Catholic Commentary on Jeremiah 28

“Listen, Hananiah! The LORD has not sent you, yet you have persuaded this nation to trust in lies.” (Jeremiah 28:15)

The False Prophet Hananiah

The prophet Hananiah confronts Jeremiah in the temple and breaks the yoke from Jeremiah's neck, proclaiming: within two years I will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon off the neck of all the nations. Jeremiah responds: the prophets who preceded you and me from ancient times prophesied war, disaster, and plague against many countries and great kingdoms. But the prophet who prophesies peace will be recognized as one truly sent by the LORD only if his prediction comes true. Listen, Hananiah! The LORD has not sent you, yet you have persuaded this nation to trust in lies. Therefore, this is what the LORD says: I am about to remove you from the face of the earth. This very year you are going to die, because you have preached rebellion against the LORD. Hananiah dies that year.

The Catechism identifies the discernment of true from false prophecy as one of the most demanding tasks of the covenant community: the word that tells people what they want to hear is the first sign of falsehood (CCC 2285).

Living the Word

Brothers and sisters, the prophets who preceded you prophesied war and disaster; the false prophet prophesies peace when there is no peace. The message that costs nothing to receive is the message to scrutinise most carefully. Genuine prophetic words require something of those who hear them. If the word only comforts and never disturbs, ask who sent it.

Prayer

Lord God, give your people the discernment to distinguish the word that costs nothing from the word that requires everything. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

28
Hananiah’s False Prophecy
1 In the fifth month of that same year, the fourth year, near the beginning of the reign of King Zedekiah of Judah, the prophet Hananiah son of Azzur, who was from Gibeon, said to me in the house of the LORD in the presence of the priests and all the people: 2 “This is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. 3 Within two years I will restore to this place all the articles of the house of the LORD that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon removed from here and carried to Babylon. 4 And I will restore to this place Jeconiah * 28:4 Jeconiah is a variant of Jehoiachin; see 2 Kings 24:12. son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, along with all the exiles from Judah who went to Babylon,’ declares the LORD, ‘for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.’ ”
 
5 Then the prophet Jeremiah replied to the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests and all the people who were standing in the house of the LORD. 6 “Amen!” Jeremiah said. “May the LORD do so! May the LORD fulfill the words you have prophesied, and may He restore the articles of His house and all the exiles back to this place from Babylon.
 
7 Nevertheless, listen now to this message I am speaking in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people. 8 The prophets of old who preceded you and me prophesied war, disaster, and plague against many lands and great kingdoms. 9 As for the prophet who prophesies peace, only if the word of the prophet comes true will the prophet be recognized as one the LORD has truly sent.”
 
10 Then the prophet Hananiah took the yoke off the neck of Jeremiah the prophet and broke it. 11 And in the presence of all the people Hananiah proclaimed, “This is what the LORD says: ‘In this way, within two years I will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon off the neck of all the nations.’ ”
 
At this, Jeremiah the prophet went on his way. 12 But shortly after Hananiah the prophet had broken the yoke off his neck, the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: 13 “Go and tell Hananiah that this is what the LORD says: ‘You have broken a yoke of wood, but in its place you have fashioned a yoke of iron.’
 
14 For this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘I have put a yoke of iron on the neck of all these nations to make them serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and they will serve him. I have even given him control of the beasts of the field.’ ”
 
15 Then the prophet Jeremiah said to the prophet Hananiah, “Listen, Hananiah! The LORD did not send you, but you have persuaded this people to trust in a lie. 16 Therefore this is what the LORD says: ‘I am about to remove you from the face of the earth. You will die this year because you have preached rebellion against the LORD.’ ”
 
17 And in the seventh month of that very year, the prophet Hananiah died.

*28:4 28:4 Jeconiah is a variant of Jehoiachin; see 2 Kings 24:12.

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