Verse Lens · Concise explanation
Jeremiah 5:31 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 31. 31The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
The prophetic word through Jeremiah presses the question “The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means” at Jeremiah 5:31 within “Prophets, Priests, and Popular Consent Share the Horror.”
Read It With
- Jeremiah 5:30–31
Read Jeremiah 5:31 with 5:30–31. By itself, “The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means” can be detached from the speaker, addressee, date, imperial horizon, poetic movement, or outcome that gives it force. The complete unit establishes: False prophetic speech, priestly self-rule, and public preference form a mutually reinforcing institutional crisis.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Within the same chapter, this unit advances from “Traps and Great Houses Conceal Exploitation” into “Prophets, Priests, and Popular Consent Share the Horror.” Its non-interchangeable movement is: False prophetic speech, priestly self-rule, and public preference form a mutually reinforcing institutional crisis. This verse's placement is specific: The prophetic word through Jeremiah presses the question “The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means” at Jeremiah 5:31 within “Prophets, Priests, and Popular Consent Share the Horror.”
What Remains True
Confidence, popularity, severity, and even short-term outcomes are insufficient without truth, character, and accountability. In Jeremiah 5:31, that bounded truth is carried through this verse's role: The prophetic word through Jeremiah presses the question “The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means” at Jeremiah 5:31 within “Prophets, Priests, and Popular Consent Share the Horror.”
How It Can Shape Life
- Test claims without violence or stigma, preserve due process, and revise conclusions when evidence changes. This response follows Jeremiah 5:30–31's specific concern, “Prophets, Priests, and Popular Consent Share the Horror.” This verse directs that response through its exact role: The prophetic word through Jeremiah presses the question “The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means” at Jeremiah 5:31 within “Prophets, Priests, and Popular Consent Share the Horror.”
Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Jeremiah 5:30–31 — Prophets, Priests, and Popular Consent Share the HorrorSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, verse order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete thought-unit coverage.
Exact location: Jeremiah 5:30–31, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Jeremiah
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2; fixed commit
Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording and morphology checked at the exact unit without treating morphology as a critical apparatus or interpretation.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Jer.xml, OSIS 5:30–31
Open the fixed Hebrew Jeremiah file ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible: Jeremiah with Translator, Textual, and Study Notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press; official eBible PDF distribution, NET Bible Second Edition; official PDF accessed 2026
Supports: Verse-level controls for Hebrew, syntax, older KJV language, dates, names, textual problems, and material translation alternatives.
Exact location: Official NET Bible Jeremiah PDF, pp. 1258-1459, translator, study, and textual notes attached to Jeremiah 5:30–31
Open the official NET Jeremiah PDF ↗