ירמיהו, פרק כ״ג, פסוק ל״ג

Standing before a cynical gathering of the public, false prophets, and priests, Jeremiah faces an audience that masks its scorn with a seemingly innocent inquiry about God's word. The crowd asks for the latest prophecy, but their request relies on a concept that carries a double meaning. It refers both to a prophetic message [מצודת ציון], particularly one delivered through poetic parables [מלבי״ם], and to a heavy physical load [רד״ק, מלבי״ם].

The public, false prophets, and priests [רד״ק, מצודת דוד] are not genuinely seeking divine guidance or a brilliant new teaching [שטיינזלץ]. The primary approach among commentators is that their question is a calculated mockery. By phrasing their request around the idea of a heavy load, they slyly tell Jeremiah that his constant warnings have become an oppressive, exhausting weight upon them [רש״י, מצודת דוד]. Furthermore, because Jeremiah's messages focus on impending destruction rather than beautiful poetry, the crowd uses this dual meaning to mock his style, attempting to reduce his harsh realities into empty fables [מלבי״ם].

God, who examines the deepest intentions of the heart, knows perfectly well that the crowd is merely expressing annoyance and fatigue [רד״ק]. In response, the divine message turns their own cynical wordplay against them. Jeremiah is instructed to answer their mocking question with a harsh truth: they are asking about the heavy load, but they themselves are the actual burden upon God [רש״י, מלבי״ם].

The consequence of their attitude is complete abandonment [רש״י, מצודת ציון]. God declares that He will treat them exactly as one treats an unbearable physical weight [מצודת דוד]. He will cast them off and leave them behind, just as a weary person throws off a heavy, crushing load so that it will never be a bother again [רש״י, מצודת דוד, מלבי״ם, שטיינזלץ].