The Meaning of Jeremiah 23:17 Explained

Jeremiah 23:17

KJV: They say still unto them that despise me, The LORD hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you.

YLT: Saying diligently to those despising The word of Jehovah: Peace is for you, And to every one walking in the stubbornness of his heart they have said: Evil doth not come in unto you.

Darby: They say constantly unto them that despise me, Jehovah hath said, Ye shall have peace. And they say unto every one that walketh in the stubbornness of his heart, No evil shall come upon you.

ASV: They say continually unto them that despise me, Jehovah hath said, Ye shall have peace; and unto every one that walketh in the stubbornness of his own heart they say, No evil shall come upon you.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

They say  still  unto them that despise  me, The LORD  hath said,  Ye shall have peace;  and they say  unto every one that walketh  after the imagination  of his own heart,  No evil  shall come  upon you. 

What does Jeremiah 23:17 Mean?

Verse Meaning

They were falsely assuring the people, who despised Yahweh and resisted His will, that nothing bad would happen to them. Peace would continue and calamity would never overtake the people, they claimed.

Context Summary

Jeremiah 23:1-40 - Shepherds That Mislead God's Flock
It is God's purpose to care for His people through shepherds (pastors) who are responsible to Him. Jesus our Lord is the Branch into which we may be grafted. He is our King who saves us and clothes us with His own spotless righteousness. God finds us in Him, Philippians 3:9. Because He reigns, we are saved and dwell in safety. When we are brought into contact with false shepherds, whether the failure be in doctrine or example, let us ask for the broken heart of Jeremiah 23:9.
God is everywhere present; as the latter paragraph indicates, He is near at hand to overhear the blasphemy of those who deride religion, and to be a very present help in time of trouble. If He fills heaven and earth, can He not fill thy heart? If His Word is like fire, let it cleanse thee! If it is as a hammer, let it pulverize thy pride! Let those of us who essay to teach and preach, not steal our words from our neighbors, or utter our own, but receive them from the source of all truth. [source]

Chapter Summary: 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

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 23:17 mean?

They say continually to those who despise Me has said Yahweh peace You shall have to and [to] everyone who walks according to the dictates of his own heart they say No shall come upon you evil
אֹמְרִ֤ים אָמוֹר֙ לִֽמְנַאֲצַ֔י דִּבֶּ֣ר יְהוָ֔ה שָׁל֖וֹם יִֽהְיֶ֣ה לָכֶ֑ם וְ֠כֹל הֹלֵ֞ךְ בִּשְׁרִר֤וּת לִבּוֹ֙ אָֽמְר֔וּ לֹֽא־ תָב֥וֹא עֲלֵיכֶ֖ם רָעָֽה

אֹמְרִ֤ים  They  say 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
אָמוֹר֙  continually 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Infinitive absolute
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
לִֽמְנַאֲצַ֔י  to  those  who  despise  Me 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Piel, Participle, masculine plural construct, first person common singular
Root: נָאַץ  
Sense: to spurn, contemn, despise, abhor.
דִּבֶּ֣ר  has  said 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: דָּבַר 
Sense: to speak, declare, converse, command, promise, warn, threaten, sing.
יְהוָ֔ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
שָׁל֖וֹם  peace 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: שָׁלֹום  
Sense: completeness, soundness, welfare, peace.
יִֽהְיֶ֣ה  You  shall  have 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
וְ֠כֹל  and  [to]  everyone 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
הֹלֵ֞ךְ  who  walks 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
בִּשְׁרִר֤וּת  according  to  the  dictates 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: שְׁרִרוּת  
Sense: stubbornness, hardness, firmness.
לִבּוֹ֙  of  his  own  heart 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: לֵב 
Sense: inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding.
אָֽמְר֔וּ  they  say 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
לֹֽא־  No 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
תָב֥וֹא  shall  come 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
עֲלֵיכֶ֖ם  upon  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person masculine plural
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
רָעָֽה  evil 
Parse: Adjective, feminine singular
Root: רַע 
Sense: bad, evil.