· Translation: KJV

Jeremiah 23:21I sent not these prophets, yet they ran: I didn't speak to them, yet they prophesied.

The setting

Jerusalem, ~605 BC. Jeremiah confronts popular prophets telling people what they want to hear while Babylon approaches. Modern-day Israel/Palestine.

The emotion here: furious at deception harming his people

The original word

shalach (שָׁלַח) — to send with authority and commission, like an ambassador

Why it matters

False prophets were paid by the king and told people peace was coming

Read with care

What most readers miss in Jeremiah 23:21

These weren't random fortune tellers — they were official court prophets with salaries

Common misconceptionPeople think this is about modern televangelists, but it was about official government prophets lying about national security while enemy armies approached.

Bible Genome reading

Jeremiah 23:21 — Bible Genome reading

SpeakerGod
EraDivided Kingdom
Primary emotionangry
Literary typeprophecy
MarkProphecy

Emotional genome

Comfort power10%
Quotability60%
Memorability60%
Crisis relevance40%
Standalone70%
Themes:false prophetsdivine authoritydeception

In context

No verse stands alone.

Read the conversation around it.

Open Jeremiah 23

Jeremiah 23:21 comes from the book of Jeremiah, written during the Divided Kingdom period. These words are attributed to God. The dominant emotion in this verse is angry, with a comfort power of 10% and a tone that is prophetic. It belongs to the prophecy genre of biblical literature. Key themes include false prophets, divine authority, deception. Notable phrases: I sent not these prophets. This verse contains prophecy.

Your reflection

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