9 Bible Verses about False Prophets
Most Relevant Verses
To the law and to the testimony! If not, let them say after this manner, 'That there is no dawn to it.'
'But, take heed of the false prophets, who come unto you in sheep's clothing, and inwardly are ravening wolves. From their fruits ye shall know them; do men gather from thorns grapes? or from thistles figs?
Saying diligently to those despising The word of Jehovah: Peace is for you, And to every one walking in the stubbornness of his heart they have said: Evil doth not come in unto you.
And Jeremiah the prophet saith unto Hananiah the prophet, 'Hear, I pray thee, O Hananiah; Jehovah hath not sent thee, and thou hast caused this people to trust on falsehood.
And when thou sayest in thy heart, How do we know the word which Jehovah hath not spoken? -- that which the prophet speaketh in the name of Jehovah, and the thing is not, and cometh not -- it is the word which Jehovah hath not spoken; in presumption hath the prophet spoken it; -- thou art not afraid of him.
Thus said Jehovah of Hosts: Ye do not hearken unto the words Of the prophets who are prophesying to you, They are making you vain things, A vision of their own heart they speak, Not from the mouth of Jehovah.
Bible Theasaurus
From Thematic Bible
Divination » Practised by » False prophets
And Jehovah saith unto me: Falsehood the prophets are prophesying in My name, I did not send them, nor command them, Nor have I spoken unto them: A false vision, and divination, and vanity, And the deceit of their own heart, they are prophesying to you.
Thus said the Lord Jehovah: Woe unto the prophets who are foolish, Who are going after their own spirit, And they have seen nothing.
They have seen vanity, and lying divination, Who are saying: An affirmation of Jehovah, And Jehovah hath not sent them, And they have hoped to establish a word.
Dreams » False prophets » Not to be regarded in
And ye, ye do not hearken unto your prophets, and unto your diviners, and unto your dreamers, and unto your observers of clouds, and unto your sorcerers who are speaking unto you, saying, Ye do not serve the king of Babylon, --
'When there ariseth in your midst a prophet, or a dreamer of a dream, and he hath given unto thee a sign or wonder, and the sign and the wonder hath come which he hath spoken of unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods (which thou hast not known), and serve them, thou dost not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or unto that dreamer of the dream, for Jehovah your God is trying you, to know whether ye are loving Jehovah your God with all your heart, and with all your soul;
Dreams » False prophets » Pretended to
For thus said Jehovah of Hosts, God of Israel, Let not your prophets who are in your midst, and your diviners, lift you up, nor hearken ye unto their dreams, that ye are causing them to dream;
I have heard that which the prophets said, Who prophesy in My name falsehood, saying, 'I have dreamed, I have dreamed.' Till when is it in the heart of the prophets? The prophets of falsehood, Yea, prophets of the deceit of their heart, Who are devising to cause My people To forget My name by their dreams, That they recount each to his neighbour, As their fathers forgot my name for Baal. read more.
The prophet with whom is a dream, Let him recount the dream, And he with whom is My word, Let him truly speak My word. What -- to the straw with the corn? An affirmation of Jehovah.
Dreams » False prophets » Condemned for pretending to
Lo, I am against the prophets of false dreams, An affirmation of Jehovah, And they recount them, and cause my people to err, By their falsehoods, and by their instability, And I -- I have not sent them, Nor have I commanded them, And they are not at all profitable to this people, An affirmation of Jehovah.
Flattery » Exemplified » False prophets
And the messenger who hath gone to call Micaiah hath spoken unto him, saying, 'Lo, I pray thee, the words of the prophets, with one mouth, are good towards the king; let it be, I pray thee, thy word as the word of one of them -- and thou hast spoken good.'
Foxes » Illustrative of » False prophets
Ignorance of God » Exemplified » False prophets
Blind are his watchmen -- all of them, They have not known, All of them are dumb dogs, they are not able to bark, Dozing, lying down, loving to slumber. And the dogs are strong of desire, They have not known sufficiency, And they are shepherds! They have not known understanding, All of them to their own way they did turn, Each to his dishonest gain from his quarter:
False prophets » The people » Warned not to listen to
And ye, ye do not hearken unto your prophets, and unto your diviners, and unto your dreamers, and unto your observers of clouds, and unto your sorcerers who are speaking unto you, saying, Ye do not serve the king of Babylon, --
Thus said Jehovah of Hosts: Ye do not hearken unto the words Of the prophets who are prophesying to you, They are making you vain things, A vision of their own heart they speak, Not from the mouth of Jehovah.
thou dost not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or unto that dreamer of the dream, for Jehovah your God is trying you, to know whether ye are loving Jehovah your God with all your heart, and with all your soul;
For I have not sent them -- an affirmation of Jehovah -- and they are prophesying in My name falsely, so as to drive you out, and ye have perished, ye, and the prophets who are prophesying to you.' And unto the priests, and unto all this people, I have spoken, saying, 'Thus said Jehovah, Ye do not hearken unto the words of your prophets, who are prophesying to you, saying, Lo, the vessels of the house of Jehovah are brought back from Babylon now in haste, for falsehood they are prophesying to you.
False prophets » Judgments denounced against
At that time, an affirmation of Jehovah, They bring the bones of the kings of Judah, And the bones of its princes, And the bones of the priests, And the bones of the prophets, And the bones of inhabitants of Jerusalem, Out of their graves,
Therefore, thus said Jehovah concerning the prophets who are prophesying in My name, and I have not sent them, and they are saying, Sword and famine is not in this land: By sword and by famine are these prophets consumed.
Therefore, thus said Jehovah, Lo, I am seeing after Shemaiah the Nehelamite, and after his seed, he hath none dwelling in the midst of this people, nor doth he look on the good that I am doing to My people -- an affirmation of Jehovah -- for apostasy he hath spoken against Jehovah.'
Therefore thus said Jehovah, Lo, I am casting thee from off the face of the ground; this year thou diest, for apostasy thou hast spoken concerning Jehovah.'
False prophets » Prophesied » Peace, when there was no peace
Saying diligently to those despising The word of Jehovah: Peace is for you, And to every one walking in the stubbornness of his heart they have said: Evil doth not come in unto you.
And they heal the breach of the daughter of my people slightly, Saying, 'Peace, peace!' and there is no peace.
Because, even because, they did cause My people to err, Saying, Peace! and there is no peace, And that one is building a wall, And lo, they are daubing it with chalk.
Thus said Jehovah concerning the prophets Who are causing My people to err, Who are biting with their teeth, And have cried 'Peace,' And he who doth not give unto their mouth, They have sanctified against him war.
False prophets » Mode of trying and detecting
Beloved, every spirit believe not, but prove the spirits, if of God they are, because many false prophets have gone forth to the world; in this know ye the Spirit of God; every spirit that doth confess Jesus Christ in the flesh having come, of God it is, and every spirit that doth not confess Jesus Christ in the flesh having come, of God it is not; and this is that of the antichrist, which ye heard that it doth come, and now in the world it is already.
And when thou sayest in thy heart, How do we know the word which Jehovah hath not spoken? -- that which the prophet speaketh in the name of Jehovah, and the thing is not, and cometh not -- it is the word which Jehovah hath not spoken; in presumption hath the prophet spoken it; -- thou art not afraid of him.
'When there ariseth in your midst a prophet, or a dreamer of a dream, and he hath given unto thee a sign or wonder,
False prophets » Not sent or commissioned by God
And Jehovah saith unto me: Falsehood the prophets are prophesying in My name, I did not send them, nor command them, Nor have I spoken unto them: A false vision, and divination, and vanity, And the deceit of their own heart, they are prophesying to you.
I have not sent the prophets, and they have run, I have not spoken unto them, and they have prophesied.
Send unto all the removal, saying, Thus said Jehovah concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite, Because that Shemaiah prophesied to you, and I -- I have not sent him, and he doth cause you to trust on falsehood,
False prophets » Often practised divination and witchcraft
and having gone through the island unto Paphos, they found a certain magian, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name is Bar-Jesus;
And Jehovah saith unto me: Falsehood the prophets are prophesying in My name, I did not send them, nor command them, Nor have I spoken unto them: A false vision, and divination, and vanity, And the deceit of their own heart, they are prophesying to you.
And its prophets have daubed for them with chalk, Seeing a vain thing, and divining for them a lie, Saying, 'Thus said the Lord Jehovah:' And Jehovah hath not spoken.
False prophets » Pretended to be sent by God
Saying diligently to those despising The word of Jehovah: Peace is for you, And to every one walking in the stubbornness of his heart they have said: Evil doth not come in unto you. For who hath stood in the counsel of Jehovah, And seeth and heareth His word? Who hath regarded My word, and hearkeneth?
Lo, I am against the prophets, An affirmation of Jehovah, Who are making smooth their tongue, And they affirm -- an affirmation.
False prophets » Described as » Immoral and profane
And in prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible thing, Committing adultery, and walking falsely, Yea, they strengthened the hands of evil doers, So that they have not turned back Each from his wickedness, They have been to me -- all of them -- as Sodom, And its inhabitants as Gomorrah.
For both prophet and priest have been profane, Yea, in My house I found their wickedness, An affirmation of Jehovah.
False prophets » Prophesied » Out of their own heart
Till when is it in the heart of the prophets? The prophets of falsehood, Yea, prophets of the deceit of their heart,
Thus said Jehovah of Hosts: Ye do not hearken unto the words Of the prophets who are prophesying to you, They are making you vain things, A vision of their own heart they speak, Not from the mouth of Jehovah.
False prophets » Often pretended to dreams, &c
The prophet with whom is a dream, Let him recount the dream, And he with whom is My word, Let him truly speak My word. What -- to the straw with the corn? An affirmation of Jehovah.
Lo, I am against the prophets of false dreams, An affirmation of Jehovah, And they recount them, and cause my people to err, By their falsehoods, and by their instability, And I -- I have not sent them, Nor have I commanded them, And they are not at all profitable to this people, An affirmation of Jehovah.
False prophets » Women sometimes acted as
'But I have against thee a few things: That thou dost suffer the woman Jezebel, who is calling herself a prophetess, to teach, and to lead astray, my servants to commit whoredom, and idol-sacrifices to eat;
Be mindful, O my God, of Tobiah, and of Sanballat, according to these his works, and also, of Noadiah the prophetess, and of the rest of the prophets who have been making me afraid.
False prophets » Predicted to arise » Before destruction of jerusalem
for there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and they shall give great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, also the chosen.
False prophets » The people » Led into error by
And in prophets of Samaria I have seen folly, They have prophesied by Baal, And cause my people -- Israel -- to err.
Thus said Jehovah concerning the prophets Who are causing My people to err, Who are biting with their teeth, And have cried 'Peace,' And he who doth not give unto their mouth, They have sanctified against him war.
False prophets » The people » Encouraged and praised
The prophets have prophesied falsely, And the priests bear rule by their means, And My people have loved it so, And what do they at its latter end?
Woe to you when all men shall speak well of you -- for according to these things were their fathers doing to false prophets.
False prophets » The people » Taught profaneness and sin by
And in prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible thing, Committing adultery, and walking falsely, Yea, they strengthened the hands of evil doers, So that they have not turned back Each from his wickedness, They have been to me -- all of them -- as Sodom, And its inhabitants as Gomorrah. Therefore, thus said Jehovah of Hosts, concerning the prophets: Lo, I am causing them to eat wormwood, And have caused them to drink water of gall, For, from prophets of Jerusalem Hath profanity gone forth to all the land.
False prophets » Made use of by God to prove israel
thou dost not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or unto that dreamer of the dream, for Jehovah your God is trying you, to know whether ye are loving Jehovah your God with all your heart, and with all your soul;
False prophets » Influenced by evil spirits
And the spirit goeth out, and standeth before Jehovah, and saith, I -- I do entice him; and Jehovah saith unto him, By what? and he saith, I go out, and have been a spirit of falsehood in the mouth of all his prophets; and He saith, Thou dost entice, and also thou art able; go out and do so.
False prophets » Prophesied » Lies in the name of the lord
And Jehovah saith unto me: Falsehood the prophets are prophesying in My name, I did not send them, nor command them, Nor have I spoken unto them: A false vision, and divination, and vanity, And the deceit of their own heart, they are prophesying to you.
False prophets » The people » Made to forget God's name by
Who are devising to cause My people To forget My name by their dreams, That they recount each to his neighbour, As their fathers forgot my name for Baal.
False prophets » The people » Deprived of God's word by
Therefore, lo, I am against the prophets, An affirmation of Jehovah, Stealing My words each from his neighbour.
False prophets » Involved the people in their own ruin
Elder, and accepted of face, he is the head, Prophet, teacher of falsehood, he is the tail. And the eulogists of this people are causing to err, And its eulogised ones are consumed.
False prophets » Described as » Light and treacherous
Her prophets unstable -- men of treachery, Her priests have polluted the sanctuary, They have violated the law.
False prophets » Prophesied » Falsely
The prophets have prophesied falsely, And the priests bear rule by their means, And My people have loved it so, And what do they at its latter end?
False prophets » The people » Oppressed and defrauded by
A conspiracy of its prophets is in its midst, as a roaring lion tearing prey; The soul they have devoured, Wealth and glory they have taken, Its widows have multiplied in its midst.
False prophets » Compared to wind
And the prophets become wind, And the word is not in them,' -- thus it is done by them.
False prophets » Described as » Crafty
'But, take heed of the false prophets, who come unto you in sheep's clothing, and inwardly are ravening wolves.
False prophets » Prophesied » In the name of false gods
The priests have not said, 'Where is Jehovah?' And those handling the law have not known Me. And the shepherds transgressed against Me, And the prophets have prophesied by Baal, And after those who profit not have gone.
False prophets » Often deceived by God as a judgment
And the prophet, when he is enticed, and hath spoken a word -- I, Jehovah, I have enticed that prophet, and have stretched out My hand against him, and have destroyed him from the midst of My people Israel.
False prophets » Compared to foxes in the desert
False prophets » Called foolish prophets
Thus said the Lord Jehovah: Woe unto the prophets who are foolish, Who are going after their own spirit, And they have seen nothing.
False prophets » Predicted to arise » In the latter times
And there did come also false prophets among the people, as also among you there shall be false teachers, who shall bring in besides destructive sects, and the Master who bought them denying, bringing to themselves quick destruction,
False prophets » Described as » Drunken
And even these through wine have erred, And through strong drink have wandered, Priest and prophet erred through strong drink, They have been swallowed up of the wine, They wandered because of the strong drink, They have erred in seeing, They have stumbled judicially.
False prophets » Described as » Covetous
Her heads for a bribe do judge, And her priests for hire do teach, And her prophets for silver divine, And on Jehovah they lean, saying, 'Is not Jehovah in our midst? Evil doth not come in upon us.'
Women » False prophets
And thou, son of man, set thy face against the daughters of thy people, who are prophesying out of their own heart, and prophesy concerning them, And thou hast said: Thus said the Lord Jehovah: Woe to those sowing pillows for all joints of the arm, And to those making the kerchiefs For the head of every stature -- to hunt souls, The souls do ye hunt of My people? And the souls ye have do ye keep alive? Yea, ye pierce Me concerning My people, For handfuls of barley, And for pieces of bread, to put to death Souls that should not die, And to keep alive souls that should not live, By your lying to My people -- hearkening to lies. read more.
Therefore, thus said the Lord Jehovah: Lo, I am against your pillows, With which ye are hunting there the souls of the flourishing, And I have rent them from off your arms, And have sent away the souls that ye are hunting, The souls of the flourishing. And I have torn your kerchiefs, And delivered My people out of your hand, And they are no more in your hand for a prey, And ye have known that I am Jehovah. Because of paining the heart of the righteous with falsehood, And I have not pained it, And strengthening the hands of the wicked, So as not to turn back from his evil way, To keep him alive, Therefore, vanity ye do not see, And divination ye do not divine again, And I have delivered My people out of your hand, And ye have known that I am Jehovah!'
Topics on False Prophets
Dreams And False Prophets
Deuteronomy 13:1-3'When there ariseth in your midst a prophet, or a dreamer of a dream, and he hath given unto thee a sign or wonder,
False Prophets Denounced
Jeremiah 23:9-40In reference to the prophets: Broken hath been my heart in my midst, Fluttered have all my bones, I have been as a man -- a drunkard, And as a man -- wine hath passed over him, Because of Jehovah, and of His holy words.
False Prophets, Examples Of
Revelation 2:20'But I have against thee a few things: That thou dost suffer the woman Jezebel, who is calling herself a prophetess, to teach, and to lead astray, my servants to commit whoredom, and idol-sacrifices to eat;