Jeremiah 23:16 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, hearken not unto the words of
the prophets that prophesy unto you
Do not hear them; stop your ears at what they say; give no credit to them. The Targum is,
``do not receive the words of the false prophets that prophesy unto you:''
they make you vain;
they filled their heads with vain and empty things, and their hearts with vain hopes, which deceived them; so the Targum,
``they deceive you;''
they taught them vain things, and made them vain and sinful in their lives and conversations; and therefore were not to be hearkened to:
they speak a vision of their own heart, [and] not out of the mouth of the Lord;
what they imagined they saw was a device of their own hearts, and what was agreeable to them, which must be bad enough; a produce of their own brains; an invention of their own; mere doctrines of men, and not such as come from the mouth of God, are his revealed will, and according to his word; and therefore not to be hearkened to; for nothing is to be heard and received, in matters of religion, but what is according to the revelation of God's will in his word; see (
Isaiah 8:20 ) . The Targum is,
``they speak to you the wickedness of their hearts, and not by the word of the Lord.''