In the prophets of Samaria I saw an unsavory thing: they prophesied by Baal and led my people Israel astray.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Jeremiah 23:13
What does Jeremiah 23:13 mean?
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Jeremiah 23:13
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What’s really striking here is that God doesn’t just see evil in the prophets of Samaria, but "folly"—a Hebrew word that carries the sense of something tasteless or unsavory. This wasn't just moral corruption, but a deep, absurd disconnect from reality, because they were prophesying in the name of Baal, a false god, leading God's own people astray.
In the prophets of Samaria I saw an unsavory thing: they prophesied by Baal and led my people Israel astray.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jeremiah is exposing the deep corruption within the prophetic office, first by looking at the northern kingdom of Israel. He highlights the prophets in Samaria who practiced pagan worship, leading the people astray. This serves as a stark contrast to the even greater depravity Jeremiah will reveal in the prophets of Jerusalem in the following verse.
Jeremiah uses a striking word to describe the prophets of Samaria. What made their message so offensive to God?
Jeremiah calls the prophecy of Samaria's prophets 'unsavory' (or 'insipid,' 'unseasoned'). Imagine food that's bland and tasteless – it lacks the very thing that makes it good.
This 'unsavoriness' wasn't just bad taste; it was a profound lack of divine truth. They were 'prophesying by Baal,' meaning they were claiming messages from a false god and presenting them as if from the Lord.
This wasn't a minor error. It was a fundamental betrayal of God's covenant and a dangerous deception that led His people away from true worship and obedience.
God's prophets were meant to guide His people. But these prophets did the opposite. What does this reveal about their role?
The core function of a true prophet was to speak God's truth and lead His people back to Him. However, the prophets in Samaria, by prophesying through Baal, actively 'led my people Israel astray.'
This wasn't just a failure to guide; it was active misdirection. They corrupted the very spiritual life of the nation, turning them away from the one true God.
This highlights the immense responsibility that comes with spiritual leadership. When leaders teach false doctrines or endorse wrong practices, the consequences are devastating for those who follow them.
Understand the original words
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Ba'al · Hebrew Proper Noun
A Canaanite storm and fertility god. Worshipping Baal represents idolatry, the rejection of YHWH, and the abandonment of the covenant.
ta'ah · Hebrew Verb
To cause someone to wander away from the truth or the right path. In a biblical context, it implies leading others into idolatry or away from obedience to God.
The prophets of Samaria, whose kingdom had already fallen due to idolatry, are presented as foolish for leading people astray in the name of Baal. This serves as a stark contrast to the prophets of Jerusalem, whom Jeremiah describes as even more corrupt, strengthening evildoers and leading people to destruction while claiming to speak for God.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria and Assyrian Exile
The Northern Kingdom of Israel, with its capital Samaria, fell to the Assyrian Empire. Many Israelites were exiled, and the region was repopulated with foreigners, leading to religious syncretism and the worship of various deities, including Baal.
c. 626-586 BC— this verse
Jeremiah's Ministry in Judah
Jeremiah prophesied during a turbulent period in the Southern Kingdom of Judah, warning of impending judgment due to the people's and leaders' unfaithfulness, including the corrupt practices of many prophets.
586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem and Babylonian Exile
The Babylonians conquered Jerusalem, destroyed the Temple, and exiled a significant portion of Judah's population. This event marked a severe judgment for the covenant unfaithfulness Jeremiah had warned against.
This passage highlights the prophets of Baal directly, showing their devotion to a false god and their role in leading Israel astray, mirroring the actions described for the prophets of Samaria in Jeremiah 23:13.
Ezekiel 13:10Ezekiel describes false prophets building flimsy walls and covering up sin with false promises of peace, a parallel to how Jeremiah states the prophets of Samaria 'led my people Israel astray' by their false prophecies.
2 Peter 2:1Peter warns of false prophets who will secretly introduce destructive heresies and deny the Master, showing that the deception seen in Jeremiah's time with the prophets of Baal continued throughout biblical history.
Jeremiah 23:14This verse immediately follows Jeremiah 23:13 and details the even greater wickedness of the prophets in Jerusalem, directly comparing their 'horrible thing' of adultery and lies to the 'folly' of the Samarian prophets and showing a progression of corruption.
calvinJeremiah 23:13-14: "And I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria; they prophesied in Baal, and caused my people Israel to err."
I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies: they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness: they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah.
Et in prophetis Jerusalem vidi pravitatem, adulterando et ambulando in fallacia; et r…
pulpitJeremiah 23:13: "And I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria; they prophesied in Baal, and caused my people Israel to err."
Verses 13, 14. - The prophets of Samaria were no doubt guilty enough, but their offences dwindled by the side of the "horrible" transgressions of those of the southern kingdom. The prophet apparently means, not only that the former, having fewer spiritual advantages, were less responsible than the latter, but also that they had not violated the moral code so conspicuo…
What’s really striking here is that God doesn’t just see evil in the prophets of Samaria, but "folly"—a Hebrew word that carries the sense of something tasteless or unsavory. This wasn't just moral corruption, but a deep, absurd disconnect from reality, because they were prophesying in the name of Baal, a false god, leading God's own people astray.
Jeremiah is exposing the deep corruption within the prophetic office, first by looking at the northern kingdom of Israel. He highlights the prophets in Samaria who practiced pagan worship, leading the people astray. This serves as a stark contrast to the even greater depravity Jeremiah will reveal in the prophets of Jerusalem in the following verse.
Jeremiah is exposing the deep corruption within the prophetic office, first by looking at the northern kingdom of Israel. He highlights the prophets in Samaria who practiced pagan worship, leading the people astray. This serves as a stark contrast to the even greater depravity Jeremiah will reveal in the prophets of Jerusalem in the following verse.
"In the prophets of Samaria I saw an unsavory thing: they prophesied by Baal and led my people Israel astray." — What’s really striking here is that God doesn’t just see evil in the prophets of Samaria, but "folly"—a Hebrew word that carries the sense of something tasteless or unsavory. This wasn't just moral c…
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Last reviewed October 2026