Jeremiah Versus the False Prophet Hananiah: In the midst of a turbulent time, Jeremiah’s message was not the only one that was being heard in Jerusalem. Other prophets with different messages were also active. Hananiah is an example of a rival prophet, and in chapter 28, these two will almost come to blows.

The book of Deuteronomy anticipated the presence of false prophets. False prophets are those who are not sent by Yahweh, though they might speak in his name. Deuteronomy 13 and 18 provide the people with two tests by which they were to determine whether or not they should listen to a prophet. Deuteronomy 13:1–5 describes a situation where a prophet presents a message that comes true, but then urges the people to follow a god other than Yahweh. Even though the message came true, the proph…