For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Let not your prophets and your diviners, that be in the midst of you, deceive you, neither hearken to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed.

JEREMIAH 29:8KJV
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Jeremiah 29:8 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 29:8 mean?

Jeremiah 29:8 warns the people of Israel not to let their prophets or diviners mislead them, and not to trust in dreams that they themselves encourage or create. The verse is a direct message from God, telling the exiles in Babylon to be careful about false hopes and misleading spiritual claims.

Jeremiah is speaking to Israelites who have been taken captive to Babylon. Many among them are claiming to speak for God—prophets and diviners—offering messages that are not truly from God. God, through Jeremiah, cautions the people not to be deceived by these voices or by dreams that come from their own desires, rather than from God’s guidance.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 29:8

  • "Prophets" (נְבִיאֵיכֶם, n'vi'ekhem): This word refers to people claiming to speak for God. Here, it highlights that not everyone who claims this role is genuine.
  • "Diviners" (קֹסְמֵיכֶם, qosemekhem): This term points to those who practice divination, trying to predict the future or reveal hidden things through supernatural means, which was forbidden in Israelite law.
  • "Deceive" (נָשָׁא, nasha): This verb means to lead astray or mislead. The warning is about being tricked into believing something false, especially in a vulnerable time.
  • "Dreams" (חֲלֹמֹת, chalomot) and "dreamed" (חָלַם, chalam): These words suggest that the dreams in question are not genuine revelations from God, but rather ones the people themselves "cause to be dreamed," possibly by wishing or imagining what they want to hear.

Why Jeremiah 29:8 matters

  • Jeremiah 29:8 clears up the idea that every spiritual message or dream is automatically from God; it stresses the need for discernment, especially when people are desperate for hope.
  • The verse shows that even in exile, God is still communicating with His people and warning them against being misled, emphasizing His ongoing care and involvement.
  • This warning fits into the larger context of Jeremiah 29, where God tells the exiles to settle in Babylon for a long time, rather than believing false promises of a quick return home.

Where else these words appear

“deceive” Hebrew H5377 · used in 15 verses

  • Genesis 3:13 And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.
  • Psalms 55:15 Let death seize upon them, and let them go down quick into hell: for wickedness is in their dwellings, and among them.
  • Jeremiah 23:39 Therefore, behold, I, even I, will utterly forget you, and I will forsake you, and the city that I gave you and your fathers, and cast you out of my presence:

“diviners” Hebrew H7080 · used in 20 verses

  • Deuteronomy 18:10 There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,
  • Isaiah 3:2 The mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and the ancient,
  • Ezekiel 21:23 And it shall be unto them as a false divination in their sight, to them that have sworn oaths: but he will call to remembrance the iniquity, that they may be taken.

“dreamed” Hebrew H2492 · used in 25 verses

  • Genesis 28:12 And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.
  • Genesis 41:5 And he slept and dreamed the second time: and, behold, seven ears of corn came up upon one stalk, rank and good.
  • Job 39:4 Their young ones are in good liking, they grow up with corn; they go forth, and return not unto them.

“dreams” Hebrew H2472 · used in 55 verses

  • Genesis 20:3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man's wife.
  • Genesis 41:11 And we dreamed a dream in one night, I and he; we dreamed each man according to the interpretation of his dream.
  • 1 Kings 3:15 And Solomon awoke; and, behold, it was a dream. And he came to Jerusalem, and stood before the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and offered up burnt offerings, and offered peace offerings, and made a feast to all his servants.