Nevertheless hear thou now this word that I speak in thine ears, and in the ears of all the people;
Nevertheless hear now is a public summons to listen, spoken by Jeremiah both to the opposing prophet Hananiah and to all the people gathered with the priests to hear the word he is about to speak. It belongs to the open confrontation between true and false prophets during the Babylonian captivity. That confrontation was provoked by Hananiah's false promise of peace and swift deliverance, set against Jeremiah's severe warnings which the false prophet condemned while promising prosperity.
The message to be heard agrees with earlier prophetic warnings that Judah must submit to Babylon for the appointed time. Return from captivity depends on repentance and obedience to God's law. The false reassurance concealed the people's sins, encouraged them to resist the true counsel, and intensified their hostility toward the true prophet. Yet God does not alter His message to suit the wishes of the wicked.
The call to hear introduces the test that a prophet who foretells peace is proved true only when his prediction comes to pass. Hananiah's contrary prophecy was exposed as false when its promised deliverance failed. Its speaker died as Jeremiah had foretold.
Nevertheless hear now is a public summons to listen, spoken by Jeremiah both to the opposing prophet Hananiah and to all the people gathered with the priests to hear the word he is about to speak. It belongs to the open confrontation between true and false prophets during the Babylonian captivity. That confrontation was provoked by Hananiah's false promise of peace and swift deliverance, set against Jeremiah's severe warnings which the false prophet condemned while promising prosperity.
The message to be heard agrees with earlier prophetic warnings that Judah must submit to Babylon for the appointed time. Return from captivity depends on repentance and obedience to God's law. The false reassurance concealed the people's sins, encouraged them to resist the true counsel, and intensified their hostility toward the true prophet. Yet God does not alter His message to suit the wishes of the wicked.
The call to hear introduces the test that a prophet who foretells peace is proved true only when his prediction comes to pass. Hananiah's contrary prophecy was exposed as false when its promised deliverance failed. Its speaker died as Jeremiah had foretold.