ירמיהו, פרק כ״ג, פסוק כ״ג

Against human tendencies to limit divine presence and providence, God presents a piercing rhetorical question aimed directly at false prophets and those who deny Him. This challenge confronts any attempt to restrict the Creator's power, whether in physical space or across time.

The primary approach among commentators focuses on the spatial dimension of God's oversight. According to this line of thought, God asks whether He only sees and judges what is immediately near Him in His upper dwelling. He wonders if people believe He lacks the power to watch over and judge humanity in the lower worlds simply because they seem far away [רש״י, מצודת דוד]. The reality is that His presence and providence are entirely unlimited. He fills both the upper and lower realms equally, without any physical barrier or distance separating Him from His creation [מלבי״ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. This understanding also serves as a direct response to those who reject the possibility of prophecy. Some mistakenly believe God is too elevated and detached to interact with a lowly world. However, because God is never far from the earthly realm, He remains fully capable of watching over it and communicating directly with humanity [מלבי״ם].

In contrast to this spatial understanding, another perspective interprets the concepts of nearness and distance along a timeline. From this viewpoint, being close refers to something newly formed, much like idols and forces of nature that have a distinct starting point in time. Conversely, being far describes that which is ancient, eternal, and without beginning. Therefore, God asks the false prophets if they mistakenly view Him as a newly arrived deity incapable of seeing or hearing. Because He is the eternal Creator who has existed forever, it is clear that He constantly watches, hears, and sees all human actions. This includes the deceitful words of those who falsely claim to speak in His name [רד״ק, אברבנאל].