Limitless Word
For who hath stood in the counsel of the LORD, and hath perceived and heard his word? who hath marked his word, and heard it?
Jeremiah 23:18 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB For who has stood in the council of Yahweh, that he should perceive and hear his word? Who has listend to my word, and heard it?
  • BSB But which of them has stood in the council of the LORD to see and hear His word? Who has given heed to His word and obeyed it?
  • NKJV For who has stood in the counsel of the Lord, And has perceived and heard His word? Who has marked His word and heard it?
  • NASB “But who has stood in the council of the Lord, That he should see and hear His word? Who has paid attention to His word and listened?
  • NLT “Have any of these prophets been in the Lord’s presence to hear what he is really saying? Has even one of them cared enough to listen?

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

God asks who among them has stood in His council to truly hear His word. The false prophets have no real access to God's purposes.

Overview

Standing in the LORD's council was the mark of a genuine prophet, one admitted to know God's true intentions. By asking who has done so, God exposes the false prophets as having no authentic revelation. This highlights the difference between presumptuous speech and true commissioning by God, affirming that only those sent by Him can faithfully declare His word.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 9

  • Jer 23:22But if they had stood in my counsel, and had caused my people to hear my words, then they should have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings.
  • Isa 40:13–14Who hath directed the Spirit of the LORD, or being his counsellor hath taught him?
  • 1 Cor 2:16For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
  • Amos 3:7Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.
  • 2 Chr 18:23Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near, and smote Micaiah upon the cheek, and said, Which way went the Spirit of the LORD from me to speak unto thee?
  • Ps 25:14The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant.
  • John 15:15Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.
  • 1 Kgs 22:24But Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah went near, and smote Micaiah on the cheek, and said, Which way went the Spirit of the LORD from me to speak unto thee?
  • Job 15:8–10Hast thou heard the secret of God? and dost thou restrain wisdom to thyself?

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Jeremiah videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Jeremiah 23:18YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on JeremiahMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

Against the failure of false shepherds Jeremiah promises the Righteous Branch, 'The LORD our righteousness,' and the new covenant written on the heart and sealed in the blood of Christ.

How Jeremiah 23:18 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.