Jeremiah 17 · Verse 9

Jeremiah 17:9

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
Jeremiah 17:9, King James Version

Jeremiah 17:9 in other translations

BSBThe heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?
WEBThe heart is deceitful above all things and it is exceedingly corrupt. Who can know it?
ASVThe heart is deceitful above all things, and it is exceedingly corrupt: who can know it?
YLTCrooked is the heart above all things, And it is incurable--who doth know it?
DARBYThe heart is deceitful above all things, and incurable; who can know it?
BBEThe heart is a twisted thing, not to be searched out by man: who is able to have knowledge of it?
WebsterThe heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

What does Jeremiah 17:9 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
9. deceitful--from a root, "supplanting," "tripping up insidiously by the heel," from which Jacob (Ho 12:3) took his name. In speaking of the Jews' deceit of heart, he appropriately uses a term alluding to their forefather, whose deceit, but not whose faith, they followed. His "supplanting" was in order to obtain Jehovah's blessing. They plant Jehovah for "trust in man" (Jr 17:5), and then think to deceive God, as if it could escape His notice, that it is in man, not in Him, they trust. desperately wicked--"incurable" [Horsley], (Mi 1:9). Trust in one's own heart is as foolish as in our fellow man (Pr 28:26).

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 9 The heart is deceitful - עקב הלב akob halleb, "the heart is supplanting - tortuous - full of windings - insidious;" lying ever at the catch; striving to avail itself of every favorable circumstance to gratify its propensities to pride, ambition, evil desire, and corruption of all kinds. And desperately wicked - ואנש הוא veanush hu, and is wretched, or feeble; distressed beyond all things, in consequence of the wickedness that is in it. I am quite of Mr. Parkhurst's opinion, that this word is here badly translated as אנש anash is never used in Scripture to denote wickedness of any kind. My old MS. Bible translates thus: - Schrewid is the herte of a man: and unserchable: who schal knowen it? Who can know it? - It even hides itself from itself; so that its owner does not know it. A corrupt heart is the worst enemy the fallen creature can have; it is full of evil devices, - of deceit, of folly, and abomination, and its owner knows not what is in him till it boils over, and is often past remedy before the evil is perceived. Therefore trust not in man whose purposes are continually changing, and who is actuated only by motives of self-interest.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Jeremiah 17:5-11

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…

Read the full comment on Jeremiah 17:5-11 →

Jeremiah 17:9 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

עָקֹ֥בa.Ko[is] deceitfulH6121
הַלֵּ֛בha.Levthe heartH3820
מִכֹּ֖לmi.Kolmore than everythingH3605
וְאָנֻ֣שׁve.'a.Nushand [is] incurableH605
ה֑וּאHu'itH1931
מִ֖יmiwho?H4310
יֵדָעֶֽנּוּ\׃ye.da.'E.nuwill he know itH3045

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Jeremiah 17:9

  • Mark 7:21-22

    For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:

  • Matthew 15:19

    For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:

  • Ecclesiastes 9:3

    This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead.

  • Proverbs 28:26

    He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.

  • Hebrews 3:12

    Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.

  • Genesis 6:5

    And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

  • James 1:14-15

    But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

  • Genesis 8:21

    And the Lord smelled a sweet savour; and the Lord said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.

  • Matthew 13:15

    For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

  • Psalms 53:1-3

    To the chief Musician upon Mahalath, Maschil, A Psalm of David. The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good. God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God. Every one of them is gone back: they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

  • Jeremiah 16:12

    And ye have done worse than your fathers; for, behold, ye walk every one after the imagination of his evil heart, that they may not hearken unto me:

  • Psalms 51:5

    Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
16:12; Ge 6:5; 8:21; Job 15:14-16; Ps 51:5; 53:1-3; Pr 28:26; Ec 9:3
Mt 15:19; Mr 7:21,22; Heb 3:12; Jas 1:14,15

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Jeremiah 17:8

    For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.

  • Jeremiah 17:9

    The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

  • Jeremiah 17:10

    I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.

Read all of Jeremiah 17

Jeremiah 17:9 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Engañoso es el corazón más que todas las cosas, y perverso; ¿quién lo conocerá?
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Le cœur est trompeur par-dessus tout, et incurable; qui le connaît?
German
Elberfelder 1871
Arglistig ist das Herz, mehr als alles, und verderbt ist es; wer mag es kennen?
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
Pravum est cor omnium, et inscrutabile: quis cognoscet illud?