Jeremiah 18:23
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Jeremiah isn't just asking for general punishment; he's specifically asking God not to forgive their iniquity or blot out their sin from His sight, implying their deeds are so egregious they should remain starkly visible before God. This isn't a prayer for eternal damnation but a plea that God's righteous anger would fall upon them swiftly, leaving a visible mark of their treachery.
Yet you, O LORD, know all their plotting to kill me. Forgive not their iniquity, nor blot out their sin from your sight. Let them be overthrown before you; deal with them in the time of your anger.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jeremiah is appealing to God for justice against his enemies who are actively plotting his death. This follows a powerful object lesson where God showed Jeremiah a potter shaping clay, demonstrating His sovereign power to shape and reshape nations, and also His righteous judgment against those who refuse to repent. Now, Jeremiah, feeling the intense personal threat, cries out for God's decisive wrath to fall on those who seek his life.
Jeremiah feels utterly alone, but he remembers something crucial about God. His enemies think their plots are secret, but they are fatally mistaken. What does this divine omniscience mean for justice?
Jeremiah opens this prayer with a powerful assertion: 'Yet, O LORD, you know...' (v. 23). This isn't just a statement of fact; it's the foundation of his plea. The enemies' plots to kill him are hidden from human eyes, but nothing escapes God's all-seeing gaze.
The All-Knowing God
God's knowledge here isn't passive observation. It's an active awareness that underpins His justice. He knows the intent behind their actions – 'their counsel against me to slay me.' This intimate knowledge means their wickedness can't be hidden, excused, or ultimately ignored by the divine Judge.
This reminds us that our struggles, especially those involving betrayal or hidden malice, are not unseen by God. He is the ultimate witness, and His knowledge guarantees that true justice will, in His timing, be served.
Jeremiah doesn't ask for mercy for his enemies; he calls for God's judgment. Why such a stark contrast to Jesus' teaching? Explore the unique context and prophetic role at play here.
The latter part of Jeremiah's prayer is intense: 'forgive not their iniquity, nor blot out their sin from your sight. Let them be overthrown before you; deal with them in the time of your anger.' This sounds harsh, and it is! But understanding it requires looking beyond personal vengeance to prophetic justice.
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Temporal vs. Eternal Judgment
Commentators note that Jeremiah's prayer likely focuses on temporal punishment rather than eternal damnation. He's not necessarily asking that their souls be lost forever, but that God would actively display His displeasure and bring ruin upon them in this life.
The Prophet's Zeal for God's Honor
This prayer stems from a deep zeal for God's honor and the integrity of His covenant. Jeremiah’s enemies sought to destroy him not for personal reasons, but because he spoke God's truth. His prayer is a cry for God to vindicate His own name and justice against those who rejected Him and His prophet.
While we are called to a higher ethic of loving enemies (Matthew 5:44), Jeremiah's prayer highlights the reality of God's righteous anger against sin and the need for His justice to be satisfied. It’s a powerful reminder of the seriousness of opposing God’s purposes.
Understand the original words
avon · Hebrew Noun
A term for twisted, perverted, or rebellious acts that deviate from God’s moral standard; it denotes moral depravity and the guilt associated with violating the covenant.
chattat · Hebrew Noun
A failure to hit the mark of God's holy standard; it refers to the act of missing the purpose for which humanity was created and violating God's law.
aph · Hebrew Noun
The settled, righteous indignation of God against evil and unrepentance; it is the inevitable reaction of a holy God toward those who persist in opposing His will.
This prayer isn't a generic wish for harm but a prophet's desperate cry within a specific, dangerous context. Jeremiah was facing deadly plots from his own people, and his words reflect the intense persecution he endured before Jerusalem's final destruction.
c. 627-605 BC
Jeremiah's Ministry Begins
Jeremiah begins his prophetic ministry under King Josiah, a time of religious reform, but he foresees the coming judgment on Judah.
605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon deports many Judean nobles and skilled workers, including Daniel, to Babylon after the Battle of Carchemish. This marks the beginning of the Babylonian exile.
c. 597 BC
Second Deportation to Babylon
Another wave of exiles, including King Jehoiachin and the prophet Ezekiel, are taken to Babylon. Jerusalem's political and religious leadership is significantly weakened.
c. 590-586 BC— this verse
Jeremiah's Imprisonment and Plotting
Jeremiah faces intense opposition, imprisonment, and plots against his life from the priests and people of Jerusalem due to his prophecies of doom. This verse likely reflects this period of intense persecution.
586 BC
Destruction of Jerusalem
The Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar destroy Jerusalem and its Temple, exiling most of the remaining population. This is the culmination of the judgment Jeremiah prophesied.
This psalm directly echoes Jeremiah's plea for divine retribution against enemies, offering a parallel in the Old Testament's expression of anguish and prayer for justice against those who plot harm.
Romans 12:19This New Testament passage presents a stark contrast, urging believers not to 'take vengeance, but rather give place unto wrath,' highlighting the shift from Old Testament imprecation to New Testament grace.
Luke 23:34Jesus' prayer from the cross, 'Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do,' stands as the ultimate example of Christ-like love and forgiveness, directly opposing the spirit of judgment in Jeremiah's cry.
Acts 7:59-60Stephen, facing death by stoning, imitates Christ by praying, 'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit,' and then 'Lord, do not hold this sin against them,' mirroring Jesus' forgiveness even in the face of intense persecution.
barnesJeremiah 18:23: "Yet, LORD, thou knowest all their counsel against me to slay me: forgive not their iniquity, neither blot out their sin from thy sight, but let them be overthrown before thee; deal thus with them in the time of thine anger."
Yet, Lord - Better, But, Lord. They conceal their plots, but God knows, and therefore must punish. Neither blot out ... - Or, "blot not out their sin from before Thy face that they may be made to stumble before Thee." Thus - Omit this word. Since there is a…
calvinJeremiah 18:23: "Yet, LORD, thou knowest all their counsel against me to slay me: forgive not their iniquity, neither blot out their sin from thy sight, but let them be overthrown before thee; deal thus with them in the time of thine anger."
Yet, LORD, thou knowest all their counsel against me to slay me: forgive not their iniquity, neither blot out their sin from thy sight, but let them be overthrown before thee; deal thus with them in the time of thine anger.
Et tu Jehovah nosti omni…
Jeremiah isn't just asking for general punishment; he's specifically asking God not to forgive their iniquity or blot out their sin from His sight, implying their deeds are so egregious they should remain starkly visible before God. This isn't a prayer for eternal damnation but a plea that God's righteous anger would fall upon them swiftly, leaving a visible mark of their treachery.
Jeremiah is appealing to God for justice against his enemies who are actively plotting his death. This follows a powerful object lesson where God showed Jeremiah a potter shaping clay, demonstrating His sovereign power to shape and reshape nations, and also His righteous judgment against those who refuse to repent. Now, Jeremiah, feeling the intense personal threat, cries out for God's decisive wrath to fall on those who seek his life.
Jeremiah is appealing to God for justice against his enemies who are actively plotting his death. This follows a powerful object lesson where God showed Jeremiah a potter shaping clay, demonstrating His sovereign power to shape and reshape nations, and also His righteous judgment against those who refuse to repent. Now, Jeremiah, feeling the intense personal threat, cries out for God's decisive wrath to fall on those who seek his life.
"Yet you, O LORD, know all their plotting to kill me. Forgive not their iniquity, nor blot out their sin from your sight. Let them be overthrown before you; deal with them in the time of your anger." — Jeremiah isn't just asking for general punishment; he's specifically asking God not to forgive their iniquity or blot out their sin from His sight, implying their deeds are so egregious they should…
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Last reviewed October 2026
