Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.
What does Jeremiah 17:5 mean?
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.
Key themes
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Keep this verse inside Jeremiah 17:5-8 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on Jeremiah 17:5
In the rest of the prophecy Jeremiah dwells upon the moral faults which had led to Judah's ruin.
Key words
- saith
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Thus saith the Lord,.
- LORD
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Thus saith the Lord,.
Context in Jeremiah 17
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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.
Related topics
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