Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 23:32
Behold, I [am] against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the LORD.
32. vain boasting ] The Hebrew root, which is rather rare, denotes in the cognate languages impudent boldness.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The third characteristic. See Jer 23:25.
Lightness – Vain, empty, talk.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
False dreams; that is, false things under the notion of things which I have revealed unto them in their sleep. By lightness here some understand volubility and smoothness of tongue and speech; others, lasciviousness; others, levity and inconstancy: the last seemeth most probably the sense.
I sent them not, ( saith God.) therefore they shall not profit. None can expect Gods blessing upon their ministry that are not called and sent of God into the ministry.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
32. Third class: inventors oflies: the climax, and worst of the three.
lightnesswantoninventions (Zep 3:4).
not profitthat is,greatly injure.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Behold, I [am] against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the Lord,…. And not true ones, such as the Lord spoke in to his prophets, and which they communicated from him to his people; see
Nu 12:6;
and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; by the false doctrines and prophecies which they delivered, and by their loose and disorderly lives which they led; so that they debauched the principles of the people by the former, and their practices by the latter. Kimchi interprets the word translated “lightness” of lightness of their knowledge; as if it was through the shallowness of their judgments, and want of capacity in teaching, that the people were made to err by their false doctrines. The Targum interprets it of their temerity or rashness; and Schultens s, from the use of the word in the Arabic language, explains it of their pride and false glorying;
yet I sent them not, nor commanded them; wherefore they lied, and acted a vainglorious part, when they pretended they were sent by him, and had their orders from him what they should say; see Jer 23:21;
therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the Lord; so far from it, that they did them a great deal of hurt by their lies and flatteries; seducing them from the ways and worship of God, and leading them on in such as would issue in their destruction, and did.
s Animadv. in Job. p. 144.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
He adds, thirdly, Behold, I am against those who prophesy dreams of falsehood It was indeed necessary to say here, that though the false teachers arrogated to themselves what alone belonged to the servants of God, they were yet mendacious. He afterwards adds, They narrate them, and cause my people to err by their falsehoods and their levity The meaning is, that however proudly they might, have pretended the name of prophets, they were yet impostors, who deceived the people by narrating to them their false dreams. The word dream is taken here in a good sense, but the word added to it, shews that they boasted of dreams which were only their own; and this is again confirmed when Jeremiah says, that they deceived the people by their falsehoods; and he adds, by their levity, (115) which some render “flattery.” I doubt not but that it means their inventions, which were vain, because they proceeded only from vain presumption.
He adds, Though I sent them not nor commanded them This negation ought especially to be noticed; for God shews how we are to form a judgment, when a question is raised respecting true and false teachers. Whatever, therefore, is without God’s command is like the wind, and will of itself vanish away. There is, then, no solidity in anything but in God’s command. Hence it follows, that all those who speak according to their own fancies are mendacious, and that whatever they bring forward has no weight in it; for God sets these two things in opposition the one to the other; on the one side are falsehood and levity, and on the other, his command and his call. It hence follows, that no one, except he simply obeys God and faithfully declares what he has received from him, can be of any account; for his whole weight is lighter than a feather, and all his apparent wisdom is falsehood.
At last he says, that they would not profit his people In which words he warns the people to shun them as the plague. But we see how the world indulges itself in this respect; for they who are drowsy seek to absolve themselves on the plea of ignorance, and throw the blame on their pastors, as though they were themselves beyond the reach of danger. But the Lord here reminded the people, that the teachers whom they received were pestilent; though for another reason he testified that they were useless, and that in order that he might shake off the vain confidence of the Jews, who were wont to set up this shield against all God’s threatenings, that their false teachers promised them wonderful things. It follows, —
(115) The word is rendered “errors,” by the Sept.; “miracles,” by the Vulg.; “lasciviousness,” by the Syr.; and “rashness,” by the Targ. It comes from a verb which means to swell, to overflow. As a feminine noun it is only found here, and as a participial noun in two places, Jud 9:4, in which places it evidently means licentious persons; and I once thought that as used here it means licentiousness; see Note on Zep 3:4, in vol. 4 on the Minor Prophets: but I now think that the meaning most suitable here is excess or overflowing in words — vaunting boasting. The false prophets boasted that they were prophesying in God’s name; they were telling lies, and boasting that they were sent by God. In this way they succeeded in leading astray the people, Venema renders it “vain boasting.”
Behold, I am against those who prophesy Lying dreams, saith Jehovah; And who declare them, that they may lead astray My people by their lies and by their vauntings.
Then follows a virtual denial of their vauntings, for God had “not sent’ nor “commanded” them; and the conclusion of the verse refers to their lies, for what they said would “not profit” the people. Thus we see a perfect correspondence between what is said in this and in the following verse, and the order is according to the usual style of the Prophets, it being reversed in the latter instance; their vauntings were false, because God did not send them; and their lies were vain, for they would not profit the people. — Ed.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(32) False dreams.The words may mean either actual dreams, which have nothing answering to them in the world of facts, or dreams which are not really such, but simply, as in Jer. 23:31, the form in which the deceiver seeks to work out his plans.
By their lightness.The Hebrew word is the same in meaning as the unstable as water of Gen. 49:4, the light persons of Jdg. 9:4; Zep. 3:4, and points primarily to the gushing or spurting forth of water. Here it points to what we may call the babbling of the false prophets. We are almost reminded of the words in which an English poet describes a hollow and pretentious eloquence as poured out
In one weak, washy, everlasting flood.
Therefore . . .Better, simply, and they shall not profit.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Jer 23:32 Behold, I [am] against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the LORD.
Ver. 32. That cause my people to err by their lies and by their lightness. ] By their lying discourses and light or loose courses. So Zep 3:4 Jdg 9:4 . If these false prophets had been of a sober, grave behaviour, the people might have been with better excuse deluded by them; as Aristotle noteth of Eudoxus (and the same is true of Epicurus himself, as Cicero telleth us) that he prevailed much in disputing for pleasure, because he was no voluptuous man himself. But these in the text were no less lewd than loud liars.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
lightness = reckless boasting.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
to err: Jer 23:16, Jer 27:14-22, Jer 28:15-17, Jer 29:21-23, Jer 29:31, Deu 13:1-18, Deu 18:20, Isa 3:12, Eze 13:7-18, Zec 13:2, Zec 13:3, Rev 19:20
and by: Zep 3:4, 2Co 1:17
therefore: Jer 23:22, Jer 7:8, Lam 2:14, Mat 15:14
Reciprocal: Jdg 18:6 – Go in peace 1Ki 13:18 – But Jer 20:6 – thy friends Jer 23:14 – in the Jer 23:21 – General Jer 23:25 – dreamed Jer 27:9 – hearken Eze 13:6 – saying Mic 2:11 – a man Mic 3:5 – concerning Zec 11:17 – idol Joh 10:1 – He Rom 10:15 – And how 1Co 14:6 – what shall I 1Ti 4:2 – lies 2Ti 2:14 – to no
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 23:32, Prophesy false dreams means to make false prophecies on the basis of their dreams. The chief grievance against them was that it caused the people to go astray. The original word for lightness is defined in the lexicon as frivolity. God never sent out such men to prophesy to the people hence their speeches were not doing any good.