Yet, LORD, thou knowest all their counsel against me to slay me: forgive not their iniquity, neither blot out their sin from thy sight, but let them be overthrown before thee; deal thus with them in the time of thine anger.
What does Jeremiah 18:23 mean?
When the prophet called to repentance, instead of obeying the call, the people devised devices against him.
Key themes
Read with
Keep this verse inside Jeremiah 18:22-23 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on Jeremiah 18:23
Yet, Lord - Better, But, Lord. They conceal their plots, but God knows, and therefore must punish. Neither blot out ... - Or, "blot not out their sin from before Thy face that they may be made to stumble before Thee." Thus - Omit this word. Since there is an acceptable time and a day of salvation, so there is a time of anger, and Jeremiah's prayer is that God would deal with his enemies at such a time, and when therefore no mercy would be shown. On imprecations such as these, see Psalm 109 introductory note.
Key words
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Yet, Lord, thou knowest all their counsel against me to slay me,.
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Yet, Lord, thou knowest all their counsel against me to slay me,.
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Yet, Lord, thou knowest all their counsel against me to slay me,.
Context in Jeremiah 18
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Jeremiah 18 belongs to the middle movement of the book, especially the section often described as conflict with kings, priests, and prophets. Jeremiah combines fierce warning, autobiographical anguish, symbolic action, the promise of a new covenant, and the trauma of Jerusalem’s fall. Read this chapter with the wider themes of judgment, tears, and new covenant in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
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