Jeremiah 28:15-17
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Jeremiah doesn't just say Hananiah is wrong; he directly confronts him with the devastating consequence of his false prophecy: "you have made this people trust in a lie." This isn't just about a missed prediction, but about twisting people's hope away from God's truth and onto a dangerous deception, which had eternal implications.
And Jeremiah the prophet said to the prophet Hananiah, “Listen, Hananiah, the LORD has not sent you, and you have made this people trust in a lie. Therefore thus says the LORD: ‘Behold, I will remove you from the face of the earth. This year you shall die, because you have uttered rebellion against the LORD.’” In that same year, in the seventh month, the prophet Hananiah died.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Just before this, a false prophet named Hananiah publicly challenged Jeremiah, breaking the symbolic yoke Jeremiah wore to show Judah's coming captivity. Now, Jeremiah confronts Hananiah directly, not just disagreeing but declaring that Hananiah's message is a dangerous lie because God never sent him. This encounter sets the stage for God's judgment on Hananiah for deceiving His people with false hope.
Why do people so readily believe comforting lies over hard truths? Jeremiah confronts Hananiah, a prophet who gave the people exactly what they wanted to hear.
Jeremiah and Hananiah both carried the title of 'prophet.' However, their messages stood in stark contrast. Hananiah spoke smooth words, telling the people that the Babylonian yoke would soon be broken and the exiles would return within two years. This was precisely the message the people longed for.
Jeremiah, on the other hand, was sent by God with a message of judgment and a longer period of exile. His message was difficult and unwelcome. The core issue wasn't just the content of their prophecies, but their source and their effect. Hananiah's words, though popular, led the people to place their trust in a 'lie'—a false hope that defied God's revealed will.
This highlights a timeless tension: the human tendency to embrace comforting falsehoods when faced with difficult realities, even when God's own messenger brings a challenging, but true, word.
What truly sets a messenger of God apart? It's not just charisma or popularity, but a divine commission and a message aligned with God's heart.
Hananiah was a prophet in title and perhaps in training, even recognized by the people. He had the outward appearance of a prophet, possibly even possessing some natural gifts. Yet, Jeremiah's bold declaration cuts to the heart of the matter: 'The LORD has not sent you.'
This reveals a crucial distinction. A true prophet isn't self-appointed or popular; they are sent by God. This divine commission is paramount. Furthermore, their message, however difficult, must be grounded in genuine communion with God and align with His revealed will. Hananiah's message was a fabrication, designed to bolster rebellion and false hope, not to align with God's sovereign plan for His people during that time.
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Authentic prophecy, then, is characterized by divine authority and faithfulness to God's truth, not by its ability to please the ear or satisfy popular desire.
What happens when leaders, whether in ancient Judah or today, offer guidance that leads people astray? The repercussions are devastating.
Hananiah's false prophecy wasn't just a theological error; it had tangible, dangerous consequences. By assuring the people of immediate deliverance and breaking of Babylon's yoke, he encouraged rebellion and defiance against the authority God had established for that historical period. This defiance directly contradicted God's will, which included a period of Babylonian dominance.
Jeremiah's role was to speak God's difficult truth, even to the point of pronouncing judgment on the false prophet himself. Hananiah's doom was swift and directly linked to his deception. The commentary notes that Hananiah died within the year, proving the falsity of his message and the severity of teaching rebellion against the Lord.
This serves as a stark warning: leaders who offer deceptive counsel, whether intentionally or through their own misguided beliefs, bear immense responsibility for the harm they inflict. Leading people to trust in lies, rather than in God's sovereign plan, leads to greater misery.
Understand the original words
sheqer · Hebrew Noun
A Hebrew word meaning 'falsehood,' 'deception,' or 'vanity.' It describes that which is empty of truth or reality, often used to contrast with the certain, binding nature of God's revealed truth.
YHWH · Hebrew Proper Noun
The personal name of the God of Israel, revealing His covenant faithfulness, eternal self-existence, and holiness. It is the name by which He makes Himself known to His people.
shalach · Hebrew Verb
To be cast out, expelled, or taken away. In a divine judgment context, it signifies the removal of a person from the sphere of life or a place of privilege due to judgment.
adamah · Hebrew Noun
The fundamental state of being alive on Earth. It represents the domain under God's dominion and the physical theater of human history and obedience.
sarah · Hebrew Noun
A conscious and active turning away from God’s authority, word, or commands. It is an act of treason against the covenant relationship, characterized by willful disobedience and apostasy.
nabiy' · Hebrew Noun
An individual who speaks under divine inspiration, serving as a spokesperson or mouthpiece for God to declare His will, warnings, or promises to His people.
This confrontation happened during the Babylonian exile, a time when the people desperately wanted to believe in a quick return to normalcy. Hananiah preyed on this hope, making his deception particularly dangerous because it gave false assurance when repentance was urgently needed.
605 BC
First Babylonian Deportation
Nebuchadnezzar deports Jewish exiles, including Daniel, to Babylon. This event marks the beginning of the Babylonian exile and Judah's subjugation.
c. 597 BC
Second Babylonian Deportation
Following a revolt, Nebuchadnezzar deports more Judeans, including King Jehoiachin and the prophet Ezekiel. Jerusalem's temple is plundered, intensifying the crisis.
c. 592 BC
Jeremiah's Temple Address
Jeremiah delivers his famous Temple sermon, warning of Jerusalem's impending destruction and urging repentance. This sermon likely occurred around this time.
c. 592 BC
Hananiah's False Prophecy
Hananiah publicly prophesies the swift return of deported treasures and exiles, directly contradicting Jeremiah's message of prolonged exile and judgment.
c. 592 BC— this verse
Hananiah's Yoke Breaking
Hananiah dramatically breaks the wooden yoke Jeremiah wore as a symbol of submission to Babylon, further challenging Jeremiah's authority and message.
c. 592 BC
Hananiah's Death
As Jeremiah foretold, Hananiah dies within the year (likely within two months), validating Jeremiah's divine commission and exposing Hananiah's lies.
Ezekiel also confronts false prophets who have deceived people with lies, just as Hananiah did, making them trust in falsehoods that God did not ordain.
Deuteronomy 18:22This passage sets the standard for discerning true prophecy: if a prophet's word doesn't come true, they haven't spoken for the Lord. Hananiah's prophecy failed this test, exposing his lies.
Jeremiah 23:25-26Jeremiah here laments that false prophets are prophesying lies in God's name, claiming they have received divine messages when they have not, which directly mirrors Hananiah's deception.
1 Kings 22:22-23Similar to Hananiah, the false prophet Zedekiah boldly declared a misleading prophecy and even struck the true prophet Micaiah, showing a pattern of aggressive deception by those claiming God's authority.
pulpitJeremiah 28:15: "Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto Hananiah the prophet, Hear now, Hananiah; The LORD hath not sent thee; but thou makest this people to trust in a lie."
Verse 15. - The prophet Jeremiah unto Hananiah the prophet. In one sense Hananiah was a prophet as much as Jeremiah. He claimed to have received the prophetic call, and God alone, who searcheth the heart, could pronounce upon the justice of his claim. Whatever training was regarded as necessary for the office he had probably…
ellicottJeremiah 28:15: "Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto Hananiah the prophet, Hear now, Hananiah; The LORD hath not sent thee; but thou makest this people to trust in a lie."
(15) Hear now, Hananiah . . . —The narrative leaves the time and place of the interview uncertain, but suggests an interval of some days between it and the scene in the Temple court just narrated. In the strength of the “word of the Lord” which had come to him, the prophet can now tell his rival that he is a pretender, claimi…
Jeremiah doesn't just say Hananiah is wrong; he directly confronts him with the devastating consequence of his false prophecy: "you have made this people trust in a lie." This isn't just about a missed prediction, but about twisting people's hope away from God's truth and onto a dangerous deception, which had eternal implications.
Just before this, a false prophet named Hananiah publicly challenged Jeremiah, breaking the symbolic yoke Jeremiah wore to show Judah's coming captivity. Now, Jeremiah confronts Hananiah directly, not just disagreeing but declaring that Hananiah's message is a dangerous lie because God never sent him. This encounter sets the stage for God's judgment on Hananiah for deceiving His people with false hope.
Just before this, a false prophet named Hananiah publicly challenged Jeremiah, breaking the symbolic yoke Jeremiah wore to show Judah's coming captivity. Now, Jeremiah confronts Hananiah directly, not just disagreeing but declaring that Hananiah's message is a dangerous lie because God never sent him. This encounter sets the stage for God's judgment on Hananiah for deceiving His people with false hope.
"And Jeremiah the prophet said to the prophet Hananiah, “Listen, Hananiah, the LORD has not sent you, and you have made this people trust in a lie. Therefore thus says the LORD: ‘Behold, I will remove you from the face of the earth. This ye…" — Jeremiah doesn't just say Hananiah is wrong; he directly confronts him with the devastating consequence of his false prophecy: "you have made this people trust in a lie." This isn't just about a miss…
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Last reviewed October 2026
