Jeremiah 23:13 Commentary: The 'Folly' of Samaria's False Prophets

Samaria was the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel, established after the division of Solomon’s kingdom. The Northern Kingdom, often called 'Israel' to distinguish it from Judah, had a history of apostasy beginning with Jeroboam’s golden calves at Dan and Bethel (1 Kings 12:28, 30). By Ahab’s reign, Baal worship was officially promoted through Jezebel’s influence, with 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah eating at her table (1 Kings 18:19). The conflict between Yahweh and Baal climaxed on Mount Carmel, where Elijah exposed Baal as a non‑entity (1 Kings 18:21, 40).

The prophets of Samaria mentioned in Jeremiah 23:13 were likely part of this Baal cult, or at least accomodated its practices. Their 'prophesying by Baal' was not merely a slip; it was a formal act of claiming Baal as the source of their revelations (see Jeremiah 2:8 for a parallel). By doing so, they directly undermined the first commandment and led the people into spiritual adultery. The verb 'caused to err' (ta‘ah) in the Hiphil stem means they actively made the people wander away, like drunken staggerers or sheep without a shepherd. From a historical perspective, this false prophecy contributed to the moral and religious decay that eventually brought Assyrian conquest in 722 BC.

Jeremiah, writing roughly a century later, uses Samaria’s example as a warning to Judah. The prophets of Samaria had been universally condemned in Judah; even so, God says he saw their folly. The implication is strong: if Samaria’s prophets were bad, the prophets of Jerusalem, who should have known better, had sunk even lower (vv.14, 15).

The Hebrew text of Jeremiah 23:13 is stable; the consulted sources note no significant textual variants. The consistent reading across manuscripts supports the traditional understanding of the verse.

Jeremiah 23:13 has been used throughout church history as a warning against false prophecy and religious syncretism. Early Christian writers drew parallels to false teachers who mix pagan ideas with biblical truth. During the Reformation, Calvin and the Geneva Bible appealed to this verse to condemn corrupt clergy who preached for profit or spoke from human authority rather than Scripture. Matthew Henry and other Puritan commentators applied it to ministers who lacked genuine spiritual savour, empty preaching that left congregations without the salt of God’s grace. In modern contexts, the verse continues to serve as a call to discernment, reminding believers that not everyone who claims to speak for God truly does, and that such deception can lead whole communities astray.

Three‑point outline

1. God sees the folly of false teaching. The word tiphlah means unsavoury, insipid, teaching that has lost its spiritual savour. God looks past any outward religiosity and sees the emptiness beneath (Matthew Henry).
2. False prophecy has a false source. The prophets of Samaria spoke 'by Baal', claiming authority from a dead idol. True prophecy always comes from Yahweh’s mouth, not from human imagination or pagan gods (Calvin).
3. The consequence is lead God’s people into error. The verb ‘caused to err’ is causative: these prophets actively steered Israel away from covenant faithfulness. False teaching never stays private; it corrupts the whole flock (Gill).

Five‑point outline

1. God’s assessment of spiritual leaders: 'I have seen.' Nothing escapes His sight.
2. The nature of the offense: tiphlah, moral insipidity, a lack of the salt of godliness (Colossians 4:6).
3. The identity of the offenders: 'prophets of Samaria', those who should have spoken for God but spoke for Baal.
4. The mechanism of error: 'prophesied by Baal', they invoked a false god as their authority, thereby denying Yahweh.
5. The result: 'caused my people Israel to err', a people God had chosen and redeemed were misled into idolatry and its consequences.

Illustration hooks

• A compass that points to a magnet instead of north: the prophets of Samaria gave a wrong direction, and the whole nation followed.
• A trusted guide who leads a hiking group off a cliff because he is reading the wrong map (or pretending to read one).
• Online influencers who gain a following by telling people what they want to hear, but their advice is empty and destructive.

Questions your congregation is asking

• How can we tell if a teacher or preacher is speaking from God or from a wrong source?
• Does God take false teaching seriously even if it sounds religious?
• If we have been led astray by a leader we trusted, how do we find our way back?

In Jeremiah 23:13, God looks back at the prophets of the northern kingdom and declares that He saw their 'folly', a word that means something unsavoury, flat, and spiritually worthless. These prophets claimed to speak for Baal and, as a result, led God’s own people Israel into error. As we study this verse, we are invited to consider how we discern true prophecy from false and what happens when spiritual leaders misuse their authority.

Discussion questions

1. Read the verse aloud. What stands out to you about the way God describes what He saw?
2. The word tiphlah is translated 'folly' here. From the commentaries, it means 'unsavoury' or 'insipid.' Why is that a fitting description for false prophecy?
3. What difference does it make that the prophets prophesied 'by Baal' instead of 'by Yahweh'? How would their audience have recognized the difference?
4. The verb 'caused to err' suggests an active misleading. In what ways can a teacher or leader cause people to wander from the truth without them even realizing it?
5. Why does God present this as something He saw? What does that imply about His involvement in the history of His people?
6. In what contexts today do you see spiritual leaders promoting messages that seem religious but actually lead people away from God?
7. How can we, as a group, better guard ourselves against being led astray, while also staying humble and teachable?