Jeremiah 23:15 Meaning and Explanation
“Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts concerning the prophets; Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink the water of gall: for from the prophets of Jerusalem is profaneness gone forth into all the land.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Teachers and leaders can shape a community for good or ill. Jeremiah 23:15 matters because it shows that God sees the public effects of spiritual unfaithfulness. The judgment is directed toward prophets who claimed a place of responsibility while helping sin, lies, and irreverence spread among God's people.
The LORD declares judgment on Jerusalem's corrupt prophets because their profaneness has spread beyond themselves and damaged the whole land. Wormwood and gall picture the bitter consequences of their false and wicked ministry.
The Context of Jeremiah 23:15
Jeremiah has just spoken with grief over the prophets and described the land's moral ruin. He charges Jerusalem's prophets with adultery, lies, and strengthening evildoers so that people do not turn from wickedness. Verse 15 gives the LORD's verdict upon them. The chapter then warns the people not to listen to prophets who speak visions from their own hearts and promise peace without repentance. The section contrasts those self-sent speakers with one who has truly stood in the counsel of the LORD and faithfully caused the people to hear his words.
What Does Jeremiah 23:15 Mean?
The verse begins, "Therefore," tying the sentence to the grave charges in verses 11 through 14. The LORD of hosts speaks "concerning the prophets," so the first responsibility falls upon those who bore his name before the people. To feed them wormwood and make them drink water of gall is vivid language of bitterness and affliction. Their words had helped make evil seem secure and repentance unnecessary. Now their own portion is bitter. The closing reason is especially sobering: "from the prophets of Jerusalem is profaneness gone forth into all the land." Their sin did not remain private. Their example and teaching helped carry corruption outward among the people.
Jeremiah does not describe a minor failure of style or an isolated mistaken prediction. These prophets had joined wrongdoing to false speech, and their influence strengthened people in evil rather than turning them from it. The chapter holds leaders accountable for scattering the flock while also addressing the hearers who welcomed reassuring lies. Judgment here answers a real moral disorder: God's name has been used to cover conduct that opposes his holiness. Yet the chapter also opens with God's promise to gather his scattered flock and to raise a righteous Branch from David. Divine judgment on false shepherds serves God's care for people who have been misled.
The bitter imagery belongs to the Bible's serious witness that false worship and false prophecy bear destructive fruit. Later Jerusalem's suffering is described with similarly bitter language, showing how deeply communal sin wounds a people. Against such leaders stands the righteous King promised earlier in this chapter, whose rule executes judgment and justice. Jesus also warned his followers about false prophets and taught that their fruit reveals them. The connection is not merely a warning about other people. It calls every bearer of God's word to seek truthfulness, repentance, and conduct that accords with the holy name being spoken.
Bible Verses Related to Jeremiah 23:15
“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.”
- Jeremiah 23:14
“Lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day from the LORD our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations; lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood;”
- Deuteronomy 29:18
“He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath made me drunken with wormwood.”
- Lamentations 3:15
“Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.”
- Matthew 7:15-20
Where Jeremiah 23:15 Echoes in Scripture
Lamentations 3:15 uses the same bitter imagery in a lament over affliction: being filled with bitterness and made drunk with wormwood. The echo helps us hear Jeremiah 23:15 as more than a figure of unpleasantness. The false prophets' unfaithfulness belongs to the wider calamity that comes upon Jerusalem, a calamity felt by the community they had helped mislead.
How to Apply Jeremiah 23:15 Today
This verse invites care in whom we trust for spiritual guidance and in how we use spiritual language ourselves. A message that excuses known evil, treats repentance as unnecessary, or uses God's name to secure our approval deserves careful testing. In homes, congregations, classrooms, and friendships, influence travels farther than we often see. We can ask whether our words make faithfulness clearer, encourage honest turning from sin, and protect those who are vulnerable to being misled. When we have contributed to confusion, confession and repair are fitting responses.
Reflection & Prayer
Where might our words or example be making it easier for others to overlook what God calls us to face? Pray: "LORD, keep your name holy on our lips. Give us truthfulness, humility, and courage to turn from every way that harms those entrusted to our care."