Why does Jeremiah say, concerning the prophets, that his “heart is broken,” his “bones shake,” and that he is “like a drunken man overcome by wine”?

The beginning of a new section in Jeremiah (Jeremiah 23:9–24:10) is indicated by the opening words, concerning the prophets. These words announce the theme of the whole section which is the prophets of Judah. The word prophet(s), or prophesy occurs twenty-three times in Jeremiah 23:9–40.¹ The entire section is made up of smaller sections that have been brought together under the heading Concerning the prophets.

The previous section (Jeremiah 21:1–23:8) focused on the kings of Judah. Taken together, these two groups, kings and prophets, represented the most influential leadership in Judah. As such, they carry the greatest responsibility for Judah’s failure. This section ends in Jeremiah 24:1–10 with Jeremiah’s vision of good figs and bad figs. This vision explains the surprising way in which the Lord is working out his plans and purposes despite his judgment of Judah.

The first passage (Jeremiah 23:9–15) in this section begins in Jeremiah 23:9–10 with Jeremiah expressing his personal anguish at the moral and religious state of Judah. This is followed by two passages in Jeremiah 23:11–12 and Jeremiah 23:13–15 where the Lord speaks his word of judgment on the prophets who have misled the people.²

As Jeremiah considers the state of the people of Judah he says, My heart is broken within me. The word heart here refers to Jeremiah’s consciousness, especially his thoughts. The Hebrew word beqirbi, translated as within me, makes it clear that Jeremiah is expressing something of his inner turmoil. His inner being is in such anguish and distress that he does not know what to think or how to react to what he sees happening to his fellow countrymen. His "bones shake,” which is a reference to his strength. The bones gave structure to one’s being, and by saying they are trembling or without strength, Jeremiah describes himself as being in a state of agitation, distress and inability to settle.³ He is like a drunken man overcome by wine, who seems unable to make any sensible decisions or act in any meaningful way. The moral and spiritual state of Judah has totally overwhelmed the Lord’s prophet. And the biggest reason why Jeremiah feels such distress is because of the Lord’s holy words. Jeremiah knows that he has to speak the Lord’s word of judgment against the people. He knows what the Lord’s holy words mean for a sinful and rebellious people, and it causes him extreme distress. This is not the first time that Jeremiah has expressed this kind of turmoil at having to speak a word of judgment against a people that he loves deeply (Jeremiah 20:7–10).