Jeremiah 23:23
New International Version
“Am I only a God nearby,” declares the LORD, “and not a God far away?

New Living Translation
Am I a God who is only close at hand?” says the LORD. “No, I am far away at the same time.

English Standard Version
“Am I a God at hand, declares the LORD, and not a God far away?

Berean Standard Bible
“Am I only a God nearby,” declares the LORD, “and not a God far away?”

King James Bible
Am I a God at hand, saith the LORD, and not a God afar off?

New King James Version
Am I a God near at hand,” says the LORD, “And not a God afar off?

New American Standard Bible
“Am I a God who is near,” declares the LORD, “And not a God far off?

NASB 1995
“Am I a God who is near,” declares the LORD, “And not a God far off?

NASB 1977
“Am I a God who is near,” declares the LORD, “And not a God far off?

Legacy Standard Bible
“Am I a God who is near,” declares Yahweh, “And not a God far off?

Amplified Bible
“Am I a God who is at hand,” says the LORD, “And not a God far away?”

Christian Standard Bible
“Am I a God who is only near” —this is the LORD’s declaration—“and not a God who is far away?

Holman Christian Standard Bible
“Am I a God who is only near"—this is the LORD’s declaration—"and not a God who is far away?

American Standard Version
Am I a God at hand, saith Jehovah, and not a God afar off?

Contemporary English Version
I am everywhere--both near and far,

English Revised Version
Am I a God at hand, saith the LORD, and not a God afar off?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"I am a God who is near. I am also a God who is far away," declares the LORD.

Good News Translation
"I am a God who is everywhere and not in one place only.

International Standard Version
"Am I a God who is near," declares the LORD, "rather than a God who is far away?

Majority Standard Bible
?Am I only a God nearby,? declares the LORD, ?and not a God far away??

NET Bible
Do you people think that I am some local deity and not the transcendent God?" the LORD asks.

New Heart English Bible
Am I a God at hand,' says the LORD, 'and not a God afar off?

Webster's Bible Translation
Am I a God at hand, saith the LORD, and not a God afar off.

World English Bible
“Am I a God at hand,” says Yahweh, “and not a God afar off?
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
[Am] I a God near,” "" A declaration of YHWH, "" “And not a God far off?

Young's Literal Translation
A God near am I -- an affirmation of Jehovah, And not a God afar off?

Smith's Literal Translation
Am I God from near, says Jehovah, and not God from far off?
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Am I, think ye, a God at hand, saith the Lord, and not a God afar off?

Catholic Public Domain Version
Do you not realize that I am a God close by, says the Lord, and not a God far away?

New American Bible
Am I a God near at hand only—oracle of the LORD— and not a God far off?

New Revised Standard Version
Am I a God near by, says the LORD, and not a God far off?
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
I am the God who is near, says the LORD God, and not a God afar off.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
I am God who is from the nearness, says LORD JEHOVAH, and I am not God who is from a distance
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Am I a God near at hand, saith the LORD, And not a God afar off?

Brenton Septuagint Translation
I am a God nigh at hand, saith the Lord, and not a God afar off.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Lying Prophets
22But if they had stood in My council, they would have proclaimed My words to My people and turned them back from their evil ways and deeds.” 23“Am I only a God nearby,” declares the LORD, “and not a God far away?” 24“Can a man hide in secret places where I cannot see him?” declares the LORD. “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” declares the LORD.…

Cross References
Psalm 139:7-10
Where can I go to escape Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? / If I ascend to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, You are there. / If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle by the farthest sea, ...

Acts 17:27-28
God intended that they would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us. / ‘For in Him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are His offspring.’

Proverbs 15:3
The eyes of the LORD are in every place, observing the evil and the good.

Hebrews 4:13
Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight; everything is uncovered and exposed before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

Isaiah 57:15
For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in a high and holy place, and with the oppressed and humble in spirit, to restore the spirit of the lowly and revive the heart of the contrite.

1 Kings 8:27
But will God indeed dwell upon the earth? The heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain You, much less this temple I have built.

Matthew 28:20
and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Job 34:21-22
For His eyes are on the ways of a man, and He sees his every step. / There is no darkness or deep shadow where the workers of iniquity can hide.

Romans 11:33-36
O, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and untraceable His ways! / “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counselor?” / “Who has first given to God, that God should repay him?” ...

Amos 9:2-4
Though they dig down to Sheol, from there My hand will take them; and though they climb up to heaven, from there I will pull them down. / Though they hide themselves atop Carmel, there I will track them and seize them; and though they hide from Me at the bottom of the sea, there I will command the serpent to bite them. / Though they are driven by their enemies into captivity, there I will command the sword to slay them. I will fix My eyes upon them for harm and not for good.”

1 Corinthians 3:16
Do you not know that you yourselves are God’s temple, and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?

Isaiah 66:1-2
This is what the LORD says: “Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. What kind of house will you build for Me? Or where will My place of repose be? / Has not My hand made all these things? And so they came into being,” declares the LORD. “This is the one I will esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, who trembles at My word.

John 14:23
Jesus replied, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.

Deuteronomy 4:39
Know therefore this day and take to heart that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth below; there is no other.

Colossians 1:17
He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.


Treasury of Scripture

Am I a God at hand, said the LORD, and not a God afar off?

1 Kings 20:23,28
And the servants of the king of Syria said unto him, Their gods are gods of the hills; therefore they were stronger than we; but let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they…

Psalm 113:5
Who is like unto the LORD our God, who dwelleth on high,

Psalm 139:1-10
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me

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Jeremiah 23
1. He prophesies a restoration of the scattered flock.
5. Christ shall rule and save them.
9. Against false prophets;
33. and mockers of the true prophets.














Am I only a God nearby
This phrase begins with a rhetorical question that challenges the perception of God's presence. The Hebrew word for "God" here is "Elohim," which emphasizes His power and majesty. The term "nearby" suggests proximity and intimacy, indicating that God is not distant or detached from His creation. Historically, this reflects the Israelites' struggle with understanding God's omnipresence, especially during times of distress or exile. The question implies that God is not limited by physical boundaries and is always accessible to His people.

declares the LORD
The use of "declares" (Hebrew: "ne'um") signifies a solemn and authoritative pronouncement. "The LORD" is translated from "YHWH," the covenant name of God, emphasizing His eternal and unchanging nature. This phrase underscores the certainty and divine authority behind the message. In the context of Jeremiah, it serves as a reminder of God's faithfulness to His promises and His active involvement in the affairs of His people.

and not a God far away?
The contrast between "nearby" and "far away" highlights the comprehensive nature of God's presence. The Hebrew word for "far away" (Hebrew: "rachowq") can imply both physical distance and emotional detachment. This rhetorical question reinforces the idea that God is not confined to any location and is always present, even when He seems distant. It challenges the Israelites to trust in God's omnipresence, especially during times of trial and uncertainty.

(23) Am I a God at hand . . .?--This and the two questions that follow are essentially the same in thought. The false prophets acted as if God were far away out of their sight (Psalm 10:11; Psalm 73:11; Psalm 94:7), not knowing or caring what men did, as if their affairs, as it has been epigrammatically said, came under a "colonial department." The true prophet feels that He is equally near, equally God, in all places alike. Familiar as the word omnipresence is to us--so familiar as almost to have lost its power--the fact, when we realise it, is as awful now as it was when it presented itself to the souls of Patriarch, Psalmist, or Prophet. (Genesis 16:13; Psalm 32:6-7; Psalm 73:23-26; Psalm 139:7-12; Amos 9:2-4; Job 11:8-9. . . . Verses 23-32. - Jehovah has observed and will punish the false pretensions of the prophets. Verses 23, 24. - Am I a God at hand, etc.? ("At hand" equivalent to "near.") Eliphaz may again assist us with an illustration. "And thou sayest " - he is expostulating with Job - "What doth God know? can he judge through the dark cloud? thick clouds are a covering to him, that he seeth not; yea, he walketh upon the vault of heaven" (Job 22:13, 14). It might seem, from the preponderance of the false prophets ever the true, as if Jehovah were unaware of the mischief. Not so; Jehovah is omnipresent.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
“Am I [only]
אָ֖נִי (’ā·nî)
Pronoun - first person common singular
Strong's 589: I

a God
הַאֱלֹהֵ֧י (ha·’ĕ·lō·hê)
Article | Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

nearby,”
מִקָּרֹ֛ב (miq·qā·rōḇ)
Preposition-m | Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 7138: Near

declares
נְאֻם־ (nə·’um-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 5002: An oracle

the LORD,
יְהוָ֑ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

“and not
וְלֹ֥א (wə·lō)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

a God
אֱלֹהֵ֖י (’ĕ·lō·hê)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

far away?”
מֵרָחֹֽק׃ (mê·rā·ḥōq)
Preposition-m | Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 7350: Remote, of place, time, precious


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OT Prophets: Jeremiah 23:23 Am I a God at hand says (Jer.)
Jeremiah 23:22
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