Jeremiah 37 Study Notes: Jeremiah Arrested and Imprisoned
King Zedekiah asks Jeremiah to pray for Judah while Babylon’s army briefly withdraws as Egypt approaches, but the LORD warns that the Babylonians will return and burn Jerusalem. Accused of defecting, Jeremiah is beaten and jailed, then questioned in secret by the king and moved to the guard’s courtyard.
General
When Jeremiah set out from Jerusalem for Benjamin’s territory, what did Irijah, the guard captain, accuse him of (Jeremiah 37:11-15)?
Answer: Planning to cross over and join the Chaldeans
While the Chaldean army had pulled back, Jeremiah headed for Benjamin’s territory to claim his share of property there (37:11-12). At the Benjamin Gate, Irijah, the guard captain, grabbed him and charged him with going over to the enemy. Jeremiah denied it flatly and called it a lie, but Irijah refused to listen and took him before the officials (37:13-14). Furious, the officials had him beaten and locked him in a prison cell in Jonathan the scribe’s house, which had been turned into a jail, and he stayed there many days (37:15-16). Jeremiah suffered under a false charge, as God’s prophets often did (Matthew 5:11-12; Hebrews 11:36). Yet God had promised at his call that his enemies would battle him without prevailing (Jeremiah 1:19).
- Jeremiah 37:12-15 (BSB)“Jeremiah started to leave Jerusalem to go to the land of Benjamin to claim his portion there among the people. But when he reached the Gate of Benjamin, the captain of the guard, whose name was Irijah son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah, seized him and said, “You are deserting to the Chaldeans!” “That is a lie,” Jeremiah replied. “I am not deserting to the Chaldeans!” But Irijah would not listen to him; instead, he arrested Jeremiah and took him to the officials. The officials were angry with Jeremiah, and they beat him and placed him in jail in the house of Jonathan the scribe, for it had been made into a prison.”Jeremiah is seized at the Benjamin Gate, accused of deserting, beaten and imprisoned.
- Matthew 5:11-12 (BSB)“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets before you.”Jesus says His people will be falsely accused, as the prophets before them were persecuted.
- Hebrews 11:36 (BSB)“Still others endured mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment.”Faithful people of God were mocked, whipped, bound and jailed.
- Jeremiah 1:19 (BSB)“They will fight against you but will never overcome you, since I am with you to deliver you,” declares the LORD.”At his call God promised that Jeremiah’s opponents would battle him without prevailing.
Theological
On what charge did Irijah seize Jeremiah at the Benjamin Gate (Jeremiah 37:13-15)?
Answer: Planning to cross over and join the Chaldeans
During the lull in the siege Jeremiah sets out for Benjamin to receive his share of land (37:11-12). Irijah, the guard captain, seizes him at the Benjamin Gate on the charge of defecting to the Chaldeans. Jeremiah denies it as a lie, but he is handed to the officials, who beat him and confine him in a dungeon cell in Jonathan the scribe’s house, now serving as a prison (37:13-16). The prophet bears false accusation and violence for the word he carries, sharing the lot of the prophets before him (Matthew 5:11-12; Hebrews 11:36). His survival rests on the LORD’s promise at his commissioning that his opponents would never prevail against him (Jeremiah 1:19).
- Jeremiah 37:12-15 (BSB)“Jeremiah started to leave Jerusalem to go to the land of Benjamin to claim his portion there among the people. But when he reached the Gate of Benjamin, the captain of the guard, whose name was Irijah son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah, seized him and said, “You are deserting to the Chaldeans!” “That is a lie,” Jeremiah replied. “I am not deserting to the Chaldeans!” But Irijah would not listen to him; instead, he arrested Jeremiah and took him to the officials. The officials were angry with Jeremiah, and they beat him and placed him in jail in the house of Jonathan the scribe, for it had been made into a prison.”Jeremiah is seized at the Benjamin Gate, accused of deserting, beaten and imprisoned.
- Matthew 5:11-12 (BSB)“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets before you.”Jesus says His people will be falsely accused, as the prophets before them were persecuted.
- Hebrews 11:36 (BSB)“Still others endured mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment.”Faithful people of God were mocked, whipped, bound and jailed.
- Jeremiah 1:19 (BSB)“They will fight against you but will never overcome you, since I am with you to deliver you,” declares the LORD.”At his call God promised that Jeremiah’s opponents would battle him without prevailing.
General
When the Babylonian (Chaldean) army pulled back from Jerusalem because Pharaoh’s army was coming, what did the LORD tell Zedekiah (Jeremiah 37:5-10)?
Answer: The Chaldeans would come back, take the city and burn it
The Chaldeans (another name for the Babylonians) had been besieging Jerusalem, but when they heard that Pharaoh’s army had set out from Egypt, they withdrew (37:5). God’s answer was blunt: Pharaoh’s army would turn around and go home to Egypt, and the Chaldeans would come back, attack the city, seize it and set it on fire (37:7-8). The people were not to fool themselves into thinking the enemy was gone for good. Even if Judah defeated the whole Chaldean army and only wounded soldiers were left lying in their tents, those men would rise and burn Jerusalem (37:9-10). The LORD had already said He would bring the army back (Jeremiah 34:22). Isaiah had warned against looking to Egypt for rescue instead of to the LORD (Isaiah 31:1), and no plan can succeed against the LORD (Proverbs 21:30).
- Jeremiah 37:5 (BSB)“Pharaoh’s army had left Egypt, and when the Chaldeans who were besieging Jerusalem heard the report, they withdrew from Jerusalem.”The Chaldeans lift the siege when they hear that Pharaoh’s army has left Egypt.
- Jeremiah 37:7-10 (BSB)““This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says that you are to tell the king of Judah, who sent you to Me: Behold, Pharaoh’s army, which has marched out to help you, will go back to its own land of Egypt. Then the Chaldeans will return and fight against this city. They will capture it and burn it down. This is what the LORD says: Do not deceive yourselves by saying, ‘The Chaldeans will go away for good,’ for they will not! Indeed, if you were to strike down the entire army of the Chaldeans that is fighting against you, and only wounded men remained in their tents, they would still get up and burn this city down.””The LORD tells Zedekiah that Egypt will go home and the Chaldeans will return to burn the city.
- Jeremiah 34:22 (BSB)“Behold, I am going to give the command, declares the LORD, and I will bring them back to this city. They will fight against it, capture it, and burn it down. And I will make the cities of Judah a desolation, without inhabitant.””The LORD says He Himself will command the withdrawn army to come back and burn the city.
- Isaiah 31:1 (BSB)“Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in their abundance of chariots and in their multitude of horsemen. They do not look to the Holy One of Israel; they do not seek the LORD.”Trusting Egypt’s chariots instead of seeking the LORD brings woe, not rescue.
- Proverbs 21:30 (BSB)“There is no wisdom, no understanding, no counsel that can prevail against the LORD.”No human wisdom or plan succeeds when it is set against the LORD.
Theological
What did the LORD declare to Zedekiah about the Chaldean withdrawal from Jerusalem when Pharaoh’s army advanced (Jeremiah 37:5-10)?
Answer: The Chaldeans would come back, take the city and burn it
The lifting of the siege at the approach of Pharaoh’s army (37:5) looked like deliverance, but the LORD’s word to Zedekiah removes that hope: Egypt’s force will go home, and the Chaldeans will come back, take the city and burn it (37:7-8). Judah is warned against self-deception. So certain is the decree that even a Chaldean army reduced to wounded men lying in their tents would rise and set Jerusalem ablaze (37:9-10). The outcome rests not on military strength but on God’s announced judgment; He had already said that He Himself would bring the Babylonian army back against the city (Jeremiah 34:22). Reliance on Egypt rather than on Israel’s Holy One is condemned (Isaiah 31:1), and no counsel stands against the LORD (Proverbs 21:30).
- Jeremiah 37:5 (BSB)“Pharaoh’s army had left Egypt, and when the Chaldeans who were besieging Jerusalem heard the report, they withdrew from Jerusalem.”The Chaldeans lift the siege when they hear that Pharaoh’s army has left Egypt.
- Jeremiah 37:7-10 (BSB)““This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says that you are to tell the king of Judah, who sent you to Me: Behold, Pharaoh’s army, which has marched out to help you, will go back to its own land of Egypt. Then the Chaldeans will return and fight against this city. They will capture it and burn it down. This is what the LORD says: Do not deceive yourselves by saying, ‘The Chaldeans will go away for good,’ for they will not! Indeed, if you were to strike down the entire army of the Chaldeans that is fighting against you, and only wounded men remained in their tents, they would still get up and burn this city down.””The LORD tells Zedekiah that Egypt will go home and the Chaldeans will return to burn the city.
- Jeremiah 34:22 (BSB)“Behold, I am going to give the command, declares the LORD, and I will bring them back to this city. They will fight against it, capture it, and burn it down. And I will make the cities of Judah a desolation, without inhabitant.””The LORD says He Himself will command the withdrawn army to come back and burn the city.
- Isaiah 31:1 (BSB)“Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in their abundance of chariots and in their multitude of horsemen. They do not look to the Holy One of Israel; they do not seek the LORD.”Trusting Egypt’s chariots instead of seeking the LORD brings woe, not rescue.
- Proverbs 21:30 (BSB)“There is no wisdom, no understanding, no counsel that can prevail against the LORD.”No human wisdom or plan succeeds when it is set against the LORD.
General
What did Zedekiah do after Jeremiah begged not to be sent back to Jonathan the scribe’s house (Jeremiah 37:20-21)?
Answer: Kept him in the guard’s courtyard and fed him daily
Jeremiah humbly asked the king not to return him to Jonathan the scribe’s house, because he feared he would die there (37:20). Zedekiah granted the request. He had Jeremiah kept in the guard’s courtyard and ordered that he be given one loaf each day from the street where the bakers worked, for as long as any bread was left in the city (37:21). Jeremiah was still a prisoner, but he was kept alive in a city that was running out of food. He was still being held in that courtyard during the siege (Jeremiah 32:2), and the time came when the city’s bread was gone (Jeremiah 38:9). God had promised to keep Jeremiah from the power of wicked men (Jeremiah 15:20-21).
- Jeremiah 37:20-21 (BSB)“But now please listen, O my lord the king. May my petition come before you. Do not send me back to the house of Jonathan the scribe, or I will die there.” So King Zedekiah gave orders for Jeremiah to be placed in the courtyard of the guard and given a loaf of bread daily from the street of the bakers, until all the bread in the city was gone. So Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard.”Jeremiah pleads not to be returned to Jonathan’s house, and the king moves him and provides bread.
- Jeremiah 32:2 (BSB)“At that time the army of the king of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was imprisoned in the courtyard of the guard, which was in the palace of the king of Judah.”During the siege Jeremiah was held in the courtyard of the guard in the king’s palace.
- Jeremiah 38:9 (BSB)““My lord the king, these men have acted wickedly in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet. They have dropped him into the cistern, where he will starve to death, for there is no more bread in the city.””Ebed-melech later tells the king that the city has run out of bread.
- Jeremiah 15:20-21 (BSB)“Then I will make you a wall to this people, a fortified wall of bronze; they will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you to save and deliver you, declares the LORD. I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked and redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless.””God promised to rescue Jeremiah from the power of evil men.
Theological
How did Zedekiah respond to Jeremiah’s petition not to be returned to Jonathan’s house (Jeremiah 37:20-21)?
Answer: Kept him in the guard’s courtyard and fed him daily
Jeremiah’s petition is that he not be sent back to Jonathan’s house to die (37:20). Zedekiah grants it: Jeremiah is held in the guard’s courtyard and given a daily loaf from the bakers’ street until the city’s bread runs out (37:21). He remains a prisoner, yet he is sustained in a starving city. The courtyard becomes his place of confinement through the siege (Jeremiah 32:2), until bread fails in Jerusalem altogether (Jeremiah 38:9). In all of it the LORD keeps His pledge to deliver His servant from the power of wicked men (Jeremiah 15:20-21).
- Jeremiah 37:20-21 (BSB)“But now please listen, O my lord the king. May my petition come before you. Do not send me back to the house of Jonathan the scribe, or I will die there.” So King Zedekiah gave orders for Jeremiah to be placed in the courtyard of the guard and given a loaf of bread daily from the street of the bakers, until all the bread in the city was gone. So Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard.”Jeremiah pleads not to be returned to Jonathan’s house, and the king moves him and provides bread.
- Jeremiah 32:2 (BSB)“At that time the army of the king of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was imprisoned in the courtyard of the guard, which was in the palace of the king of Judah.”During the siege Jeremiah was held in the courtyard of the guard in the king’s palace.
- Jeremiah 38:9 (BSB)““My lord the king, these men have acted wickedly in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet. They have dropped him into the cistern, where he will starve to death, for there is no more bread in the city.””Ebed-melech later tells the king that the city has run out of bread.
- Jeremiah 15:20-21 (BSB)“Then I will make you a wall to this people, a fortified wall of bronze; they will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you to save and deliver you, declares the LORD. I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked and redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless.””God promised to rescue Jeremiah from the power of evil men.
General
Before Zedekiah sent messengers asking Jeremiah to pray for them, how had the king, his officials and the ordinary people responded to the LORD’s words through Jeremiah (Jeremiah 37:1-3)?
Answer: They had not obeyed any of the messages God gave through him
Zedekiah had been placed on the throne by Babylon’s king Nebuchadnezzar replacing Coniah (37:1). Yet neither the king nor his officers nor the ordinary people would listen to what the LORD had said through Jeremiah (37:2). Even so, Zedekiah sent Jehucal and the priest Zephaniah to ask the prophet to intercede with the LORD for them (37:3). They wanted God’s help without obeying God’s word. Second Chronicles sums up Zedekiah’s reign the same way: he would not bow before Jeremiah, the LORD’s spokesman (2 Chronicles 36:12). God described people who come near Him with their words while their hearts stay far away (Isaiah 29:13), and people who listen to a prophet but never do what he says (Ezekiel 33:31).
- Jeremiah 37:2-3 (BSB)“But he and his officers and the people of the land refused to obey the words that the LORD had spoken through Jeremiah the prophet. Yet King Zedekiah sent Jehucal son of Shelemiah and Zephaniah the priest, the son of Maaseiah, to Jeremiah the prophet with the message, “Please pray to the LORD our God for us!””Zedekiah and his people reject the LORD’s words, yet the king asks Jeremiah to pray for them.
- 2 Chronicles 36:12 (BSB)“And he did evil in the sight of the LORD his God and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke for the LORD.”Chronicles says Zedekiah did evil and would not bow before the prophet who brought the LORD’s message.
- Isaiah 29:13 (BSB)“Therefore the Lord said: “These people draw near to Me with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship of Me is but rules taught by men.”God exposes worship that honors Him with words while the heart stays far from Him.
- Ezekiel 33:31 (BSB)“So My people come to you as usual, sit before you, and hear your words; but they do not put them into practice. Although they express love with their mouths, their hearts pursue dishonest gain.”God’s people listened to His prophet yet ignored what he told them to do.
Theological
According to 37:2-3, how had Zedekiah, his officials and the people treated the LORD’s word through Jeremiah before the king asked for the prophet’s prayers?
Answer: They had not obeyed any of the messages God gave through him
Installed by Nebuchadnezzar replacing Coniah (37:1), Zedekiah leads a court and a populace that will not heed the LORD’s word spoken through Jeremiah (37:2). Yet he dispatches Jehucal and the priest Zephaniah to request the prophet’s intercession (37:3). The request seeks the benefit of God’s favor while rejecting God’s word, which is the verdict Second Chronicles gives on Zedekiah’s reign: he would not bow before Jeremiah, the LORD’s spokesman (2 Chronicles 36:12). Scripture repeatedly exposes this pattern of religion on the lips with the heart withheld (Isaiah 29:13), and of hearing the prophet without obeying him (Ezekiel 33:31).
- Jeremiah 37:2-3 (BSB)“But he and his officers and the people of the land refused to obey the words that the LORD had spoken through Jeremiah the prophet. Yet King Zedekiah sent Jehucal son of Shelemiah and Zephaniah the priest, the son of Maaseiah, to Jeremiah the prophet with the message, “Please pray to the LORD our God for us!””Zedekiah and his people reject the LORD’s words, yet the king asks Jeremiah to pray for them.
- 2 Chronicles 36:12 (BSB)“And he did evil in the sight of the LORD his God and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke for the LORD.”Chronicles says Zedekiah did evil and would not bow before the prophet who brought the LORD’s message.
- Isaiah 29:13 (BSB)“Therefore the Lord said: “These people draw near to Me with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship of Me is but rules taught by men.”God exposes worship that honors Him with words while the heart stays far from Him.
- Ezekiel 33:31 (BSB)“So My people come to you as usual, sit before you, and hear your words; but they do not put them into practice. Although they express love with their mouths, their hearts pursue dishonest gain.”God’s people listened to His prophet yet ignored what he told them to do.
General
When Zedekiah asked Jeremiah in private whether there was any message from the LORD, what answer did Jeremiah give (Jeremiah 37:17)?
Answer: The king would be handed over to Babylon’s king
Zedekiah had Jeremiah brought from his cell to the palace and asked him in private whether any message had come from the LORD (37:17). Jeremiah answered that there was a word: Zedekiah would be handed over to Babylon’s king. Even as a prisoner who had been beaten and held in a cell for a long time (37:15-16), Jeremiah did not soften the message to win the king’s favor. It was the same word the LORD had already sent to Zedekiah through him (Jeremiah 34:3). At his call God had told Jeremiah to speak everything He commanded and not to be frightened of his hearers (Jeremiah 1:17), and whoever holds God’s word must speak it faithfully (Jeremiah 23:28).
- Jeremiah 37:17 (BSB)“Later, King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah and received him in his palace, where he asked him privately, “Is there a word from the LORD?” “There is,” Jeremiah replied. “You will be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.””Zedekiah asks in private for a word from the LORD, and Jeremiah gives it plainly.
- Jeremiah 34:3 (BSB)“And you yourself will not escape his grasp, but will surely be captured and delivered into his hand. You will see the king of Babylon eye to eye and speak with him face to face; and you will go to Babylon.”The LORD had already told Zedekiah he would be captured and handed to Babylon’s king.
- Jeremiah 1:17 (BSB)“Get yourself ready. Stand up and tell them everything that I command you. Do not be intimidated by them, or I will terrify you before them.”God told Jeremiah to speak all He commanded and not to be afraid of his hearers.
- Jeremiah 23:28 (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.”Whoever holds God’s message is to declare it faithfully.
Theological
What was Jeremiah’s reply when Zedekiah privately asked whether any message had come from the LORD (Jeremiah 37:17)?
Answer: The king would be handed over to Babylon’s king
Summoned from the dungeon and questioned in secret, Jeremiah answers plainly: there is a word, and it is that Zedekiah will be handed over to Babylon’s king (37:17). The beaten prisoner does not trim the oracle to win his release; he repeats the same sentence the LORD had already pronounced on Zedekiah (Jeremiah 34:3). This is the fidelity required of him from his commissioning, to speak all that God commands without fear of his hearers (Jeremiah 1:17), and of every true prophet who holds God’s word (Jeremiah 23:28).
- Jeremiah 37:17 (BSB)“Later, King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah and received him in his palace, where he asked him privately, “Is there a word from the LORD?” “There is,” Jeremiah replied. “You will be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.””Zedekiah asks in private for a word from the LORD, and Jeremiah gives it plainly.
- Jeremiah 34:3 (BSB)“And you yourself will not escape his grasp, but will surely be captured and delivered into his hand. You will see the king of Babylon eye to eye and speak with him face to face; and you will go to Babylon.”The LORD had already told Zedekiah he would be captured and handed to Babylon’s king.
- Jeremiah 1:17 (BSB)“Get yourself ready. Stand up and tell them everything that I command you. Do not be intimidated by them, or I will terrify you before them.”God told Jeremiah to speak all He commanded and not to be afraid of his hearers.
- Jeremiah 23:28 (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.”Whoever holds God’s message is to declare it faithfully.
General
True or False: When Jeremiah pleaded with Zedekiah, he asked where the king’s prophets were who had promised that Babylon’s king would never attack Judah (Jeremiah 37:18-19).
Answer: True
This is true. Jeremiah asked the king what wrong he had done to deserve prison (37:18). Then he asked where the king’s prophets were now, the ones who had predicted that Babylon’s king would not come against Zedekiah or the land (37:19). The Babylonian siege had already proved their promise false. God had said that such prophets spoke lies using His name and filled the people with empty hopes (Jeremiah 14:14; Jeremiah 23:16-17). The law gave the test: when a prophet’s prediction fails, the LORD did not speak it (Deuteronomy 18:22).
- Jeremiah 37:18-19 (BSB)“Then Jeremiah asked King Zedekiah, “How have I sinned against you or your servants or these people, that you have put me in prison? Where are your prophets who prophesied to you, claiming, ‘The king of Babylon will not come against you or this land’?”Jeremiah asks how he has wronged anyone and where the prophets are who said Babylon would not come.
- 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 spoke falsehoods under His name though He never sent them.
- 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.’”These prophets spoke from their own minds and promised peace to those who despised the LORD.
- Deuteronomy 18:22 (BSB)“When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD and the message does not come to pass or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. The prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.”A prophecy that does not come true is a message the LORD did not speak.
Theological
True or False: In pleading his case before Zedekiah, Jeremiah pointed to the king’s own prophets, who had foretold that Babylon would not come against him or the land (Jeremiah 37:18-19).
Answer: True
This is true. Jeremiah protests his innocence (37:18) and then asks where the king’s prophets are, those who had assured him that Babylon’s king would not come against him or his land (37:19). The besieging army had already exposed their oracle as false. The LORD had denounced such prophets as speaking lies under His name and feeding the people false hope (Jeremiah 14:14; Jeremiah 23:16-17), and the law’s test identifies an unfulfilled word as one that did not come from the LORD (Deuteronomy 18:22).
- Jeremiah 37:18-19 (BSB)“Then Jeremiah asked King Zedekiah, “How have I sinned against you or your servants or these people, that you have put me in prison? Where are your prophets who prophesied to you, claiming, ‘The king of Babylon will not come against you or this land’?”Jeremiah asks how he has wronged anyone and where the prophets are who said Babylon would not come.
- 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 spoke falsehoods under His name though He never sent them.
- 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.’”These prophets spoke from their own minds and promised peace to those who despised the LORD.
- Deuteronomy 18:22 (BSB)“When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD and the message does not come to pass or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. The prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.”A prophecy that does not come true is a message the LORD did not speak.