Jeremiah 14:15
Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the prophets who prophesy in my name although I did not send them, and who say, ‘Sword and famine shall not come upon this land’: By sword and famine those prophets shall be consumed.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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What's easily missed is the poetic justice at play: God declares that these false prophets, who promised security from "sword and famine," will themselves be consumed by the very dangers they denied. It's a stark, divine retribution where their own deceit becomes the instrument of their destruction.
Jeremiah has just described a severe drought plaguing the land, revealing it as God's judgment on the people's sins. Now, he turns his attention to the false prophets who have been telling people that peace and prosperity will continue, directly contradicting God's message of impending disaster. The Lord declares that these deceptive prophets will themselves be destroyed by the very sword and famine they denied would come.
Have you ever heard someone speak with such confidence that you just believed them, even if it sounded too good to be true? Sometimes, people who claim to speak for God twist His message for their own gain.
Jeremiah is confronting prophets who are speaking in God's name, but they haven't been sent by Him. They're essentially imposters. Their message? Peace and prosperity, directly contradicting the harsh reality of God's coming judgment (sword and famine). They are 'prophesying in my name, and I sent them not.' This isn't just a minor disagreement; it's a dangerous deception. These false prophets offer comfort without repentance, leading people away from truth and into peril.
God's word, through Jeremiah, is clear: these prophets will not escape the very disasters they deny. Their lack of divine commission means their words carry no divine protection.
When someone predicts a sunny day and it pours, you might call them out. But what happens when that prediction involves judgment, and the predictor is wrong?
The judgment declared against these false prophets is a direct, almost poetic, retribution. They boldly proclaimed, 'Sword and famine shall not come upon this land!' God's response is simple and severe: 'By sword and famine those prophets shall be consumed.'
This isn't arbitrary punishment; it's a demonstration of God's justice. The very instruments of judgment they denied will be the means of their destruction. It shows that God's word, spoken through His true prophet Jeremiah, is reliable, and the words of the false prophets are empty and destructive. Their lies will not shield them; in fact, they will be the first to fall.
This verse directly confronts the dangerous lies of prophets who, during the terrifying siege of Jerusalem by Babylon, offered false promises of peace. Their pronouncements stood in stark opposition to God's message of impending judgment through Jeremiah, and the verse promises they would themselves perish by the very sword and famine they denied.
c. 605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon conquers Judah and deports some of the royal family and elite, including the prophet Daniel. This event marks the beginning of the Babylonian exile.
597 BC
Second Deportation to Babylon
Following a rebellion, Nebuchadnezzar deports more of Judah's population, including the prophet Ezekiel and King Jehoiachin. This increases the anxiety and division within Jerusalem.
589-587 BC— this verse
Siege and Fall of Jerusalem
Nebuchadnezzar lays siege to Jerusalem. Despite Jeremiah's warnings and the pleas of false prophets, the city eventually falls, leading to widespread destruction and further deportation.
c. 586 BC
Destruction of Jerusalem
The Babylonians destroy Jerusalem, including the Temple, and depopulate the land further. This fulfills Jeremiah's prophecies and exposes the lies of the false prophets.
This passage echoes Jeremiah's warning, describing false prophets who 'see falsehood and lying divination for themselves' and are thus directly rebuked by God for their deceptive pronouncements.
1 Kings 22:23Here, Micaiah the prophet directly confronts false prophets, showing how their 'lying spirit' empowers them to deceive, a parallel to Jeremiah's accusation that these prophets were not sent by God.
2 Peter 2:1Peter warns of false teachers who will secretly bring destructive heresies, mirroring Jeremiah's prophecy that those who spread lies will ultimately face destruction themselves.
Deuteronomy 18:20This foundational text lays out the principle that any prophet who presumes to speak in God's name without divine authority will be held accountable, just as Jeremiah proclaims the doom of these un-sent prophets.
clarkeJeremiah 14:15: "Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the prophets that prophesy in my name, and I sent them not, yet they say, Sword and famine shall not be in this land; By sword and famine shall those prophets be consumed."
By sword and famine shall those prophets be consumed - Jeremiah had told Jehoiakim that, if he rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar, he should be overthrown, and the land wasted by sword and famine: the false prophets said there shall be neither sword nor famine, but peace…
calvinJeremiah 14:15-16: "Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the prophets that prophesy in my name, and I sent them not, yet they say, Sword and famine shall not be in this land; By sword and famine shall those prophets be consumed."
Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the prophets that prophesy in my name, and I sent them not, yet they say, Sword and famine shall not be in this land; By sword and famine shall those prophets be consumed.
Propterea sic dicit Jehova super prophetas,…
What's easily missed is the poetic justice at play: God declares that these false prophets, who promised security from "sword and famine," will themselves be consumed by the very dangers they denied. It's a stark, divine retribution where their own deceit becomes the instrument of their destruction.
Jeremiah has just described a severe drought plaguing the land, revealing it as God's judgment on the people's sins. Now, he turns his attention to the false prophets who have been telling people that peace and prosperity will continue, directly contradicting God's message of impending disaster. The Lord declares that these deceptive prophets will themselves be destroyed by the very sword and famine they denied would come.
Jeremiah has just described a severe drought plaguing the land, revealing it as God's judgment on the people's sins. Now, he turns his attention to the false prophets who have been telling people that peace and prosperity will continue, directly contradicting God's message of impending disaster. The Lord declares that these deceptive prophets will themselves be destroyed by the very sword and famine they denied would come.
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"Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the prophets who prophesy in my name although I did not send them, and who say, ‘Sword and famine shall not come upon this land’: By sword and famine those prophets shall be consumed." — What's easily missed is the poetic justice at play: God declares that these false prophets, who promised security from "sword and famine," will themselves be consumed by the very dangers they denied.…
