Jeremiah17
English Standard Version
1The of is with a of ; with a of it is on the of their , and on the of their ,
2while their their and their , beside every and on the ,
3on the in the . Your and your I will for as the price of your for throughout your .
4You shall your hand from your that I to you, and I will make you your in a that you do not , for in my a is that shall .
5 the Lord: is the who in and his , whose turns from the Lord.
6He is like a in the , and shall not any . He shall the of the , in an .
7 is the who in the Lord, whose is the Lord.
8He is like a by , that sends its by the , and does not when , for its remain , and is not in the of , for it does to .
9The is above things, and ; it?
10I the Lord the and the , to every according to his , according to the of his .
11Like the that a brood that she did not , so is he who but not by ; in the of his they will him, and at his he will be a .
12A set on from the is the of our .
13O Lord, the of , who you shall be ; those who from shall be in the , for they have the Lord, the of .
14 me, O Lord, and I shall be ; me, and I shall be , for you are my .
15 , they to me, is the of the Lord? Let it !
16I have not being your , nor have I the of . You what came of my ; it was your .
17Be not a to me; you are my in the of .
18Let those be who me, but let me not be ; let them be , but let me not be ; upon them the of ; them with !
19 the Lord to me: and in the , by which the of and by which they , and in the of ,
20and : the of the Lord, you of , and , and the of , who by these .
21 the Lord: for the sake of your , and do not a on the or it in by the of .
22And do carry a of your on the or any , but the , as I your .
23Yet they did not or their , but their , that they might not and .
24But if you to me, the Lord, and in no by the of this on the , but the holy and on it,
25then there shall by the of this and who on the of , in and on , they and their , the of and the of . And this shall be .
26And people shall from the of and the places , from the of , from the , from the , and from the , and , and , and to the of the Lord.
27But you do not to me, to the , and not to a and by the of on the , then I will a in its , and it shall the of and shall not be .
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