Jeremiah 23:25-26
I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy lies in my name, saying, ‘I have dreamed, I have dreamed!’ How long shall there be lies in the heart of the prophets who prophesy lies, and who prophesy the deceit of their own heart,
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The false prophets here repeat "I have dreamed" not just to emphasize their visions, but to mimic the authority and solemnity of true prophecy, hoping to gain trust by using a recognized channel of God's communication. This repetition highlights their deceptive tactic of appropriating divine methods for their own lies, making their falsehoods sound more credible to the people.
Jeremiah is confronting a wave of false prophets who are deceiving God's people with smooth words of peace and prosperity. These false prophets claim to have received divine messages through dreams, assuring the people of security and ignoring God's impending judgment. This is happening in the context of Jerusalem's spiritual and moral decay, where the majority are choosing comforting lies over God's difficult truth delivered by prophets like Jeremiah.
The prophets claimed divine messages, but their 'dreams' were built on lies. What happens when personal visions overshadow God's truth?
In Jeremiah 23:25, God calls out prophets who falsely claim to have received messages in dreams. They repeat, 'I have dreamed, I have dreamed!' – a sign of their desperate attempt to sound authentic and gain an audience. The issue isn't necessarily dreams themselves; God did use dreams to communicate in ancient times.
However, these false prophets used dreams as a smokescreen for their own made-up messages. They sought to bypass God's established Word and the true prophets, offering comforting lies instead of challenging truths. This highlights a timeless danger: mistaking our own desires or imaginations for divine revelation, especially when those 'revelations' contradict the clear teachings of Scripture.
These prophets thought they could deceive God's people, but God Himself was listening intently. What does it mean that God 'hears' these false prophecies?
The verse opens with a powerful declaration: 'I have heard...' (Jeremiah 23:25). God isn't distant or unaware of the deceitful messages being spread. He hears every word these false prophets utter 'in my name.'
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This isn't just passive hearing; it's an active, discerning awareness. God hears the lies designed to mislead His people, the claims of divine insight that are actually self-serving fantasies. It shows that even when people try to disguise their falsehoods as divine truth, God is perfectly aware. Their attempts to counterfeit His voice are ultimately futile because He knows His own voice and recognizes the imposters.
Understand the original words
šēqer · Hebrew Noun
Deliberate falsehoods presented as divine revelation. It is an act of spiritual deception that misleads people and usurps God's authority by claiming His endorsement for human inventions.
ḥălôm · Hebrew Noun
A method of receiving information or guidance while sleeping. While God used dreams in Scripture to reveal His will, false prophets in this context falsely claim to have received dreams to validate their own unauthorized messages.
sheqer · Hebrew Noun
Untruth, falsehood, or deception; often used in the OT to denote words or actions that are contrary to God’s character and truth. It carries the sense of vanity or worthlessness.
nabiy' · Hebrew Noun
A person called by God to proclaim His message, acting as His spokesperson to His people. In a negative context, it refers to those who claim this authority falsely.
mirmah · Hebrew Noun
Deceit, trickery, or delusion; often refers to a false way or a dishonest dealing that leads people away from the truth.
The false prophets Jeremiah condemns often claimed divine revelation through dreams, a practice that had become suspect as a channel for God's message, especially after the destruction of Jerusalem. True prophecy, like Jeremiah's, confronted harsh realities, while false prophets offered deceptive comfort.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria
The Northern Kingdom of Israel falls to the Assyrian Empire, leading to the deportation of many Israelites and the rise of mixed populations.
605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon conquers Judah, initiating the first major exile of Judeans, including members of the royal family and educated elite.
c. 597 BC
Second Deportation to Babylon
Following a revolt, more Judeans, including the prophet Ezekiel and King Jehoiachin, are exiled to Babylon.
586 BC— this verse
Fall of Jerusalem
The Babylonians destroy Jerusalem and its Temple, exiling the majority of the remaining population and devastating the land.
c. 586 BC - 571 BC
Jeremiah's Ministry in Egypt
After the fall of Jerusalem, Jeremiah is taken to Egypt, continuing to prophesy to the remnant of Judeans there.
This passage directly warns against 'dreamers of dreams' who lead people astray with false messages, paralleling Jeremiah's accusation against prophets who claim dreams as their source of lies.
1 Samuel 28:6When Saul could not receive answers from God, he sought out a medium, and the text explicitly states that God 'did not answer him, either by dreams, or by Urim, or by prophets,' highlighting the unreliability of these methods when God is displeased or when seeking forbidden counsel.
Ezekiel 13:6-7Ezekiel echoes Jeremiah's message, denouncing prophets who 'see false visions and practice lying divination' and claim dreams are their source, emphasizing God's rejection of their deceptive prophecies.
Matthew 7:15Jesus warns about false prophets who come in sheep's clothing but are inwardly ravenous wolves, a principle that extends to recognizing deceptive messengers, regardless of whether they claim visions, dreams, or other spiritual experiences.
cambridgeJeremiah 23:25: "I have heard what the prophets said, that prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed."
25 . I have dreamed, I have dreamed ] These were the words with which they caught the ear of the crowd, and so gained a sure hearing for their pretended revelations. But another kind of test was needed (see Introd. pp. xxxii. f.), and this the false prophets failed to supply. 25–29 . See introd. summary to section.
pulpitJeremiah 23:25: "I have heard what the prophets said, that prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed."
Verse 25. - I have dreamed. Jeremiah mentions it as one of the marks of a false prophet that he appealed to his dreams (comp. Jeremiah 29:8); true prophecy contented itself with less ambiguous media of communication with the unseen world. It may be objected that Abraham (Genesis 15:12), at any rate, and Abimelech (Genesis 20:3) received Divine revelations in dreams; but…
The false prophets here repeat "I have dreamed" not just to emphasize their visions, but to mimic the authority and solemnity of true prophecy, hoping to gain trust by using a recognized channel of God's communication. This repetition highlights their deceptive tactic of appropriating divine methods for their own lies, making their falsehoods sound more credible to the people.
Jeremiah is confronting a wave of false prophets who are deceiving God's people with smooth words of peace and prosperity. These false prophets claim to have received divine messages through dreams, assuring the people of security and ignoring God's impending judgment. This is happening in the context of Jerusalem's spiritual and moral decay, where the majority are choosing comforting lies over God's difficult truth delivered by prophets like Jeremiah.
Jeremiah is confronting a wave of false prophets who are deceiving God's people with smooth words of peace and prosperity. These false prophets claim to have received divine messages through dreams, assuring the people of security and ignoring God's impending judgment. This is happening in the context of Jerusalem's spiritual and moral decay, where the majority are choosing comforting lies over God's difficult truth delivered by prophets like Jeremiah.
"I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy lies in my name, saying, ‘I have dreamed, I have dreamed!’ How long shall there be lies in the heart of the prophets who prophesy lies, and who prophesy the deceit of their own heart," — The false prophets here repeat "I have dreamed" not just to emphasize their visions, but to mimic the authority and solemnity of true prophecy, hoping to gain trust by using a recognized channel of G…
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