Shemaiah demands accountability from Zephaniah by questioning his failure to silence Jeremiah. The question form pressures Zephaniah to act against a true prophet by framing inaction as dereliction of duty. By asking rather than simply accusing, Shemaiah implies that Zephaniah’s negligence is obvious and indefensible.

Zephaniah the priest read Shemaiah’s letter in the hearing of Jeremiah the prophet rather than acting against him (Jeremiah 29:29). The text does not record Zephaniah rebuking Jeremiah or taking disciplinary action, indicating he recognized Jeremiah’s prophetic authenticity despite the accusatory pressure from Babylon.

Shemaiah’s question reveals the classic strategy of false teachers: co-opt legitimate authority structures against true prophets. The interrogative ‘why have you not rebuked’ presumes Jeremiah deserves rebuke and frames Zephaniah’s inaction as failure. The Hebrew construction emphasizes the expected negative: Zephaniah should have already acted. By identifying Jeremiah geographically (‘of Anathoth’) rather than by divine calling, Shemaiah diminishes his authority to mere hometown origin. The phrase ‘maketh himself a prophet’ (Hebrew מִתְנַבֵּא, mitnabbē in Hithpael stem) suggests self-assertion rather than divine appointment. Shemaiah asks rather than commands because he needs Zephaniah’s cooperation; he cannot silence Jeremiah from Babylon. The question’s accusatory force attempts to shame Zephaniah into compliance, weaponizing priestly duty against prophetic truth. This reflects the perpetual tension between institutional religious authority and prophetic challenge, a conflict that would reach its apex in Christ’s confrontation with the Sanhedrin.