Jeremiah 23:33
New International Version
“When these people, or a prophet or a priest, ask you, ‘What is the message from the LORD?’ say to them, ‘What message? I will forsake you, declares the LORD.’

New Living Translation
“Suppose one of the people or one of the prophets or priests asks you, ‘What prophecy has the LORD burdened you with now?’ You must reply, ‘You are the burden! The LORD says he will abandon you!’

English Standard Version
“When one of this people, or a prophet or a priest asks you, ‘What is the burden of the LORD?’ you shall say to them, ‘You are the burden, and I will cast you off, declares the LORD.’

Berean Standard Bible
“Now when this people or a prophet or priest asks you, ‘What is the burden of the LORD?’ you are to say to them, ‘What burden? I will forsake you, declares the LORD.’

King James Bible
And when this people, or the prophet, or a priest, shall ask thee, saying, What is the burden of the LORD? thou shalt then say unto them, What burden? I will even forsake you, saith the LORD.

New King James Version
“So when these people or the prophet or the priest ask you, saying, ‘What is the oracle of the LORD?’ you shall then say to them, ‘What oracle?’ I will even forsake you,” says the LORD.

New American Standard Bible
“Now when this people or the prophet or a priest asks you, saying, ‘What is the pronouncement of the LORD?’ then you shall say to them, ‘What pronouncement?’ The LORD declares, ‘I will abandon you.’

NASB 1995
“Now when this people or the prophet or a priest asks you saying, ‘What is the oracle of the LORD?’ then you shall say to them, ‘What oracle?’ The LORD declares, ‘I will abandon you.’

NASB 1977
“Now when this people or the prophet or a priest asks you saying, ‘What is the oracle of the LORD?’ then you shall say to them, ‘What oracle?’ The LORD declares, ‘I shall abandon you.’

Legacy Standard Bible
“Now when this people or the prophet or a priest asks you, saying, ‘What is the oracle of Yahweh?’ then you shall say to them, ‘What oracle?’ Yahweh declares, ‘I will abandon you.’

Amplified Bible
“Now when this people or a prophet or a priest asks you [in jest], ‘What is the oracle of the LORD [the burden to be lifted up and carried]?’ Then you shall say to them, ‘What oracle [besides the one that declares you people to be the burden]!’ The LORD says, ‘I will unburden Myself and I will abandon you.’

Christian Standard Bible
“Now when these people or a prophet or a priest asks you, ‘What is the burden of the LORD? ’ you will respond to them, ‘What is the burden? I will throw you away! This is the LORD’s declaration.’

Holman Christian Standard Bible
“Now when these people or a prophet or a priest asks you, ‘What is the burden of the LORD?’ you will respond to them: What is the burden? I will throw you away"—this is the LORD’s declaration.

American Standard Version
And when this people, or the prophet, or a priest, shall ask thee, saying, What is the burden of Jehovah? then shalt thou say unto them, What burden! I will cast you off, saith Jehovah.

Contemporary English Version
Jeremiah, when a prophet or a priest or anyone else comes to you and asks, "Does the LORD have news for us?" tell them, "You people are a nuisance to the LORD, and he will get rid of you."

English Revised Version
And when this people, or the prophet, or a priest, shall ask thee, saying, What is the burden of the LORD? then shalt thou say unto them, What burden! I will cast you off, saith the LORD.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"When these people, the prophets, or the priests ask you, 'What revelation has the LORD burdened you with now?' say to them, 'You are the burden! I will abandon you, declares the LORD.'

Good News Translation
The LORD said to me, "Jeremiah, when one of my people or a prophet or a priest asks you, 'What is the LORD's message?' you are to say, 'You are a burden to the LORD, and he is going to get rid of you.'

International Standard Version
"Jeremiah, when these people, the prophet, or a priest ask you, 'What is the oracle of the LORD?' say to them, 'You are the burden, and I'll cast you out,'" declares the LORD.

Majority Standard Bible
“Now when this people or a prophet or priest asks you, ‘What is the burden of the LORD?’ you are to say to them, ‘What burden? I will forsake you, declares the LORD.’

NET Bible
The LORD said to me, "Jeremiah, when one of these people, or a prophet, or a priest asks you, 'What burdensome message do you have from the LORD?' Tell them, 'You are the burden, and I will cast you away. I, the LORD, affirm it!

New Heart English Bible
'When this people, or the prophet, or a priest, shall ask you, saying, "What is the burden of the LORD?" Then you shall tell them, "You are the burden, and I will cast you off," says the LORD.

Webster's Bible Translation
And when this people, or the prophet, or a priest, shall ask thee, saying, What is the burden of the LORD? thou shalt then say to them, What burden? I will even forsake you, saith the LORD.

World English Bible
“When this people, or the prophet, or a priest, asks you, saying, ‘What is the message from Yahweh?’ Then you shall tell them, ‘“What message? I will cast you off,” says Yahweh.’
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
“And when this people, or the prophet, "" Or a priest, asks you, saying, What [is] the burden of YHWH? Then you have said to them: You [are] the burden, and I have left you,” "" A declaration of YHWH.

Young's Literal Translation
And when this people, or the prophet, Or a priest, doth ask thee, saying, What is the burden of Jehovah? Then thou hast said unto them: Ye are the burden, and I have left you, An affirmation of Jehovah.

Smith's Literal Translation
And when this people, or prophet, or priest, shall ask thee, saying, What the burden of Jehovah? and thou saidst to them, What burden? And I cast you off, says Jehovah.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
If therefore this people, or the prophet, or the priest shall ask thee, saying: What is the burden of the Lord? thou shalt say to them: You are the burden: for I will cast you away, saith the Lord.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Therefore, if this people, or a prophet, or a priest questions you, saying, ‘What is the burden of the Lord?’ you shall say to them, ‘You are the burden. And certainly I will cast you away, says the Lord.’

New American Bible
And when this people or a prophet or a priest asks you, “What is the burden of the LORD?” you shall answer, “You are the burden, and I cast you off”—oracle of the LORD.

New Revised Standard Version
When this people, or a prophet, or a priest asks you, “What is the burden of the LORD?” you shall say to them, “You are the burden, and I will cast you off, says the LORD.”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And when this people, or a prophet or a priest, shall ask you, and say to you, What is the word of the LORD? you shall say to them, This is the word of the LORD: I will utterly uproot you, says the LORD.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And when this people or a Prophet or Priest will ask you, and will say to you: “What is the word of LORD JEHOVAH?, you say to them: ‘This is the word of LORD JEHOVAH: I shall uproot you, says LORD JEHOVAH!”
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And when this people, or the prophet, or a priest, shall ask thee, saying: 'What is the burden of the LORD?' then shalt thou say unto them: 'What burden! I will cast you off, saith the LORD.'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And if this people, or the priest, or the prophet, should ask, What is the burden of the Lord? then thou shalt say to them, Ye are the burden, and I will dash you down, saith the Lord.
Audio Bible



Context
False Oracles
33“Now when this people or a prophet or priest asks you, ‘What is the burden of the LORD?’ you are to say to them, ‘What burden? I will forsake you, declares the LORD.’ 34As for the prophet or priest or anyone who claims, ‘This is the burden of the LORD,’ I will punish that man and his household.…

Cross References
Matthew 11:28-30
Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. / Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. / For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Isaiah 1:4
Alas, O sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a brood of evildoers, children who act corruptly! They have forsaken the LORD; they have despised the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on Him.

Ezekiel 12:10-12
Tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘This burden concerns the prince in Jerusalem and all the house of Israel who are there.’ / You are to say, ‘I am a sign to you.’ Just as it happened here, so will it be done to them; they will go into exile as captives. / And at dusk the prince among them will lift his bags to his shoulder and go out. They will dig through the wall to bring him out. He will cover his face so he cannot see the land.

Zechariah 11:17
Woe to the worthless shepherd, who deserts the flock! May a sword strike his arm and his right eye! May his arm be completely withered and his right eye utterly blinded!”

Matthew 23:4
They tie up heavy, burdensome loads and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.

Isaiah 30:9-11
These are rebellious people, deceitful children, children unwilling to obey the LORD’s instruction. / They say to the seers, “Stop seeing visions!” and to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us the truth! Speak to us pleasant words; prophesy illusions. / Get out of the way; turn off the road. Rid us of the Holy One of Israel!”

2 Peter 2:1-3
Now there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. / Many will follow in their depravity, and because of them the way of truth will be defamed. / In their greed, these false teachers will exploit you with deceptive words. The longstanding verdict against them remains in force, and their destruction does not sleep.

Hosea 4:6
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you as My priests. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your children.

2 Timothy 4:3-4
For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine, but with itching ears they will gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires. / So they will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.

Amos 8:11-12
Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord GOD, when I will send a famine on the land—not a famine of bread or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the LORD. / People will stagger from sea to sea and roam from north to east, seeking the word of the LORD, but they will not find it.

1 John 4:1
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world.

Micah 3:5-7
This is what the LORD says: “As for the prophets who lead My people astray, who proclaim peace while they chew with their teeth, but declare war against one who puts nothing in their mouths: / Therefore night will come over you without visions, and darkness without divination. The sun will set on these prophets, and the daylight will turn black over them. / Then the seers will be ashamed and the diviners will be disgraced. They will all cover their mouths because there is no answer from God.”

2 Corinthians 11:13-15
For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. / And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. / It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their actions.

Isaiah 5:18-19
Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of deceit and pull sin along with cart ropes, / to those who say, “Let Him hurry and hasten His work so that we may see it! Let the plan of the Holy One of Israel come so that we may know it!”

1 Timothy 4:1-2
Now the Spirit expressly states that in later times some will abandon the faith to follow deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons, / influenced by the hypocrisy of liars, whose consciences are seared with a hot iron.


Treasury of Scripture

And when this people, or the prophet, or a priest, shall ask you, saying, What is the burden of the LORD? you shall then say to them, What burden? I will even forsake you, said the LORD.

What.

Jeremiah 17:15
Behold, they say unto me, Where is the word of the LORD? let it come now.

Jeremiah 20:7,8
O LORD, thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived: thou art stronger than I, and hast prevailed: I am in derision daily, every one mocketh me…

Isaiah 13:1
The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz did see.

I.

Jeremiah 23:39,40
Therefore, behold, I, even I, will utterly forget you, and I will forsake you, and the city that I gave you and your fathers, and cast you out of my presence: …

Jeremiah 12:7
I have forsaken mine house, I have left mine heritage; I have given the dearly beloved of my soul into the hand of her enemies.

Deuteronomy 31:17,18
Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them; so that they will say in that day, Are not these evils come upon us, because our God is not among us? …

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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.














Now when this people
The phrase "this people" refers specifically to the Israelites, God's chosen people, who were in a covenant relationship with Him. Historically, this was a time of great spiritual decline in Judah, where the people had turned away from God. The Hebrew word for "people" here is "עַם" (am), which often denotes a collective group bound by common identity and purpose. This highlights the communal responsibility and collective accountability of the Israelites in their relationship with God.

or a prophet or a priest
Prophets and priests were meant to be spiritual leaders and mediators between God and the people. The Hebrew words for "prophet" (נָבִיא, navi) and "priest" (כֹּהֵן, kohen) indicate roles of significant spiritual authority and responsibility. However, during Jeremiah's time, many prophets and priests were corrupt, leading the people astray. This context underscores the gravity of their failure and the resulting divine judgment.

asks you
The act of asking implies a seeking of knowledge or understanding. In this context, it suggests a superficial or insincere inquiry, as the people, prophets, and priests were not genuinely seeking God's will but rather questioning His authority and message. The Hebrew root "שָׁאַל" (sha'al) can mean to inquire or demand, reflecting the people's audacity in challenging God's message through Jeremiah.

‘What is the burden of the LORD?’
The term "burden" (מַשָּׂא, massa) in Hebrew can mean a load or a prophetic oracle, often one of judgment. Here, it reflects the people's cynical attitude towards God's messages, treating them as burdensome rather than life-giving. This phrase indicates a dismissive attitude towards divine revelation, highlighting the people's spiritual blindness and rebellion.

you are to say to them, ‘What burden?
Jeremiah is instructed to respond with a rhetorical question, "What burden?" This response serves to rebuke the people's irreverence and to emphasize that their perception of God's word as a burden is misguided. It reflects God's frustration with their hardened hearts and their failure to recognize the seriousness of their spiritual condition.

I will forsake you, declares the LORD.’
The declaration "I will forsake you" is a solemn pronouncement of judgment. The Hebrew word "עָזַב" (azav) means to leave or abandon, signifying a withdrawal of God's protective presence due to their persistent disobedience. This is a sobering reminder of the consequences of turning away from God. The phrase "declares the LORD" (נְאֻם יְהוָה, ne'um YHWH) underscores the authority and finality of God's pronouncement, affirming that this is not merely Jeremiah's message but the very word of God. This serves as a call to repentance and a warning of the seriousness of divine judgment.

(33) The burden of the Lord.--The English expresses the literal meaning of the word, "something lifted up, or borne." It passed, however, as the English equivalent has done, through many shades of meaning, and became, in the language of the prophets, one of the received terms for a solemn, emphatic utterance. In 1Chronicles 15:22; 1Chronicles 15:27 it is applied to the chanted music of the Temple. Isaiah had brought it into use (see Note on Isaiah 13:1), and employs it twelve times as the title of special prophecies. Jeremiah never uses it of his own messages, probably, as this verse indicates, because it had become a favourite formula with the false prophets. This seems a more rational view than that which assumes that the false prophets applied the words in mockery to his utterances as being "burdens" in the ordinary sense of the word, oppressive and intolerable.

What burden?--The false prophets had come, not without a supercilious scorn, asking, with affected grandeur, what burden, what oracle Jeremiah had from Jehovah. He repeats their question with a deeper scorn, and tells them that for them the "burden" tells of exile and shame. A different division of the words of the prophet's answer (which presents some exceptional grammatical difficulties) gives a rendering adopted by the LXX. and Vulgate, "Ye are the burden"--i.e., it is about you and for you.

I will even forsake you.--Better, I will cast you off, with a play upon the literal sense of the word "burden." They have made themselves too grievous to be borne. Jehovah will disburden Himself of them.

Verses 33-40. - The abuse of a consecrated phrase. The prophets were accustomed to apply the term massa to their prophetic declarations in the sense of "oracle," or "utterance" - a sense derived from the use of the cognate verb for "to lift up the voice," i.e. to pronounce clearly and distinctly. But the word massa was also in common use for "load, burden," and hence the "false prophets" applied the term derisively to Jeremiah's discourses. "Rightly does he call his word a massa; it is not merely a solemn utterance, but a heavy burden; as De Wette puts it, not merely a Weissagung, but a Wehsagung. The passage is important as indicating the sense in which the true prophets understood the term. It should be added that the term mused is prefixed to at least four Biblical passages which, not being of threatening import, do not admit of being entitled "burdens" (Zechariah 9:1; Zechariah 12:1; Proverbs 30:1; Proverbs 31:1; comp. Lamentations 2:14). How remarkable is the line adopted by Jeremiah 1 He simply abandons the use Of the term massa, consecrated as it was by the practice of inspired men! Better to adopt a new phrase, than to run the risk of misunderstanding or, even worse, profanity. Verse 33. - What burden? etc. The Hebrew text, as usually read, is extremely difficult; the Authorized Version is entirely unjustifiable. It is just possible to explain, with Ewald, "As to this question, What is the burden? the true meaning of the word is that," etc. But how harsh and artificial! By a change in the grouping of the consonants (which alone constitute the text), we may read, Ye are the burden. So the Septuagint, Vulgate, Hitzig, Graf, Payne Smith. We must in this case continue, and I will cast you off, as the same verb is to be rendered in Jeremiah 7:29; Jeremiah 12:7. Instead of carrying you with the long-suffering of a father (Deuteronomy 1:31; Isaiah 46:3, 4; Isaiah 63:9; Psalm 28:9), I will east you off as a troublesome load (Isaiah 1:14).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
“Now when
וְכִי־ (wə·ḵî-)
Conjunctive waw | Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

this
הַזֶּ֜ה (haz·zeh)
Article | Pronoun - masculine singular
Strong's 2088: This, that

people,
הָעָ֨ם (hā·‘ām)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock

or
אֽוֹ־ (’ōw-)
Conjunction
Strong's 176: Desire, if

a prophet
הַנָּבִ֤יא (han·nā·ḇî)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5030: A spokesman, speaker, prophet

or
אֽוֹ־ (’ōw-)
Conjunction
Strong's 176: Desire, if

a priest,
כֹהֵן֙ (ḵō·hên)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3548: Priest

asks you,
יִשְׁאָלְךָ֩ (yiš·’ā·lə·ḵā)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular | second person masculine singular
Strong's 7592: To inquire, to request, to demand

‘What
מַה־ (mah-)
Interrogative
Strong's 4100: What?, what!, indefinitely what

is the oracle
מַשָּׂ֖א (maś·śā)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 4853: A burden, tribute, porterage, an utterance, chiefly a, doom, singing, mental, desire

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

you are to say
לֵאמֹ֔ר (lê·mōr)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 559: To utter, say

to them:
אֲלֵיהֶם֙ (’ă·lê·hem)
Preposition | third person masculine plural
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

‘What
מַה־ (mah-)
Interrogative
Strong's 4100: What?, what!, indefinitely what

oracle?
מַשָּׂ֔א (maś·śā)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4853: A burden, tribute, porterage, an utterance, chiefly a, doom, singing, mental, desire

I will forsake
וְנָטַשְׁתִּ֥י (wə·nā·ṭaš·tî)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 5203: To pound, smite, to disperse, to thrust off, down, out, upon

you,
אֶתְכֶ֖ם (’eṯ·ḵem)
Direct object marker | second person masculine plural
Strong's 853: Untranslatable mark of the accusative case

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

the LORD.’
יְהוָֽה׃ (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel


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OT Prophets: Jeremiah 23:33 When this people or the prophet (Jer.)
Jeremiah 23:32
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