Jeremiah 23
1 “Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!” says Yahweh.
2 Therefore thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, against the shepherds who feed my people: “You have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them. Behold, I will visit on you the evil of your doings,” says Yahweh.
3 “I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and multiply.
4 I will set up shepherds over them who shall feed them. They will fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall any be lacking,” says Yahweh.
5 “Behold, the days come,” says Yahweh, “that I will raise to David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.
6 In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely. This is his name by which he shall be called: Yahweh our righteousness.
7 Therefore behold, the days come,” says Yahweh, “that they shall no more say, ‘As Yahweh lives, who brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;’
8 but, ‘As Yahweh lives, who brought up and who led the offspring of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all the countries where I had driven them.’ They shall dwell in their own land.”
9 Concerning the prophets. My heart within me is broken. All my bones shake. I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom wine has overcome, because of Yahweh, and because of his holy words.
10 For the land is full of adulterers; for because of the curse the land mourns. The pastures of the wilderness are dried up. Their course is evil, and their might is not right.
11 “For both prophet and priest are profane. Yes, in my house I have found their wickedness,” says Yahweh.
12 “Therefore their way shall be to them as slippery places in the darkness. They shall be driven on, and fall therein; for I will bring evil on them, even the year of their visitation,” says Yahweh.
13 “I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria. They prophesied by Baal, and caused my people Israel to err.
14 I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem a horrible thing. They commit adultery, and walk in lies. They strengthen the hands of evildoers, that no one returns from his wickedness. They have all become to me as Sodom, and its inhabitants as Gomorrah.”
15 Therefore thus says Yahweh of Armies concerning the prophets: “Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink poisoned water; for from the prophets of Jerusalem is ungodliness gone out into all the land.”
16 Thus says Yahweh of Armies: “Don’t listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They teach you vanity. They speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of Yahweh.
17 They say continually to those who despise me, ‘Yahweh has said, You shall have peace;’ and to everyone who walks in the stubbornness of his own heart they say, ‘No evil shall come on you.’
18 For who has stood in the council of Yahweh, that he should perceive and hear his word? Who has marked my word, and heard it?
19 Behold, Yahweh’s storm, his wrath, has gone out, a whirling storm. It shall burst on the head of the wicked.
20 Yahweh’s anger 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.
21 “I didn’t send these prophets, yet they ran. I didn’t speak to them, yet they prophesied.
22 But if they had stood in my council, then they would have caused my people to hear my words, and would have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings.
23 Am I a God at hand,” says Yahweh, “and not a God afar off?
24 Can anyone hide himself in secret places so that I can’t see him?” says Yahweh. “Don’t I fill heaven and earth?” says Yahweh.
25 “I have heard what the prophets have said, who prophesy lies in my name, saying, ‘I have dreamed! I have dreamed!’
26 How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets who prophesy lies, even the prophets of the deceit of their own heart?
27 They think to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbor, as their fathers forgot my name for Baal.
28 The prophet who has a dream, let him tell a dream; and he who has my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is the straw to the wheat?” says Yahweh.
29 “Isn’t my word like fire?” says Yahweh; “and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?
30 Therefore behold, I am against the prophets,” says Yahweh, “who steal my words everyone from his neighbor.
31 Behold, I am against the prophets,” says Yahweh, “who use their tongues, and say, ‘He says.’
32 Behold, I am against those who prophesy lying dreams,” says Yahweh, “and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I didn’t send them, nor command them. Therefore they will not profit this people at all,” says Yahweh.
33 “When this people, or the prophet, or a priest, asks you, saying, ‘What is the burden of Yahweh?’ then you shall tell them, ‘What burden? I will cast you off,’ says Yahweh.
34 As for the prophet, and the priest, and the people, who shall say, ‘The burden of Yahweh,’ I will even punish that man and his house.
35 Thus shall you say everyone to his neighbor, and everyone to his brother, ‘What has Yahweh answered?’ and, ‘What has Yahweh spoken?’
36 You shall mention the burden of Yahweh no more; for every man’s word shall be his burden; for you have perverted the words of the living God, of Yahweh of Armies, our God.
37 Thus shall you say to the prophet, ‘What has Yahweh answered you?’ and, ‘What has Yahweh spoken?’
38 But if you say, ‘The burden of Yahweh,’ thus says Yahweh: ‘Because you say this word, “The burden of Yahweh,” and I have sent to you, saying, “You shall not say, ‘The burden of Yahweh,’”
39 therefore behold, I will utterly forget you, and I will cast you off, and the city that I gave to you and to your fathers, away from my presence.
40 I will bring an everlasting reproach on you, and a perpetual shame, which shall not be forgotten.’”
Jeremiah 23 Commentary
Chapter Overview
Jeremiah 23 begins by condemning the shepherds who have scattered God’s flock and ends by exposing prophets who claim to speak for God while replacing His word with their own inventions. The two subjects belong together. Judah’s rulers, priests, and prophets were meant to guide the people, but corrupt leadership had made the national crisis worse.
The chapter does not end with failed leaders. God promises to gather a remnant, appoint faithful shepherds, and raise a righteous Branch from David’s line. This coming king will rule wisely, practice justice, and bear the name “Yahweh our righteousness.” Judgment on human leadership therefore prepares the way for hope grounded in God’s own provision.
Woe to the Shepherds — Jeremiah 23:1–2
Judah’s shepherds have done the opposite. They have destroyed, scattered, and driven away God’s sheep. The flock belongs to God—“my pasture” and “my people”—so abuse of the people is an offense against their true owner.
God declares that He will “visit” the leaders for the evil of their actions. The word answers their failure to visit or attend to the flock. Because they refused responsible oversight, God will attend to them in judgment.
God Will Gather the Remnant — Jeremiah 23:3–4
The scattering is both the result of corrupt leadership and an act of divine judgment. God says that He drove the people into the nations, yet He also promises to gather the remnant and return them to their folds. Human wrongdoing does not remove God’s sovereignty, and divine judgment does not erase His covenant mercy.
God will also raise shepherds who genuinely feed the flock. Under their care the people will no longer live in continual fear, and none will be missing. The promise reverses the neglect and loss caused by the former leaders.
The Righteous Branch from David — Jeremiah 23:5
After the failures of Judah’s kings in Jeremiah 22, God announces that He will raise a righteous Branch for David. A branch or shoot can grow from a tree that appears cut down. The visible monarchy is collapsing, but God’s promise to David has not died.
The immediate language belongs to Israel’s hope for a restored Davidic king. Christian readers recognize its fullest realization in Jesus Christ, the son of David whose kingdom embodies God’s justice and saving rule. That Christian identification should grow from the passage’s royal promise rather than bypass its original setting.
“Yahweh Our Righteousness” — Jeremiah 23:6
The king is called “Yahweh our righteousness.” The title does not require confusion between the king and God at every level of interpretation; royal names in Scripture can celebrate what God is and does. At minimum, the name declares that the people’s righteousness and deliverance come from Yahweh rather than from the moral success of their failed rulers.
For Christians, the title has special depth because the New Testament presents Christ as the one through whom God grants righteousness. Jeremiah’s promise points away from self-made righteousness and toward a king supplied by God.
A Deliverance Remembered Beside the Exodus — Jeremiah 23:7–8
Future restoration will be so significant that people will speak of the Lord who brought Israel from the north and from all the countries of exile. The wording does not erase or belittle the exodus from Egypt. It says that God’s later act of gathering will become another defining testimony to His faithfulness.
Jeremiah Shaken by the Holy Words — Jeremiah 23:9
The chapter now turns “concerning the prophets.” Jeremiah’s heart is broken, his bones shake, and he feels like a drunken man because of the Lord and His holy words. This is not intoxication but physical and emotional disorientation under the weight of divine revelation.
A Land Corrupted by Adultery — Jeremiah 23:10–12
The land mourns under the curse, and its pastures dry up. As in Jeremiah 14, human rebellion and the suffering of the land are joined within Judah’s revealed covenant judgment. Readers should not use this verse to claim that every modern drought proves a specific sin.
Prophet and priest are both profane, and wickedness has entered God’s house. Religious office and sacred location do not protect rebellion from judgment. Their path will become like a dark, slippery place where they are driven and fall.
Samaria’s Folly and Jerusalem’s Horror — Jeremiah 23:13–15
The prophets of Samaria had prophesied by Baal and led the northern kingdom astray. Their error was obvious idolatry. Yet God describes an even more horrible condition among Jerusalem’s prophets: adultery, lies, and active encouragement of evildoers.
They “strengthen the hands” of the wicked by removing the pressure to repent. A message can support evil without directly commanding it. Whenever teachers assure stubborn people that no judgment matters and no change is needed, they make continued rebellion easier.
Jerusalem’s religious leaders have become like Sodom and Gomorrah, cities remembered for entrenched wickedness and judgment. Because ungodliness spreads outward from the prophets, their influence makes their guilt especially serious. God will give them wormwood and poisoned water, images of bitter judgment.
Visions from Their Own Hearts — Jeremiah 23:16–17
God commands the people not to listen to prophets who fill them with empty hope. Their visions arise from their own hearts rather than from the mouth of the Lord.
The false message is tailored to the audience. Those who despise God are promised peace, and those who walk in stubbornness are told that no evil will come. Comfort becomes deception when it separates assurance from repentance and covenant faithfulness.
Who Has Stood in the Council of the Lord? — Jeremiah 23:18–22
The “council of Yahweh” pictures the heavenly court where God’s purpose is made known. A true prophet must receive and attentively hear God’s word rather than claim authority based on confidence, popularity, or imagination.
The coming judgment is compared to a whirling storm that will burst upon the wicked. God’s anger will continue until His intentions are accomplished. The phrase “in the latter days” can mean that later events will make the warning fully understandable; the fall of Jerusalem will reveal that the rejected message was true.
God did not send the false prophets, yet they ran eagerly. He did not speak to them, yet they prophesied. Activity and boldness do not prove divine commissioning.
Verse 22 gives a practical test of their ministry. Had they truly stood in God’s council, they would have proclaimed words that turned people from evil. True preaching may include consolation, but it does not continually protect hearers from moral accountability.
The God Who Fills Heaven and Earth — Jeremiah 23:23–24
God asks whether He is only nearby and not also far away. No one can hide in a secret place beyond His sight because He fills heaven and earth.
“I Have Dreamed!” — Jeremiah 23:25–27
Dreams could sometimes serve as a means of genuine revelation in Scripture, so Jeremiah does not condemn every dream simply because it is a dream. The problem is lying prophets who present the deceit of their own hearts as divine speech.
Straw and Wheat — Jeremiah 23:28
The person with a dream may report the dream as a dream, but the one who possesses God’s word must speak it faithfully. The distinction requires honesty about the source and authority of a claim.
God asks, “What is the straw to the wheat?” Straw may occupy space, but it cannot provide the nourishment of grain. Human speculation, emotional impressions, and borrowed religious language must not be treated as equal to God’s word.
Fire and a Hammer — Jeremiah 23:29
God’s word is like fire and like a hammer that breaks rock. Fire can expose, purify, and consume; a hammer can shatter what appears immovable. The images emphasize divine power rather than permission for teachers to become harsh or abusive.
Three Charges Against False Prophets — Jeremiah 23:30–32
Three times God says, “I am against the prophets.” Some steal words from one another, presenting borrowed messages as personal revelation. Others use their tongues and announce, “He says,” attaching God’s authority to their own phrases. Still others tell lying dreams with reckless lightness.
This warning applies directly to anyone who teaches in God’s name. Quoting another teacher is not theft when the source is acknowledged, but copying claims, inventing divine endorsement, or presenting personal impressions as certain revelation violates the honesty Scripture requires.
The Mocked “Burden of Yahweh” — Jeremiah 23:33–40
The Hebrew word translated “burden” can refer to a prophetic oracle, but it also means a load. The people apparently turned the expression into a mocking or manipulative religious catchphrase: “What is the burden of Yahweh?”
God answers with wordplay: the people themselves have become the burden He will cast off. They must stop repeating the slogan and instead ask, “What has Yahweh answered?” and “What has Yahweh spoken?” The issue is not merely vocabulary but their habit of twisting divine speech.
The closing warning is severe. Persistent distortion will bring rejection, exile from God’s presence, and lasting shame. Jerusalem’s possession of the city, temple, priesthood, and prophetic vocabulary cannot preserve it while its leaders corrupt the truth.
Major Themes in Jeremiah 23
God holds spiritual and political leaders accountable. Shepherds are judged according to whether they feed, protect, gather, and guide the people entrusted to them.
God’s answer to failed leadership is the righteous Branch. The collapse of Judah’s kings does not cancel the promise to David; it reveals the need for the wise and righteous king God Himself will raise.
False peace strengthens rebellion. Assurance becomes destructive when it tells stubborn people that they are safe without repentance.
True revelation must come from God and agree with His purpose. Enthusiasm, dreams, borrowed language, and confident claims cannot replace standing in God’s council and speaking His word faithfully.
Practical Applications from Jeremiah 23
First, leaders should remember that people are God’s flock, not personal property. Authority must be exercised for their protection and nourishment rather than for the leader’s security, image, or gain.
Second, Christians should test comforting messages by their relationship to truth and repentance. A promise of peace that continually excuses stubbornness does not reflect the pattern of this chapter.
Third, teachers should distinguish clearly among Scripture, interpretation, personal judgment, and private impressions. Saying “God told me” carries a claim of authority that should never be used to shield an idea from examination.
Fourth, hearers should value faithful substance over spiritual novelty. Dreams and dramatic experiences may command attention, but straw does not become wheat because it is presented enthusiastically.
Finally, hope should rest in God’s provision rather than idealized human leadership. Jeremiah 23 looks honestly at abusive shepherds, compromised priests, and lying prophets, yet it directs the remnant toward the righteous king whose rule will embody justice and righteousness.
Conclusion
Jeremiah 23 exposes leaders who scattered the flock and prophets who made rebellion comfortable. Their religious language could not hide that they had not stood in God’s council, had not spoken His word faithfully, and had not turned people from evil.
Against that failure stands God’s promise. He will gather His remnant, provide shepherds who feed them, and raise a righteous Branch for David. Judah’s righteousness and security will not be produced by corrupt institutions repairing themselves, but by the saving rule of the Lord.
Continue to Jeremiah 24, where the vision of good and bad figs explains why the first exiles—not those who remained proudly in Jerusalem—will become the people God restores.