Jeremiah 23:37-40 · Bible study
Jeremiah 23:37-40 Commentary: The Word That Weighs
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why God commanded the people to stop calling His message a 'burden' and the severe consequences of their mockery.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God forbids the mocking use of 'burden of the Lord' and punishes the people by lifting them up and casting them off.
- Key words: מַשָּׂא (burden/oracle), נָשִׁיתִי (forget/lift up, wordplay), פָּנָי (my presence).
- Main debate: Whether the verb in v.39 means 'forget' (נָשָׁה) or 'lift up' (נָשָׂא), most commentators see a deliberate wordplay.
- Theological theme: The proper reverence for God’s word and the principle that judgment fits the crime.
- Best use: Preaching and teaching on the authority of Scripture, the danger of flippant familiarity, and God’s justice.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
37Thus you are to say to the prophet: ‘What has the LORD answered you?’ and ‘What has the LORD spoken?’
38But if you claim, ‘This is the burden of the LORD,’ then this is what the LORD says: Because you have said, ‘This is the burden of the LORD,’ and I specifically told you not to make this claim,
39therefore I will surely forget you and will cast you out of My presence, both you and the city that I gave to you and your fathers.
40And I will bring upon you everlasting shame and perpetual humiliation that will never be forgotten.”
WEB World English Bible 2000
37You will say to the prophet, ‘What has Yahweh answered you?’ and, ‘What has Yahweh spoken?’
38Although you say, ‘The message from Yahweh,’ therefore Yahweh says: ‘Because you say this word, “The message from Yahweh,” and I have sent to you, telling you not to say, “The message from Yahweh,”
39therefore behold, I will utterly forget you, and I will cast you off with the city that I gave to you and to your fathers, away from my presence.
40I will bring an everlasting reproach on you, and a perpetual shame, which will not be forgotten.’”
KJV King James Version 1769
37Thus shalt thou say to the prophet, What hath the Lord answered thee? and, What hath the Lord spoken?
38But since ye say, The burden of the Lord; therefore thus saith the Lord; Because ye say this word, The burden of the Lord, and I have sent unto you, saying, Ye shall not say, The burden of the Lord;
39Therefore, 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:
40And I will bring an everlasting reproach upon you, and a perpetual shame, which shall not be forgotten.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
37Thus shalt thou say to the prophet, What hath Jehovah answered thee? and, What hath Jehovah spoken?
38But if ye say, The burden of Jehovah; therefore thus saith Jehovah: Because ye say this word, The burden of Jehovah, and I have sent unto you, saying, Ye shall not say, The burden of Jehovah;
39therefore, behold, I will utterly forget you, and I will cast you off, and the city that I gave unto you and to your fathers, away from my presence:
40and I will bring an everlasting reproach upon you, and a perpetual shame, which shall not be forgotten.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
37Thus dost thou say unto the prophet What hath Jehovah answered thee? And what hath Jehovah spoken?
38And if the burden of Jehovah ye say, Therefore thus said Jehovah: Because of your saying this word, The burden of Jehovah, And I do send unto you, saying, Ye do not say, The burden of Jehovah.
39Therefore, lo, I--I have taken you utterly away, And I have sent you out, And the city that I gave to you, And to your fathers, from before My face,
40And I have put on you reproach age-during, And shame age-during that is not forgotten!
Darby Darby Bible 1890
37Thus shalt thou say to the prophet: What hath Jehovah answered thee? and, What hath Jehovah spoken?
38But since ye say, The burden of Jehovah, therefore thus saith Jehovah: Because ye say this word, The burden of Jehovah, and I have sent unto you, saying, Ye shall not say, The burden of Jehovah;
39therefore behold, I will utterly forget you, and I will cast you off, far from my face, and the city that I gave to you and to your fathers.
40And I will bring everlasting reproach upon you, and everlasting shame, that shall not be forgotten.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
37Thus shalt thou say to the prophet: What hath the Lord answered thee? and what hath the Lord spoken?
38But if you shall say: The burden of the Lord: therefore thus saith the Lord: Because you have said this word: The burden of the Lord: and I have sent to you, saying: Say not, The burden of the Lord:
39Therefore behold I will take you away carrying you, and will forsake you, and the city which I gave to you, and to your fathers, out of my presence.
40And I will bring an everlasting reproach upon you, and a perpetual shame which shall never be forgotten.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Jeremiah 23:37
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that the term 'burden of the Lord' (מַשָּׂא, maśśā') had become a mocking slogan. The people treated God's judgment prophecies as a tiresome joke. God commands a different way to inquire: 'What has Yahweh answered? What has Yahweh spoken?' (v.37). By rejecting the forbidden word, the people declared God's word too heavy for them. The Lord responds with a pun: because they called His word a burden, He will 'lift them up' (נָשֹׁא, nāśō') and cast them off like a heavy load (Barnes, Calvin). The punishment is exile from God's presence and 'everlasting reproach' that will not be forgotten (v.40). Clarke notes this reproach continues to follow Israel in dispersion. The core lesson is that God will not let His word be trivialized.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- 'Forget' reading: Follows the Masoretic vocalization of נָשִׁיתִי from נשה; supported by KJV, WEB, and the contrast with 'not be forgotten' in v.40.
- 'Lift up' reading (pun): Points to the immediate context of מַשָּׂא (burden) and the following infinitive נָשֹׁא from נשא; adopted by Calvin, Barnes, and many modern commentators.
What is clear: The people were forbidden to use the term 'burden of the Lord' mockingly, and God pronounced severe judgment—exile and enduring shame—for their irreverence.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning of the verb in v.39 | The verse contains deliberate wordplay on the root נשא (lift up) or נשה (forget), connecting to the word 'burden' (משא). | Some translations (WEB, KJV) render it 'forget', while others (Barnes, Calvin) argue it means 'lift up' as in taking up a burden to cast it away. |
| Scope of 'everlasting reproach' | It refers to a lasting disgrace that follows the people historically. | Some (Clarke) see it as ongoing in the dispersion; others (Calvin) restrict it 'to the coming of Christ' and the end of the old covenant order. |
| Prohibition of the phrase 'burden of the Lord' | The prohibition was due to mocking, irreverent use, not the term itself. | Is the term permanently forbidden for believers, or only in that specific context of mockery? Most argue the issue is the heart attitude. |
| Connection to Christ | The judgment points to the exile and Israel's later humiliation. | Some see a typological foreshadowing of judgment on those who reject Christ (the ultimate Word). Others keep the focus on the immediate historical context. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Jeremiah 23:37, 40 closes a long indictment of false prophets in Judah (Jeremiah 23:9, 40). These prophets gave the people false hope, promising peace when judgment was near. The passage belongs to the reign of Zedekiah, the last king before the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC. At that time, Jeremiah’s warnings were unpopular. The people did not want to hear that their city and temple would be destroyed.
The Hebrew word maśśā' (often translated 'burden') originally served as a respectful title for prophetic oracles, see the headings of Isaiah 13, 23 and Habakkuk 1:1. But in Jeremiah’s day, the people twisted it. They would approach a prophet and ask sarcastically, 'What is the burden of the Lord?', as if to say, 'What heavy message do you have for us today?' This verbal abuse turned God’s revelation into an object of mockery (Matthew Henry).
God’s command to stop using the word was a call to restore reverence. Instead, the people were to ask simply and seriously, 'What has the Lord spoken?' The punishment announced in vv.39, 40 is severe: being cast out of God’s presence. For a nation whose identity was tied to the temple and the land, this was the ultimate loss. The 'everlasting shame' points to the ongoing humiliation of the exiles and, as later history shows, the dispersion of Israel among the nations.
Literarily, the passage plays on the double meaning of maśśā' as both 'oracle' and 'burden.' God turns their own word against them: they made His message a burden, so He will make them a burden and cast them off. Several commentators (Calvin, Gill) note the wordplay between nāśō' ('lift up') and maśśā' ('burden').
Textual Notes
The supplied commentaries and translations note no significant textual variants for Jeremiah 23:37, 40. The main issue is lexical ambiguity in v.39: the verb וְנָשִׁיתִי appears to come from נשה (to forget), but the following infinitive absolute נָשֹׁא is from נשא (to lift). This juxtaposition creates a deliberate wordplay, which different translators resolve in different ways, some highlighting 'forget,' others 'lift up.' No manuscript evidence suggests a different reading.
Reception History
The early church, through Jerome’s Latin translation, preserved the wordplay of 'burden' (onus) and 'lift up' (levare). Medieval Jewish commentators like Rashi focused on the mockery of the people. In the Reformation, Calvin emphasized the severity of God’s justice and the requirement of reverence for Scripture. Matthew Henry applied the passage to the profanity of common speech about holy things. Modern evangelical preaching often uses this text to warn against treating God’s word as a joke or dismissing hard teachings. Across traditions, the passage is seen as a serious call to honor God’s speech.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The forbidden word. God explicitly commands not to use the phrase 'The burden of the Lord.' He gives a different formula: 'What has the Lord answered? What has the Lord spoken?' (vv.37, 38). The issue is not terminology but attitude, mockery vs. reverence. We can domesticate God’s word with flippant language.
- The turning of the tables. Because the people made God’s word a burden, God makes them the burden. He says 'I will utterly forget you' (or 'lift you up') and cast you out (v.39). The punishment fits the crime: they treated His word lightly, so He treats them as refuse.
- The lasting consequences. 'Everlasting reproach' and 'perpetual shame' that will not be forgotten (v.40). This is not a light scolding. The exile and the continuing reproach of Israel stand as a warning that God’s word cannot be mocked without result.
Five-point outline
- God’s command to stop using the term 'burden' (v.37, 38a)
- God’s accusation: you kept using the word despite my warning (v.38b)
- God’s judgment: I will lift you up and cast you off (v.39)
- God’s removal: you and the city from my presence (v.39b)
- God’s settled verdict: perpetual shame that will never be forgotten (v.40)
Illustration hooks
- A teenager mocking a parent’s repeated warnings as 'the same old lecture.' Over time, the parent stops warning, and consequences follow.
- An employee who jokes about a safety regulation in front of the supervisor. The regulation is there for a reason; treating it as a joke leads to a serious accident.
- A church congregation that rolls their eyes when the preacher opens to a 'heavy' passage. How does the tone of our listening affect what we hear?
Questions your congregation is asking
- Is it a sin to use the phrase 'burden' when referring to a sermon or prophecy?
- How do I know if I’m treating God’s word with genuine reverence or just going through the motions?
- Does this passage mean that God is harsh and unforgiving toward those who misuse His word?
Leading a Discussion
This passage is about how we speak of God’s word. The people of Jeremiah’s day had taken a once‑respectful term and turned it into a taunt. God did not tolerate it. As you read together, consider your own patterns: do you ever treat Scripture flippantly? Are you quick to criticize a hard teaching rather than submit to it? These questions are meant to open honest conversation, not to produce guilt, but to lead to greater awe for God’s voice.
Discussion questions
- Read Jeremiah 23:33, 40 as a whole. What is the problem with the phrase 'the burden of the Lord' in this context?
- Why do you think God gives a specific alternative question: 'What has the Lord answered? What has the Lord spoken?' (v.37)
- In verse 38, God says He 'sent to you, telling you not to say' the forbidden word. Why does repeated disobedience make the judgment worse?
- The punishment in verse 39 includes being cast out of God’s presence. What does that mean for a people who had the temple in Jerusalem?
- Look at verse 40: 'everlasting reproach' and 'perpetual shame, which will not be forgotten.' How does this connect to Israel’s later history, and what does it teach about the seriousness of mocking God’s word?
- How can we tell the difference between using a phrase like 'heavy word' as a description vs. using it as a sign of disrespect?
- What practical steps can our group take to approach Scripture with greater reverence and expectation this week?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| II Chronicles 11:13 | The priests and the Levites who were in all Israel stood with him out of all their territory. |
| II Chronicles 11:14 | For the Levites left their pasture lands and their possessions, and came to Judah and Jerusalem; for Jeroboam and his sons cast them off, that they should not execute the priest’s office to Yahweh. |
| Genesis 6:17 | I, even I, will bring the flood of waters on this earth, to destroy all flesh having the breath of life from under the sky. Everything that is in the earth will die. |
| Leviticus 26:28 | then I will walk contrary to you in wrath. I will also chastise you seven times for your sins. |
| Deuteronomy 32:39 | “See now that I myself am he. There is no god with me. I kill and I make alive. I wound and I heal. There is no one who can deliver out of my hand. |
| Psalms 51:11 | Don’t throw me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me. |
| Proverbs 13:13 | Whoever despises instruction will pay for it, but he who respects a command will be rewarded. |
| Isaiah 48:15 | I, even I, have spoken. Yes, I have called him. I have brought him and he shall make his way prosperous. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
7 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke highlights God's action as that of a weary man who finally throws off an unbearable load: God lifts the people up only to cast them away. This reproach, he notes, continues visibly through the ages, as Israel's rebellion against such a gracious God still marks them in every land.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes emphasizes that God Himself will personally carry the people away as a burden and then fling both them and the city He gave them out of His presence. The translation of "take you up" as "burden you" highlights the deliberate, heavy action of God in this judgment.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Bible notes highlight that the people had turned the phrase “the burden of the Lord” into a mocking slogan, so God declares He will forget them and bring everlasting shame. Misusing a solemn divine message brings severe consequences.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill emphasizes that the people's sin was not simply using the phrase "the burden of the Lord," but doing so in a mocking, scoffing way after God had expressly forbidden it. God's response matches the offense: He will forget them, with a deliberate Hebrew wordplay linking "burden" and "forget." This judgment became a lasting reproach.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange highlights the double meaning of the Hebrew word for "burden," meaning both a saying and a physical weight. The people used the term mockingly to imply that God's prophets only brought heavy, unpleasant messages. God turns the word back on them so their own
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry draws attention to the sin of mocking God's prophets by treating their solemn phrase "the burden of the Lord" as a jest. He argues that this flippant use of sacred language, though it may seem a small offense, is a clear symptom of deep wickedness in the nation and draws God's severe punishment.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Jeremiah 23:37 Thus shalt thou say - To my true prophet. You shall speak to them reverently. Jeremiah 23:38 Because - Because you go on in your scoffing.