Albert Barnes Commentary Jeremiah 23:18

"For who hath stood in the council of Jehovah, that he should perceive and hear his word? who hath marked my word, and heard it?" — Jeremiah 23:18 (ASV)

The prophet now applies this test to the circumstances of the times. A whirlwind has already gone forth (Jeremiah 23:19). Had these false prophets stood in God’s secret “Council” , they, like Jeremiah, would have labored to avert the danger by turning men from their evil way.