Bible Strands
Jeremiah 27:14
Do not listen to the words of the prophets who say, ‘You must not serve the king of Babylon,’ for they are prophesying to you a lie.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jeremiah addresses Judah’s leadership and populace during the Babylonian campaign, warning them against rejecting the divinely appointed political reality. He speaks at a moment when false prophets are actively urging rebellion against Nebuchadnezzar’s rule.
The words — תִשְׁמְעוּ (tishme‘u) translates literally as “you listen,” functioning here as a prohibition, while אֹמְרִים (’omerim) means “who say,” identifying the speakers as the source of the warning.
The thread — The text repeats the theme of uncommissioned prophets across Jeremiah 14:14, 23:21, and 29:8, where the LORD explicitly denies sending them and labels their messages as lies.
Why it lands — The verse demands immediate refusal of any message contradicting the stated decree, prioritizing obedience to the declared word over popular prophetic claims.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Therefore hearken not unto the words of the prophets that speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon: for they prophesy a lie unto you.
Cross-references
- Jeremiah 14:14 “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.
- Jeremiah 23:21 I did not send these prophets, yet they have run with their message; I did not speak to them, yet they have prophesied.
- Jeremiah 29:8 For this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: “Do not be deceived by the prophets and diviners among you, and do not listen to the dreams you elicit from them.
- 2 Corinthians 11:13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ.
- 1 Kings 22:22 And he replied, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’ ‘You will surely entice him and prevail,’ said the LORD. ‘Go and do it.’
- Isaiah 28:10 For they hear: “Order on order, order on order, line on line, line on line; a little here, a little there.”
- Jeremiah 23:25 “I have heard the sayings of the prophets who prophesy lies in My name: ‘I had a dream! I had a dream!’
- Jeremiah 27:9 But as for you, do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your interpreters of dreams, your mediums, or your sorcerers who declare, ‘You will not serve the king of Babylon.’
- Jeremiah 28:15 Then the prophet Jeremiah said to the prophet Hananiah, “Listen, Hananiah! The LORD did not send you, but you have persuaded this people to trust in a lie.
- Ezekiel 13:6 They see false visions and speak lying divinations. They claim, ‘Thus declares the LORD,’ when the LORD did not send them; yet they wait for the fulfillment of their message.