Jeremiah17
American Standard Version · Public Domain
1The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron, and with the point of a diamond: it is graven upon the tablet of their heart, and upon the horns of your altars;
2whilst their children remember their altars and their Asherim by the green trees upon the high hills.
3O my mountain in the field, I will give thy substance and all thy treasures for a spoil, and thy high places, because of sin, throughout all thy borders.
4And thou, even of thyself, shalt discontinue from thy heritage that I gave thee; and I will cause thee to serve thine enemies in the land which thou knowest not: for ye have kindled a fire in mine anger which shall burn for ever.
5Thus saith Jehovah: Cursed is the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from Jehovah.
6For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh, but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, a salt land and not inhabited.
7Blessed is the man that trusteth in Jehovah, and whose trust Jehovah is.
8For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, that spreadeth out its roots by the river, and shall not fear when heat cometh, but its leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.
9The heart is deceitful above all things, and it is exceedingly corrupt: who can know it?
10I, Jehovah, search the mind, I try the heart, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.
11As the partridge that sitteth on eggs which she hath not laid, so is he that getteth riches, and not by right; in the midst of his days they shall leave him, and at his end he shall be a fool.
12A glorious throne, set on high from the beginning, is the place of our sanctuary.
13O Jehovah, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be put to shame. They that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken Jehovah, the fountain of living waters.
14Heal me, O Jehovah, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise.
15Behold, they say unto me, Where is the word of Jehovah? let it come now.
16As for me, I have not hastened from being a shepherd after thee; neither have I desired the woeful day; thou knowest: that which came out of my lips was before thy face.
17Be not a terror unto me: thou art my refuge in the day of evil.
18Let them be put to shame that persecute me, but let not me be put to shame; let them be dismayed, but let not me be dismayed; bring upon them the day of evil, and destroy them with double destruction.
19Thus said Jehovah unto me: Go, and stand in the gate of the children of the people, whereby the kings of Judah come in, and by which they go out, and in all the gates of Jerusalem;
20and say unto them, Hear ye the word of Jehovah, ye kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, that enter in by these gates:
21Thus saith Jehovah, Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem;
22neither carry forth a burden out of your houses on the sabbath day, neither do ye any work: but hallow ye the sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers.
23But they hearkened not, neither inclined their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear, and might not receive instruction.
24And it shall come to pass, if ye diligently hearken unto me, saith Jehovah, to bring in no burden through the gates of this city on the sabbath day, but to hallow the sabbath day, to do no work therein;
25then shall there enter in by the gates of this city kings and princes sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they, and their princes, the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and this city shall remain for ever.
26And they shall come from the cities of Judah, and from the places round about Jerusalem, and from the land of Benjamin, and from the lowland, and from the hill-country, and from the South, bringing burnt-offerings, and sacrifices, and meal-offerings, and frankincense, and bringing sacrifices of thanksgiving, unto the house of Jehovah.
27But if ye will not hearken unto me to hallow the sabbath day, and not to bear a burden and enter in at the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath day; then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched.
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Jeremiah 17.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: The fatal consequences of the idolatry of the Jews. (1-4). The happiness of the man that trusts in God; the end of the opposite character. (5-11). The malice of the prophet's enemies. (12-18). The observance of the sabbath. (19-27).
vv1-4
The sins which men commit make little impression on their minds, yet every sin is marked in the book of God; they are all so graven upon the table of the heart, that they will all be remembered by the conscience. That which is graven in the heart will become plain in the life; men's actions show the desires and purposes of their hearts. What need we have to humble ourselves before God, who are so vile in his sight! How should we depend on his mercy and grace, begging of God to search and prove us; not to suffer us to be deceived by our own hearts, but to create in us a clean and holy nature by his Spirit!
vv5-11
He who puts confidence in man, shall be like the heath in a desert, a naked tree, a sorry shrub, the product of barren ground, useless and worthless. Those who trust to their own righteousness and strength, and think they can do without Christ, make flesh their arm, and their souls cannot prosper in graces or comforts. Those who make God their Hope, shall flourish like a tree always green, whose leaf does not wither. They shall be fixed in peace and satisfaction of mind; they shall not be anxious in a year of drought. Those who make God their Hope, have enough in him to make up the want of all creature-comforts. They shall not cease from yielding fruit in holiness and good works. The heart, the conscience of man, in his corrupt and fallen state, is deceitful above all things. It calls evil good, and good evil; and cries peace to those to whom it does not belong. Herein the heart is desperately wicked; it is deadly, it is desperate. The case is bad indeed, if the conscience, which should set right the errors of other faculties, is a leader in the delusion. We cannot know our own hearts, nor what they will do in an hour of temptation. Who can understand his errors? Much less can we know the hearts of others, or depend upon them. He that believes God's testimony in this matter, and learns to watch his own heart, will find this is a correct, though a sad picture, and learns many lessons to direct his conduct. But much in our own hearts and in the hearts of others, will remain unknown. Yet whatever wickedness there is in the heart, God sees it. Men may be imposed upon, but God cannot be deceived. He that gets riches, and not by right, though he may make them his hope, never shall have joy of them. This shows what vexation it is to a worldly man at death, that he must leave his riches behind; but though the wealth will not follow to another world, guilt will, and everlasting torment. The rich man takes pains to get an estate, and sits brooding upon it, but never has any satisfaction in it; by sinful courses it comes to nothing. Let us be wise in time; what we get, let us get it honestly; and what we have, use it charitably, that we may be wise for eternity.
vv12-18
The prophet acknowledges the favour of God in setting up religion. There is fulness of comfort in God, overflowing, ever-flowing fulness, like a fountain. It is always fresh and clear, like spring-water, while the pleasures of sin are puddle-waters. He prays to God for healing, saving mercy. He appeals to God concerning his faithful discharge of the office to which he was called. He humbly begs that God would own and protect him in the work to which he had plainly called him. Whatever wounds or diseases we find to be in our hearts and consciences, let us apply to the Lord to heal us, to save us, that our souls may praise his name. His hands can bind up the troubled conscience, and heal the broken heart; he can cure the worst diseases of our nature.
Key Words
חַטָּאָה: an offence (sometimes habitual sinfulness), and its penalty, occasion, sacrifice, or expiation; also (concretely) an offender
יְהוּדָה: Jehudah (or Judah), the name of five Israelites; also of the tribe descended from the first, and of its territory
כָּתַב: to grave, by implication, to write (describe, inscribe, prescribe, subscribe)
עֵט: a stylus or marking stick
בַּרְזֶל: iron (as cutting); by extension, an iron implement
צִפֹּרֶן: properly, a claw, i.e. (human) nail; also the point of astyle (or pen, tipped with adamant)
שָׁמִיר: a thorn; also (from its keenness for scratching) a gem, probably the diamond
חָרַשׁ: to scratch, i.e. (by implication) to engrave, plough; hence (from the use of tools) to fabricate (of any material); figuratively, to devise (in a bad sense); hence (from the idea of secrecy) to be silent, to let alone; hence (by implication) to be deaf (as an accompaniment of dumbness)
לוּחַ: probably meaning to glisten; a tablet (as polished), of stone, wood or metal
לֵב: the heart; also used (figuratively) very widely for the feelings, the will and even the intellect; likewise for the centre of anything
Cross References
Jeremiah 17Direct conceptual and verbal parallel describing the righteous man as a flourishing tree planted by water.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
Identical metaphor of Yahweh as the 'fountain of living waters' whom Israel has foolishly forsaken.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
Contrasts sin graven on the heart with writing God's law/mercy on the table of the heart.
Supported by JFB
Parallel imagery of indelible engraving using an iron pen or lead for permanent recording.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
The Mosaic warning that the land must rest and keep its sabbaths during exile.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The historical context of Judah's cursed trust in Egypt (making flesh their arm) instead of Yahweh.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
New Testament parallel of the rich fool who amasses wealth but leaves it mid-life.
Supported by Matthew Henry
The historical, practical enforcement of Jeremiah's warning against bearing sabbath burdens through Jerusalem's gates.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Verbal link showing children participating in and carrying on their parents' idolatrous practices.
Supported by JFB
Uses the same rare Hebrew word for 'heath' or naked desert shrub as a curse.
Supported by JFB
The covenant curse of the land turning into a barren, salt wasteland.
Supported by JFB
Christ's confirmation that God knows the deceitful hearts of men, exposing false appearances.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Parallel description of God searching the heart and testing the reins to execute justice.
Supported by John Calvin
The prayerful appeal to the Lord as the unique searcher of hearts.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Prophetic parallel on the absolute necessity of hallowing the Sabbath and restraining personal works.
Supported by Matthew Henry