Jeremiah 23:9-10
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Jeremiah isn't just sad here; he's physically undone by the message he has to deliver. The shaking and dazed feeling isn't just about the bad news itself, but the stark contrast between God's profound holiness and the utter corruption of His supposed messengers.
Concerning the prophets: My heart is broken within me; all my bones shake; I am like a drunken man, like a man overcome by wine, because of the LORD and because of his holy words. For the land is full of adulterers; because of the curse the land mourns, and the pastures of the wilderness are dried up. Their course is evil, and their might is not right.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jeremiah is reeling from a message he must deliver about the false prophets who have led Judah astray with their lies and empty promises. The weight of God's holy words and the impending judgment on these deceivers leaves him physically shaken, feeling like a man utterly overwhelmed and disoriented. This passage marks a shift in Jeremiah's prophetic focus from corrupt rulers to the spiritual leaders who have failed their people so tragically.
Why would a prophet of God feel physically ill and disoriented when speaking about other prophets?
Jeremiah's visceral reaction—a broken heart, shaking bones, and feeling like a drunkard—isn't just personal anguish. It's a profound distress caused by the LORD and His holy words. This isn't about Jeremiah's own sins, but about the terrifying reality of God's coming judgment against those who pervert His message.
The Weight of God's Word
Jeremiah feels this intense disturbance because of the LORD and because of His holy words. This highlights that the prophecy isn't just Jeremiah's opinion; it's God's divine truth and judgment being revealed. The "holy words" are God's pure, sacred pronouncements that these false prophets are twisting.
A Prophet's Sympathetic Agony
His physical and emotional turmoil stems from witnessing the false prophets' actions. They were leading God's people astray with their deceptive messages, and Jeremiah understood the catastrophic consequences. This wasn't a mild disappointment; it was a deep, gut-wrenching agony mirroring God's own grief over the unfaithfulness of His messengers and people.
What makes the words of these prophets so offensive to God that they cause such distress?
The core issue Jeremiah is addressing is the corruption of God's message by the prophets. These weren't just prophets who were wrong; they were prophets who actively distorted God's will and character for their own gain or to appease the people.
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Mocking God's Holiness
The phrase 'his holy words' points to the sacred, unchangeable nature of God's commands and pronouncements. When prophets lied, flattered, or gave false assurances of peace, they weren't just mistaken; they were treating God's holiness with contempt. This is why Jeremiah feels his bones shake—it's a deep violation of divine order.
Spiritual Drunkenness and Stupor
Jeremiah compares himself to a 'drunken man, like a man overcome by wine.' This metaphor signifies being stunned, disoriented, and having lost clear judgment. This isn't Jeremiah's personal state, but his reaction to the 'spiritual drunkenness' and stupor that the false prophets had induced in themselves and the people. They had become so numb to truth and righteousness that they couldn't see the impending doom.
Understand the original words
qodesh · Hebrew Adjective
The act of setting apart something or someone for God's exclusive use. It describes the character of God (who is morally perfect) and the requirement for His people and words to be distinct from common or sinful things.
na'ap · Hebrew Noun
Spiritual or physical unfaithfulness to God, often used metaphorically to describe idolatry or abandonment of the covenant. It signifies a breach of the exclusive, marriage-like commitment between God and His people.
alah · Hebrew Noun
A divine judgment or penalty imposed due to disobedience or breach of covenant. It results in suffering, separation, and physical or spiritual deterioration.
Jeremiah's profound distress in this verse stems from witnessing the corruption of God's message by false prophets, right before the catastrophic fall of Jerusalem and the exile. Their lies created a dangerous illusion of safety, directly opposing God's holy word and turning Jeremiah's heart and bones into a physical manifestation of the devastation he foresaw.
c. 626 BC
Jeremiah begins his prophetic ministry
Jeremiah is called by God to prophesy during the reign of King Josiah, a time of religious reform but also facing the looming threat of Babylonian expansion.
609 BC
Death of King Josiah
Josiah's death in battle against the Egyptians marks a turning point, leading to a succession of less righteous kings and increasing instability in Judah.
605 BC
First Babylonian Deportation
Nebuchadnezzar conquers Judah, initiating the first major deportation of Jewish elites and citizens to Babylon, including figures like Daniel.
c. 597 BC
Second Babylonian Deportation
Another wave of exiles, including King Jehoiachin and the prophet Ezekiel, are taken to Babylon following a rebellion against Babylonian rule.
c. 590 BC— this verse
Jeremiah's Prophecy Against False Prophets
Jeremiah delivers strong condemnations against the false prophets who were misleading Judah with false promises of peace and security, causing him immense emotional distress.
586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem
Nebuchadnezzar destroys Jerusalem and its Temple, exiling the remaining population to Babylon, fulfilling the prophecies of judgment.
Like Jeremiah, Ezekiel vehemently condemns prophets who speak their own visions and deceive people, highlighting the shared burden of confronting false prophecy.
Galatians 1:8-9This passage echoes Jeremiah's concern for the 'words of holiness' by warning against any 'gospel' other than the one preached, underscoring the gravity of deviating from God's true message.
2 Peter 2:1-3Peter describes the introduction of destructive heresies and false teachers, similar to Jeremiah's experience with deceptive prophets who will face judgment, reinforcing the destructive impact of false spiritual leadership.
Isaiah 28:7-8Isaiah also depicts religious leaders (priests and prophets) as drunk and staggering, mirroring Jeremiah's imagery of intoxication and confusion caused by their spiritual unfaithfulness and rejection of God's word.
calvinJeremiah 23:9: "Mine heart within me is broken because of the prophets; all my bones shake; I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom wine hath overcome, because of the LORD, and because of the words of his holiness."
Mine heart within me is broken because of the prophets; all my bones shake; I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom wine hath overcome, because of the LORD, and because of the words of his holiness.
Propter prophetas (alii, ad prophetas, et potest legi ita ad verbum…
pooleJeremiah 23:9: "Mine heart within me is broken because of the prophets; all my bones shake; I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom wine hath overcome, because of the LORD, and because of the words of his holiness."
The prophet having denounced the wrath of God against the wicked rulers of Judah under the notion of pastors, cometh here to discharge the like trust with reference to those orders of persons amongst the Jews, whose office it was, or at least who took upon them, to reveal the m…
Jeremiah isn't just sad here; he's physically undone by the message he has to deliver. The shaking and dazed feeling isn't just about the bad news itself, but the stark contrast between God's profound holiness and the utter corruption of His supposed messengers.
Jeremiah is reeling from a message he must deliver about the false prophets who have led Judah astray with their lies and empty promises. The weight of God's holy words and the impending judgment on these deceivers leaves him physically shaken, feeling like a man utterly overwhelmed and disoriented. This passage marks a shift in Jeremiah's prophetic focus from corrupt rulers to the spiritual leaders who have failed their people so tragically.
Jeremiah is reeling from a message he must deliver about the false prophets who have led Judah astray with their lies and empty promises. The weight of God's holy words and the impending judgment on these deceivers leaves him physically shaken, feeling like a man utterly overwhelmed and disoriented. This passage marks a shift in Jeremiah's prophetic focus from corrupt rulers to the spiritual leaders who have failed their people so tragically.
"Concerning the prophets:
My heart is broken within me;
all my bones shake;
I am like a drunken man,
like a man overcome by wine,
because of the LORD
and because of his holy words. For the land is full o…" — Jeremiah isn't just sad here; he's physically undone by the message he has to deliver. The shaking and dazed feeling isn't just about the bad news itself, but the stark contrast between God's profoun…
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Last reviewed October 2026