The Meaning of Jeremiah 17:6 Explained

Jeremiah 17:6

KJV: 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, in a salt land and not inhabited.

YLT: And he hath been as a naked thing in a desert, And doth not see when good cometh, And hath inhabited parched places in a wilderness, A salt land, and not inhabited.

Darby: And he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but he shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, a salt land and not inhabited.

ASV: 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.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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,  [in] a salt  land  and not inhabited. 

What does Jeremiah 17:6 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The person who would trust in man rather than in God would experience a dry, unproductive, and lonely existence (cf. Psalm 1:4), like the dwarf juniper of the desert. Salty land lacked fertility and life, as is observable to this day around the Dead Sea. Of course, such people may flourish for a season (cf. Jeremiah 12:1-2), but over a lifetime they normally wither.

Context Summary

Jeremiah 17:1-14 - Human And Divine Help Contrasted
The Jews were always seeking alliance either with Egypt or Babylon. What was true of them applies to us all; but we cannot depend upon human aid, without departing from the Lord. The heath is probably the juniper, a lonely tree, dwelling in arid wastes, unvisited by dew. The soul that rests on God is watered from His throne. The roots of such are fed from the hidden springs of Eternity. The heart is deceitful; it tends constantly to substitute the arm of flesh for the living God. Desperately wicked means "incurably sick." It was the ancient notion that the partridge stole the eggs of other birds and hatched them as her own. The covetous man is sure to reap disappointment. He steals other people's goods, but is driven off the nest before they hatch out for the benefit of himself. God's glorious throne is a defense to all who trust Him; while those who depart from Him shall be forgotten, as a sentence written in the sand is obliterated by the next puff of wind. Contrast Job 19:23-24. [source]

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 17

1  The captivity of Judah for her sin
5  Trust in man is cursed;
7  in God is blessed
9  The deceitful heart cannot deceive God
12  The salvation of God
15  The prophet complains of the mockers of his prophecy
19  He is sent to renew the covenant in hallowing the Sabbath

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 17:6 mean?

For he shall be like a shrub in the desert and not shall see when comes good but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness [In] a land salt [which is] inhabited -
וְהָיָה֙ כְּעַרְעָ֣ר בָּֽעֲרָבָ֔ה וְלֹ֥א יִרְאֶ֖ה כִּי־ יָב֣וֹא ט֑וֹב וְשָׁכַ֤ן חֲרֵרִים֙ בַּמִּדְבָּ֔ר אֶ֥רֶץ מְלֵחָ֖ה תֵשֵֽׁב ס

וְהָיָה֙  For  he  shall  be 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
כְּעַרְעָ֣ר  like  a  shrub 
Parse: Preposition-k, Noun, masculine singular
Root: עֲרֹועֵר 
Sense: naked, stripped, destitute.
בָּֽעֲרָבָ֔ה  in  the  desert 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: עֲרָבָה  
Sense: desert plain, steppe, desert, wilderness.
וְלֹ֥א  and  not 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
יִרְאֶ֖ה  shall  see 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: רָאָה 
Sense: to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider.
יָב֣וֹא  comes 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
ט֑וֹב  good 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: טָבַב 
Sense: good, pleasant, agreeable.
וְשָׁכַ֤ן  but  shall  inhabit 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שָׁכַן  
Sense: to settle down, abide, dwell, tabernacle, reside.
חֲרֵרִים֙  the  parched  places 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: חֲרֵרִים  
Sense: dry regions, parched place.
בַּמִּדְבָּ֔ר  in  the  wilderness 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִדְבָּר 
Sense: wilderness.
אֶ֥רֶץ  [In]  a  land 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
מְלֵחָ֖ה  salt 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: מְלֵחָה  
Sense: saltness, barrenness, saltiness.
תֵשֵֽׁב  [which  is]  inhabited 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: יָשַׁב 
Sense: to dwell, remain, sit, abide.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation