Jeremiah 23:14
I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies: they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness: they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah.
Original Language Analysis
וּבִנְבִאֵ֨י
also in the prophets
H5030
וּבִנְבִאֵ֨י
also in the prophets
Strong's:
H5030
Word #:
1 of 20
a prophet or (generally) inspired man
יְרוּשָׁלִַ֜ם
of Jerusalem
H3389
יְרוּשָׁלִַ֜ם
of Jerusalem
Strong's:
H3389
Word #:
2 of 20
jerushalaim or jerushalem, the capital city of palestine
רָאִ֣יתִי
I have seen
H7200
רָאִ֣יתִי
I have seen
Strong's:
H7200
Word #:
3 of 20
to see, literally or figuratively (in numerous applications, direct and implied, transitive, intransitive and causative)
נָא֞וֹף
they commit adultery
H5003
נָא֞וֹף
they commit adultery
Strong's:
H5003
Word #:
5 of 20
to commit adultery; figuratively, to apostatize
וְהָלֹ֤ךְ
and walk
H1980
וְהָלֹ֤ךְ
and walk
Strong's:
H1980
Word #:
6 of 20
to walk (in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively)
בַּשֶּׁ֙קֶר֙
in lies
H8267
בַּשֶּׁ֙קֶר֙
in lies
Strong's:
H8267
Word #:
7 of 20
an untruth; by implication, a sham (often adverbial)
וְחִזְּקוּ֙
they strengthen
H2388
וְחִזְּקוּ֙
they strengthen
Strong's:
H2388
Word #:
8 of 20
to fasten upon; hence, to seize, be strong (figuratively, courageous, causatively strengthen, cure, help, repair, fortify), obstinate; to bind, restra
יְדֵ֣י
also the hands
H3027
יְדֵ֣י
also the hands
Strong's:
H3027
Word #:
9 of 20
a hand (the open one [indicating power, means, direction, etc.], in distinction from h3709, the closed one); used (as noun, adverb, etc.) in a great v
מְרֵעִ֔ים
of evildoers
H7489
מְרֵעִ֔ים
of evildoers
Strong's:
H7489
Word #:
10 of 20
properly, to spoil (literally, by breaking to pieces); figuratively, to make (or be) good for nothing, i.e., bad (physically, socially or morally)
לְבִ֨לְתִּי
H1115
לְבִ֨לְתִּי
Strong's:
H1115
Word #:
11 of 20
properly, a failure of, i.e., (used only as a negative particle, usually with a prepositional prefix) not, except, without, unless, besides, because n
שָׁ֔בוּ
doth return
H7725
שָׁ֔בוּ
doth return
Strong's:
H7725
Word #:
12 of 20
to turn back (hence, away) transitively or intransitively, literally or figuratively (not necessarily with the idea of return to the starting point);
אִ֖ישׁ
that none
H376
אִ֖ישׁ
that none
Strong's:
H376
Word #:
13 of 20
a man as an individual or a male person; often used as an adjunct to a more definite term (and in such cases frequently not expressed in translation)
מֵרָֽעָת֑וֹ
from his wickedness
H7451
מֵרָֽעָת֑וֹ
from his wickedness
Strong's:
H7451
Word #:
14 of 20
bad or (as noun) evil (natural or moral)
הָֽיוּ
H1961
הָֽיוּ
Strong's:
H1961
Word #:
15 of 20
to exist, i.e., be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)
כֻלָּם֙
H3605
כֻלָּם֙
Strong's:
H3605
Word #:
17 of 20
properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)
כִּסְדֹ֔ם
they are all of them unto me as Sodom
H5467
כִּסְדֹ֔ם
they are all of them unto me as Sodom
Strong's:
H5467
Word #:
18 of 20
sedom, a place near the dead sea
Cross References
Jeremiah 29:23Because they have committed villany in Israel, and have committed adultery with their neighbours' wives, and have spoken lying words in my name, which I have not commanded them; even I know, and am a witness, saith the LORD.Ezekiel 22:25There is a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst thereof, like a roaring lion ravening the prey; they have devoured souls; they have taken the treasure and precious things; they have made her many widows in the midst thereof.Jeremiah 23:32Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the LORD.Jeremiah 14:14Then the LORD said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart.Genesis 18:20And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;Deuteronomy 32:32For their vine is of the vine of Sodom, and of the fields of Gomorrah: their grapes are grapes of gall, their clusters are bitter:Micah 3:11The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the LORD, and say, Is not the LORD among us? none evil can come upon us.Jeremiah 20:16And let that man be as the cities which the LORD overthrew, and repented not: and let him hear the cry in the morning, and the shouting at noontide;Matthew 11:24But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.Genesis 13:13But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.
Historical Context
Jerusalem, David's city and site of Solomon's temple, considered itself immune to judgment due to God's covenant promises (Jeremiah 7:4: 'The temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD!'). Yet by Jeremiah's time (605-586 BC), the city's prophets practiced the very sins that destroyed Sodom: pride, complacency, neglect of the poor (Ezekiel 16:49), and sexual immorality. Archaeological evidence from this period shows widespread syncretistic worship and cultic prostitution. The prophets who should have called the city to repentance instead participated in and legitimized wickedness. Their 'strengthening the hands of evildoers' meant that righteous judgment from God became necessary because internal moral correction was impossible. Within a generation, Jerusalem experienced destruction that made Sodom's judgment look mild (Lamentations 4:6).
Questions for Reflection
- How do false teachers 'strengthen the hands of evildoers' by removing the motivation for repentance?
- What does Jerusalem's comparison to Sodom teach about the insufficiency of religious heritage without moral transformation?
- In what ways might churches today be morally equivalent to 'Sodom and Gomorrah' despite orthodox appearance?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing—sha'arurah (שַׁעֲרוּרָה) means something horrifying, appalling, or causing one's hair to stand on end. What follows justifies this extreme language: they commit adultery, and walk in lies—both literal sexual immorality (na'aph, נָאַף) and spiritual unfaithfulness, combined with habitual deception (sheker, שֶׁקֶר). They strengthen also the hands of evildoers—chazaq yad (חִזְּקוּ יְדֵי) means to make firm or encourage. By not calling sin to account, they enable wickedness. That none doth return from his wickedness—shuv (שׁוּב), the standard word for repentance (turning back), doesn't occur because false prophets remove motivation to change.
They are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah—the comparison to Genesis 19's paradigmatic wicked cities is devastating. God doesn't see Jerusalem as His holy city but as morally equivalent to the cities He destroyed with fire. This anticipates Jesus's warning that it will be more tolerable for Sodom in judgment than for cities that reject Him (Matthew 10:15). The verse reveals how false prophets function: their moral compromise and false assurances prevent the repentance that could avert judgment.