Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 23:13
And I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria; they prophesied in Baal, and caused my people Israel to err.
13. folly ] lit. that which is tasteless, insipid (cp. cognate substantive in Job 6:6 rendered “that which hath no savour”), hence moral unsavouriness, unseemliness.
prophets of Samaria ] They were simply idolaters, who made no secret of their belief or practice. The prophets of Jerusalem on the other hand were thoroughly immoral besides.
Baal ] See on Jer 2:8.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
And I have seen folly … – Rather, Also I have seen. The prophet contrasts the prophets of Samaria with those of Jerusalem. In the conduct of the former God saw folly (literally that which is insipid, as being unsalted). It was stupidity to prophesy by Baal, an idol.
In Baal – i. e., in the name of Baal.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 13. I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria] This was not to be wondered at, for their religion was a system of corruption.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
There was a time when I saw folly in the prophets that belonged to the ten tribes, whose chief city was Samaria. The word translated
folly signifies unsavoury, or an absurd thing. Our Saviour compareth wicked ministers to unsavoury salt, Mat 5:13, salt that is turned foolish (as the Greek word signifies). The ministers of Gods word are, or ought to be,
the salt of the earth, to season people with sound doctrine, and by the good example of a holy life; if they be corrupt in doctrine or manners, they become unsavoury, and the very worst of men. Such God says the prophets of the ten tribes were, before they were carried away captive.
They prophesied, pretending they had their instructions and revelations from Baal, and so
caused the ten tribes
to err, which after the division of the kingdom in Jeroboams time were called Israel, in contradistinction to the two tribes and half cleaving to the house of David, which were called Judah, after the name of their principal tribe.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
13. follyliterally,”insipidity,” “unsavouriness” (Job6:6), not having the salt of godliness (Col4:6).
in Baalin the name ofBaal; in connection with his worship (see Jer2:8).
caused . . . to err(Isa 9:16).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria,…. The ten tribes of Israel, among whom, in Ahab’s time there were many false prophets, Baal’s prophets, even four hundred and fifty; whose “folly” the Lord had formerly taken notice of; even their idolatry and impiety for giving into which the ten tribes had been carried captive years ago. The word r here used signifies that which is “unsavoury”: something very unsavoury in their doctrines, and in their lives; they were as salt which has lost its savour and is good for nothing; to which bad ministers are compared, Mt 5:13. These words are to be read in connection with the following, and may be rendered, “indeed I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria”; of Israel in times past; “but I have seen in the prophets of Jerusalem” s that which is far worse; and therefore they must not expect to escape; or, as the Syriac version, “as I have seen in the prophets of Samaria–so have I seen in the prophets of Jerusalem”, c. so that here is a comparison run between them and the latter are represented as worse than the former, though they were bad enough; as follows: for
they prophesied in Baal; in the name of Baal, whose prophets they were; so the Targum,
“they prophesied in the name of idols:”
or, “they prophesied by Baal”, as the Septuagint version t; they pretended to be inspired by him, and to receive their prophecies from him: or, “they prophesied concerning Baal”; what he would do for them, for those that worshipped him. The Arabic version is, “they prophesied in my name to Baal”; which seems to be foreign from the sense of the place:
and caused my people Israel to err; by following their directions and instructions, and worshipping Baal.
r “insulsitatem”, Junius Tremellius, Piscator, Schmidt “intulsa”, Pagninus; “insulsam rem”, Munster, Vatablus; “insulsum”, Montanus, Cocceius. s So Schmidt. t , , Sept. “per Baalem”, Schmidt. So Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
These two verses are to be read together; for there is no doubt but that the Prophet here compares the false prophets, who had corrupted God’s worship in the kingdom of Israel, with those in Jerusalem who wished to appear more holy and more perfect. And he thus compares them that he might set forth those who sought to be deemed God’s faithful ministers, as being by far the worst; for he says, that he had found fatuity in the prophets of Samaria, but depravity in the prophets of Jerusalem. They are, therefore, mistaken in my judgment who take also, תפלה, tephle, as meaning depravity; for they do not consider that he here enhances by comparison their wickedness who thought themselves the best, as they say, without exception.
As to the prophets of Samaria, they had been long ago condemned; nor was there any at Jerusalem who dared openly to defend them; for they had departed from the worship of God, and had led away the people from the only true Temple and altar. They were then held at that time in the kingdom of Judah as apostates, perfidious, and unprincipled. But the kingdom of Judah still wished to be deemed pure and blameless; and the prophets, who were there, boasted that they were uncorrupt and free from every spot. The Prophet therefore says, that fatuity had been found in the prophets of Samaria, that is, in those who had corrupted the ten tribes, and vitiated there the pure worship of God; but that there was more wickedness in the prophets of Jerusalem and of the kingdom of Judah, because they were not only foolish, but also designedly subverted all religion, and allowed liberty in all kinds of wickedness, so that they carried as it were a banner in approbation of every species of iniquity. We hence see that the object of Jeremiah was to shew, that the prophets of the kingdom of Judah surpassed in impiety those very prophets whom they proudly condemned; for they were not only fatuitous and foolish, but had designedly as it were conspired against God, and had become open enemies not only to religion but to all laws.
As to the words, that he found fatuity (92) in the prophets of Samaria, he speaks in the person of God, who is the only fit judge. And he subjoins the cause of their senselessness, because they prophesied by Baal, and made the people of Israel to go astray Had Jeremiah spoken only of these, he would no doubt have used stronger terms in describing their sin; but as he was contrasting them with those who were worse, he was satisfied with the word fatuity; as though he had said, “Were any one to consider them by themselves, they were indeed very wicked, and deserved the most severe punishment; but if they be compared with the prophets of Judah, then they must be deemed only fatuitous and sottish.” Then the copulative is to be rendered thus, “I have, indeed, seen fatuity in the prophets of Samaria;” and then differently in the following clause, “but in the prophets of Judah I have seen depravity.” It is to be read adversatively in this verse, and concessively in the former. Then in the prophets of Jerusalem have I seen depravity (93)
(92) Rendered “iniquities” by the Sept.; “fatuity” by the Vulg.; “falsehood” by the Syr.; and “impiety by the Targ. Blayney has, “that which was disgusting.” The word, as here, is found only in two other places, Job 1:22; Job 24:12. It means, not what is “disgusting,” but what is crude, insipid, untempered, and hence figuratively, what is unreasonable, absurd, fatuitous, foolish. It is rendered “folly” in Job. The Vulg., which is followed by Calvin, gives its best meaning here — “fatuity.” To prophesy by Baal was the effect of infatuation: it was an absurd and fatuitous thing. This was the character of the thing in itself; and the evil which this fatuity produced was to lead the people astray. — Ed.
(93) Or “wickedness — pravitatem,” rendered “horrible things” by the Sept., and “folly” by the Syr. The Vulg. and the Targ. go altogether astray. The word means properly horridness, hideousness, or a horrid thing, and may be rendered enormity. The difference found in the Targ. and the Versions, as to the word and the manner of rendering the words which follow, seems to shew that the passage was not understood. I offer the following version, —
14. But among the prophets of Jerusalem Have I seen a horrid thing — The committing of adultery and walking in falsehood; And they have strengthened the hand of the wicked, That they might not turn, each from his wickedness: They are all of them become to me like Sodom, And its inhabitants like those of Gomorrah.
The verb I render “the committing of adultery,” is an infinitive without a preposition; it cannot be otherwise rendered in our language, but in Welsh it can be rendered literally, as an infinitive without a preposition, though commonly in that language, as in Hebrew, the infinitive mood has a preposition before it. The “horrid thing” was adultery, that is, idolatry, combined with “walking in falsehood,” that is, with a false profession of prophesying in God’s name, which is afterwards more distinctly specified. Here was the difference between the prophets: those of Samaria were idolaters, and consistently they prophesied in the name of Baal; but the prophets of Jerusalem were not only idolaters, but added to this sin the enormity of defending all they did by alleging that they were the Lord’s prophets. This was the horrid thing. It is a great sin to advocate error, but to do this in the name of the Lord, or by perverting his word, is a horrid thing. The last line presents an instance of that ellipsis mentioned in a Note on the 12th verse. The word “inhabitants” is to be understood before Gomorrah. — Ed.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(13) I have seen folly . . .Literally, as in Job. 6:6, that which is unsavouryi.e., insipid, and so, ethically, foolish. The guilt of the prophets of Samaria cannot be passed over, but it is noticed, as in Jer. 3:6-10, only in order to compare it with the darker evils of those of Judah and Jerusalem.
They prophesied in Baal.i.e., in the name and as if by the power of Baal. Comp. 1Ki. 18:19; 1Ki. 22:6-7.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
13, 14. Prophets of Samaria Here introduced to set off the greater folly of the prophets of Jerusalem. These last are represented as having come to the very climax of wickedness, even as Sodom and Gomorrah.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
2). YHWH Calumniates The False Prophets And Questions What They Teach, Explaining What The Results Of Their Prophesying Will Be, And Emphasising That They Were Not Sent Or Enlightened By Him ( Jer 23:13-22 ).
Jeremiah now compares the prophets of Judah with the prophets who had brought doom on Israel, people who had no doubt become a byword in Judah as evidence of prophets who could go astray. And he sees little to choose between them. They walk in the same evil ways, and encourage others to do so as well, with the result that instead of converting the people from wickedness they make them worse. Indeed they were making them like the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah, the two cities which were destroyed by YHWH for their extreme wickedness in the time of Abraham (Genesis 18-19), and were now synonymous with evil.
As a result YHWH will feed them with a bitter diet, because that is precisely the consequence of the type of teaching that they provide, a teaching which certainly does not come from Him but is simply a vision from their own hearts. They proclaim ‘peace and wellbeing’, and promise to those who are stubborn in heart that ‘no evil will come on them’. But they can only do this because, whatever they may profess, they have not stood in the council of YHWH. Had they done so they would have known that a tempest was coming forth which would burst on their heads, as a result of the anger of YHWH, a tempest which would not cease until all that He purposes has been brought about. They may not at present understand this, but eventually they will understand it perfectly because it will have happened to them. And that is why if they had genuinely stood in His council they would rather be seeking to turn the people to YHWH’s word and away from evil, because they would have known.
Jer 23:13-14
“And I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria,
They prophesied by Baal, and caused my people Israel to err.
In the prophets of Jerusalem also I have seen a horrible thing,
They commit adultery, and walk in lies,
And they strengthen the hands of evildoers,
So that none returns from his wickedness,
They are all of them become to me as Sodom,
And their inhabitants as Gomorrah.”
All agreed that there had been folly in the prophets of Samaria. Those prophets had supported the folly of their priests who had set up images in their temples, and they had had their own priesthood, and their own feasts, and had indulged in a syncretistic Yahwism which included consorting with Baal and Asherah and other gods and goddesses. Thus it had come as no surprise to Judah that YHWH should brand them as fools and punish them. Their view would be that they had deserved it for having forsaken Temple worship and having deserted the son of David. But, they would have thought, surely it was different in Judah. There they had the one Temple, and the legitimate priesthood, and regularly celebrated the feasts established by Moses, and while it was certainly necessary for them to admit that they had modernised it a little by the introduction of novelties such as nature gods in order to satisfy everyone, all in all they were confident that they gave YHWH what they thought He wanted, daily sacrifices, offerings of incense, and priestly recognition. What more could any God want?
But Jeremiah soon disillusions them. That was precisely Jeremiah’s point, that he had seen ‘a horrible thing’ in Jerusalem, the place which should especially have been kept free from all taint. While it may be that the folly of their prophets was not outwardly like that of Israel, it was just as real underneath. It was revealed in their spiritual and physical adultery, their willingness to countenance the worship of ‘Baal (Lord) YHWH’ and Asherah, the way that they deceived the people with lies under the guise of prophecy, and the way in which they prophesied in support of influential and powerful men, in order that they might achieve their ends, ‘strengthening the hands of evildoers’. And the result was that none returned from their wickedness because instead of making them feel guilty and repentant, the false prophets were encouraging them in their sins. Thus no one was returning from his wickedness to YHWH. And the consequence was that He saw them as being as wicked as Sodom and Gomorrah, which was not on the whole a good thing if one thought of what had happened to them.
Indeed as we have seen earlier, YHWH considered that they were doubly guilty because they had failed to take notice of the warning given as a result of what had happened to their northern cousins (Jer 3:6-10).
Jer 23:15
‘Therefore thus says YHWH of hosts concerning the prophets:
“Behold, I will feed them with wormwood,
And make them drink the water of gall,
For from the prophets of Jerusalem,
Ungodliness is gone forth into all the land.
And it was because from these ‘prophets of Jerusalem’ (as contrasted and compared with the ‘prophets of Samaria’) had gone forward ungodliness into all the land, that YHWH of the hosts of Heaven and earth had decreed concerning these prophets that they should feed on wormwood and drink of gall (compare Jer 9:15), in other words would experience bitter things.
Both wormwood and gall had the same characteristic, that they were very bitter, and even poisonous, and both regularly symbolised awful judgment (see for the wormwood varieties of plant Amo 5:7; Amo 6:12; Pro 5:4; Lamentation Jer 3:15. For the gall plant see Jer 8:14; Hos 10:14; Deu 29:18; Amo 6:12; Lam 3:19). Drinking gall probably has in mind an extract from the colocynth gourd fruit.
Jer 23:16
‘Thus says YHWH of hosts,
“Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you,
They teach you what is vain,
They speak a vision of their own heart,
And not out of the mouth of YHWH.”
So through Jeremiah YHWH now called on His people to turn their backs on these false prophets and not to listen to them, because their preaching was empty and was useless, and because their visions came from their own hearts and not out of the mouth of YHWH. But He would have known that He was talking to a brick wall because the people were smug in what they saw as their perfect acceptability. And meanwhile Jeremiah must have been feeling it very deeply, especially when the people attacked him for being unfair to the false prophets.
Note the characteristics of a false prophet:
1. He teaches what is empty and useless (although very pleasing to the ear). Jer 23:16.
2. He does not receive his message from God (Jer 23:16; Jer 23:18; Jer 23:21).
3. He makes false promises to those who treat God lightly (Jer 23:17).
4. He ignores it when men are being stubborn in their opposition to God’s ways (Jer 23:17).
5. He fails to turn the people from their evil ways leaving them self-satisfied (Jer 23:14; Jer 23:22).
Jer 23:17
“They say continually to those who despise me,
‘YHWH has said, You will have peace,’
And to every one who walks in the stubbornness of his own heart,
They say, ‘No evil will come upon you’.”
And these prophets were continually proclaiming to the very people who demonstrated by their injustice and oppression that they despised YHWH, that they would have peace and well-being. And to those who stubbornly refused to obey YHWH’s covenant they were giving the assurance that ‘No evil will come on you’. How foolish they were. For had they really seen into YHWH’s mind they would have known that the very opposite was true. However, the people enjoyed their message for it coincided with their own thinking that they were perfectly satisfactory to God and could carry on doing just what they wanted.
There is an interesting hint in the verb ‘they say’ of the difference in their activity from that of genuine prophets. It is a different word from that used of when YHWH’s prophets speak, perhaps suggesting that these prophets speak glibly on their own initiative. They speak from their own wisdom and not from the wisdom of YHWH.
Jer 23:18
“For who has stood in the council of YHWH,
That he should perceive and hear his word?
Who has marked my word,
And heard it?”
YHWH now lays down His challenge. Which of them had stood in the Heavenly Council as His ways were being unveiled? Which of them had really perceived and heard His word? Which of them had taken note of His word and heard it? And the answer was none of them (apart of course from Jeremiah), for had they done so they would have seen things very differently.
The ‘Heavenly council’ in Hebrew thought consisted of YHWH’s court in the heavenlies where He was surrounded by holy beings. It was a council from which only true prophets could obtain the facts without distortion. See 1Ki 22:19; Job 1-2; Job 15:8; Psa 82:1; Psa 89:6-7; Isa 6:1-8; Amo 3:7.
Jer 23:19
“Behold, the tempest of YHWH,
Wrath, is gone forth,
Yes, a whirling tempest,
It will burst on the head of the wicked.”
And what had been the verdict of this Heavenly Council? It had been that the wrath of YHWH would come forth like a great tempest (a tempest of YHWH), yes like a whirling tempest, and it would burst on the all the heads of the wicked. Thus the Heavenly Council had come to a very different decision from that propounded by the false prophets. It had seen a picture of the world being turned upside down because of what was coming on it.
Jer 23:20
“The anger of YHWH will not return,
Until he has executed,
And until he has performed the intents of his heart,
In the latter days you will understand it perfectly.”
And when that tempest began it would not cease until it had run its course. The anger of YHWH would go forth and not return until He had performed the intents of His heart, that is until what He had purposed had been fulfilled. And in later days they would understand it perfectly for they would have experienced it for themselves, and they would have begun to think through the truth of what he was saying (which was why Jeremiah’s prophecies were preserved). ‘The latter days’ simply means ‘later days’, the latter days of their own experience when all that had been warned about had actually happened and they were in exile. In other words their theological graduation would be as a result of having experienced God’s judgment, not from listening to the prophets.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Jer 23:13-14. I have seen folly Jeremiah draws a contrast between the sins of the prophets of Samaria, and of Jerusalem, and pronounces those of the latter to be more enormous, because the former seduced the people by prophesying in the name of Baal; whereas the prophets of Israel pronounced their false prophesies in the name of the true God, and pretended that he was the author of all their impostures. The wickedness of their lives also reflected a dishonour upon God and his religion. See Calmet and Lowth.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Jer 23:13 And I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria; they prophesied in Baal, and caused my people Israel to err.
Ver. 13. And I have seen folly. ] Heb., Insalsity. Folly is as unpleasant to the intelligent as unsavoury meat is to him that tasteth it.
They prophesied in Baal, and caused my people Israel to err.
a Lib. x. in Epic
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Jer 23:13-15
13Moreover, among the prophets of Samaria I saw an offensive thing:
They prophesied by Baal and led My people Israel astray.
14Also among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible thing:
The committing of adultery and walking in falsehood;
And they strengthen the hands of evildoers,
So that no one has turned back from his wickedness.
All of them have become to Me like Sodom,
And her inhabitants like Gomorrah.
15Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts concerning the prophets,
‘Behold, I am going to feed them wormwood
And make them drink poisonous water,
For from the prophets of Jerusalem
Pollution has gone forth into all the land.’
Jer 23:13 Samaria This was the capital of the northern kingdom and used as a symbol for the nation as a whole.
They prophesied by Baal This refers to Canaanite fertility worship (cf. Jer 2:8). See Special Topic: Fertility Worship of the Ancient Near East .
astray This VERB (BDB 1073, KB 1766, Hiphil IMPERFECT) denoted mental and moral confusion and the resulting poor choices (cf. 2Ki 21:9; Isa 3:12; Isa 9:16; Jer 23:13; Jer 23:32; Jer 42:20; Amo 2:4; Mic 3:5). The people of Judah were morally responsible for their choices, but they also had been led astray by people they trusted!
Jer 23:14 This verse describes the prophets of Judah (i.e., involved in Ba’al worship like Israel).
1. They committed adultery (see note at Jer 23:10)
2. They walked in falsehood (i.e., lies)
3. They strengthened the hand of evildoers
4. No one repented (people or prophet or priest or shepherd)
Notice how often Jeremiah addresses the false prophets (cf. Jer 2:8; Jer 4:9; Jer 5:30-31; Jer 6:13-15; Jer 8:10-12; Jer 14:13-15; Jer 18:18-23; Jer 26:8; Jer 26:11; Jer 26:16; Jer 27:1-22; Jer 28:1-17).
Every generation of believers must decide to whom they will listen and respond. There are charlatans, deceivers, crooks; how does a believer know who to believe! Here are some Scriptural guidelines.
1. the accuracy of their predictions, cf. Deu 13:1-5; Deu 18:18-22 (this does not relate to conditional prophecies like Jonah’s)
2. lifestyle, cf. Jer 23:13-22; Mat 7:15-23
3. content of the message (for NT), cf. 1Co 12:3; 1Co 15:3-4; 1Jn 4:1-3
See Grant Osborne, The Hermeneutical Spiral, pp. 210-211, The Characteristics of False Prophets.
Jer 23:15 This verse describes what YHWH will do to these false prophets (cf. Jer 9:15).
1. feed them wormwood
2. make them drink poisonous water
He gives them a taste of their own actions. They taught poison, now they must drink it themselves (cf. Jer 17:10; Gal 6:7). False teaching spreads like gangrene!
folly: or, an absurd thing, Heb. unsavoury
prophets: Hos 9:7, Hos 9:8
prophesied: Jer 2:8, 1Ki 18:18-21, 1Ki 18:25-28, 1Ki 18:40
and: 2Ch 33:9, Isa 9:16
Reciprocal: Deu 18:20 – the prophet Pro 13:17 – wicked Isa 28:7 – err in Isa 56:10 – they are all dumb Jer 36:2 – against Israel Eze 13:10 – seduced Amo 2:4 – and their Mat 7:15 – false Mat 7:22 – have we
Jer 23:13. This verse makes reference to the 10-trlbe kingdom although it had been in exile for a century when this passage was written. When distinguished from Judah, that kingdom was called Israel and its capital was Samaria. That kingdom also had false prophets and God mentions them in this connection because he wms threatening the false prophets of Judah with a punishment similar to that imposed on the others. Prophesied- in Baal means they issued their declarations in the name of Baal,
Jer 23:13-14. I have seen Rather, I saw, namely, formerly, before I cast them out of their own land; folly Hebrew, , stupidity, infatuation. The LXX. render it, , iniquities, or unlawful actions, and the Vulgate, fatuitatem, sottishness; in the prophets of Samaria That is, in those that belonged to the ten tribes, whose chief city was Samaria. They prophesied in Baal Pretending they had their relations from Baal, they caused the people of that kingdom to err That is, they seduced them from the worship and service of the true God to idolatry. I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem a horrible thing Hebrew, , a thing to be detested, an abomination. He compares the sins of the prophets of Samaria with those of the prophets of Jerusalem, and pronounces the sins of the latter to be more enormous, because they pronounced their false prophecies in the name of the true God, and pretended that he was the author of all their impostures: the wickedness of their lives also reflected great dishonour upon his name and religion. Compare Jer 3:11. They commit adultery See Jer 29:23. And walk in lies Utter what they themselves have feigned, and call their inventions divine visions, and use all manner of deceit and fraud. They strengthen also the hands of evil-doers They confirm men in their evil ways, both by their own bad example, and by promising them peace and security, notwithstanding their wicked conduct and ungodly deeds. See Jer 23:17; and Eze 13:22. They are all of them unto me as Sodom See Deu 32:32; Isa 1:10; Eze 16:46-48.
The prophets of Samaria, the capital of the Northern Kingdom, had offended the Lord by prophesying in Baal’s name and by leading God’s people astray.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)