The Meaning of Jeremiah 17:9 Explained

Jeremiah 17:9

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

YLT: Crooked is the heart above all things, And it is incurable -- who doth know it?

Darby: The heart is deceitful above all things, and incurable; who can know it?

ASV: The heart is deceitful above all things, and it is exceedingly corrupt: who can know it?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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

What does Jeremiah 17:9 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The Old Testament frequently uses "heart" (Heb. leb) to identify the source of a person"s thinking and acting. It describes the root of unconscious as well as conscious motivation.
The human heart is deceptive; we may think we know why we do something, but really we may be doing it for another reason. It is naturally incurably sick, really totally depraved, and in need of healing. No one really understands his or her own corrupt heart, nor do we understand why our hearts behave as they do.
"Unregenerate human nature is in a desperate condition without divine grace ..." [1]

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 17:9 mean?

Deceitful the heart above all [things] and desperately wicked is who can know it
עָקֹ֥ב הַלֵּ֛ב מִכֹּ֖ל וְאָנֻ֣שׁ ה֑וּא מִ֖י יֵדָעֶֽנּוּ

עָקֹ֥ב  Deceitful 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: עָקֹב 
Sense: deceitful, sly, insidious.
הַלֵּ֛ב  the  heart 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: לֵב 
Sense: inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding.
מִכֹּ֖ל  above  all  [things] 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
וְאָנֻ֣שׁ  and  desperately  wicked 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, QalPassParticiple, masculine singular
Root: אָנוּשׁ 
Sense: to be weak, sick, frail.
יֵדָעֶֽנּוּ  can  know  it 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular, third person masculine singular
Root: דָּעָה 
Sense: to know.