and perpetual humiliation
The use of "perpetual humiliation" emphasizes the ongoing nature of the disgrace that will befall those who have turned away from God's truth. This humiliation is not just a temporary setback but a lasting condition. In the ancient Near Eastern culture, honor and shame were pivotal societal values, and to be humiliated was to be stripped of one's dignity and respect. This phrase underscores the seriousness of the leaders' betrayal of their divine mandate and the resulting divine retribution.

that will never be forgotten.”
The finality of this phrase underscores the permanence of the judgment. The memory of their shame and humiliation will endure, serving as a lasting testament to their unfaithfulness. This is a stark warning to future generations about the consequences of forsaking God's commands. The notion of an unforgettable judgment is paralleled in other prophetic writings, such as Isaiah 66:24, where the consequences of rebellion against God are depicted as eternal. This serves as a sobering reminder of the importance of faithfulness and obedience to God's word.

• The speaker is the LORD Himself, not a mere historical process. As in Jeremiah 23:30-32, He is personally confronting those who claim to speak for Him while leading the people astray.

• This direct promise of action recalls passages such as Isaiah 13:11 (“I will punish the world for its evil”) and Amos 4:12 (“prepare to meet your God, O Israel”), underscoring that divine judgment is neither abstract nor avoidable.

• God’s involvement is decisive—no foreign army, political intrigue, or random calamity can be blamed. The LORD is declaring, “I am doing this,” just as He did in Jeremiah 25:9 when He called Nebuchadnezzar “My servant” to execute judgment.

• “Everlasting” signals a shame that outlives earthly circumstances. Unlike temporary disgrace that fades with time, this one parallels Daniel 12:2, where “some to shame and everlasting contempt” speaks of final outcomes.

• The shame is moral and spiritual: exposure of sin, falsity, and rebellion. Compare Ezekiel 16:63, where Israel’s sins leave her “ashamed” when God lays everything bare.

• It is also national. The false prophets promised security (Jeremiah 23:17), yet their deception would stain Judah’s memory the way Egypt’s idolatry did in Hosea 9:6.

• “Perpetual” amplifies the hopelessness—no reversal, no diplomatic rescue, no “second chance” narrative from human hands. Psalm 78:66 pictures enemies God strikes with “lasting disgrace,” the same idea Jeremiah now applies to Judah.

• Humiliation describes being publicly lowered. Jeremiah 20:11 saw the prophet’s own foes “greatly shamed, for they have not succeeded.” Here the roles flip: the nation is the one humiliated, measured by the very standards of covenant faithfulness found in Deuteronomy 28:37.

• This humiliation is relational; it severs the people from their former status as a light to the nations (Isaiah 49:6).

• The finality is staggering. Just as 2 Kings 17:23 notes that Israel’s exile “remains to this day,” the disgrace tied to Judah’s unfaithfulness will be an unforgettable marker in salvation history.

• Memory matters in Scripture: God remembers His covenant (Exodus 2:24), but here He ensures the world remembers Judah’s fall. Lamentations 1:1-2 mourns that Jerusalem became “a widow,” and Revelation 14:11 shows that even in the end times the smoke of certain judgments “goes up forever and ever.”

• The permanence of this memory serves as a warning signpost for all generations, including ours, about the seriousness of distorting God’s word.

Jeremiah 23:40 is God’s solemn verdict on leaders who corrupt His message. He Himself will act, producing a shame that never ends, an unending humiliation, and a reputation of failure that history cannot erase. The verse underscores the gravity of tampering with divine truth and calls every generation to revere, trust, and obey the unchanging Word of the LORD.

Parallel Commentaries ...