Jeremiah 23:12
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What's striking here is that God isn't just saying they'll eventually fall into trouble; He's describing their current path as already treacherous. The "slippery paths in the darkness" represent their own deceptive ways and false teachings, making it impossible for them to navigate safely, even though they think they're in control. God's judgment is the force that will ultimately drive them to stumble and fall into the disaster they've already set in motion.
Therefore their way shall be to them like slippery paths in the darkness, into which they shall be driven and fall, for I will bring disaster upon them in the year of their punishment, declares the LORD.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jeremiah has just been denouncing the false prophets who are deceiving God's people with smooth lies, promising peace when destruction is coming. Now, the LORD declares that their deceptive path will lead them into inescapable ruin, like stumbling in the dark on a slippery road where they cannot see their footing and will inevitably fall. This judgment is not arbitrary; it's the appointed "year of their visitation," a time God has set to deal with their wickedness.
Imagine walking at night on a path you can't see, and it's slick with mud. That's the picture God paints for His people.
Jeremiah vividly describes the fate of those who reject God's ways. Their chosen path, which they thought was stable, becomes unstable and dangerous. It's like they're blindfolded on an icy road.
The Illusion of Control
The false prophets and unfaithful leaders had led the people astray with their deceptive messages. They believed they were on a secure path, but it was an illusion. God declares their way will be like 'slippery paths in the darkness.' This means their decisions, their strategies, and their entire course of life will lead them to ruin because they lack true spiritual discernment.
God's Active Judgment
This isn't just bad luck; it's God's direct intervention. The phrase 'into which they shall be driven and fall' suggests they won't just slip; they'll be actively propelled towards destruction. God is bringing 'evil'—the punishment they deserve—because their time for accountability has arrived.
God's judgment isn't random. It's appointed, precise, and it's coming.
The phrase 'the year of their punishment' or 'the year of their visitation' is crucial. It signifies that God's justice is not capricious. He has a specific, divinely appointed time for addressing sin and holding people accountable.
God's Sovereign Timing
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This 'year of visitation' isn't necessarily a literal calendar year, but rather the precise moment God has determined for judgment. It underscores His sovereignty over history and His patient, yet firm, resolve to deal with wrongdoing. Even when punishment seems delayed, God's timing is perfect.
The Purpose of Visitation
When God 'visits' in judgment, it's a serious matter. It's a moment when His presence is powerfully felt, not in blessing, but in reckoning. For those who have ignored His warnings and followed deceptive paths, this visitation brings disaster and ruin. It's the inevitable consequence of rebellion against the LORD.
Understand the original words
ra'ah · Hebrew Noun
A generic term for God's judgment, calamity, or misfortune brought upon people or nations due to their sin and persistent rebellion.
pequddah · Hebrew Noun
The time appointed by God for retribution or the execution of justice for persistent disobedience and covenant breaking.
This verse speaks directly to the utter ruin that befell Judah, particularly its leaders and false prophets, in the wake of the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem. The imagery of slippery paths in darkness vividly portrays the unsuspecting and inevitable downfall that came upon them, not as a random accident, but as a divinely appointed punishment in their 'year of visitation'.
Late 8th century BC
Assyrian Deportations
The Assyrian Empire conducted systematic deportations of conquered populations, creating a context where exile and displacement were harsh realities for many Israelites.
626 BC - 586 BC
Reign of King Josiah and Jehoiakim
Jeremiah prophesied during a tumultuous period marked by Josiah's reforms and the subsequent reigns of Jehoiakim and Zedekiah, as Babylon rose to power.
605 BC
First Babylonian Deportation
Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon besieged Jerusalem and deported a number of its inhabitants, including members of the royal family and skilled workers, initiating the period of Babylonian exile.
597 BC
Second Babylonian Deportation
Following a rebellion, Nebuchadnezzar deported more Judeans, including the prophet Ezekiel and King Jehoiachin, intensifying the crisis and the prophetic warnings.
586 BC— this verse
Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple
Nebuchadnezzar's forces destroyed Jerusalem and its sacred Temple, marking a catastrophic turning point and the end of the southern kingdom of Judah.
c. 586 BC - 538 BC
Babylonian Exile
The majority of the remaining Judean population was exiled to Babylon, living in a state of disarray and longing for their homeland.
This Psalm vividly describes the wicked being pursued by God's angel into slippery darkness, mirroring Jeremiah's imagery of inevitable downfall for those who stray from God's path.
Proverbs 4:19This passage offers a parallel to Jeremiah's warning, contrasting the clear, bright path of the righteous with the obscure, treacherous way of the wicked that leads to ruin.
Isaiah 8:22This verse describes a people looking in distress and darkness for a way out, only to face further hardship, echoing the 'slippery paths in the darkness' that Jeremiah's disobedient people will encounter.
Luke 19:44Jesus uses the concept of a 'time of visitation' to describe Jerusalem's impending doom due to rejecting Him, aligning with Jeremiah's prophetic warning of a specific, divinely appointed time of judgment for disobedience.
calvinJeremiah 23:12: "Wherefore their way shall be unto them as slippery ways in the darkness: they shall be driven on, and fall therein: for I will bring evil upon them, even the year of their visitation, saith the LORD."
Wherefore their way shall be unto them as slippery ways in the darkness: they shall be driven on, and fall therein: for I will bring evil upon them, even the year of their visitation, saith the LORD.
Propterea erit via eorum ipsis tanquam lubricitates, in caligine impinge…
pulpitJeremiah 23:12: "Wherefore their way shall be unto them as slippery ways in the darkness: they shall be driven on, and fall therein: for I will bring evil upon them, even the year of their visitation, saith the LORD."
Verse 12. - Their way shall be unto them as slippery ways, etc.; rather, slippery places. The passage has a manifest affinity with Psalm 35:6 (in one of the Jeremiahizing psalms; see on Jeremiah 18:19, 20). They shall be driven on; or, as Ewald, taking over the last word of the pr…
What's striking here is that God isn't just saying they'll eventually fall into trouble; He's describing their current path as already treacherous. The "slippery paths in the darkness" represent their own deceptive ways and false teachings, making it impossible for them to navigate safely, even though they think they're in control. God's judgment is the force that will ultimately drive them to stumble and fall into the disaster they've already set in motion.
Jeremiah has just been denouncing the false prophets who are deceiving God's people with smooth lies, promising peace when destruction is coming. Now, the LORD declares that their deceptive path will lead them into inescapable ruin, like stumbling in the dark on a slippery road where they cannot see their footing and will inevitably fall. This judgment is not arbitrary; it's the appointed "year of their visitation," a time God has set to deal with their wickedness.
Jeremiah has just been denouncing the false prophets who are deceiving God's people with smooth lies, promising peace when destruction is coming. Now, the LORD declares that their deceptive path will lead them into inescapable ruin, like stumbling in the dark on a slippery road where they cannot see their footing and will inevitably fall. This judgment is not arbitrary; it's the appointed "year of their visitation," a time God has set to deal with their wickedness.
"Therefore their way shall be to them like slippery paths in the darkness, into which they shall be driven and fall, for I will bring disaster upon them in the year of their punishment,…" — What's striking here is that God isn't just saying they'll eventually fall into trouble; He's describing their current path as already treacherous. The "slippery paths in the darkness" represent th…
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Last reviewed October 2026
