ירמיהו, פרק כ״ח, פסוק ח׳

Jeremiah defends the truth of his harsh message by pointing to the long tradition of the prophets who came before him and his rival, Hananiah. These earlier prophets consistently delivered messages of impending evil and disaster concerning various nations, exactly as Jeremiah is doing in the present moment [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

However, a prophet predicting disaster is not delivering an unavoidable decree of fate. Instead, these harsh messages function primarily as severe warnings. The ultimate and most desirable goal of such a prophecy is actually for it to remain unfulfilled or to be delayed. This ideal outcome happens when people listen to the warning and change their ways [ביאור שטיינזלץ].