Jeremiah 23:30

Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, sayth the Lord, that steale my worde euery one from his neighbour. Jeremiah 23:30 (KJV)

Jeremiah 23:30 belongs to a larger passage in which the prophet Jeremiah denounces false prophets who were leading the people of Israel astray with deceitful messages. In this verse God declares His opposition to those prophets and expresses His dissatisfaction with their actions.

Jeremiah was called by God to deliver warnings and judgment to Israel. Throughout the book he consistently confronts false prophets who proclaimed peace and safety despite the nation’s unfaithfulness and idolatry. These prophets claimed to speak for God, yet they distorted His words and led the people away from truth.

In verse 30 God says, “I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal my words every man from his neighbor.” The wording emphasizes that these false teachers were plagiarizing divine messages, copying one another’s words instead of seeking genuine revelation from the Lord. Their practice was not a true prophetic utterance but a mere repetition of what they had heard from others.

God’s declaration of being “against” these prophets reveals His disapproval and judgment upon their deceptive practices. It underscores His righteousness and His commitment to upholding truth. He desires His people to receive authentic guidance from Him, not to be misled by counterfeit teachings.

For believers this passage serves as a reminder of the importance of discernment and testing the spirits. Every message heard should be examined against Scripture, and we are cautioned not to accept blindly any teaching or prophecy that does not align with the truth of God’s Word. In conclusion, Jeremiah 23:30 warns against false prophets who plagiarise or steal words from one another, misrepresenting God’s message, and calls the faithful to seek truth and exercise discernment in all matters of faith.