who . . . ? Figure of speech Erotesis. Implying that none hath. counsel = secret council. Compare Psalms 25:14 . His. Hebrew text, with Revised Version, reads "My"; but margin of Hebrew text, the Babylonian Codex, with eight early printed editions, Aramaean, Syriac, and Vulgate, read "His'! with Authorized Version. heard: or, announced. Compare Jeremiah 23:22 . read more
Jeremiah 23:18.— For who hath stood in, &c.] But who hath been present, &c. These are the words of Jeremiah to the false prophets, "Who of you, O false prophets, can boast of having really entered into the secrets of the Almighty? I will shew you very much the contrary. His fury shall burst forth upon you in a terrible manner; your own destruction shall shew the falsehood of your prophesy, Jer 23:19 then shall you comprehend the secrets, and enter into the designs of the Lord. In the... read more
18. A reason is given why the false prophets should not be heeded: They have not stood in the counsels of Jehovah (an image from ministers present in a standing posture at councils of Eastern kings) (compare Jeremiah 23:22; Job 15:8). The spiritual man alone has the privilege (Genesis 18:17; Psalms 25:14; Amos 3:7; John 15:15; 1 Corinthians 2:16). read more
Prophecies about false prophets 23:9-40Having given a true prophecy about the future, Jeremiah proceeded to announce God’s judgment on the false prophets who were misleading His people with false prophecies (cf. Jeremiah 23:1). [Note: See Leon Wood, The Prophets . . ., ch. 7: "False Prophecy in Israel," for a good discussion of this subject, or Edward J. Young, My Servants the Prophets, ch. VII: "Prophets False and True."] This section consists of six different messages that Jeremiah delivered... read more
They had not taken counsel from Yahweh or received His prophetic messages. They had not listened to Him or obeyed Him (cf. Matthew 11:27; John 1:18; John 8:38; John 8:40). The picture of the heavenly throne-room of God is common in the Old Testament (e.g., 1 Kings 22:19-22; Job 1:1 to Job 2:7; Psalms 82; Isaiah 6; Ezekiel 1)."It is a word of judgment and not peace that should be proclaimed by one who really knows the mind of Yahweh. But one needs to stand in Yahweh’s council, see what goes on... read more
1-4. A remnant shall return.1. The pastors] i.e. the rulers of Judah.4. Shepherds] e.g. Ezra, Nehemiah, etc.5-8. Promise of the Messiah.5. Branch] rather, ’sprout,’ ’shoot,’ that which is immediately connected with the root, and contains, as it were, the springs of life. So in Jeremiah 33:15, and in later time Zechariah 3:8; Zechariah 6:12. On the other hand, the word in Isaiah 11:1 denotes ’branch,’ properly so called. The v. predicts the coming of an ideal descendant of David, a king who... read more
(18) The counsel.—Better, perhaps, the council, the “assembly” of chosen friends with whom a man shares his secret plans. So in Jeremiah 6:11; Jeremiah 15:17; Psalms 89:7, “assembly.” Could any of the false prophets say that they had thus been called as into the privy council of Jehovah? (Comp. Amos 3:7; 1 Kings 22:19-23.) read more
The Lord Our Righteousness Jeremiah 23:6 I. You must have some righteousness, or you will not be saved. The Bible says plainly, 'The unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God'; 'The righteous hath hope in his death'; 'Thy people,'says Isaiah, 'shall be all righteous'. Many often say they know they are not what they should be, but 'God is merciful '. Their religion goes no further; this is the first and last of all their Christianity. This will not stand before the Bible. God is a God of... read more
CHAPTER VIIIBAD SHEPHERDS AND FALSE PROPHETSJeremiah 23:1-40, Jeremiah 24:1-10"Woe unto the shepherds that destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture!"- Jeremiah 23:1"Of what avail is straw instead of Grain?is not My word like fire, like a hammer that shattereth the rocks?"- Jeremiah 23:28-29THE captivity of Jehoiachin and the deportation of the flower of the people marked the opening of the last scene in the tragedy of Judah and of a new period in the ministry of Jeremiah. These events,... read more
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Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Jeremiah 23:18
Jeremiah 23:18. For who hath stood in the counsel of the Lord? These are either the words of God expressing that none of these pretended prophets knew any thing of his designs, as he had not revealed them unto them, and they could not otherwise know them; or else they are to be understood as the words of these false prophets, who, among other things, told the people, that God’s counsels were not to be absolutely known; and that therefore neither Jeremiah, nor the rest of the prophets, who... read more