Jeremiah Chapter 28 · Verse 16
Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will cast thee from off the face of the earth: this year thou shalt die, because thou hast taught rebellion against the LORD.
Original Language Analysis
לָכֵ֗ן
H3651
לָכֵ֗ן
Strong's:
H3651
Word #:
1 of 17
properly, set upright; hence (figuratively as adjective) just; but usually (as adverb or conjunction) rightly or so (in various applications to manner
כֹּ֚ה
H3541
כֹּ֚ה
Strong's:
H3541
Word #:
2 of 17
properly, like this, i.e., by implication, (of manner) thus (or so); also (of place) here (or hither); or (of time) now
יְהוָֽה׃
against the LORD
H3068
יְהוָֽה׃
against the LORD
Strong's:
H3068
Word #:
4 of 17
(the) self-existent or eternal; jeho-vah, jewish national name of god
מְשַֽׁלֵּֽחֲךָ֔
Behold I will cast
H7971
מְשַֽׁלֵּֽחֲךָ֔
Behold I will cast
Strong's:
H7971
Word #:
6 of 17
to send away, for, or out (in a great variety of applications)
מֵעַ֖ל
H5921
מֵעַ֖ל
Strong's:
H5921
Word #:
7 of 17
above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications
פְּנֵ֣י
thee from off the face
H6440
פְּנֵ֣י
thee from off the face
Strong's:
H6440
Word #:
8 of 17
the face (as the part that turns); used in a great variety of applications (literally and figuratively); also (with prepositional prefix) as a preposi
מֵ֔ת
thou shalt die
H4191
מֵ֔ת
thou shalt die
Strong's:
H4191
Word #:
12 of 17
to die (literally or figuratively); causatively, to kill
כִּֽי
H3588
כִּֽי
Strong's:
H3588
Word #:
13 of 17
(by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexed
Cross References
Jeremiah 29:32Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite, and his seed: he shall not have a man to dwell among this people; neither shall he behold the good that I will do for my people, saith the LORD; because he hath taught rebellion against the LORD.Genesis 7:4For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.Jeremiah 20:6And thou, Pashur, and all that dwell in thine house shall go into captivity: and thou shalt come to Babylon, and there thou shalt die, and shalt be buried there, thou, and all thy friends, to whom thou hast prophesied lies.Exodus 32:12Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people.Deuteronomy 6:15(For the LORD thy God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth.1 Kings 13:34And this thing became sin unto the house of Jeroboam, even to cut it off, and to destroy it from off the face of the earth.
Historical Context
Verse 17 records Hananiah's death fulfillment: 'So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month.' The prophecy was given in the fifth month (28:1), meaning Hananiah died within two months. This rapid fulfillment vindicated Jeremiah's authority and exposed Hananiah's lies. Unlike Hananiah's two-year timeline (which never came), Jeremiah's death prediction proved accurate within weeks.
Questions for Reflection
- Why does Scripture prescribe death penalty for false prophets teaching rebellion?
- How does false teaching constitute 'rebellion against the LORD' beyond mere error?
- What makes prophetic/theological falsehood more dangerous than other sins?
Analysis & Commentary
Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will cast thee from off the face of the earth: this year thou shalt die, because thou hast taught rebellion against the LORD (לָכֵן כֹּה־אָמַר יְהוָה הִנְנִי מְשַׁלֵּחֲךָ מֵעַל פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה הַשָּׁנָה אַתָּה מֵת כִּי־סָרָה דִבַּרְתָּ אֶל־יְהוָה, lakhen koh-amar YHWH hin'ni m'shalechakha me'al p'nei ha'adamah hasshanah attah met ki-sarah dibbarta el-YHWH)—the death sentence is immediate: this year thou shalt die (הַשָּׁנָה אַתָּה מֵת, hasshanah attah met). The charge: thou hast taught rebellion against the LORD (סָרָה דִבַּרְתָּ אֶל־יְהוָה, sarah dibbarta el-YHWH). The noun סָרָה (sarah, 'rebellion/turning aside') comes from סוּר (sur, 'turn away'). Hananiah's false prophecy constituted theological sedition—teaching people to turn from God's actual word.
The phrase I will cast thee from off the face of the earth (מְשַׁלֵּחֲךָ מֵעַל פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה, m'shalechakha me'al p'nei ha'adamah) uses the verb שָׁלַח (shalach, 'send/cast') ironically—Hananiah wasn't 'sent' by God (v. 15) for prophetic ministry, but he will be 'sent' from life to death. This capital judgment for false prophecy fulfills Deuteronomy 13:5's requirement: prophets who teach rebellion against Yahweh must die. The severity reflects the danger: false prophecy destroys communities by divorcing them from divine reality.