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.

JEREMIAH 28:15KJV
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Jeremiah 28:15 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 28:15 mean?

Jeremiah 28:15 shows the prophet Jeremiah directly confronting Hananiah, telling him that the LORD did not send him and that Hananiah is causing the people to trust in something false. Jeremiah makes it clear that Hananiah’s message is not from God, but is misleading the people.

In this verse, Jeremiah is speaking to Hananiah, another man called a prophet, during a public dispute. Hananiah had just given a message claiming God would soon deliver Judah from Babylon, but Jeremiah refutes this, saying Hananiah is not truly sent by the LORD (the personal name for God, often written as יהוה / YHWH / Yahweh). Jeremiah accuses Hananiah of making the people trust in a “lie,” warning that his message is not only untrue but also dangerous because it gives the people false hope.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 28:15

  • “LORD” (יהוה / YHWH / Yahweh): This is the personal name for God in the Hebrew Bible, emphasizing that Jeremiah’s authority comes from the true God, not just any deity or power.
  • “Lie” (שֶׁקֶר / sheqer): This word means a deliberate falsehood or deception. Jeremiah is not just saying Hananiah is mistaken, but that he is actively leading the people astray with something untrue.
  • “Trust” (בָּטַח / batach): This word carries the sense of putting confidence or security in something. Jeremiah’s concern is that Hananiah’s message is causing the people to place their hope and security in something that will not hold up.

Why Jeremiah 28:15 matters

  • Jeremiah 28:15 clarifies that not everyone who claims to speak for God is actually sent by Him, highlighting the need for discernment about spiritual messages.
  • The verse shows the real danger of false prophecy: it can lead people to put their trust in something that is not true, which can have serious consequences for a whole community.
  • This confrontation sets up the seriousness of the conflict between true and false prophets in Jeremiah’s time, and it helps explain why Jeremiah’s warnings were so urgent.

Where else these words appear

“Hananiah” Hebrew H2608 · used in 28 verses

  • 1 Chronicles 3:19 And the sons of Pedaiah were, Zerubbabel, and Shimei: and the sons of Zerubbabel; Meshullam, and Hananiah, and Shelomith their sister:
  • Nehemiah 7:2 That I gave my brother Hanani, and Hananiah the ruler of the palace, charge over Jerusalem: for he was a faithful man, and feared God above many.
  • Jeremiah 28:13 Go and tell Hananiah, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Thou hast broken the yokes of wood; but thou shalt make for them yokes of iron.

“lie” Hebrew H8267 · used in 109 verses

  • Exodus 5:9 Let there more work be laid upon the men, that they may labour therein; and let them not regard vain words.
  • Psalms 144:8 Whose mouth speaketh vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
  • Jeremiah 7:9 Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not;

“trust” Hebrew H982 · used in 117 verses

  • Deuteronomy 28:52 And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high and fenced walls come down, wherein thou trustedst, throughout all thy land: and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all thy land, which the LORD thy God hath given thee.
  • Psalms 41:9 Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me.
  • Isaiah 26:4 Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:

“Jeremiah” Hebrew H3414 · used in 133 verses

  • 2 Kings 23:31 Jehoahaz was twenty and three years old when he began to reign; and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.
  • Jeremiah 29:1 Now these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem unto the residue of the elders which were carried away captives, and to the priests, and to the prophets, and to all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon;
  • Jeremiah 38:9 My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have cast into the dungeon; and he is like to die for hunger in the place where he is: for there is no more bread in the city.