Jeremiah 27:16

Then I said to the priests and to all this people, “This is what the LORD says: Do not listen to the words of your prophets who prophesy to you, saying, ‘Look, very soon now the articles from the house of the LORD will be brought back from Babylon.’ They are prophesying to you a lie.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Jeremiah addresses the priests and the entire people of Judah, commanding them to reject the false assurances of their prophets. This occurs during the Babylonian siege when the nation expects a quick return of the temple articles.

The words — The Hebrew verb דִּבַּ֣רְתִּי (dibbartî) means "I spoke," anchoring Jeremiah’s message as a direct divine commission. The phrase לֵ/אמֹ֗ר (le'Mor) translates literally to "to saying," introducing the quoted oracle that follows.

The thread — This warning against false prophetic promises echoes Jeremiah 27:10, where deception is linked to exile and destruction. It directly counters the claim in Jeremiah 28:3 that the temple vessels would be restored within two years.

Why it lands — The text states that prophets predicting a quick return of the temple articles are lying. It requires readers to reject those promises and serve the Babylonian king to avoid ruin.

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

וְאֶל־ve./'el-and/ to הַכֹּהֲנִים֩ha./ko.ha.Nimthe/ priests וְאֶל־ve./'el-and/ to כָּל־kol-all הָעָ֨םha./'Amthe/ people הַזֶּ֜הha./Zeh<the>/ this דִּבַּ֣רְתִּיdi.Bar.tiI spoke לֵאמֹ֗רle./Mor<to>/ saying כֹּה֮kohthus אָמַ֣ר'a.Marhe says יְהוָה֒Yah.wehYahweh אַֽל־'al-may not תִּשְׁמְע֞וּtish.me.'Uyou listen אֶל־'el-to דִּבְרֵ֣יdiv.Rei[the] words of נְבִֽיאֵיכֶ֗םne.vi.'ei./Khemprophets/ your הַֽנִּבְּאִ֤יםha./ni.be.'Imwho/ are prophesyingלָכֶם֙la./Khemto <the>/ youלֵאמֹ֔רle./Mor<to>/ saying הִנֵּ֨הhi.Nehthere!כְלֵ֧יkhe.Lei[the] articles of בֵית־veit-[the] house of יְהוָ֛הYah.wehYahweh מוּשָׁבִ֥יםmu.sha.Vim[are] about to be brought back מִבָּבֶ֖לָהmi./ba.Ve.la/hfrom/ Babylon/ <towards>עַתָּ֣ה'a.Tahnow מְהֵרָ֑הme.he.Rahquickly כִּ֣יkifor שֶׁ֔קֶרShe.kerfalsehood הֵ֖מָּהHe.mahthey נִבְּאִ֥יםni.be.'Im[are] prophesyingלָכֶֽם׃la./Khemto <the>/ you

King James Version

Also I spake to the priests and to all this people, saying, Thus saith the Lord; Hearken not to the words of your prophets that prophesy unto you, saying, Behold, the vessels of the Lord’s house shall now shortly be brought again from Babylon: for they prophesy a lie unto you.

Cross-references

2 Kings 24:13 As the LORD had declared, Nebuchadnezzar also carried off all the treasures from the house of the LORD and the royal palace, and he cut into pieces all the gold articles that Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the LORD.
Jeremiah 28:3 Within two years I will restore to this place all the articles of the house of the LORD that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon removed from here and carried to Babylon.
Jeremiah 27:10 For they prophesy to you a lie that will serve to remove you from your land; I will banish you and you will perish.
Daniel 1:2 And the Lord delivered into his hand Jehoiakim king of Judah, along with some of the articles from the house of God. He carried these off to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, where he put them in the treasury of his god.
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.
2 Chronicles 36:7 Nebuchadnezzar also took to Babylon some of the articles from the house of the LORD, and he put them in his temple in Babylon.
Isaiah 9:15 The head is the elder and honorable man, and the tail is the prophet who teaches lies.

Places named

Babylon