Jeremiah 23:29

Context

This verse belongs to Jeremiah 23:9–40, a section in which Jeremiah indicts the false prophets in the period leading up to the fall of Judah. Some prophets of the time were telling a people who despised God, "Ye shall have peace" (23:17). They also presented their own dreams as though they were revelations from God (23:25–27).

The preceding verse, 23:28, asks, "What is the chaff to the wheat?" and so compares human dreams and the word of God to chaff and wheat. Verse 29 carries this contrast forward: the word of God is not a pleasant comfort but has the power to burn and to shatter. In the verses that follow (30–32), God declares that He is against the prophets who steal words from their neighbors and prophesy false dreams.

Interpretation

• Historical and literary reading: Many commentators see the contrast between true and false prophecy as the focus of this verse. Whereas the words of false prophets cover over sin and offer false reassurance, the true word exposes and judges sin. Other passages in the book of Jeremiah also liken the word to fire: 5:14 says the word will become fire and devour the people, and 20:9 says the word is like a fire burning in the prophet's bones.
• Reading that emphasizes the power of the word: Various Protestant preachers, including those in the Reformed tradition, cite this verse as grounds for the inherent efficacy of the word of Scripture, holding that the power to break hardened hearts and transform people resides in the word itself.
• Reading that links the image of fire to the Holy Spirit: In Holiness and Pentecostal preaching, the "fire" is sometimes interpreted in connection with the fire of the Holy Spirit or with revival. Some interpreters, however, also point out that in its original context fire chiefly signifies judgment and purification.
• Jewish traditional reading: The Babylonian Talmud (Sanhedrin 34a) is said to draw on this verse to explain the interpretive principle that, just as a hammer striking a rock sends sparks flying in many directions, a single verse can yield multiple meanings.

Questions Concerning Application

There is no significant controversy among denominations over this verse, though several concerns have been raised about its application.

• Citation out of context: The verse was originally addressed to leaders who were prophesying falsely. Some have observed that when preachers use it to assert the authority of their own sermons, they may be using it in a way contrary to its context.
• Dreams and the direct-revelation debate: Jeremiah 23:25–32 is sometimes cited as grounds for criticizing movements that claim new revelation through dreams and visions; the discussion surrounding the New Apostolic Reformation is one example. Those who affirm the continuation of spiritual gifts, on the other hand, hold that the passage warns against false prophecy rather than rejecting all dreams or prophecy.
• Translation: The Hebrew word pattish in verse 29 refers to an iron hammer. The New Korean Revised Version renders it bangmangi ("club" or "mallet"), while other translations render it "hammer" (Korean mangchi).

In the Korean Church

The verse is sometimes used as a text for sermons or sagyeonghoe (gatherings for intensive Bible study) on the theme of the power of the word.

Related Passages

• Jeremiah 20:9 — the word burning like fire in the prophet's bones
• Jeremiah 5:14 — the word placed in the prophet's mouth becoming fire that devours the people
• Isaiah 55:10–11 — the word that shall not return void
• Hebrews 4:12 — the word sharper than any twoedged sword
• Revelation 1:16 — the sharp twoedged sword going out of His mouth