Lux Domini
O my mountain in the field, I will give thy substance and all thy treasures to the spoil, and thy high places for sin, throughout all thy borders.

What does Jeremiah 17:3 mean?

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.

Key themes

HopeSuffering and trialsJustice and mercyJudgment

Read with

Keep this verse inside Jeremiah 17:1-4 and alongside a few nearby related passages.

Commentary on Jeremiah 17:3

O my mountain in the field - i. e., Jerusalem or Zion, called the Rock of the Plain in Jeremiah 21:13 . "The field" is the open unenclosed country, here contrasted with the privileged height of Zion. Or sin - i. e., because of thy sin.

Key words

mountain

O my mountain in the midst of the field,.

field

O my mountain in the midst of the field,.

substance

The Targum is, "because thou worshippest idols upon the mountains in the field:'' I will give thy substance and all thy treasures to the spoil; all the riches of the city and temple to be the spoil and plunder of the enemy; See Gill on Jeremiah 15:13 .

Context in Jeremiah 17

Show chapter context

Jeremiah 17 belongs to the middle movement of the book, especially the section often described as conflict with kings, priests, and prophets. Jeremiah combines fierce warning, autobiographical anguish, symbolic action, the promise of a new covenant, and the trauma of Jerusalem’s fall. Read this chapter with the wider themes of judgment, tears, and new covenant in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.

judgmenttearsnew covenantfalse worship

Explore by topic

Bible verses about hope

A collection of passages on hope under pressure, future inheritance, resurrection expectation, and confidence in God’s final faithfulness.

Bible verses about suffering and trials

Key passages on grief, endurance, lament, divine mystery, and the Christian claim that suffering is neither final nor meaningless.

Bible verses about justice and mercy

Key texts on public righteousness, neighbor-love, social ethics, compassion, and the prophetic refusal to separate worship from justice.