Jeremiah 14:14
in Jeremiah 14“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.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Then Jehovah said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name; I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake I unto them: they prophesy unto you a lying vision, and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their own heart.
KJV
Then the Lord said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart.
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This verse in Jeremiah 14
Commentary
7 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
the prophets are telling them
on Jeremiah 14:13-16
Jeremiah objects that the prophets promise “lasting peace in this place”, and the LORD answers, “The prophets are prophesying lies in My name”. The deceivers die, and the deceived are thrown into the streets with “no one to bury them”. The unburied dead are the covenant curse at its worst.
This site's exposition
The prophets are prophesying lies
The LORD never sent them, yet they spoke in his name. Barnes explains divination as a kind of conjuring forbidden to Israel in Deuteronomy 18:10. Matthew Henry likens their false vision to a spider's web spun out of its own body.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
(Verses 13, 14.) And I said, ah, ah, ah, Lord God, (or who you are, Lord God) The prophets tell them, you will not see the sword, and there will be no famine among you: but true peace will be given to you in this place. And the Lord said to me: The false prophets prophesy in my name: I have not sent them, nor commanded them, nor spoken to them. They prophesy a false vision, and a fraudulent divination, and the seduction of their own heart to you.
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Then said the Lord unto me,....
It is a false vision, and a thing of nought. Note, What is false and groundless in vain and worthless. The vision that is not true, be it ever so pleasing, is good for nothing; it is the deceit of their heart, a spider's web spun out of their own bowels, and in it they think to shelter themselves, but it will be swept away in a moment and prove a great cheat.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
The prophets prophesy lies - They say they have visions, but they have them by divination, and they are false. The people should know their character, and avoid them but they love to have it so, and will not be undeceived.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Divination - i. e., “conjuring,” the abuse of the less understood powers of nature. It was strictly forbidden to all Jews Deu 18:10. A thing of nought - Probably a small idol made of the more precious metals Isa 2:20. These methods the prophet declares to be the “deceit of their heart, i. e., not self-deceit, but a willful and intentional fraud.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
a thing of naught an expression of אַל, not, a thing which is not.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 6 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
23 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּ֨אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| יְהוָ֜ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| אֵלַ֗י | ʾelai | to me | H413 → | 5510 times |
| שֶׁ֚קֶר | sheker | falsehood | H8267 → | 113 times |
| הַנְּבִאִים֙ | haneviim | the prophets | H5030 → | 314 times |
| נִבְּאִ֣ים | nibeim | [are] prophesying | H5012 → | 115 times |
| בִּשְׁמִ֔י | bishmi | in name my | H8034 → | 864 times |
| לֹ֤א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| שְׁלַחְתִּים֙ | shelachtim | I sent them | H7971 → | 845 times |
| וְלֹ֣א | velo' | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| צִוִּיתִ֔ים | tzivitim | I appointed them | H6680 → | 494 times |
| וְלֹ֥א | velo' | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| דִבַּ֖רְתִּי | dibarti | I spoke | H1696 → | 1141 times |
| אֲלֵיהֶ֑ם | ʾaleihem | to them | H413 → | 5510 times |
| חֲז֨וֹן | chazon | a vision of | H2377 → | |
| שֶׁ֜קֶר | sheker | falsehood | H8267 → | 113 times |
| וְקֶ֤סֶם | vekesem | and divination | H7081 → | |
| וֶֽאֱלִיל֙ | veelul | and an idol | H457 → | |
| וְתַרְמִ֣ית | vetarmut | and [the] deceitfulness of | H8649 → | 6 times |
| לִבָּ֔ם | libam | own heart their | H3820 → | 595 times |
| הֵ֖מָּה | hemah | they | H1992 → | 553 times |
| מִֽתְנַבְּאִ֥ים | mitnabeim | [are] prophesying | H5012 → | 115 times |
| לָכֶֽם׃ ס | lakhem | to <the> you |
וַיֹּ֨אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
יְהוָ֜הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
אֵלַ֗יto me
ʾelaiH413 →5510 times
שֶׁ֚קֶרfalsehood
shekerH8267 →113 times
הַנְּבִאִים֙the prophets
haneviimH5030 →314 times
נִבְּאִ֣ים[are] prophesying
nibeimH5012 →115 times
בִּשְׁמִ֔יin name my
bishmiH8034 →864 times
לֹ֤אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
שְׁלַחְתִּים֙I sent them
shelachtimH7971 →845 times
וְלֹ֣אand not
velo'H3808 →5168 times
צִוִּיתִ֔יםI appointed them
tzivitimH6680 →494 times
וְלֹ֥אand not
velo'H3808 →5168 times
דִבַּ֖רְתִּיI spoke
dibartiH1696 →1141 times
אֲלֵיהֶ֑םto them
ʾaleihemH413 →5510 times
חֲז֨וֹןa vision of
chazonH2377 →
שֶׁ֜קֶרfalsehood
shekerH8267 →113 times
וְקֶ֤סֶםand divination
vekesemH7081 →
וֶֽאֱלִיל֙and an idol
veelulH457 →
וְתַרְמִ֣יתand [the] deceitfulness of
vetarmutH8649 →6 times
לִבָּ֔םown heart their
libamH3820 →595 times
הֵ֖מָּהthey
hemahH1992 →553 times
מִֽתְנַבְּאִ֥ים[are] prophesying
mitnabeimH5012 →115 times
לָכֶֽם׃ סto <the> you
lakhem
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Jeremiah 29:31“Send a message telling all the exiles what the LORD says concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite. Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you—though I did not send him—and has made you trust in a lie,
it leads to
- Jeremiah 29:9
For they are falsely prophesying to you in My name; I have not sent them, declares the LORD.”
- Jeremiah 14:14–15
“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,…
- Ezekiel 13:8–16
Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: Because you have uttered vain words and seen false visions, I am against you, declares the Lord GOD.
- Ezekiel 13:22–23
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…
- Jeremiah 29:23–24
For they have committed an outrage in Israel by committing adultery with the wives of their neighbors and speaking lies in My name, which I did not command them to do. I am He…
- Jeremiah 29:9
Through
Ezekiel 12:24For there will be no more false visions or flattering divinations within the house of Israel,
it leads to
- Zechariah 13:2–4
And on that day, declares the LORD of Hosts, I will erase the names of the idols from the land, and they will no longer be remembered. I will also remove the prophets and…
- Ezekiel 13:23
therefore you will no longer see false visions or practice divination. I will deliver My people from your hands. Then you will know that I am the LORD.”
- Jeremiah 14:13–16
“Ah, Lord GOD!” I replied, “Look, the prophets are telling them, ‘You will not see the sword or suffer famine, but I will give you lasting peace in this place.’”
- Zechariah 13:2–4
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Jeremiah
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Carl Friedrich Keil, The Prophecies of Jeremiah; Jerome, Commentary on Jeremiah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.