Jeremiah 33:23

Jeremiah 33:23, in plain English

The narrative pauses to note that God's word came to Jeremiah again—this is a new message following on the heels of the previous promises.

Why it's here

This is a simple structural marker showing the reader that what comes next is a distinct word from God, not a continuation. It's how the writer signals: pay attention, something important is coming.

Who's speaking

The narrator of Jeremiah's book

Where it sits in the story

Throughout Jeremiah, you see this phrase repeated—'the word of the LORD came'—emphasizing that the prophet isn't speaking his own opinions. He's reporting what God actually said, even when it's hard to believe.

The scholarly reading

The narrative voice pauses to indicate that another word from the Lord is coming to Jeremiah.

Language and setting

This transitional formula (Hebrew *wa-yhi dabar-YHWH*) marks a shift within the oracle. It serves a structural function—signaling a new development or a direct response to a potential objection. In the flow of chapter 33, which contains multiple oracular units, this verse provides literary scaffolding and invites the audience to attend closely to what follows.

Voice

The narrator describing Jeremiah's prophetic experience

Significance

Such formulas appear repeatedly throughout Jeremiah (over 100 times in the book) as authenticating devices. They underscore that what follows comes through the prophet as direct divine communication, not personal reflection. This locates Jeremiah within the prophetic tradition established by figures like Samuel and Elijah.

21then My covenant may also be broken with David My servant and with My ministers the Levites who are priests, so that David will not have a son to reign on his throne.

22As the hosts of heaven cannot be counted and as the sand on the seashore cannot be measured, so too will I multiply the descendants of My servant David and the Levites who minister before Me.”

23Moreover, the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah:

24“Have you not noticed what these people are saying: ‘The LORD has rejected the two families He had chosen’? So they despise My people and no longer regard them as a nation.

25This is what the LORD says: If I have not established My covenant with the day and the night and the fixed order of heaven and earth,

Read all of Jeremiah 33 — Call to me and I will answer you. If you can break my covenant with the day and the night, only then can my covenant with David be broken.