Jeremiah 42:20 Meaning: Asking God While Deceiving Yourself
For you have dealt deceitfully against your own souls; for you sent me to Yahweh your God, saying, ‘Pray for us to Yahweh our God; and according to all that Yahweh our God says, so declare to us, and we will do it.’
For ye dissembled in your hearts, when ye sent me unto the Lord your God, saying, Pray for us unto the Lord our God; and according unto all that the Lord our God shall say, so declare unto us, and we will do it.
For ye have dealt deceitfully against your own souls; for ye sent me unto Jehovah your God, saying, Pray for us unto Jehovah our God; and according unto all that Jehovah our God shall say, so declare unto us, and we will do it.
for ye have shewed yourselves perverse in your souls, for ye sent me unto Jehovah your God, saying, Pray for us unto Jehovah our God, and according to all that Jehovah our God saith, so declare to us, and we have done it ;
For ye deceived yourselves in your own souls, when ye sent me unto Jehovah your God, saying, Pray for us unto Jehovah our God; and according to all that Jehovah our God shall say, so declare unto us, and we will do it.
Meaning in one sentence
Jeremiah 42:20 warns against self-deception: asking God for guidance while already set on your own plan. True obedience begins in the heart.
Context
After the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem, a small remnant of survivors sought out the prophet Jeremiah. They asked him to pray for them, promising to obey whatever the Lord said. They had already made up their minds to flee to Egypt, but they wanted God's blessing on their plan. Ten days later, Jeremiah brought back God's answer: stay in the land, do not go to Egypt. The people refused to listen. In this verse, Jeremiah exposes what was true all along, they never intended to obey unless God agreed with them. Their words sounded sincere, but their hearts were set on their own way.
Key Words
The Hebrew verb behind 'dealt deceitfully' is from ta'ah, meaning to wander or go astray. Here it appears in a form that means 'you caused yourselves to go astray.' This is not about what they did to Jeremiah or to God, they led themselves into error. The word 'souls' translates nephesh, the life or self. They hurt the deepest part of who they were. And 'sent' (shalach) is the same word used when someone dispatches a messenger. They sent Jeremiah with a request they never meant to keep. The gravity of the verse lies in this: the person we deceive most easily is often ourselves. Our hearts can convince us we are open to God's will when we are not.
How Christians Read This Verse
Calvin emphasized that the people deceived themselves, not the prophet. They thought they could outsmart God, but their cleverness backfired. Barnes noted that they expected God to approve their plan to flee to Egypt, so they were shocked when He did not. The Cambridge Bible reads the phrase as 'you have done evil against your own lives.' Matthew Henry pointed to their hypocrisy, they asked for prayer while harbouring disobedience. Across traditions, commentators agree: the people's promise of obedience was sincere only in the sense that they believed God would agree with them. The self-deception lay in assuming they already knew what God would say.
A common misunderstanding
Many readers assume the deceit in this verse is about lying to Jeremiah or to God. But the text says 'against your own souls.' The main harm was to themselves. They were not trying to pull a fast one on the prophet; they had convinced themselves they wanted God's will, even as they refused to accept it. In fact, the deepest dishonesty was the one they could not see in themselves.
Living This Out
You might pray about a decision this week, a move, a job, a relationship, while already knowing what you hope to hear. When God's answer goes another way, notice what rises up: resistance, disappointment, a plan to persist anyway. That is the moment Jeremiah's words meet your life. You can pause and ask: am I truly seeking God, or only asking for His blessing on what I already chose? The verse invites you to bring your real intentions into the light, even the ones you have hidden from yourself.
Main takeaway: We deceive ourselves when we ask God for direction while refusing to accept an answer that challenges our plans.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
Sometimes we say we want to do what God says, but inside we already decided what we want. God sees our hearts. He wants us to really listen to Him.
For ages 9, 12
The people in this story asked Jeremiah to pray for them and promised to obey God no matter what. But they already planned to do the opposite. They tricked themselves into thinking they wanted God's will when they really wanted their own. It's a warning for all of us: check your heart before you ask God for direction. Be honest about what you actually want, and ask Him to help you want what He wants.
Questions People Ask
What does it mean to 'deal deceitfully against your own souls'?
It means you harm yourself by being dishonest with yourself. The people asked for God's guidance while already intending to disobey if it didn't match their plan. The deception hurt them more than anyone else, because they closed themselves off from God's protection and blessing.
Why did the people ask Jeremiah to pray if they didn't intend to obey?
They may have genuinely wanted God's blessing, but only on their own terms. They likely expected God to approve their plan to flee to Egypt. When God gave the opposite answer, they refused to accept it. Their request for prayer was sincere in the moment, but they had already decided what they would and would not obey.
How can I guard against self-deception when I pray about decisions?
Start by being honest with God about what you want. Write it down. Ask Him to show you where your heart is already closed to His answer. Invite trusted friends to pray with you and challenge you. And when the answer comes, ask for the courage to obey even if it's hard.
For pastors & researchers
Hebrew interlinear, 8 commentaries & word study