts, and richer fruit
May ever bear to endless day.
Gods word converts, all other doctrine befools. Luther.
32. On Jer 23:29. Gods word in general is like a fire: the more it is urged the more widely and brightly it extends. God has caused His word to be proclaimed to the world as a matter, which they can dispense with as little as fire. Fire often smoulders long in secret before it breaks out, thus the power of the divine word operates in its time. Gods word can make people as warm as if glowing coals lay upon them; it shines as brightly upon them, as if a lamp were held under their eyes; it tells every one the truth and purifies from all vices. He who deals evilly with Gods word burns himself by it, he who opposes it is consumed by it. But the word of God is as little to blame as a lamp or a fire when an unskilful person is burned by it. Yet it happens that often it will not be suffered in the world, then there is fire in all the streets. That is the unhappy fire of persecution, which is kindled incidentally in the world by the preaching of the Gospel. Jos. Conr. Schaller, Pastor at Cautendorf, Sermons on the Gospels, 1742.
33. On Jer 23:30. Teachers and preachers are not to steal their sermons from other books, but take them from the Bible, and testify that which they speak from their inward experience (Joh 3:11). False teachers steal Gods word, inventing a foreign meaning for it, and using this for the palliation of their errors. StarkeHinc illi at auctions, who can obtain this or that good book, this or that manuscript? Here they are thus declared to be plagiarios; and they are necessarily so because they are not taught of God. But I would rather they would steal from true men of God than from each other.Zinzendorf.
34. On Jer 23:33-40. When the word of God becomes intolerable to men, then men in their turn become intolerable to our Lord God; yea, they are no more than inutile pondus terr, which the land can no more bear, therefore they must be winnowed out, Jer 15:17. Cramer.
35. On Jer 24:5-7. He who willingly and readily resigns himself to the will of God even to the cross, may escape misfortune. But he who opposes himself to the hand of God cannot escape. Cramer.The captives are dearest to God. By the first greater affliction He prepares their souls for repentance and radical conversion, so that He has in them again His people and inheritance. O the gracious God, that He allows even those who on account of sin must be so deeply degraded and rendered slaves, even in such humiliation to be His people! The captives are forgiven their opposition to God; they are separated from the number of nations existing in the world, politically they are dead and banished to the interior. Now, God will show them what His love can do; they shall return, and in true nearness to God be His true Israel. Diedrich.
36. On Jer 24:7. [Since He affirms that He would give them a heart to understand, we hence learn that men are by nature blind, and also that when they are blinded by the devil they cannot return to the right way, and that they cannot be otherwise capable of light than by having God to illuminate them by His Spirit. This passage also shows, that we cannot really turn to God until we acknowledge Him to be the Judge; for until the sinner sets himself before Gods tribunal he will never be touched with the feeling of true repentance. Though God rules the whole world. He yet declares that He is the God of the Church; and the faithful whom He has adopted He favors with this high distinction, that they are His people; and He does this that they may be persuaded that there is safety in Him, according to what is said by Habakkuk, Thou art our God, we shall not die (Hab 1:12). And of this sentence Christ Himself is the best interpreter, when He says, that He is not the God of the dead, but of the living (Luk 20:38). Calvin.S. R. A.]
HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL
1. On Jer 21:8. This text may be used on all occasions when an important decision is to be made or on the entrance on a new section of life, as, e. g., at synods, diets, New Years, beginning of the church-year, at confirmations, weddings, installations, etc. What the present day demands and promises: I. It demands from us an important choice. II. It promises us, according as we choose, life or death.
2. On Jer 22:2-9. In how far the divine election is conditional and unconditional. I. It is conditional with respect to individual elected men, places, things. For 1, these become partakers of the salvation promised by the election only by behaviour well-pleasing to God; 2, if they behave in a manner displeasing to God, the election does not protect them from destruction. II. The election is unconditional with respect to the eternal ideas lying at the foundation of the single appearances, and their absolute realizations.
3. On Jer 22:24. [Payson:The punishment of the impenitent inevitable and justifiable. I. To mention some awful instances in which God has verified this declaration: (a), the apostate angels; (b) our first parents; (c) destruction of mankind by the flood; (d) the children of Israel; (e) Moses, David, the disobedient prophet, Christ. II. Some of the reasons for such a declaration. Not a disposition to give pain or desire for revenge. It is the nature and tendency of sin to produce misery.S. R. A.]
4. On Jer 23:5-6. The Son of David. What the prophet declares of Him is fourfold: 1. He will Himself be righteous; 2. He will rule well as king and execute judgment and righteousness; 3. He will be our righteousness; 4. Under Him shall Judah be helped and Israel dwell safely.
5. On Jer 23:14. [Lathrop: The horrible guilt of those who strengthen the hands of the wicked. 1. All sin is horrible in its nature. 2. This is to oppose the government of the Almighty. 3. It directly tends to the misery of mankind. 4. It supports the cause of the Evil Spirit. 5. It is to become partakers of their sins. 6. It is horrible as directly contrary to the command of God, and marked with His peculiar abhorrence.S. R. A.]
6. On Jer 23:23-24. The Omnipresence of God. 1. What it means. God is everywhere present, (a). He fills heaven and earth; (b) there is no removal from Him in space; (c) nothing is hidden from Him. 2. There is in this for us (a) a glorious consolation, (b) an earnest admonition. [Charnock, Jortin, and Wesley have sermons on this text, all of very similar outline. The following are Jortins practical conclusions; This doctrine 1. Should lead us to seek to resemble Gods perfections 2. Should deter us from sin. 3. Should teach us humility. 4. Should encourage us to reliance and contentment, to faith and hope.S. R. A.]
7. On Jer 23:29-30. Gods Word and mans word. 1. The former is life and power (wheat, fire, hammer). The latter pretence and weakness (dream, straw). 2. The two are not to be mixed with each other. [Cecil: This shows 1. The vanity of all human imaginations in religion, (a). What do they afford to man? (b). How much do they hinder? 2. The energy of spiritual truth. Let us entreat God that our estimate may be practical.S. R. A.]
8. On Jer 24:1-10. The good and bad figs an emblem of humanity well-pleasing and displeasing to God. 1. The prisoners and broken-hearted are, like the good figs, well-pleasing to God. For (a) they know the Lord and turn to Him; (b) He is their God and they are His people. 2. Those who dwell proudly and securely are displeasing to God, like the bad figs. For (a) they live on in foolish blindness; (b) they challenge the judgment of God.
Footnotes:
[16]Jer 23:16., Hiph. here only. The Kal in Jer 2:5; 2Ki 17:15; Psa 62:11; Job 27:12. He who renders another frivolous, so that his mind is directed to what is frivolous, has led him astray, deceived him. Comp. Jer 14:14; Eze 13:2-3.
[17]Jer 23:17. . On the construction comp. Naegelsb. Gr., 97, 1, a, Anm.Instead of the LXX. and Syriac, according to the view of some, read . But they might have taken itself as a subst.=, as in Hos 1:2; Jer 5:13. The LXX. also connect the word with the preceding: , while the Syriac translates: dicunt iis, qui me exasperant; ex oraculo Domini pax erit vobis. certainly never stands as an introductory formula (= ): it most prevalently stands after or . But as Jeremiah was quoting the words of the Pseudo-prophets he may have purposely avoided the current formula of the true prophets. As the more difficult reading then deserves the preference.
[18]Jer 23:17. . The construction is not to be explained by the effect of the before , but the participle is used absolutely as it is frequently, especially after . Comp. Naegelsb. Gr., 97, 2 b.
[19]Jer 23:18.. Jussive apodosis. On the Vau comp. Naegelsb. Gr., 111, 1 b.
[20]Jer 23:18.. The Masoretes unnecessarily alter into . with the accus. in Job 13:6; Psa 17:1; Psa 61:2.>
[21]Jer 23:18.If we take , as we have done, as a relative pronoun, and read , the apodosis is wanting to the second clause. From this reading it appears that the Masoretes took for an interrogative. By comparison with Jer 9:11, and with Jer 23:22 below, it is thus seen that we are to punctuate (comp. Jdg 18:25), he may cause to hear, may proclaim.
[22]Jer 23:19. is in explicative apposition. to be taken as a perfect: the hurricane has already burst forth.
Fuente: A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical by Lange
Jer 23:16 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, [and] not out of the mouth of the LORD.
Ver. 16. Hearken not unto the words of the prophets. ] Stop your ears to their enchantments, and seriously decline them, as ye would do a serpent in your way, or poison in your meats.
They make you vain.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Jer 23:16-22
16Thus says the LORD of hosts,
Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you.
They are leading you into futility;
They speak a vision of their own imagination,
Not from the mouth of the LORD.
17They keep saying to those who despise Me,
‘The LORD has said, You will have peace;
And as for everyone who walks in the stubbornness of his own heart,
They say, ‘Calamity will not come upon you.’
18But who has stood in the council of the LORD,
That he should see and hear His word?
Who has given heed to His word and listened?
19Behold, the storm of the LORD has gone forth in wrath,
Even a whirling tempest;
It will swirl down on the head of the wicked.
20The anger of the LORD will not turn back
Until He has performed and carried out the purposes of His heart;
In the last days you will clearly understand it.
21I did not send these prophets,
But they ran.
I did not speak to them,
But they prophesied.
22But if they had stood in My council,
Then they would have announced My words to My people,
And would have turned them back from their evil way
And from the evil of their deeds.
Jer 23:16 They speak a vision of their own imagination They speak in God’s name but the message is their own (cf. Jer 23:25; Jer 5:31; Jer 14:14; Eze 13:2; Eze 13:17).
futility This VERBAL (BDB 211, KB 236, Hiphil PARTICIPLE) occurs only here. The Qal form occurs in Jer 2:5. The NOUN form (BDB 210) is used of the nothingness of idols.
Judeans are not to listen (BDB 1033, KB 1570, Qal IMPERFECT used in a JUSSIVE sense) because they are prophesying (BDB 612, KB 659, Niphal PARTICIPLE) falsehoods. This is recorded in Jer 23:17 b (cf. Jer 6:14; Jer 8:11; Jer 14:13-14). The Babylonians
1. will invade
2. will capture Judah and her leaders
3. will destroy Jerusalem and the temple
4. will exile most of the population
5. will take the temple treasures to the temple of Marduk in Babylon as spoils
They speak a vision of their own imagination Imagination is literally heart. One wonders if they knew it was a false vision. Were they self-duped or intentionally lying? Jer 23:17 implies they knew it was a false message of hope (cf. Jer 23:21; Jer 23:26).
Jer 23:17 They keep saying This is the Qal PARTICIPLE and INFINITIVE ABSOLUTE of the same root (to say, BDB 55, KB 65), denoting intensity.
NASB, NKJV,
NJB, JPSOAto those who despise Me,
The LORD has said
LXX, NRSV,
REBto those who despise the word of the LORD
The UBS Text Project gives the first option (NASB) a C rating (considerable doubt). The difference is a matter of vowel choice, not a consonantal change. The NET Bible prefers option #2 (following LXX).
You will have peace This was the basic message of the false prophets (cf. Jer 5:12; Jer 6:14; Jer 8:11; Jer 14:13; Jer 28:8-9; Eze 13:10). God’s word to the wicked is a fire and a hammer (cf. Jer 23:29).
Jer 23:18 Jeremiah is describing his own situation. He did see (BDB 1033, KB 1570, Qal IMPERFECT used in a JUSSIVE sense) in the council of YHWH (cf. Amo 3:7). He heard YHWH’s word (i.e., from Him directly, or a literary way of referring to the heavenly council of YHWH and those angels who serve Him, cf. 1Ki 22:19-23; Job 2:1-6) and performed it/spoke it! YHWH honors those who hear/heed/live His word and will (cf. Jer 23:22).
in the council of the LORD This may refer to the heavenly council of YHWH and those angels who surround Him.
1. for praise – Isa 6:2-3; Rev 4:8
2. for protection – Gen 3:24
3. for action – Gen 1:26; Gen 3:22; Gen 11:7; 1Ki 22:19-22; Job 1:6; Job 2:1; Job 29:4; Psa 89:7
4. for judgment – Dan 7:10; Dan 7:22; Dan 7:26
Jer 23:19-20 This is similar to Jer 30:23-24. The repetition occurs often in Jeremiah, which shows his various sermons and poems were collected and edited after his death or towards the end of his life (cf. Jer 23:7-8, repeated in Jer 16:14-15; Jer 23:15 repeated in Jer 9:15).
Jer 23:20 YHWH’s judgment will come (cf. Jer 30:24; Isa 45:23; Isa 55:11). The time for repentance has passed. Judah cannot repent (cf. Jer 13:23). YHWH’s only choice for His larger redemptive purpose of using Israel was to destroy and exile the current idolatrous generation. Only radical surgery can save the patient (cf. Isa 1:5-6).
The last line of Jer 23:20 seems to be a promise of a future time when God’s people will, one day, understand
1. His actions and greater purpose (i.e., eschatological, see chapter 17, God’s Plan in Millard Erickson, Christian Theology, second ed., pp. 371-390; also see Special Topic at Jer 1:5)
2. that they were duped by their false leadership (i.e., Babylonian invasion and exile, cf. Jer 30:23)
The NET Bible (p. 1357) has a good comment about clearly understand. This is a Hebrew construction where a noun functions as the object of a verb from the same word root (the Hebrew cognate accusative). See BDB 106, KB 122, Hithpolel IMPERFECT and BDB 108.
Jer 23:21-22 YHWH speaks again, as in Jer 23:16-18 and also Jer 23:23-32. It is difficult to know how the OT writers received YHWH’s revelation. Either they speak in His name and then comment on it or there is a more direct verbal reception of the message. See Hard Sayings of the Bible, chapter 8, pp. 66-69.
SPECIAL TOPIC: INSPIRATION
SPECIAL TOPIC: ILLUMINATION
Jer 23:21 YHWH rejects these proclaimers of peace (cf. Jer 29:9; Jer 29:23).
Jer 23:22 YHWH’s spokespersons can effect change and help His people turn from evil and walk in His word and ways!
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
Jer 23:16-22
Jer 23:16-22
Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they teach you vanity; they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of Jehovah. They say continually unto them that despise me, Jehovah hath said, Ye shall have peace; and unto every one that walketh in the stubbornness of his own heart they say, No evil shall come upon you. For who hath stood in the council of Jehovah, that he should perceive and hear his word? who hath marked my word, and heard it? Behold, the tempest of Jehovah, [even his] wrath, is gone forth, yea, a whirling tempest: it shall burst upon the head of the wicked. The anger of Jehovah shall not return, until he have executed, and till he have performed the intents of his heart: in the latter days ye shall understand it perfectly. I sent not these prophets, yet they ran: I spake not unto them, yet they prophesied. But if they had stood in my council, then had they caused my people to hear my words, and had turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings.
Jer 23:16 carries the meaning that the false prophets, “Gave out the thoughts of their own heart as divine revelation, promising peace and prosperity to all stiff-necked sinners.” Were such men popular? Indeed, they were popular among the vast wicked majority of the people. “Here we have the principal earmark of false teaching. False prophets, or teachers, always speak words that quiet the conscience, promise all kinds of good things, and violate with impunity the laws of morality.” In our day, the false teachers know nothing except the grace, love, mercy, and forgiveness of God and absolutely nothing about obedience or holiness. Their doctrine is “Smile, something good is going to happen to you” or, “I’m OK, you’re OK!”
Jer 23:19-20 occur again almost verbatim in Jer 30:23-24.
In the latter days ye shall understand it…
(Jer 23:20). Normally the words. In the latter days are used to introduce the subject of the Messianic kingdom, or the eschatological happenings of the end times; but here, They can hardly mean that. Here they mean that when God’s judgment falls upon Judah, the whole nation at that time will understand perfectly what the warnings of Jeremiah and the other prophets were all about. As Jamieson put it, When the prophesies shall be fulfilled in their Babylonian exile, the people shall consider and see by bitter experience, their sinful folly.
2. The message of the fake prophets (Jer 23:16-22)
The prophets of Judah are bolstering the false hopes of the people with false prophecies. Jeremiah calls for the people to repudiate these deceivers. Their prophecies did not come from the mouth of the Lord but from the vain imaginations of their own hearts. Giving heed to such empty prophecies would only cause the people to act in a vain and foolhardy way (Jer 23:16). The false prophets were continually grinding out their pious platitudes. The Hebrew uses a grammatical device to emphasize the ceaseless flow of words which were pouring forth from these pseudo prophets. To the hardened and rebellious sinners of Judah these men were giving assurance that all would be well. The Lord has said, You shall have peace. No calamity will befall you! The expression the Lord has spoken nowhere else in the Old Testament introduces a revelation from the Lord. If this was the formula by which these false prophets actually introduced their supposed oracles, then it differed from those formulas used by Jeremiah and the other prophets whose books have been preserved in Scripture.
By means of two rhetorical questions Jeremiah denies the authority of the false prophets and at the same time implicitly affirms his own inspiration. Who has stood in the council of the Lord that he might see and hear His word? The answer is obvious. Corrupt men like the false prophets could never have stood in the presence of God. Amos asserted, Surely the Lord will do nothing unless he reveals His secret counsel (same word used by Jeremiah) unto His servants the prophets (Amo 3:7). David declared that God extends His secret counsel to the pious (Psa 25:14). Sometimes the prophets had visions in which they saw the Lord in consultation with His trusted servants (Isa 6:1; 1Ki 22:19). Eliphaz asked Job, Were you listening in the council of God? (Job 15:8). The picture here is of the heavenly council chambers. True prophets are privy to the decisions of God relating to the children of men. This is another way of saying that the prophet receives direct revelation from God. The second rhetorical question of Jer 23:18 points to another way in which man can ascertain the will of God. Who has paid attention to His word and heard it? When one gives heed to the word of God as revealed in Scripture, he too can learn the will of God. The false prophets had not been privileged to stand in the secret council of God nor had they paid heed to His written word.
The message which Jeremiah brought in the name of God was quite different from that which the false prophets brought. Gods judgment is already approaching like a whirlwind. It will literally dance around upon the head of the wicked. The hurricane of divine wrath is upon them (Jer 23:19). Nothing will turn back Gods wrath. Attempting to thwart the plans of God by human means is as foolish as trying to tame a tornado at the height of its fury. Though the people may not presently be able to understand the plans and purposes of God, someday they will understand it all. At that time they will realize that they have been justly punished for their sins against God and man (Jer 23:20). The term end of days has been explained in three ways. (I) Some think that the end of days refers to the consummation of the world. The idea would then be that at the end of the age, possibly after the second coming of Christ, men will be able to understand clearly all of Gods dealing with men. It cannot be sustained from the usage of this term in the Old Testament that it refers to the end of the world. (2) Others think that end of days refers to the Messianic age as in Jer 48:47; Jer 49:39; Isa 2:2; Hos 3:5. The idea would then be that Gods dealing with Israel would be placed in proper perspective when the Messiah comes. (3) A third view is that the term end of days simply means in future days. Cheyne points to an Assyrian inscription where precisely the same phrase is used in the general sense of future time. It is the view of this writer that end of days refers to the New Testament age.
In Jer 23:17-20 Jeremiah emphasizes the point that the message of the false prophets is diametrically opposed to true revelation. God had not sent these prophets yet they eagerly ran to assume their prophetic office. God had not spoken to them yet they had the audacity to prophesy in His name (Jer 23:21). As further proof that these men were deceivers Jeremiah points out that their preaching was not designed to effect any moral change. Their message has no rebuke for sin and no appeal for reformation. Therefore these men cannot be true prophets of the Lord! If they truly had stood in the secret council of God they would be diligently laboring to turn people from their evil ways (Jer 23:22).
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Hearken: Jer 27:9, Jer 27:10, Jer 27:14-17, Jer 29:8, Pro 19:27, Mat 7:15, 2Co 11:13-15, Gal 1:8, Gal 1:9, 1Jo 4:1
they make: Jer 2:5, 2Ki 17:15, Rom 1:21
a vision: Jer 23:21, Jer 23:26, Jer 14:14, Eze 13:3, Eze 13:6, Eze 13:16, Eze 13:23, Eze 22:28, Mic 2:11
Reciprocal: Num 16:28 – of mine Neh 6:12 – God had Isa 1:1 – vision Isa 28:7 – err in Jer 23:32 – to err Hos 9:7 – the prophet Joh 10:1 – He Act 15:24 – that certain 2Ti 4:3 – but 2Pe 2:1 – there were
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 23:16. This verse is directed to the people of Judah and they are admonished not to listen to these false prophets. Vision of their own heart means the prophecies they issued were the fruit of their own mind and not the inspiration of the Lord.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Jer 23:16-17. Thus saith the Lord, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets People are under no religious obligation to hear what is contrary to the revealed will of God, or to obey those who enjoin things which that does not require. They make you vain Or rather, they deceive you, as the words may be properly rendered: or they make you trust to and undertake vain things. The inhabitants of Jerusalem were fed by these false prophets with the vain hopes of being able to drive the Babylonians from their walls, and raise the siege of the city; yea, and of shaking off the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar entirely, and being quite free for the future. They speak a vision of their own heart A pretended vision which they have framed themselves. They say still That is, they persist to say; unto them that despise me That are destitute even of my fear, and therefore slight my authority, and violate my commands; The Lord hath said, Ye shall have peace Whereas, in truth, I have said the contrary, and have assured them, There is no peace to the wicked Thus they both make me to patronise sin, and to contradict myself.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
23:16 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not to the words of the prophets that prophesy to you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own {n} heart, [and] not from the mouth of the LORD.
(n) Which they have invented of their own brain.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
The Almighty Lord warned His people through Jeremiah not to listen to the false prophets who were leading them with empty hopes. They were claiming that their own invented prophecies came from the Lord, but they were speaking empty words; they were just windbags.