King James Version

What Does Jeremiah 23:12 Mean?

Jeremiah 23:12 in the King James Version says “Wherefore their way shall be unto them as slippery ways in the darkness: they shall be driven on, and fall therein: for ...” — study this verse from Jeremiah chapter 23 with commentary, cross-references, and original Hebrew word analysis.

“Wherefore their way shall be unto them as slippery ways in the darkness: they shall be driven on, and fall therein: for I will bring evil upon them, even the year of their visitation, saith the LORD.”

Jeremiah 23:12 · KJV

Context

10

For the land is full of adulterers; for because of swearing the land mourneth; the pleasant places of the wilderness are dried up, and their course is evil, and their force is not right. swearing: or, cursing course: or, violence

11

For both prophet and priest are profane; yea, in my house have I found their wickedness, saith the LORD.

12

Wherefore their way shall be unto them as slippery ways in the darkness: they shall be driven on, and fall therein: for I will bring evil upon them, even the year of their visitation, saith the LORD.

13

And I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria; they prophesied in Baal, and caused my people Israel to err. folly: or, an absurd thing: Heb. unsavoury

14

I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies: they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness: they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah. an: or, filthiness

Read Jeremiah 23 full chapter

Commentary

KJV Study Commentary
Wherefore their way shall be unto them as slippery ways in the darkness—chalaqlaqoth (חֲלַקְלַקּוֹת) means slippery, smooth places where one cannot gain footing. Combined with choshek (חֹשֶׁךְ, darkness), the imagery depicts complete disorientation—unable to see where they're going or maintain stable footing. They shall be driven on, and fall therein—nadach (נָדַח) means pushed, thrust, or banished. They won't choose this path voluntarily but will be driven into judgment, inevitably falling (naphal, נָפַל).

For I will bring evil upon them—ra'ah (רָעָה) means calamity, disaster, or judgment. Even the year of their visitation uses pequddah (פְּקֻדָּה), meaning appointed time of reckoning. This echoes Hosea 9:7: 'The days of visitation are come, the days of recompense are come.' God's patience has limits; there comes an appointed time when accumulated sin meets divine justice. The verse combines natural imagery (slippery darkness) with divine sovereignty (I will bring) to show judgment as both natural consequence and active intervention. Those who rejected God's light stumble in darkness; those who chose crooked paths find no solid footing.

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Historical & Cultural Context

This judgment was fulfilled in 586 BC when Babylon destroyed Jerusalem. The prophets and priests who promised peace experienced the slaughter, starvation, and exile they denied would come. Many fled to Egypt against God's command (Jeremiah 42-43), where tradition says they killed Jeremiah himself. The 'year of their visitation' arrived after decades of warnings—Jeremiah prophesied for forty years before Jerusalem fell. The judgment imagery proved literally true: refugees stumbled through darkness fleeing Babylon's army; leaders who had confidently proclaimed 'Peace!' found no secure path as their world collapsed. This vindicated Jeremiah's unpopular message and confirmed that false prophets face greater judgment than those they deceived.

Reflection Questions

  1. What does the imagery of 'slippery ways in darkness' teach about the inevitable consequences of rejecting divine truth?
  2. How does the concept of God's 'year of visitation' balance His patience with His justice?
  3. In what ways do false teachers today experience the 'slippery darkness' of judgment, even if not immediately visible?

Original Language Analysis

Hebrew · 17 words
לָכֵן֩1 of 17
H3651

properly, set upright; hence (figuratively as adjective) just; but usually (as adverb or conjunction) rightly or so (in various applications to manner

יִֽהְיֶ֨ה2 of 17
H1961

to exist, i.e., be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)

דַרְכָּ֜ם3 of 17

“Wherefore their way”

H1870

a road (as trodden); figuratively, a course of life or mode of action, often adverb

לָהֶ֗ם4 of 17
H1992

they (only used when emphatic)

כַּחֲלַקְלַקּוֹת֙5 of 17

“shall be unto them as slippery”

H2519

properly, something very smooth; i.e., a treacherous spot; figuratively, blandishment

בָּֽאֲפֵלָ֔ה6 of 17

“ways in the darkness”

H653

duskiness, figuratively, misfortune; concrete, concealment

יִדַּ֖חוּ7 of 17

“they shall be driven on”

H1760

to push down

וְנָ֣פְלוּ8 of 17

“and fall”

H5307

to fall, in a great variety of applications (intransitive or causative, literal or figurative)

בָ֑הּ9 of 17
H0
כִּֽי10 of 17
H3588

(by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexed

אָבִ֨יא11 of 17

“therein for I will bring”

H935

to go or come (in a wide variety of applications)

עֲלֵיהֶ֥ם12 of 17
H5921

above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications

רָעָ֛ה13 of 17

“evil”

H7451

bad or (as noun) evil (natural or moral)

שְׁנַ֥ת14 of 17

“upon them even the year”

H8141

a year (as a revolution of time)

פְּקֻדָּתָ֖ם15 of 17

“of their visitation”

H6486

visitation (in many senses, chiefly official)

נְאֻם16 of 17

“saith”

H5002

an oracle

יְהוָֽה׃17 of 17

“the LORD”

H3068

(the) self-existent or eternal; jeho-vah, jewish national name of god

Study Guide

Historical Context

This verse is found in the book of Jeremiah. Understanding the historical and cultural background helps illuminate its meaning for the original audience and for us today.

Theological Significance

Jeremiah 23:12 contributes to our understanding of God's character and His relationship with humanity. Consider how this verse connects to the broader themes of Scripture.

Cross-References

Verses related to Jeremiah 23:12 from Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Jeremiah 13:16Proverbs 4:19Psalms 35:6Jeremiah 11:23Isaiah 8:22Exodus 32:34

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