Jeremiah 23:30-32
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What's easily missed is that these prophets weren't just copying each other; they were stealing God's words from fellow human beings, implying they'd somehow heard God's message through someone else, but presented it as their own original revelation. This highlights a profound lack of genuine connection to God, as their "messages" were secondhand and devoid of true divine authority.
Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, declares the LORD, who steal my words from one another. Behold, I am against the prophets, declares the LORD, who use their tongues and declare, ‘declares the LORD.’ Behold, I am against those who prophesy lying dreams, declares the LORD, and who tell them and lead my people astray by their lies and their recklessness, when I did not send them or charge them. So they do not profit this people at all, declares the LORD.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jeremiah is exposing the corruption of the religious leaders who are falsely claiming to speak for God. These false prophets are not receiving messages from the Lord but are instead taking words and ideas from each other, repeating tired claims without genuine divine authority. This verse highlights their lack of originality and their deceptive reliance on one another rather than on God's direct word, setting the stage for God's judgment against them.
Ever feel like you're just repeating what everyone else is saying? For these prophets, it was a serious offense.
Jeremiah calls out prophets who 'steal my words from one another.' This wasn't just about copying; it was about a fundamental lack of divine inspiration.
No Divine Spark
These prophets had no real message from God. Instead, they cobbled together words and phrases from each other, creating an echo chamber of falsehood. They didn't have God's living word within them, so they borrowed it from those around them, who also lacked genuine divine insight.
The Danger of Borrowed Authority
By stealing words, they tried to mimic the authority of true prophets. They'd say 'Thus says the Lord,' but the words weren't God's, and they weren't even originally theirs. This imitation game was a way to appear authentic without any true connection to God's voice. It’s like wearing a uniform without earning the rank.
It wasn't just solitary plagiarism; these prophets were often in on it together. What does that tell us about their motives?
The phrase 'every one from his neighbour' suggests more than just accidental borrowing. It points to a deliberate, almost conspiratorial, act among these false prophets.
Secret Consultations
Commentators suggest these prophets would secretly meet, consult with each other, and agree on what messages to deliver to the people. They crafted their falsehoods together, ensuring their lies seemed consistent and credible.
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A Shield Against Truth
This 'stealing' was a strategy. By having a unified, though false, message, they could present a united front that seemed authoritative. It was a way to maintain their standing with the people and avoid direct confrontation with the challenging truths spoken by genuine prophets like Jeremiah.
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.
Yahweh · Hebrew Proper Noun
The personal, covenant-keeping name of God in the Old Testament, revealing His self-existence and relationship with His people.
nabiy' · Hebrew Noun
Individuals chosen by God to receive divine revelations and proclaim His messages to His people, often calling them to repentance or foretelling future events.
ta'ah · Hebrew Verb
To cause to wander from the right way, often used in a spiritual sense to describe leading people away from obedience to God and into sin or idolatry.
sheqer · Hebrew Noun
An intentional untruth; in scripture, it is frequently contrasted with the truth of God and associated with those who oppose His will or deceive His people.
Jeremiah's strong denunciation of prophets 'stealing words from one another' highlights a crisis of authenticity. In a time of increasing political instability and impending judgment, these false prophets lacked genuine divine messages and resorted to mimicking true prophets or plagiarizing each other, offering hollow comfort instead of repentance.
Late 8th Century BC
Assyrian Captivity of Northern Kingdom
The Assyrian Empire conquered the northern Kingdom of Israel, deporting many Israelites. This event created a spiritual and political vacuum, leading to mixed religious practices and a greater reliance on prophets in the fragmented southern Kingdom of Judah.
c. 701 BC
Sennacherib's Invasion of Judah
The Assyrian king Sennacherib invaded Judah and besieged Jerusalem. Though the city was spared destruction, the invasion caused significant trauma and likely intensified anxieties about God's judgment, creating fertile ground for both true and false prophetic messages.
c. 626 BC— this verse
Jeremiah Begins Prophesying
Jeremiah receives his call to prophesy, beginning a ministry that would last over forty years, primarily in Jerusalem. He witnesses the declining spiritual state of Judah and the rise of many false prophets.
605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon invades Judah and takes Jehoiakim, along with a contingent of the nobility and skilled workers, into exile in Babylon. This marked the beginning of Judah's decline and the fulfillment of prophetic warnings.
597 BC
Second Deportation to Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar deports King Jehoiachin and another large group of Judeans, including the prophet Ezekiel, to Babylon. This further demonstrated the power of Babylon and the unheeded warnings of true prophets.
586 BC
Destruction of Jerusalem and Temple
The Babylonians, under Nebuchadnezzar, utterly destroy Jerusalem and its Temple, ending the southern Kingdom of Judah. This catastrophic event was the ultimate judgment against the people's unfaithfulness and the deceit of their false prophets.
This passage echoes Jeremiah's condemnation of false prophets who deceive people with false visions and divinations, highlighting the common theme of God's opposition to those who claim divine authority without it.
Matthew 7:15Jesus warns about false prophets who come in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves, a parallel to Jeremiah's denunciation of prophets who look like God's messengers but steal His words and lead people astray.
2 Peter 2:1-3This passage speaks of false teachers who will secretly bring destructive heresies and, through covetousness, exploit people with fabricated stories, mirroring Jeremiah's critique of prophets who fabricate messages and profit from deception.
1 Kings 22:22-23Here, a lying spirit goes out and is permitted by God to deceive Ahab through his prophets, illustrating how a spiritual deception, akin to stealing God's words, can lead a king and his people to ruin.
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 easily missed is that these prophets weren't just copying each other; they were stealing God's words from fellow human beings, implying they'd somehow heard God's message through someone else, but presented it as their own original revelation. This highlights a profound lack of genuine connection to God, as their "messages" were secondhand and devoid of true divine authority.
Jeremiah is exposing the corruption of the religious leaders who are falsely claiming to speak for God. These false prophets are not receiving messages from the Lord but are instead taking words and ideas from each other, repeating tired claims without genuine divine authority. This verse highlights their lack of originality and their deceptive reliance on one another rather than on God's direct word, setting the stage for God's judgment against them.
Jeremiah is exposing the corruption of the religious leaders who are falsely claiming to speak for God. These false prophets are not receiving messages from the Lord but are instead taking words and ideas from each other, repeating tired claims without genuine divine authority. This verse highlights their lack of originality and their deceptive reliance on one another rather than on God's direct word, setting the stage for God's judgment against them.
"Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, declares the LORD, who steal my words from one another. Behold, I am against the prophets, declares the LORD, who use their tongues and declare, ‘declares the LORD.’ Behold, I am against those…" — What's easily missed is that these prophets weren't just copying each other; they were stealing God's words from fellow human beings, implying they'd somehow heard God's message through someone e…
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Last reviewed October 2026
