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So now, why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of Anathoth, who poses as a prophet among you?
Jeremiah 29:27 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB Now therefore, why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of Anathoth, who makes himself a prophet to you,
  • KJV Now therefore why hast thou not reproved Jeremiah of Anathoth, which maketh himself a prophet to you?
  • NKJV Now therefore, why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of Anathoth who makes himself a prophet to you?
  • NASB So now, why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of Anathoth who prophesies to you,
  • NLT So why have you done nothing to stop Jeremiah from Anathoth, who pretends to be a prophet among you?

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

Shemaiah demanded to know why Zephaniah had not rebuked Jeremiah for prophesying. He pressed for active suppression of the true prophet.

Overview

Shemaiah's accusing question assumes Jeremiah is a self-appointed pretender deserving rebuke. It pressures the priest to take official action against him. The verse shows how opposition to God's word often cloaks itself in religious zeal for order.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 12

  • Num 16:3They came together against Moses and Aaron and told them, “You have taken too much upon yourselves! For everyone in the entire congregation is holy, and the LORD is in their midst. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the LORD?”
  • Jer 29:26‘The LORD has appointed you priest in place of Jehoiada, to be the chief officer in the house of the LORD, responsible for any madman who acts like a prophet—you must put him in stocks and neck irons.
  • Jer 1:1These are the words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, one of the priests in Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin.
  • Jer 43:2–3Azariah son of Hoshaiah, Johanan son of Kareah, and all the arrogant men said to Jeremiah, “You are lying! The LORD our God has not sent you to say, ‘You must not go to Egypt to reside there.’
  • 2 Chr 25:16While he was still speaking, the king asked, “Have we made you the counselor to the king? Stop! Why be struck down?” So the prophet stopped, but he said, “I know that God has determined to destroy you, because you have done this and have not heeded my advice.”
  • Amos 7:12–13And Amaziah said to Amos, “Go away, you seer! Flee to the land of Judah; earn your bread there and do your prophesying there.
  • Acts 4:17–21But to keep this message from spreading any further among the people, we must warn them not to speak to anyone in this name.”
  • Acts 5:40At this, they yielded to Gamaliel. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and released them.
  • Acts 5:28“We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us responsible for this man’s blood.”
  • 2 Tim 3:8Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these men oppose the truth. They are depraved in mind and disqualified from the faith.
  • Matt 27:63“Sir,” they said, “we remember that while He was alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’
  • John 11:47–53Then the chief priests and Pharisees convened the Sanhedrin and said, “What are we to do? This man is performing many signs.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (2)

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 29:27YouTube · 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 29:27 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.