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Jeremiah 17

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Judah's Engraved Sin and Impending Punishment 1–4

1
The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron, andwith the point of a diamond: it is graven upon the tablet of their heart, and upon the horns of your altars; ​
2
whilst their children remember their altars and their Asherim by the green trees upon the high hills. ​
3
O 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. ​
4
And 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. ​

Trust in Man vs. Trust in God 5–8

5
Thus saith Jehovah: Cursed is the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from Jehovah. ​
6
For 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. ​
7
Blessed is the man that trusteth in Jehovah, and whose trust Jehovah is. ​
8
For 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. ​

The Deceitfulness of the Human Heart 9–11

9
The heart is deceitful above all things, and it is exceedingly corrupt: who can know it? ​
10
I, Jehovah, search the mind, I try the heart, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings. ​
11
As 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. ​

Jeremiah's Confession and Prayer 12–18

12
A glorious throne, seton high from the beginning, is the place of our sanctuary. ​
13
O 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. ​
14
Heal me, O Jehovah, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise. ​
15
Behold, they say unto me, Where is the word of Jehovah? let it come now. ​
16
As 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. ​
17
Be not a terror unto me: thou art my refuge in the day of evil.
18
Let 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. ​

The Importance of Sabbath Observance 19–27

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Thus 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; ​
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and 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:
21
Thus saith Jehovah, Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem; ​
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neither 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.
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But they hearkened not, neither inclined their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear, and might not receive instruction.
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And 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;
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then 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. ​
26
And 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.
27
But 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. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Jeremiah 17

Verse 1

a pen of iron, and with the point of a diamond — Shamir is the hardest stone, rendered 'adamant' in Ezek 3:9. Judah's sin is cut into 'the table of their heart', where mercy and truth were to be written (Prov 3:3), and into 'the horns of your altars', where the blood of the sin offering was put (Lev 4:25).

Verse 2

their groves by the green trees upon the high hills — The 'groves' are the wooden images or posts set beside a pagan altar, as 'the grove that is by it' at the altar of Baal (Judg 6:25); Manasseh 'reared up altars for Baalim, and made groves' (2 Chr 33:3). 'Every high hill and under every green tree' is the place of unfaithfulness in Jer 2:20. The children 'remember' them.

Verse 3

my mountain in the field — The LORD's own city is addressed. Its 'substance and… treasures' go 'to the spoil', as in Jer 15:13, and the king of Babylon later carried out 'all the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king's house… as the LORD had said' (2 Kgs 24:13). Micah's word that Zion 'shall be plowed like a field' is quoted in Jer 26:18.

Verse 4

thou… shalt discontinue from thine heritage — Shamat, to let drop or release, is the verb for the seventh-year release of debts (Deut 15:2) and for letting the land 'rest and lie still' (Ex 23:11). Judah will let go of the land that was owed its sabbaths (Lev 26:34–35; 2 Chr 36:21), and serve enemies in 'a land which thou knowest not'.

Verse 5

Cursed be the man that trusteth in man — Arur, cursed, is set against barukh, blessed, in v.7. 'Flesh his arm' is the 'arm of flesh' of 2 Chr 32:8, where Hezekiah says, 'with us is the LORD our God to help us'. 'It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man' (Ps 118:8). The root fault is a heart that 'departeth from the LORD'.

Verse 6

like the heath in the desert — Ar'ar means stripped or destitute, and is the name of a desert plant, the same as the fuller form aro'er in Jer 48:6, 'be like the heath in the wilderness'. The 'salt land' (melechah) is the barren land of Job 39:6. The man 'shall not see when good cometh'; the same verb in v.8 gives the other man's good: he 'shall not see when heat cometh'.

Verse 7

whose hope the LORD is — Mibtach is the thing trusted, from the verb 'trusteth' (batach): the man trusts, and the LORD is what he trusts in. 'Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust' (Ps 40:4). The blessing answers the curse of v.5 point for point.

Verse 8

a tree planted by the waters — The image is that of Ps 1:3, 'a tree planted by the rivers of water', now in Jeremiah's own words. 'Planted' (shatul) is transplanted, set by the water; the roots reach the stream. 'Shall not be careful in the year of drought' sets him over against v.6: the man in the desert sees no good, this one sees no heat.

Verse 9

The heart is deceitful above all things — 'Deceitful' is aqob, crooked or tracked, and 'desperately wicked' is anush, incurable, the word for Jeremiah's own 'wound incurable' (Jer 15:18) and for the 'woeful day' of v.16. Christ places the same evils 'out of the heart' (Mark 7:21). The question 'who can know it?' is answered in v.10.

Verse 10

I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins — The 'reins' (kilyah) are the kidneys, the inward seat of thought and feeling: 'the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins' (Ps 7:9). Christ takes the words to himself: 'I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts' (Rev 2:23). 'Fruit of his doings' recalls the tree of v.8.

Verse 11

As the partridge sitteth on eggs — The partridge (qore', 'the caller') is named in Scripture only here and in 1 Sam 26:20. Wealth gathered 'not by right' (mishpat) is left 'in the midst of his days'. The closing word is nabal, fool, as in Ps 14:1; cf. Luke 12:20, 'Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee'.

Verse 12

A glorious high throne from the beginning — The prayer turns from those who trust in man to the LORD's throne. Jerusalem is yet to be called 'the throne of the LORD' (Jer 3:17), and Jeremiah pleads 'do not disgrace the throne of thy glory' (Jer 14:21). Ezek 43:7 calls the sanctuary 'the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my feet'.

Verse 13

the fountain of living waters — Maqor chayyim, the LORD's own title in Jer 2:13, where forsaking him is exchanged for 'broken cisterns, that can hold no water'. Those who depart are 'written in the earth', names in dust, against names 'written in heaven' (Luke 10:20). Christ offers 'living water' to the woman at the well (John 4:10).

Verse 14

Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed — Rapha, to heal, is the LORD's own work: 'I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal' (Deut 32:39). Jeremiah had asked, 'Why is my pain perpetual, and my wound incurable?' (Jer 15:18). 'Thou art my praise' is the title in Deut 10:21, 'He is thy praise, and he is thy God'.

Verse 15

Where is the word of the LORD? let it come now — The mockers demand the fulfilment of the warnings, as in Isa 5:19, 'Let him make speed, and hasten his work'. The same scoffing returns in the last days: 'Where is the promise of his coming?' (2 Pet 3:4). Jeremiah answers in vv.16–18 that he has spoken only what he was given.

Verse 16

I have not hastened from being a pastor — 'Pastor' is ra'ah, the ordinary word for shepherd. Jeremiah says he did not hurry away from that work, nor desire 'the woeful day' he announced; 'woeful' is anush, incurable, the word of v.9. 'That which came out of my lips was right before thee' is Paul's claim, 'I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God' (Acts 20:27).

Verse 18

double destruction — Mishneh is a second portion, the 'double' of Jer 16:18, 'I will recompense their iniquity and their sin double'. 'Confounded' (bosh) is the shame of v.13: forsakers 'shall be ashamed', and Jeremiah asks that he not be. 'The day of evil' is in v.17 his hope and here is asked of his persecutors. Compare Ps 35:4.

Verse 19

the gate of the children of the people — This gate is named only here; it is the one 'whereby the kings of Judah come in, and by the which they go out'. The same phrase, 'the children of the people', is used of the common graves in 2 Kgs 23:6. Jeremiah is sent to stand there, and then 'in all the gates of Jerusalem', as he stood in the Temple court in 26:2.

Verse 21

bear no burden on the sabbath day — Massa, a load. The command applies the sabbath of Ex 20:8–10 to carrying loads in through the gates. 'Take heed to yourselves' is literally 'for your souls'. Nehemiah later finds 'all manner of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the sabbath day' and shuts the gates (Neh 13:15–19).

Verse 25

kings and princes sitting upon the throne of David — The promise is made conditional on keeping the sabbath. 'Sitting' and 'remain' are one verb, yashab: kings sit, and the city sits for ever. It repeats Jer 22:4 and rests on the promise to David (2 Sam 7:16; Jer 33:17), 'David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne'.

Verse 27

then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof — The fire begins at the gates where the burdens passed. 'It shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem' is repeated in Amos 2:5, and was carried out when the Babylonians 'burnt the house of the LORD, and the king's house' (2 Kgs 25:9). The land then 'enjoyed her sabbaths' (2 Chr 36:21).