Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, declares the LORD, who steal my words from one another.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Jeremiah 23:30
What does Jeremiah 23:30 mean?
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Jeremiah 23:30
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What's striking here is that these false prophets aren't just making things up out of thin air; they're actively stealing and re-purposing God's very words from each other. This reveals a hollow imitation of true prophecy, where divine authority is hijacked by a network of deceitful voices instead of by direct divine communication.
Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, declares the LORD, who steal my words from one another.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jeremiah is denouncing false prophets who are deceiving God's people with promises of peace and security, despite God's impending judgment. These prophets lack a true message from God, so they plagiarize or subtly twist the words of others, including the true prophets, to sound authoritative. They essentially conspire together, stealing from one another to create a false sense of divine revelation.
Have you ever noticed how easily trends can spread, even among those who claim to speak truth? Jeremiah calls out prophets who didn't have their own message from God.
Jeremiah slams prophets who 'steal my words from one another.' This wasn't just clumsy borrowing; it was a sign they lacked an authentic connection to God's voice.
Echoes, Not Oracles
These prophets weren't receiving fresh revelation. Instead, they were repeating phrases and ideas from other false prophets, creating an 'echo chamber' of error. They had no living message of their own because they had no direct pipeline to God.
Plagiarism with a Purpose
Their 'stealing' was a deceptive tactic. By using familiar phrases or mimicking the style of true prophets, they tried to gain credibility and trick people into believing they spoke for God. It was intellectual and spiritual theft, aimed at leading God's people astray.
When God says 'I am against you,' it's not a suggestion; it's a divine declaration of opposition. Jeremiah reveals why God took such a strong stance against these prophets.
The phrase 'I am against the prophets' is a powerful statement. It signifies God's active opposition and judgment against those who distort His message.
A Divine Disapproval
God is not neutral. When His word is twisted, stolen, and used for deception, He declares His direct opposition. This isn't a minor offense; it's a serious indictment against those who claim to speak for Him but betray His truth.
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The Cost of Deception
These prophets, by stealing and fabricating messages, ultimately caused God's people to err. They led them away from truth and righteousness, promising peace where there was none. God's judgment, therefore, is a consequence of their actions and their devastating impact on His flock.
Understand the original words
ganab · Hebrew Verb
To take something without permission; in a theological sense, it refers to usurping divine authority or presenting borrowed, false messages as if they were genuine revelations from God.
The false prophets Jeremiah condemns were not just peddling lies; they were operating within a context of national trauma and shattered hope. Their words, borrowed and hollow, offered a dangerous counterfeit peace to a people reeling from devastation and exile, making God's true message of judgment and repentance all the more urgent.
Late 8th Century BC
Rise of Assyrian Hegemony
The Neo-Assyrian Empire's military might extended its influence over the region, leading to political instability and foreshadowing future exiles for the kingdoms of Israel and Judah.
c. 701 BC
Sennacherib's Invasion of Judah
The Assyrian king Sennacherib's campaign besieged Jerusalem, though the city was miraculously spared. This event heightened prophetic warnings and underscored the fragility of Judah's political situation.
626 BC
Accession of Nabopolassar
Nabopolassar established the Neo-Babylonian Empire, challenging Assyrian dominance. This shift in power created a volatile geopolitical landscape in the Near East.
605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar's forces captured Jerusalem and deported a portion of the Judean elite, including the prophet Daniel, to Babylon. This marked the beginning of the Babylonian exile.
c. 597 BC
Second Deportation to Babylon
Another deportation occurred after a rebellion, further diminishing Jerusalem's leadership and population. Many prominent figures, including the prophet Ezekiel, were taken captive.
586 BC— this verse
Destruction of Jerusalem and Temple
Nebuchadnezzar razed Jerusalem and its sacred Temple, ending the Davidic monarchy and intensifying the exile. This cataclysmic event profoundly shaped Jewish identity and prophecy.
c. 580 BC - 570 BC
Jeremiah's Ministry in Egypt
Following the destruction of Jerusalem, Jeremiah continued to prophesy to Judean refugees in Egypt, denouncing their disobedience and the false hopes offered by other prophets.
This passage echoes Jeremiah's condemnation, highlighting prophets who claim divine authority for their 'vain visions' and 'false divinations,' similar to those stealing and misrepresenting God's words.
1 Kings 22:13Here, Micaiah is brought before Ahab, and after being pressured, he mimics the other prophets by first giving a false prophecy, demonstrating how prophets might 'steal' or twist words to fit what is expected, rather than what is true.
2 Peter 2:1-3This New Testament passage warns against false teachers who will secretly introduce destructive heresies and exploit people, mirroring the deceptive and self-serving nature of the prophets Jeremiah denounces for stealing God's message.
Galatians 1:8-9Paul's strong pronouncement against any 'gospel' other than the one preached by the apostles emphasizes that even an angel from heaven would be cursed for altering God's message, underscoring the gravity of misrepresenting divine words.
ellicottJeremiah 23:30: "Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal my words every one from his neighbour."
(30) That steal my words . . . —Another note of the counterfeit prophet is found in the want of any living personal originality. The oracles of the dreamers were patchworks of plagiarism, and they borrowed, not as men might do legitimately, and as Jeremiah himself did, from the words of the great teachers of the past, but from men of their own time, false and unreal…
barnesJeremiah 23:30: "Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal my words every one from his neighbour."
Jeremiah gives in succession the main characteristics of the teaching of the false prophets. The first is that they steal God's words from one another. Having no message from God, they try to imitate the true prophets.
What's striking here is that these false prophets aren't just making things up out of thin air; they're actively stealing and re-purposing God's very words from each other. This reveals a hollow imitation of true prophecy, where divine authority is hijacked by a network of deceitful voices instead of by direct divine communication.
Jeremiah is denouncing false prophets who are deceiving God's people with promises of peace and security, despite God's impending judgment. These prophets lack a true message from God, so they plagiarize or subtly twist the words of others, including the true prophets, to sound authoritative. They essentially conspire together, stealing from one another to create a false sense of divine revelation.
Jeremiah is denouncing false prophets who are deceiving God's people with promises of peace and security, despite God's impending judgment. These prophets lack a true message from God, so they plagiarize or subtly twist the words of others, including the true prophets, to sound authoritative. They essentially conspire together, stealing from one another to create a false sense of divine revelation.
"Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, declares the LORD, who steal my words from one another." — What's striking here is that these false prophets aren't just making things up out of thin air; they're actively stealing and re-purposing God's very words from each other. This reveals a hollow imit…
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Last reviewed October 2026