Prophets Who Lie: Jeremiah now trains his sight on false prophets. The rest of the chapter collects various prose and poetic oracles pronouncing judgment on those who claim to speak God’s word when in actuality they do not. Jeremiah was not the only one offering a “word of the LORD.” The false prophets bear a special burden of God’s anger because they make it more difficult for the people to discern the authentic divine message. Jeremiah 28 will recount a particular conflict between Jeremiah and a false prophet named Hananiah.

23:9–12  Jeremiah describes his mental anguish in the light of the judgment (the LORD and his holy words) he is pronouncing. The prophet is shaken to the core, as is represented by the broken heart and shaking bones. He has lost his capacities like a drunk whose mind …