· Translation: KJV

Jeremiah 23:36You shall mention the burden of Yahweh no more: for every man's own word shall be his burden; for you have perverted the words of the living God, of Yahweh of Armies our God.

The setting

Jerusalem, ~605 BC. Jeremiah confronts religious leaders who claim every word they speak comes from God. The temple courts echo with heated arguments...

The emotion here: outraged at sacred words being cheapened

The original word

massa (מַשָּׂא) — burden, oracle, but also mockery when misused

Why it matters

False prophets were charging money for 'divine messages' in Jerusalem's temple

Read with care

What most readers miss in Jeremiah 23:36

The word 'burden' was being used sarcastically to mock real prophecy

Common misconceptionPeople think this is just about swearing. It's actually about religious leaders claiming divine authority for their personal opinions and agendas.

Bible Genome reading

Jeremiah 23:36 — Bible Genome reading

SpeakerYahweh
EraDivided Kingdom
Primary emotionangry
Literary typeprophecy
MarkCommand
MarkProphecy

Emotional genome

Comfort power10%
Quotability60%
Memorability60%
Crisis relevance70%
Standalone60%
Themes:word perversionjudgmentliving God

In context

No verse stands alone.

Read the conversation around it.

Open Jeremiah 23

Jeremiah 23:36 comes from the book of Jeremiah, written during the Divided Kingdom period. These words are attributed to Yahweh. The dominant emotion in this verse is angry, with a comfort power of 10% and a tone that is commanding. It belongs to the prophecy genre of biblical literature. Key themes include word perversion, judgment, living God. Notable phrases: perverted the words; living God. This verse contains a command. This verse contains prophecy.

Your reflection

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