ירמיהו, פרק ל״ז, פסוק י״ט

A weak king's decision to rebel against a massive empire often rests on the dangerous foundation of false promises. King Zedekiah owed his crown to the Chaldeans, yet he chose to break his loyalty to them. Despite his lack of military strength, he was emboldened by politicians and false prophets who assured him that the Babylonian king would never come to punish him. For years, Jeremiah warned that this rebellion would end in absolute destruction. Now, as the disaster unfolds, Jeremiah stands before the king to force him to face reality, asking what happened to all those trusted advisors [ביאור שטיינזלץ].

Jeremiah's demand to know the whereabouts of these prophets is not a simple question about where they are hiding. Instead, it is a sharp, fundamental challenge. He is asking where their grand promises are now. The brutal reality of the moment has shattered their comforting lies, as the Babylonian king has already arrived and besieged the city [מצודת דוד, רד״ק].

These false prophets had claimed to speak with authority, presenting themselves as visionaries across different degrees of spiritual insight. However, the unfolding disaster serves as a final, undeniable proof. Whether they claimed to possess the highest forms of prophecy or more ordinary levels of inspiration, the current reality makes it clear to everyone that they were entirely fraudulent [חומת אנך].