Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD.

JEREMIAH 23:16KJV
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Jeremiah 23:16 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 23:16 mean?

Jeremiah 23:16 warns people not to listen to prophets who claim to speak for God but actually share their own ideas, leading others astray and filling them with false hopes. The verse says these prophets speak visions from their own hearts, not words that truly come from God.

In this verse, the prophet Jeremiah is speaking to the people of Judah during a time when many false prophets were giving messages that contradicted what God had really said. Jeremiah makes it clear that these prophets are not delivering God’s message, but instead are sharing their own thoughts and desires. The warning is serious because listening to these false prophets could lead the people away from what God actually wants for them.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 23:16

  • "Hearken" (שָׁמַע, shamaʿ): This word means to listen or pay close attention, often with the sense of obedience. Here, it is a command not to give heed to these prophets, emphasizing the need for discernment.
  • "Vain" (הֶבֶל, hevel): This word often means emptiness or something without substance. The verse says the false prophets make people "vain," suggesting their words lead to empty hopes or delusions.
  • "Vision" (חָזוֹן, chazon): This refers to a prophetic revelation or dream. Jeremiah points out that these visions come from the prophets’ own "heart" (לֵב, lev), meaning their inner thoughts or desires, not from God’s "mouth" (פֶּה, peh), which would indicate true divine origin.

Why Jeremiah 23:16 matters

  • Jeremiah 23:16 clarifies that not everyone who claims to speak for God actually does, highlighting the need for careful discernment.
  • The verse shows that messages can be influenced by personal desires rather than divine truth, warning against trusting every spiritual claim.
  • In the wider context, this verse helps explain why Jeremiah’s warnings were so urgent—many people were being misled by comforting but false messages, which put them at risk of ignoring God’s real instructions.

Where else these words appear

“vain” Hebrew H1891 · used in 5 verses

  • 2 Kings 17:15 And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the heathen that were round about them, concerning whom the LORD had charged them, that they should not do like them.
  • Job 27:12 Behold, all ye yourselves have seen it; why then are ye thus altogether vain?
  • Psalms 62:10 Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery: if riches increase, set not your heart upon them.

“vision” Hebrew H2377 · used in 34 verses

  • 1 Samuel 3:1 And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision.
  • Ezekiel 12:22 Son of man, what is that proverb that ye have in the land of Israel, saying, The days are prolonged, and every vision faileth?
  • Daniel 8:26 And the vision of the evening and the morning which was told is true: wherefore shut thou up the vision; for it shall be for many days.

“prophesy” Hebrew H5012 · used in 102 verses

  • Numbers 11:25 And the LORD came down in a cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the spirit that was upon him, and gave it unto the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that, when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, and did not cease.
  • Jeremiah 20:1 Now Pashur the son of Immer the priest, who was also chief governor in the house of the LORD, heard that Jeremiah prophesied these things.
  • Ezekiel 13:16 To wit, the prophets of Israel which prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and which see visions of peace for her, and there is no peace, saith the Lord GOD.