Jeremiah 23 Study Notes: The Righteous Branch and False Prophets
God condemns the shepherds who scattered His flock and promises to gather the remnant and raise up a righteous King from David's line. The rest of the chapter exposes lying prophets who promise peace, tell their own dreams as God's message, and misuse the phrase about the LORD's burden.
General
What point is the LORD making when He asks in Jeremiah 23:23-24 whether He is only a God close at hand?
Answer: No one can hide from Him, since He fills heaven and earth
The LORD asks whether He is a God only close at hand and not also far off, whether anyone can hide in a secret place where He cannot see him, and whether He does not fill heaven and earth (23:23-24). The answer is that God is present everywhere and sees everything. In the setting of these verses, He has heard every lie the false prophets tell in His name (23:25). David says there is nowhere to flee from God’s presence (Psalm 139:7-8), Solomon says that not even the loftiest heavens can hold Him (1 Kings 8:27), and Hebrews says no created thing escapes His sight (Hebrews 4:13).
- Jeremiah 23:23-24 (BSB)““Am I only a God nearby,” declares the LORD, “and not a God far away?” “Can a man hide in secret places where I cannot see him?” declares the LORD. “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” declares the LORD.”The LORD asks questions that show no one can hide from Him.
- Psalm 139:7-8 (BSB)“Where can I go to escape Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, You are there.”David confesses there is nowhere to flee from God’s presence.
- 1 Kings 8:27 (BSB)“But will God indeed dwell upon the earth? The heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain You, much less this temple I have built.”Solomon confesses that no heaven is large enough to hold God.
- Hebrews 4:13 (BSB)“Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight; everything is uncovered and exposed before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”Every creature lies open before God’s eyes.
Theological
What truth about God do the questions of Jeremiah 23:23-24 assert?
Answer: No one can hide from Him, since He fills heaven and earth
The rhetorical questions assert God’s transcendence, omnipresence, and omniscience together: He is not a local deity confined to what is near, no one can conceal himself from His sight, and He fills heaven and earth (23:23-24). In context, this is why the lying prophets cannot escape Him; He has heard everything they say in His name (23:25). The same truth appears in David’s confession that there is no fleeing God’s presence (Psalm 139:7-8), Solomon’s acknowledgment that the loftiest heavens cannot hold Him (1 Kings 8:27), and the warning that all things lie exposed before the One to whom all must answer (Hebrews 4:13).
- Jeremiah 23:23-24 (BSB)““Am I only a God nearby,” declares the LORD, “and not a God far away?” “Can a man hide in secret places where I cannot see him?” declares the LORD. “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” declares the LORD.”The LORD asks questions that show no one can hide from Him.
- Psalm 139:7-8 (BSB)“Where can I go to escape Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, You are there.”David confesses there is nowhere to flee from God’s presence.
- 1 Kings 8:27 (BSB)“But will God indeed dwell upon the earth? The heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain You, much less this temple I have built.”Solomon confesses that no heaven is large enough to hold God.
- Hebrews 4:13 (BSB)“Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight; everything is uncovered and exposed before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”Every creature lies open before God’s eyes.
General
In Jeremiah 23:16-17, what message do the false prophets keep giving to people who despise the LORD?
Answer: That all will be well and no disaster will reach them
The LORD of Hosts warns the people not to listen to these prophets, who fill them with empty hopes and speak visions their own imaginations invent rather than words from the LORD’s mouth (23:16). They keep telling those who despise the LORD that they will enjoy peace, and they assure everyone who follows his own stubborn heart that disaster will not touch them (23:17). Jeremiah had earlier described prophets who treated the people’s deep wound lightly, announcing peace when there was none (6:14), and the LORD said He had never sent them (14:14). Ezekiel brings the same charge against prophets in his day (Ezekiel 13:10).
- Jeremiah 23:16-17 (BSB)“This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They are filling you with false hopes. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD. They keep saying to those who despise Me, ‘The LORD says that you will have peace,’ and to everyone who walks in the stubbornness of his own heart, ‘No harm will come to you.’”The LORD warns against prophets who assure people who scorn Him that all will be well.
- Jeremiah 6:14 (BSB)“They dress the wound of My people with very little care, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace at all.”Jeremiah earlier condemned prophets who offered false assurances of safety.
- Jeremiah 14:14 (BSB)““The prophets are prophesying lies in My name,” replied the LORD. “I did not send them or appoint them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a false vision, a worthless divination, the futility and delusion of their own minds.”The LORD says these prophets speak lies He never sent them to speak.
- Ezekiel 13:10 (BSB)“Because they have led My people astray, saying, ‘Peace,’ when there is no peace, and whitewashing any flimsy wall that is built,”Ezekiel condemns prophets who misled the people with false promises of safety.
Theological
According to Jeremiah 23:16-17, what is the content of the false prophets’ message to those who despise the LORD?
Answer: That all will be well and no disaster will reach them
The LORD of Hosts forbids the people to heed prophets who fill them with vain hopes, speaking visions of their own devising rather than from the LORD’s mouth (23:16). Their message assures those who despise the LORD of peace and promises those who walk in stubbornness of heart that no evil will befall them (23:17). False prophecy here offers comfort without repentance. Jeremiah had already exposed prophets who healed the people’s wound lightly with cries of peace (6:14), whom the LORD had not sent (14:14), and Ezekiel confronts the same deception (Ezekiel 13:10).
- Jeremiah 23:16-17 (BSB)“This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They are filling you with false hopes. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD. They keep saying to those who despise Me, ‘The LORD says that you will have peace,’ and to everyone who walks in the stubbornness of his own heart, ‘No harm will come to you.’”The LORD warns against prophets who assure people who scorn Him that all will be well.
- Jeremiah 6:14 (BSB)“They dress the wound of My people with very little care, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace at all.”Jeremiah earlier condemned prophets who offered false assurances of safety.
- Jeremiah 14:14 (BSB)““The prophets are prophesying lies in My name,” replied the LORD. “I did not send them or appoint them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a false vision, a worthless divination, the futility and delusion of their own minds.”The LORD says these prophets speak lies He never sent them to speak.
- Ezekiel 13:10 (BSB)“Because they have led My people astray, saying, ‘Peace,’ when there is no peace, and whitewashing any flimsy wall that is built,”Ezekiel condemns prophets who misled the people with false promises of safety.
General
According to Jeremiah 23:3-4, who will gather what is left of the LORD’s flock from the lands where they were scattered?
Answer: The LORD Himself
After judging the faithless shepherds, the LORD says that He Himself will regather the remnant, the people who are left of His flock, from every land where He has driven them. He will bring them home to their grazing land, where they will grow and increase (23:3). He will raise up new shepherds who will truly care for them, so that they will never again live in fear or terror and not one of them will be lost (23:4). The LORD speaks of both the banishment and the gathering as His own work. He had earlier promised shepherds after His own heart (3:15), and Ezekiel gives the same promise that God Himself will search for His sheep (Ezekiel 34:11-12). Jesus says that nobody can tear His sheep out of His hand (John 10:27-29).
- Jeremiah 23:3-4 (BSB)“Then I Myself will gather the remnant of My flock from all the lands to which I have banished them, and I will return them to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and multiply. I will raise up shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or dismayed, nor will any go missing, declares the LORD.”The LORD promises to gather the remnant Himself and give them faithful shepherds.
- Jeremiah 3:15 (BSB)“Then I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.””The LORD had promised His people leaders who would please Him.
- Ezekiel 34:11-12 (BSB)“For this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Behold, I Myself will search for My flock and seek them out. As a shepherd looks for his scattered sheep when he is among the flock, so I will look for My flock. I will rescue them from all the places to which they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness.”God declares that He Himself will search for His scattered flock and rescue it.
- John 10:27-29 (BSB)“My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them out of My hand. My Father who has given them to Me is greater than all. No one can snatch them out of My Father’s hand.”Jesus says no one can take His sheep from Him, and they will not be lost.
Theological
According to Jeremiah 23:3-4, who is the agent of the regathering of the remnant?
Answer: The LORD Himself
The LORD who judged the shepherds now acts personally: He will regather what remains of His flock from every land of their banishment, bring them back to their fold, and make them fruitful (23:3). Both the banishment and the regathering are His sovereign work. He will then set over them shepherds who truly tend them, so that they will neither fear nor be terrified and none will be missing (23:4). This echoes the promise of shepherds after His own heart (3:15) and Ezekiel’s word that God Himself will seek His scattered sheep (Ezekiel 34:11-12). Jesus speaks the same way of His own sheep, who will never perish and whom nobody can tear from His hand or the Father’s (John 10:27-29).
- Jeremiah 23:3-4 (BSB)“Then I Myself will gather the remnant of My flock from all the lands to which I have banished them, and I will return them to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and multiply. I will raise up shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or dismayed, nor will any go missing, declares the LORD.”The LORD promises to gather the remnant Himself and give them faithful shepherds.
- Jeremiah 3:15 (BSB)“Then I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.””The LORD had promised His people leaders who would please Him.
- Ezekiel 34:11-12 (BSB)“For this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Behold, I Myself will search for My flock and seek them out. As a shepherd looks for his scattered sheep when he is among the flock, so I will look for My flock. I will rescue them from all the places to which they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness.”God declares that He Himself will search for His scattered flock and rescue it.
- John 10:27-29 (BSB)“My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them out of My hand. My Father who has given them to Me is greater than all. No one can snatch them out of My Father’s hand.”Jesus says no one can take His sheep from Him, and they will not be lost.
General
According to Jeremiah 23:7-8, how will the way people swear oaths change in a coming day?
Answer: They will swear by the God who brought them back home
Israelites swore oaths by the LORD as the God who brought Israel out of Egypt. The LORD says a day is coming when people will no longer swear that way. Instead they will swear by Him as the God who brought Israel’s descendants back from the northern land and from every land where He had driven them, and they will live on their own soil again (23:7-8). The return from exile will be so great an act of rescue that it will overshadow even the exodus from Egypt. The same promise appears almost word for word earlier in the book (16:14-15). Isaiah similarly tells God’s people to look for the new thing He is about to do (Isaiah 43:18-19) and to expect Him to gather the scattered people of Judah from the ends of the earth (Isaiah 11:12).
- Jeremiah 23:7-8 (BSB)“So behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when they will no longer say, ‘As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of the land of Egypt.’ Instead they will say, ‘As surely as the LORD lives, who brought and led the descendants of the house of Israel up out of the land of the north and all the other lands to which He had banished them.’ Then they will dwell once more in their own land.””The LORD says the oath recalling the exodus will give way to one recalling the return from exile.
- Jeremiah 16:14-15 (BSB)“Yet behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when they will no longer say, ‘As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of the land of Egypt.’ Instead they will say, ‘As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of the land of the north and all the other lands to which He had banished them.’ For I will return them to their land that I gave to their forefathers.”The same promise of a new oath and return appears earlier in the book.
- Isaiah 43:18-19 (BSB)““Do not call to mind the former things; pay no attention to the things of old. Behold, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness and streams in the desert.”God tells His people to look past His earlier works toward the new work He is bringing.
- Isaiah 11:12 (BSB)“He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; He will collect the scattered of Judah from the four corners of the earth.”God promises to bring Judah’s dispersed people back from every direction.
Theological
How does Jeremiah 23:7-8 describe the coming change in Israel’s oath formula?
Answer: They will swear by the God who brought them back home
The exodus from Egypt was Israel’s defining act of redemption, invoked in the oath by the living LORD. Yet the LORD announces a day when that formula will be replaced by one naming Him as the God who brought Israel’s offspring back from the north country and from all the lands of their banishment, settling them on their own soil (23:7-8). The coming restoration is presented as a new and greater exodus. The promise repeats 16:14-15 and matches Isaiah’s call to look past the former things to the new thing God will do (Isaiah 43:18-19), gathering Judah’s dispersed people from every corner of the earth (Isaiah 11:12).
- Jeremiah 23:7-8 (BSB)“So behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when they will no longer say, ‘As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of the land of Egypt.’ Instead they will say, ‘As surely as the LORD lives, who brought and led the descendants of the house of Israel up out of the land of the north and all the other lands to which He had banished them.’ Then they will dwell once more in their own land.””The LORD says the oath recalling the exodus will give way to one recalling the return from exile.
- Jeremiah 16:14-15 (BSB)“Yet behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when they will no longer say, ‘As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of the land of Egypt.’ Instead they will say, ‘As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of the land of the north and all the other lands to which He had banished them.’ For I will return them to their land that I gave to their forefathers.”The same promise of a new oath and return appears earlier in the book.
- Isaiah 43:18-19 (BSB)““Do not call to mind the former things; pay no attention to the things of old. Behold, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness and streams in the desert.”God tells His people to look past His earlier works toward the new work He is bringing.
- Isaiah 11:12 (BSB)“He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; He will collect the scattered of Judah from the four corners of the earth.”God promises to bring Judah’s dispersed people back from every direction.
General
True or False: In Jeremiah 23:22, the LORD declares that if the false prophets had truly stood in His council, then they would have called His people to turn away from their wicked conduct.
Answer: True
This is true. The LORD asks which of these prophets has ever stood in His council to perceive and listen to His word (23:18). He did not send them, yet they ran with their message; He gave them no message, yet they prophesied (23:21). Had they really listened in His council, then they would have announced His words and turned the people away from their wicked deeds (23:22). A true prophet calls people to repent. Meanwhile the LORD’s storm of anger is already sweeping down on the wicked and will not relent until His purposes are complete (23:19-20). Amos says God reveals His plans to the prophets who serve Him (Amos 3:7), and the Law warned against anyone who speaks in God’s name without His command (Deuteronomy 18:20). Jeremiah later repeats the words about the LORD’s storm (30:23-24).
- Jeremiah 23:21-22 (BSB)“I did not send these prophets, yet they have run with their message; I did not speak to them, yet they have prophesied. But if they had stood in My council, they would have proclaimed My words to My people and turned them back from their evil ways and deeds.””The LORD says these prophets ran unsent, and that true prophets would have turned the people from evil.
- Amos 3:7 (BSB)“Surely the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing His plan to His servants the prophets.”The Lord makes His purposes known to the prophets who serve Him.
- Deuteronomy 18:20 (BSB)“But if any prophet dares to speak a message in My name that I have not commanded him to speak, or to speak in the name of other gods, that prophet must be put to death.””The Law condemned any prophet who spoke in God’s name without His command.
- Jeremiah 30:23-24 (BSB)“Behold, the storm of the LORD has gone out with fury, a whirlwind swirling down upon the heads of the wicked. The fierce anger of the LORD will not turn back until He has fully accomplished the purposes of His heart. In the days to come you will understand this.”The words about the LORD’s storm are repeated, showing His purposes will be carried out.
Theological
True or False: According to Jeremiah 23:22, prophets who had genuinely stood in the LORD’s council would have proclaimed His words and turned the people from their evil conduct.
Answer: True
This is true. The test of a true prophet is access to the LORD’s council: none of these men has stood there to perceive and listen to His word (23:18). They ran unsent and prophesied without being spoken to (23:21); had they stood in His council, then they would have announced His words and turned the people from their wicked conduct (23:22). Genuine prophecy calls to repentance. Meanwhile the LORD’s tempest is already breaking on the wicked, and His anger will not relent until His purposes are complete (23:19-20), words repeated in 30:23-24. The LORD discloses His plans to the prophets who serve Him (Amos 3:7), and the Law condemned anyone who presumed to speak in His name uncommanded (Deuteronomy 18:20).
- Jeremiah 23:21-22 (BSB)“I did not send these prophets, yet they have run with their message; I did not speak to them, yet they have prophesied. But if they had stood in My council, they would have proclaimed My words to My people and turned them back from their evil ways and deeds.””The LORD says these prophets ran unsent, and that true prophets would have turned the people from evil.
- Amos 3:7 (BSB)“Surely the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing His plan to His servants the prophets.”The Lord makes His purposes known to the prophets who serve Him.
- Deuteronomy 18:20 (BSB)“But if any prophet dares to speak a message in My name that I have not commanded him to speak, or to speak in the name of other gods, that prophet must be put to death.””The Law condemned any prophet who spoke in God’s name without His command.
- Jeremiah 30:23-24 (BSB)“Behold, the storm of the LORD has gone out with fury, a whirlwind swirling down upon the heads of the wicked. The fierce anger of the LORD will not turn back until He has fully accomplished the purposes of His heart. In the days to come you will understand this.”The words about the LORD’s storm are repeated, showing His purposes will be carried out.
General
In Jeremiah 23:9, who says that his heart is crushed and his bones tremble, and why?
Answer: Jeremiah, shaken by the LORD and His holy message
Turning to the subject of the prophets, Jeremiah himself says that his heart is shattered inside him and all his bones shake. He is staggering like someone who has had too much wine, not from drinking, but on account of the LORD and His holy words (23:9). The land teems with adultery, it mourns under a curse, and its people use their power wrongly (23:10). Elsewhere Jeremiah describes God’s message as a fire shut up in his bones (20:9) and cries out in anguish at the coming war (4:19). The prophet Habakkuk also trembled to the bones when he heard what the LORD would do (Habakkuk 3:16).
- Jeremiah 23:9 (BSB)“As for the prophets: My heart is broken within me, and all my bones tremble. I have become like a drunkard, like a man overcome by wine, because of the LORD, because of His holy words.”Jeremiah describes his own distress on account of the LORD and His holy words.
- Jeremiah 20:9 (BSB)“If I say, “I will not mention Him or speak any more in His name,” His message becomes a fire burning in my heart, shut up in my bones, and I become weary of holding it in, and I cannot prevail.”Jeremiah says God’s message burns within him and cannot be held in.
- Jeremiah 4:19 (BSB)“My anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain! Oh, the pain in my chest! My heart pounds within me; I cannot be silent. For I have heard the sound of the horn, the alarm of battle.”Jeremiah cries out in anguish at the sound of coming war.
- Habakkuk 3:16 (BSB)“I heard and trembled within; my lips quivered at the sound. Decay entered my bones; I trembled where I stood. Yet I must wait patiently for the day of distress to come upon the people who invade us.”Habakkuk trembled to the bones when he heard of the LORD’s judgment.
Theological
In Jeremiah 23:9, who is the speaker overwhelmed with distress, and what does he give as its cause?
Answer: Jeremiah, shaken by the LORD and His holy message
The oracles against the prophets open with Jeremiah’s own anguish: his heart is shattered within him, his bones shake, and he reels like one drunk with wine, all on account of the LORD and His holy words (23:9). The holiness of God’s word exposes a land filled with adultery, withering under the curse, its people running an evil course and abusing their power (23:10). The true prophet is overwhelmed by the word he carries, as when Jeremiah calls it a fire shut up in his bones (20:9) and writhes at the alarm of war (4:19), and as Habakkuk trembled to his bones at the LORD’s coming judgment (Habakkuk 3:16).
- Jeremiah 23:9 (BSB)“As for the prophets: My heart is broken within me, and all my bones tremble. I have become like a drunkard, like a man overcome by wine, because of the LORD, because of His holy words.”Jeremiah describes his own distress on account of the LORD and His holy words.
- Jeremiah 20:9 (BSB)“If I say, “I will not mention Him or speak any more in His name,” His message becomes a fire burning in my heart, shut up in my bones, and I become weary of holding it in, and I cannot prevail.”Jeremiah says God’s message burns within him and cannot be held in.
- Jeremiah 4:19 (BSB)“My anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain! Oh, the pain in my chest! My heart pounds within me; I cannot be silent. For I have heard the sound of the horn, the alarm of battle.”Jeremiah cries out in anguish at the sound of coming war.
- Habakkuk 3:16 (BSB)“I heard and trembled within; my lips quivered at the sound. Decay entered my bones; I trembled where I stood. Yet I must wait patiently for the day of distress to come upon the people who invade us.”Habakkuk trembled to the bones when he heard of the LORD’s judgment.
General
According to Jeremiah 23:14, what does the LORD find horrible about the prophets of Jerusalem?
Answer: They encourage evildoers, so no one turns from sin
Prophets and priests alike are godless, and the LORD has found their wickedness even in His own house, the temple (23:11), so their path will turn slippery and lead them into darkness and disaster (23:12). The prophets of Samaria, the northern kingdom, led Israel astray by prophesying in the name of Baal, a Canaanite god (23:13). But the LORD calls what He sees in Jerusalem’s prophets horrible: they commit adultery, live by lies, and support evildoers so that nobody turns away from wickedness. To Him they and the city are like Sodom and Gomorrah, cities God destroyed for their wickedness (23:14). So the LORD will give them bitter wormwood, a bitter plant, to eat and poison to drink, because their ungodliness has spread from Jerusalem through the whole land (23:15). Ezekiel brings the same charge that false prophets urged the wicked to stay in their evil ways (Ezekiel 13:22), Isaiah calls Jerusalem’s rulers Sodom (Isaiah 1:10), and Lamentations says the prophets never exposed the people’s guilt (Lamentations 2:14).
- Jeremiah 23:14 (BSB)“And among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible thing: They commit adultery and walk in lies. They strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that no one turns his back on wickedness. They are all like Sodom to Me; the people of Jerusalem are like Gomorrah.””The LORD describes the horrible conduct of Jerusalem’s prophets and compares them to Sodom.
- Ezekiel 13:22 (BSB)“Because you have disheartened the righteous with your lies, even though I have caused them no grief, and because you have encouraged the wicked not to turn from their evil ways to save their lives,”Ezekiel charges false prophets with emboldening wicked people to stay in their sin.
- Isaiah 1:10 (BSB)“Hear the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom; listen to the instruction of our God, you people of Gomorrah!”Isaiah likewise addresses Jerusalem’s leaders and people as Sodom and Gomorrah.
- Lamentations 2:14 (BSB)“The visions of your prophets were empty and deceptive; they did not expose your guilt to ward off your captivity. The burdens they envisioned for you were empty and misleading.”The prophets’ empty visions left the people’s sin uncovered, and captivity followed.
Theological
What horrible thing does the LORD charge against the prophets of Jerusalem in Jeremiah 23:14?
Answer: They encourage evildoers, so no one turns from sin
Prophet and priest together are profane, their wickedness found even in the LORD’s house (23:11), so He will make their way slippery and bring disaster on them (23:12). Samaria’s prophets were offensive for prophesying by Baal (23:13), but what the LORD sees in Jerusalem’s prophets is horrible: adulterers and liars who strengthen evildoers so that none repents, making the city like Sodom and Gomorrah in God’s sight (23:14). Because ungodliness has spread from them throughout the land, He will give them wormwood to eat and poison to drink (23:15). Their sin is not only private immorality but a ministry that removes the call to repentance. Ezekiel lays the same charge at the feet of false prophets who urged the wicked to stay in their evil ways (Ezekiel 13:22), Isaiah addresses Jerusalem’s leaders as rulers of Sodom (Isaiah 1:10), and Lamentations laments prophets who never exposed Zion’s guilt (Lamentations 2:14).
- Jeremiah 23:14 (BSB)“And among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible thing: They commit adultery and walk in lies. They strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that no one turns his back on wickedness. They are all like Sodom to Me; the people of Jerusalem are like Gomorrah.””The LORD describes the horrible conduct of Jerusalem’s prophets and compares them to Sodom.
- Ezekiel 13:22 (BSB)“Because you have disheartened the righteous with your lies, even though I have caused them no grief, and because you have encouraged the wicked not to turn from their evil ways to save their lives,”Ezekiel charges false prophets with emboldening wicked people to stay in their sin.
- Isaiah 1:10 (BSB)“Hear the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom; listen to the instruction of our God, you people of Gomorrah!”Isaiah likewise addresses Jerusalem’s leaders and people as Sodom and Gomorrah.
- Lamentations 2:14 (BSB)“The visions of your prophets were empty and deceptive; they did not expose your guilt to ward off your captivity. The burdens they envisioned for you were empty and misleading.”The prophets’ empty visions left the people’s sin uncovered, and captivity followed.
General
What does the LORD promise to raise up in Jeremiah 23:5?
Answer: A righteous King from David’s line who rules justly
The LORD announces that days are coming when He will raise up a righteous Branch for David. The Branch pictures a new shoot growing from David’s family tree, that is, a new King from David’s family line. He will rule with wisdom and do what is just and right in the land (23:5). This is exactly what Jehoiakim failed to do (22:13-17). Jeremiah repeats the promise later (33:15), and Isaiah also speaks of a Branch growing from the roots of Jesse, David’s father (Isaiah 11:1). Many Christians have seen this promise fulfilled in Jesus, whom the angel announced would receive David’s throne (Luke 1:32-33).
- Jeremiah 23:5 (BSB)“Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and He will reign wisely as King and will administer justice and righteousness in the land.”The LORD promises a righteous Branch for David who will reign wisely and justly.
- Jeremiah 33:15 (BSB)“In those days and at that time I will cause to sprout for David a righteous Branch, and He will administer justice and righteousness in the land.”Jeremiah restates the promise of a just King from David’s line.
- Isaiah 11:1 (BSB)“Then a shoot will spring up from the stump of Jesse, and a Branch from his roots will bear fruit.”Isaiah also pictures the coming King as a Branch from Jesse’s family.
- Luke 1:32-33 (BSB)“He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever. His kingdom will never end!””The angel announces that Jesus will receive the throne of David and a kingdom without end.
Theological
What is the content of the promise in Jeremiah 23:5 concerning David’s house?
Answer: A righteous King from David’s line who rules justly
Against the failed shepherds of David’s house, the LORD promises to raise up a righteous Branch for David, a King who will reign with wisdom and execute justice and righteousness throughout the land (23:5), the very things Jehoiakim refused to do (22:13-17). The promise is repeated in 33:15 and shares the Branch imagery of Isaiah 11:1, the shoot from Jesse’s stump. The Davidic hope does not rest on the faithfulness of the kings but on God’s own act of raising up a King. Many Christians have seen this fulfilled in Jesus, to whom the Lord God gives David’s throne to reign forever (Luke 1:32-33).
- Jeremiah 23:5 (BSB)“Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and He will reign wisely as King and will administer justice and righteousness in the land.”The LORD promises a righteous Branch for David who will reign wisely and justly.
- Jeremiah 33:15 (BSB)“In those days and at that time I will cause to sprout for David a righteous Branch, and He will administer justice and righteousness in the land.”Jeremiah restates the promise of a just King from David’s line.
- Isaiah 11:1 (BSB)“Then a shoot will spring up from the stump of Jesse, and a Branch from his roots will bear fruit.”Isaiah also pictures the coming King as a Branch from Jesse’s family.
- Luke 1:32-33 (BSB)“He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever. His kingdom will never end!””The angel announces that Jesus will receive the throne of David and a kingdom without end.
General
In Jeremiah 23:28, what does the LORD mean when He asks what straw has to do with grain?
Answer: His true word is worth far more than their dreams
The LORD has heard the prophets who lie in His name, crying that they have had a dream (23:25). Their dreams are their own invented delusions, which they suppose will make His people forget His name, just as their ancestors forgot it by worshiping Baal (23:26-27). A prophet with a dream may tell it, but one who has God’s word must speak it faithfully, because straw is worthless next to grain (23:28). God’s word burns like fire and smashes rock like a hammer (23:29); it has power the empty dreams lack. So the LORD declares Himself against prophets who steal words from one another, wag their tongues, and lead His people astray with reckless lies (23:30-32). Jeremiah knew this fire in his own bones (20:9), Isaiah says God’s word always accomplishes what He sends it to do (Isaiah 55:10-11), and Hebrews says it is alive and at work (Hebrews 4:12).
- Jeremiah 23:28-29 (BSB)“Let the prophet who has a dream retell it, but let him who has My word speak it truthfully. For what is straw compared to grain?” declares the LORD. “Is not My word like fire,” declares the LORD, “and like a hammer that smashes a rock?””The LORD contrasts the prophets’ dreams with His word, which is like fire and a hammer.
- Jeremiah 20:9 (BSB)“If I say, “I will not mention Him or speak any more in His name,” His message becomes a fire burning in my heart, shut up in my bones, and I become weary of holding it in, and I cannot prevail.”Jeremiah experienced God’s word as a burning he could not contain.
- Isaiah 55:10-11 (BSB)“For just as rain and snow fall from heaven and do not return without watering the earth, making it bud and sprout, and providing seed to sow and food to eat, so My word that proceeds from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I please, and it will prosper where I send it.”God’s word achieves the purpose for which He sends it.
- Hebrews 4:12 (BSB)“For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it pierces even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”Scripture describes God’s word as alive, powerful, and searching the heart.
Theological
What is the point of the LORD’s comparison of straw and grain in Jeremiah 23:28?
Answer: His true word is worth far more than their dreams
The LORD has heard the lying prophets announcing their dreams in His name (23:25), dreams born of their own delusion that they suppose will make His people forget His name as their fathers did through Baal worship (23:26-27). Let the dreamer tell his dream, but let the one who has God’s word speak it faithfully, for straw cannot be compared with grain (23:28). Only God’s word has real substance and power, burning like fire and shattering rock like a hammer (23:29), and so He stands against prophets who plagiarize one another and lead His people astray with reckless lies (23:30-32). The same efficacy appears in Jeremiah’s experience of the word as fire in his bones (20:9), in Isaiah’s assurance that God’s word never returns empty (Isaiah 55:10-11), and in the description of it as living and active (Hebrews 4:12).
- Jeremiah 23:28-29 (BSB)“Let the prophet who has a dream retell it, but let him who has My word speak it truthfully. For what is straw compared to grain?” declares the LORD. “Is not My word like fire,” declares the LORD, “and like a hammer that smashes a rock?””The LORD contrasts the prophets’ dreams with His word, which is like fire and a hammer.
- Jeremiah 20:9 (BSB)“If I say, “I will not mention Him or speak any more in His name,” His message becomes a fire burning in my heart, shut up in my bones, and I become weary of holding it in, and I cannot prevail.”Jeremiah experienced God’s word as a burning he could not contain.
- Isaiah 55:10-11 (BSB)“For just as rain and snow fall from heaven and do not return without watering the earth, making it bud and sprout, and providing seed to sow and food to eat, so My word that proceeds from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I please, and it will prosper where I send it.”God’s word achieves the purpose for which He sends it.
- Hebrews 4:12 (BSB)“For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it pierces even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”Scripture describes God’s word as alive, powerful, and searching the heart.
General
In Jeremiah 23:33-40, instead of speaking about the LORD’s burden, what are the people told to ask one another?
Answer: What answer or word has the LORD given?
The word burden seems to have been used for a weighty message from the LORD, but each man’s own words were now being given that label. When anyone asks Jeremiah what the LORD’s burden is, he is to answer by asking what burden they mean and announcing that the LORD will forsake them (23:33). Anyone who claims to speak the LORD’s burden will be punished along with his household (23:34). Instead, people are to ask one another, and the prophet, what the LORD has answered or what He has spoken (23:35, 37). The phrase must no longer be used, because each man’s own word has become his burden, and so they twist what the living God has said (23:36). Those who keep using it after being told not to will be cast out of His presence with their city and bear lasting shame (23:38-40). God’s words must not be added to (Deuteronomy 4:2; Proverbs 30:6), for true prophecy came from God, not from human will (2 Peter 1:20-21).
- Jeremiah 23:33 (BSB)““Now when this people or a prophet or priest asks you, ‘What is the burden of the LORD?’ you are to say to them, ‘What burden? I will forsake you, declares the LORD.’”The LORD tells Jeremiah how to answer those who ask about His burden.
- Jeremiah 23:35-36 (BSB)“This is what each man is to say to his friend and to his brother: ‘What has the LORD answered?’ or ‘What has the LORD spoken?’ But refer no more to the burden of the LORD, for each man’s word becomes the burden, so that you pervert the words of the living God, the LORD of Hosts, our God.”The people are told what to ask instead and why the phrase is forbidden.
- Deuteronomy 4:2 (BSB)“You must not add to or subtract from what I command you, so that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God that I am giving you.”God’s people may not change His commands by adding or removing anything.
- Proverbs 30:6 (BSB)“Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you and prove you a liar.”Adding to God’s words brings His rebuke.
- 2 Peter 1:20-21 (BSB)“Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture comes from one’s own interpretation. For no such prophecy was ever brought forth by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”True prophecy came from God through the Spirit, not from human will.
Theological
According to Jeremiah 23:35-37, what question are the people to use in place of the forbidden expression about the LORD’s burden?
Answer: What answer or word has the LORD given?
The term burden, apparently used for a weighty prophetic oracle, was now being attached by people and prophets to their own words. To the question of what the LORD’s burden is, Jeremiah must reply by asking what burden they mean and announcing that the LORD will forsake them (23:33); anyone who claims the phrase will be punished with his household (23:34). The people are instead to ask one another, and the prophet, what the LORD has answered or spoken (23:35, 37), because each man’s own word has become the burden, twisting what the living God has spoken (23:36). Persisting in the forbidden claim brings rejection from His presence, the loss of the city, and lasting disgrace (23:38-40). The passage guards the line between divine and human speech, which Scripture forbids anyone to blur by adding to God’s words (Deuteronomy 4:2; Proverbs 30:6), since true prophecy was never produced by human will (2 Peter 1:20-21).
- Jeremiah 23:33 (BSB)““Now when this people or a prophet or priest asks you, ‘What is the burden of the LORD?’ you are to say to them, ‘What burden? I will forsake you, declares the LORD.’”The LORD tells Jeremiah how to answer those who ask about His burden.
- Jeremiah 23:35-36 (BSB)“This is what each man is to say to his friend and to his brother: ‘What has the LORD answered?’ or ‘What has the LORD spoken?’ But refer no more to the burden of the LORD, for each man’s word becomes the burden, so that you pervert the words of the living God, the LORD of Hosts, our God.”The people are told what to ask instead and why the phrase is forbidden.
- Deuteronomy 4:2 (BSB)“You must not add to or subtract from what I command you, so that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God that I am giving you.”God’s people may not change His commands by adding or removing anything.
- Proverbs 30:6 (BSB)“Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you and prove you a liar.”Adding to God’s words brings His rebuke.
- 2 Peter 1:20-21 (BSB)“Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture comes from one’s own interpretation. For no such prophecy was ever brought forth by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”True prophecy came from God through the Spirit, not from human will.
General
In Jeremiah 23:6, by what name will the coming King be called?
Answer: The LORD Our Righteousness
In the days of this coming King, Judah will be rescued and Israel will live in safety, and His name is to be The LORD Our Righteousness (23:6). The name stands in sharp contrast to the unjust rule of Jehoiakim and his house in chapter 22: it ties the righteousness of God’s people to the LORD Himself. Later in the book, the same name is given to Jerusalem in that coming day (33:16). Many Christians have connected the name with the righteousness Christ gives, since Paul says that Christ Jesus has become our righteousness from God (1 Corinthians 1:30).
- Jeremiah 23:6 (BSB)“In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is His name by which He will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness.”The coming King’s reign brings salvation and security, and His name is given.
- Jeremiah 33:16 (BSB)“In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely, and this is the name by which it will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness.”The same name appears again in a later promise about Judah and Jerusalem.
- 1 Corinthians 1:30 (BSB)“It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God: our righteousness, holiness, and redemption.”Paul says Christ has become righteousness from God for His people.
Theological
What name is given to the righteous Branch in Jeremiah 23:6?
Answer: The LORD Our Righteousness
Under the Branch’s reign Judah will find salvation and Israel will live securely, and His name will be The LORD Our Righteousness (23:6). After the unrighteous rule of Jehoiakim and his house, the name ties the righteousness of God’s restored people to the LORD Himself. In 33:16 the same name is applied to Jerusalem in that day. Many Christians have connected the name with the righteousness Christ gives, since Paul says Christ is righteousness from God for His people (1 Corinthians 1:30).
- Jeremiah 23:6 (BSB)“In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is His name by which He will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness.”The coming King’s reign brings salvation and security, and His name is given.
- Jeremiah 33:16 (BSB)“In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely, and this is the name by which it will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness.”The same name appears again in a later promise about Judah and Jerusalem.
- 1 Corinthians 1:30 (BSB)“It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God: our righteousness, holiness, and redemption.”Paul says Christ has become righteousness from God for His people.
General
In Jeremiah 23:1-2, what charge does the LORD bring against the shepherds of His people?
Answer: They scattered His flock and failed to care for it
The shepherds here most likely picture the people’s leaders, including the kings condemned in chapter 22. The LORD pronounces woe on the shepherds who ruin and disperse the sheep that belong to His pasture (23:1). Because they have scattered His flock, driven the sheep away, and not looked after them, He will hold them to account and punish them for their evil deeds (23:2). Jeremiah had already said that the shepherds had become senseless and the flock was scattered (10:21), and Ezekiel brings the same charge against shepherds who care only for themselves and promises that God will take His flock away from them (Ezekiel 34:2, 10).
- Jeremiah 23:1-2 (BSB)““Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture!” declares the LORD. Therefore this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says about the shepherds who tend My people: “You have scattered My flock and driven them away, and have not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for the evil of your deeds, declares the LORD.”The LORD pronounces woe on the shepherds who scattered and neglected His flock.
- Jeremiah 10:21 (BSB)“For the shepherds have become senseless; they do not seek the LORD. Therefore they have not prospered, and all their flock is scattered.”Jeremiah earlier blamed senseless shepherds for the scattering of the flock.
- Ezekiel 34:2 (BSB)““Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Woe to the shepherds of Israel, who only feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed their flock?”Ezekiel condemns leaders who look after themselves rather than the sheep.
- Ezekiel 34:10 (BSB)“This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will demand from them My flock and remove them from tending the flock, so that they can no longer feed themselves. For I will deliver My flock from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them.’”God opposes such shepherds and promises to take back His flock.
Theological
What is the LORD’s indictment of the shepherds in Jeremiah 23:1-2?
Answer: They scattered His flock and failed to care for it
The shepherd image most naturally refers to Judah’s rulers, including the royal house indicted throughout chapter 22. The LORD pronounces woe on shepherds who ruin and disperse the flock of His pasture (23:1); because they have dispersed and driven off His sheep and neglected them, He will visit their evil deeds on them in judgment (23:2). The flock remains the LORD’s own even when its leaders betray it. Jeremiah had already traced the scattering to shepherds who did not seek the LORD (10:21), and Ezekiel’s parallel oracle condemns self-feeding shepherds and announces that God will reclaim His flock from them (Ezekiel 34:2, 10).
- Jeremiah 23:1-2 (BSB)““Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture!” declares the LORD. Therefore this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says about the shepherds who tend My people: “You have scattered My flock and driven them away, and have not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for the evil of your deeds, declares the LORD.”The LORD pronounces woe on the shepherds who scattered and neglected His flock.
- Jeremiah 10:21 (BSB)“For the shepherds have become senseless; they do not seek the LORD. Therefore they have not prospered, and all their flock is scattered.”Jeremiah earlier blamed senseless shepherds for the scattering of the flock.
- Ezekiel 34:2 (BSB)““Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Woe to the shepherds of Israel, who only feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed their flock?”Ezekiel condemns leaders who look after themselves rather than the sheep.
- Ezekiel 34:10 (BSB)“This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will demand from them My flock and remove them from tending the flock, so that they can no longer feed themselves. For I will deliver My flock from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them.’”God opposes such shepherds and promises to take back His flock.