The Meaning of Jeremiah 29:13 Explained

Jeremiah 29:13

KJV: And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

YLT: And ye have sought Me, and have found, for ye seek Me with all your heart;

Darby: and ye shall seek me and find me, for ye shall search for me with all your heart,

ASV: And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And ye shall seek  me, and find  [me], when ye shall search  for me with all your heart. 

What does Jeremiah 29:13 Mean?

Context Summary

Jeremiah 29:1-32 - Shepherds That Mislead God's Flock
It is God's purpose to care for His people through shepherds (pastors) who are responsible to Him. Jesus our Lord is the Branch into which we may be grafted. He is our King who saves us and clothes us with His own spotless righteousness. God finds us in Him, Philippians 3:9. Because He reigns, we are saved and dwell in safety. When we are brought into contact with false shepherds, whether the failure be in doctrine or example, let us ask for the broken heart of Jeremiah 23:9.
God is everywhere present; as the latter paragraph indicates, He is near at hand to overhear the blasphemy of those who deride religion, and to be a very present help in time of trouble. If He fills heaven and earth, can He not fill thy heart? If His Word is like fire, let it cleanse thee! If it is as a hammer, let it pulverize thy pride! Let those of us who essay to teach and preach, not steal our words from our neighbors, or utter our own, but receive them from the source of all truth. [source]

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 29

1  Jeremiah sends a letter to the captives in Babylon to be quiet there,
8  and not to believe the dreams of their prophets;
10  and that they shall return with grace after seventy years
15  He foretells the destruction of the rest for their disobedience
20  He shows the fearful end of Ahab and Zedekiah, two false prophets
24  Shemaiah writes a letter against Jeremiah
30  Jeremiah foretells his doom

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 29:13 mean?

And you will seek Me and find [Me] when you search for Me with all your heart
וּבִקַּשְׁתֶּ֥ם אֹתִ֖י וּמְצָאתֶ֑ם כִּ֥י תִדְרְשֻׁ֖נִי בְּכָל־ לְבַבְכֶֽם

וּבִקַּשְׁתֶּ֥ם  And  you  will  seek 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Conjunctive perfect, second person masculine plural
Root: בָּקַשׁ  
Sense: to seek, require, desire, exact, request.
אֹתִ֖י  Me 
Parse: Direct object marker, first person common singular
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
וּמְצָאתֶ֑ם  and  find  [Me] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, second person masculine plural
Root: מָצָא  
Sense: to find, attain to.
תִדְרְשֻׁ֖נִי  you  search  for  Me 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine plural, first person common singular
Root: דַּרְיׄושׁ 
Sense: to resort to, seek, seek with care, enquire, require.
בְּכָל־  with  all 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
לְבַבְכֶֽם  your  heart 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, second person masculine plural
Root: לֵבָב  
Sense: inner man, mind, will, heart, soul, understanding.