TRV
Translation
King James Version
Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise.
Complete Jewish Bible
Heal me, ADONAI, and I will be healed; save me, and I will be saved, for you are my praise.
Berean Standard Bible
Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed; save me, and I will be saved, for You are my praise.
American Standard Version
Heal me, O Jehovah, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise.
World English Bible Messianic
Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for you are my praise.
Geneva Bible (1599)
Heale me, O Lord, and I shall bee whole: saue me, and I shall bee saued: for thou art my prayse.
Young's Literal Translation
Heal me, O Jehovah, and I am healed, Save me, and I am saved, for my praise art Thou.
In the KJVVerse 19,372 of 31,102
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Commentary on Jeremiah 17 verses 12–18
12 ¶ A glorious high throne from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary.
13 O LORD, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living waters.
14 Heal me, O LORD, 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 the LORD? let it come now.
16 As for me, I have not hastened from being a pastor to follow thee: neither have I desired the woeful day; thou knowest: that which came out of my lips was right before thee.
17 Be not a terror unto me: thou art my hope in the day of evil.
18 Let them be confounded that persecute me, but let not me be confounded: let them be dismayed, but let not me be dismayed: bring upon them the day of evil, and destroy them with double destruction.
Here, as often before, we have the prophet retired for private meditation, and alone with God. Those ministers that would have comfort in their work must be much so. In his converse here with God and his own heart he takes the liberty which devout souls sometimes use in their soliloquies, to pass from one thing to another, without tying themselves too strictly to the laws of method and coherence.
I. He acknowledges the great favour of God to his people in setting up a revealed religion among them, and dignifying them with divine institutions (Jer 17:12): A glorious high throne from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary. The temple at Jerusalem, where God manifested his special presence, where the lively oracles were lodged, where the people paid their homage to their Sovereign, and whither they fled for refuge in distress, was the place of their sanctuary. That was a glorious high throne. It was a throne of holiness, which made it truly glorious; it was God's throne, which made it truly high. Jerusalem is called the city of the great King, not only Israel's King, but the King of the whole earth, so that it might justly be deemed the metropolis, or royal city, of the world. It was from the beginning, so, from the first projecting of it by David and building of it by Solomon, Ch2 2:9. It was the honour of Israel that God set up such a glorious throne among them. As the glorious and high throne (that is, heaven) is the place of our sanctuary; so some read it. Note, All good men have a high value and veneration for the ordinances of God, and reckon the place of the sanctuary a glorious high throne. Jeremiah here mentions this either as a plea with God for mercy to their land, in honour of the throne of his glory (Jer 14:21), or as an aggravation of the sin of his people in forsaking God though his throne was among them, and so profaning his crown and the place of his sanctuary.
II. He acknowledges the righteousness of God in abandoning those to ruin that forsook him and revolted from their allegiance to him, Jer 17:13. He speaks it to God, as subscribing both to the certainty and to the equity of it: O Lord! the hope of those in Israel that adhere to thee, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed. They must of necessity be so, for they forsake thee for lying vanities, which will deceive them and make them ashamed. They will be ashamed, for they shame themselves. They will justly be put to shame, for they have forsaken him who alone can keep them in countenance when troubles come. Let them be ashamed (so some read it); and so it is a pious imprecation of the wrath of God upon them, or a petition for his grace, to make them penitently ashamed. "Those that depart from me, from the word of God which I have preached, do in effect depart from God;" as those that return to God are said to return to the prophet, Jer 15:19. Those that depart from thee (so some read it) shall be written in the earth. They shall soon be blotted out, as that is which is written in the dust. They shall be trampled upon and exposed to contempt. They belong to the earth, and shall be numbered among earthly people, who lay up their treasure on earth and whose names are not written in heaven. And they deserve to be thus written with the fools in Israel, that their folly may be made manifest unto all, because they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living waters (that is, spring waters), and that for broken cisterns. Note, God is to all that are his a fountain of living waters. There is a fulness of comfort in him, an over-flowing ever-flowing fulness, like that of a fountain; it is always fresh, and clear, and clean, like spring water, while the pleasures of sin are puddle-waters. They are free to it; it is not a fountain sealed. They deserve therefore to be condemned, as Adam, to red earth, to which by the corruption of their nature they are allied, because they have forsaken the garden of the Lord, which is so well-watered. Those that depart from God are written in the earth.
III. He prays to God for healing saving mercy for himself. "If the case of those that depart from God be so miserable, let me always draw nigh to him (Psa 73:27, Psa 73:28), and, in order to do that, Lord, heal me, and save me, Jer 17:14. Heal my backslidings, my bent to backslide, and save me from being carried away by the strength of the stream to forsake thee." He was wounded in spirit with grief upon many accounts. "Lord, heal me with thy comforts, and make me easy." He was continually exposed to the malice of unreasonable men. "Lord, save me from them, and let me not fall into their wicked hands. Heal me, that is, sanctify me by thy grace; save me, that is, bring me to thy glory." All that shall be saved hereafter are sanctified now; unless the disease of sin be purged out the soul cannot live. To enforce this petition he pleads, 1. The firm belief he had of God's power: Heal thou me, and then I shall be healed; the cure will certainly be wrought if thou undertake it; it will be a thorough cure and not a palliative one. Those that come to God to be healed ought to be abundantly satisfied in the all-sufficiency of their physician. Save me, and then I shall certainly be saved, be my dangers and enemies ever so threatening. If God hold us up, we shall live; if he protect us, we shall be safe. 2. The sincere regard he had to God's glory: "For thou art my praise, and for that reason I desire to be healed and saved, that I may live and praise thee, Psa 119:175. Thou art he whom I praise, and the praise due to thee I never gave to another. Thou art he whom I glory in, and boast of, for on thee do I depend. Thou art he that furnishes me with continual matter for praise, and I have given thee the praise of the favours already bestowed upon me. Thou shalt be my praise" (so some read it); "heal me, and save me, and thou shalt have the glory of it. My praise shall be continually of thee," Psa 71:6; Psa 79:13.
IV. He complains of the infidelity and daring impiety of the people to whom he preached. It greatly troubled him, and he shows before God this trouble, as the servant that had slights put upon him by the guests he was sent to invite came and showed his Lord these things. He had faithfully delivered God's message to them; and what answer has he to return to him that sent him? Behold, they say unto me, Where is the word of the Lord? Let it come now, Jer 17:15, Isa 5:19. They bantered the prophet, and made a jest of that which he delivered with the greatest seriousness. 1. They denied the truth of what he said: "If that be the word of the Lord which thou speakest to us, where is it? Why is it not fulfilled?" Thus the patience of God was impudently abused as a ground to question his veracity. 2. They defied the terror of what he said. "Let God Almighty do his worst; let all he has said come to pass; we shall do well enough; the lion is not so fierce as he is painted," Amo 5:18. "Lord, to what purpose is it to speak to men that will neither believe nor fear?"
V. He appeals to God concerning his faithful discharge of the duty to which he was called, Jer 17:16. The people did all they could to make him weary of his work, to exasperate him and make him uneasy, and to tempt him to prevaricate and alter his message for fear of displeasing them; but, "Lord," says he, "thou knowest I have not yielded to them." 1. He continued constant to his work. His office, instead of being his credit and protection, exposed him to reproach, contempt, and injury. "Yet," says he, "I have not hastened from being a pastor after thee; I have not left my work, nor sued for a discharge or a quietus." Prophets were pastors to the people, to feed them with the good word of God; but they were to be pastors after God, and all ministers must be so, according to his heart (Jer 3:15), to follow him and the directions and instructions he gives. Such a pastor Jeremiah was; and, though he met with as much difficulty and discouragement as ever any man did, yet he did not fly off as Jonah did, nor desire to be excused from going any more on God's errands. Note, Those that are employed for God, though their success answer nor their expectations, must not therefore throw up their commission. but continue to follow God, though the storm be in their faces. 2. He kept up his affection to the people. Though they were very abusive to him, he was compassionate to them: I have not desired the woeful day. The day of the accomplishment of his prophecies would be a woeful day indeed to Jerusalem, and therefore he deprecated it, and wished it might never come, though, as to himself, it would be the avenging of him upon his persecutors and the proving of him a true prophet (which they had questioned, Jer 17:15), and upon those accounts he might be tempted to desire it. Note, God does not, and therefore ministers must not, desire the death of sinners, but rather that they may turn and live. Though we warn of the woeful day, we must not wish for it, but rather weep because of it, as Jeremiah did. 3. He kept closely to his instructions. Though he might have curried favour with the people, or at least have avoided their displeasure, if he had not been so sharp in his reproofs and severe in his threatenings, yet he would deliver his message faithfully; and that he had done so was a comfort to him. "Lord, thou knowest that that which came out of my lips was right before thee; it exactly agreed with what I received from thee, and therefore thou art reflected upon in their quarrelling with me." Note, If what we say and do be right before God, we may easily despise the reproaches and censures of men. It is a small thing to be judged of their judgment.
VI. He humbly begs of God that he would own him, and protect him, and carry him on cheerfully in that work to which God had so plainly called him and to which he had so sincerely devoted himself. Two things he here desires: - 1. That he might have comfort in serving the God that sent him (Jer 17:17): Be not thou a terror to me. Surely more is implied than is expressed. "Be thou a comfort to me, and let thy favour rejoice my heart and encourage me, when my enemies do all they can to terrify me and either to drive me from my work or to make me drive on heavily in it." Note, The best have that in them which might justly make God a terror to them, as he was for some time to Job (Job 6:4), to Asaph (Psa 77:3), to Heman, Psa 88:15. And this is that which good men, knowing the terrors of the Lord, dread and deprecate more than any thing; nay, whatever frightful accidents may befal them, or how formidable soever their enemies may appear to them, they can do well enough so long as God is not a terror to them. He pleads, "Thou art my hope; and then nothing else is my fear, no, not in the day of evil, when it is most threatening, most pressing. My dependence is upon thee; and therefore be not a terror to me." Note, Those that by faith make God their confidence shall have him for their comfort in the worst of times, if it be not their own fault: if we make him our trust, we shall not find him our terror. 2. That he might have courage in dealing with the people to whom he was sent, Jer 17:18. Those persecuted him who should have entertained and encouraged him. "Lord," says he, "let them be confounded (let them be overpowered by the convictions of the word and made ashamed of their obstinacy, or else let the judgments threatened be at length executed upon them), but let not me confounded, let not me be terrified by their menaces, so as to betray my trust." Note, God's ministers have work to do which they need not be either ashamed or afraid to go on in, but they do need to be helped by the divine grace to go on in it without shame or fear. Jeremiah had not desired the woeful day upon his country in general; but as to his persecutors, in a just and holy indignation at their malice, he prays, Bring upon them the day of evil, in hope that the bringing of it upon them might prevent the bringing of it upon the country; if they were taken away, the people would be better; "therefore destroy them with a double destruction; let them be utterly destroyed, root and branch, and let the prospect of that destruction be their present confusion." This the prophet prays, not at all that he might be avenged, nor so much that he might be eased, but that the Lord may be known by the judgments which he executes.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 12–18. Public domain.
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JeromeAD 420
Against the Pelagians 2.27
He says to him who alone is the true physician, “Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed. Save me, and I shall be saved. You are my praise and my hope.”
JeromeAD 420
Commentary on Jeremiah
(Verse 14) Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for you are my praise. In the Gospel (Matthew 9), many physicians had cured the woman with the issue of blood, who had lost all her substance on them, yet she could not be healed by anyone except by Him who is the true physician, and whose healing is in His wings. Therefore, even now, the Prophet, having suffered reproaches from the people and being constantly surrounded by snares, desires to be healed and saved by Him whose true praise and true medicine He is.
Augustine of HippoAD 430
SERMON 61:2
No evil person does good. And if no evil person does good, how could an evil person make himself good? He who is eternally good can make an evil person good. “Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed: save me, and I shall be saved.”
Augustine of HippoAD 430
SERMON 61:2
So, the reason that we, being bad, have a good Father is in order that we may not always remain bad. No bad person can make a good one. If no bad person can make a good one, how can a bad person make himself good? The only one who can make a good person out of a bad one is the one who is always good. “Heal me, Lord,” he says, “and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved.”
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
Jeremiah 17:14 presents a deeply personal and profound prayer from the prophet, articulating an absolute reliance on the Lord for comprehensive healing and salvation. It culminates in a powerful declaration that God Himself is the ultimate source and substance of his praise. This verse encapsulates a timeless model of faith-filled supplication and worship, demonstrating unwavering trust in God's power to restore and deliver amidst profound personal and national distress.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Jeremiah 17:14 employs several powerful literary devices to convey its profound message. The most prominent is Parallelism, specifically synonymous parallelism, seen in the structure "Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved." This repetition of similar ideas using different but related words emphasizes the comprehensive and certain nature of God's restorative and delivering power, reinforcing the unwavering conviction of the prophet. The use of Direct Address ("O LORD") creates an intimate and personal tone, highlighting the prophet's direct and unmediated communion with God. Furthermore, the final clause, "for thou art my praise," utilizes a powerful form of Identification or Metonymy. Instead of merely stating "You are worthy of my praise" or "You are the one I praise," Jeremiah declares that God is his praise. This is a profound statement of identity, suggesting that God's very being, His character, and His redemptive acts are the foundation, content, and inspiration for all of Jeremiah's adoration and public testimony. The Repetition of the "me... and I shall be..." structure also adds a rhythmic quality, underscoring the unwavering conviction and deep faith of the prophet.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Jeremiah 17:14 stands as a powerful testament to the biblical truth that God alone is the ultimate source of healing and salvation, and therefore the rightful recipient of all praise. This verse encapsulates a theology of absolute divine sufficiency, where human brokenness and profound need are met by God's comprehensive power to restore and deliver. It underscores the covenantal relationship where God's faithfulness to His people elicits a response of worship and trust. The prophet's prayer is not a desperate plea but a confident assertion rooted in God's unchanging character, acknowledging that true well-being—spiritual, emotional, and physical—originates solely from Him. This foundational truth resonates throughout Scripture, affirming that our deliverance from sin, sickness, and despair is solely by His grace and power, leading us to ascribe all glory and honor to His name.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Jeremiah 17:14 offers a timeless and profoundly practical model for our own walk of faith, especially in times of distress, uncertainty, or deep personal need. It calls us to cultivate a radical dependence on God, recognizing that true healing and lasting salvation come only from Him, not from our own efforts, human wisdom, or fleeting worldly solutions. In a world that often encourages self-reliance or reliance on external comforts, Jeremiah reminds us to turn directly to the Lord with our deepest needs—whether for physical restoration, emotional peace, spiritual deliverance from sin and its effects, or guidance through life's complexities. His prayer is marked by a confident expectation, born not of presumption, but of a deep understanding of God's character as the faithful Healer and Deliverer. When we experience God's intervention, this verse challenges us to respond with genuine, heartfelt praise, allowing His saving acts to become the very substance of our worship and testimony. It encourages us to live a life where God is not just a reason for praise, but the singular, all-encompassing reason for our praise, transforming our trials into opportunities for deeper trust and more fervent adoration.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What kind of "healing" is Jeremiah praying for in this verse?
Answer: The "healing" Jeremiah prays for (Hebrew: râphâʼ) is comprehensive, encompassing far more than just physical recovery. Given Jeremiah's context of intense personal suffering, widespread opposition, and the profound spiritual decay of his nation, his plea likely includes emotional restoration from despair, spiritual healing from the burden of his prophetic message, and even a longing for the national restoration of Judah from its spiritual sickness and impending judgment. It's a prayer for holistic well-being and wholeness—a restoration of mind, body, and spirit—that only God can provide.
Why does Jeremiah declare, "for thou art my praise," after asking for healing and salvation?
Answer: This declaration is not an afterthought but the profound theological foundation and ultimate goal of his prayer. The "for" (כִּי, ki) indicates that God being his praise is the reason his healing and salvation are certain and the result that will inevitably follow. It means that God's very nature and His acts of deliverance are what inspire and constitute Jeremiah's worship and testimony. God isn't just worthy of praise; He is the very essence and source of it. Jeremiah recognizes that when God heals and saves, He reveals His glory and faithfulness, and that revelation naturally elicits profound praise from the one who experiences His power. This reflects a deep covenantal understanding that God's redemptive acts lead directly to His people's worship, as seen in passages like Psalm 103:2-3.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Jeremiah 17:14 finds its ultimate and most profound fulfillment in Jesus Christ, who is the very embodiment of God's comprehensive healing and salvation. Jeremiah's cry for healing anticipates the arrival of the Great Physician, who came to mend not only broken bodies but also broken hearts and spirits, offering forgiveness for sins and reconciliation with God (Matthew 9:12). The prophet's plea for salvation finds its complete and eternal answer in Christ, who is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, delivering humanity from the ultimate bondage of sin and death through His atoning sacrifice on the cross (Romans 5:8-10). In Jesus, we are not merely healed by God, but we encounter God as our healing and salvation, for He is "God with us" (Matthew 1:23). Furthermore, Jeremiah's declaration, "for thou art my praise," is perfectly realized in Christ. He is the one through whom all praise and glory are due to the Father (Philippians 2:9-11). Our salvation and holistic healing in Christ become the very wellspring of our worship, transforming our lives into living testimonies of His grace. Thus, the prophet's vision of God as the ultimate object and source of all praise is now made accessible and tangible in the person and redemptive work of our Lord Jesus Christ.