EasyEnglish Bible 2018
Jeremiah 17:1
1‘The people of Judah love to do bad things. Their sins are deep inside them. It is like they are written on their hearts and on the horns of their altars. They are written with an iron pen. Nobody can remove the list of their sins.
Jeremiah 17:1 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron, and with the point of a diamond: it is graven upon the table of their heart, and upon the horns of your altars;
- New International Version (NIV)“Judah’s sin is engraved with an iron tool, inscribed with a flint point, on the tablets of their hearts and on the horns of their altars.
- English Standard Version (ESV)"The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron; with a point of diamond it is engraved on the tablet of their heart, and on the horns of their altars,
- New King James Version (NKJV)“The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron; With the point of a diamond it is engraved On the tablet of their heart, And on the horns of your altars,
Context of Jeremiah 17:1
‘The people of Judah love to do bad things. Their sins are deep inside them. It is like they are written on their hearts and on the horns of their altars. They are written with an iron pen. Nobody can remove the list of their sins. 2Even their children always think about their altars where they worship false gods. They have put up their Asherah poles under the big trees and on the high hills. 3They also worship their false gods on the mountains and in the fields. So I will cause enemies to take all your valuable things. They will take your riches for themselves. That will be the price that you pay for your sins. You have done evil things everywhere in the land.
Read all of Jeremiah 17Jeremiah 17:1 word by word
חַטַּ֣את יְהוּדָ֗ה כְּתוּבָ֛ה בְּעֵ֥ט בַּרְזֶ֖ל בְּצִפֹּ֣רֶן שָׁמִ֑יר חֲרוּשָׁה֙ עַל־ל֣וּחַ לִבָּ֔ם וּלְקַרְנ֖וֹת מִזְבְּחוֹתֵיכֶֽם׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- The sinחַטָּאתchaţţâ'âh chaţţâ'th · sinH2403
- of Judahיְהוּדָהyehûdâh · JudahH3063
- writtenכָּתַבkâthab · to writeH3789
- with a penעֵט‛êţ · stylusH5842
- of ironבַּרְזֶלbarzel · ironH1270
- with the pointצִפֹּ֫רֶןtsippôren · fingernailH6856
- of a diamondשָׁמִירshâmîyr · thornH8068
- gravenחָרַשׁchârash · to plow/plotH2790
- upon the tableלוּחַlûach lûach · tabletH3871
- of their heartלֵבlêb · heartH3820
- and upon the hornsקֶ֫רֶןqeren · hornH7161
- of your altarsמִזְבֵּחַmizbêach · altarH4196
Cross-references for Jeremiah 17:1
- Job 19:23Someone should write down the words that I speak. My words should be written on a scroll.
- Proverbs 3:3Keep hold of faithful love. That will be like a beautiful necklace that you always wear. Think about what it means to love other people.
- Proverbs 7:3Keep it always in front of you. Think about my message all the time, as if you have written it on your heart.
- 2 Corinthians 3:3It is clear that you are a like a letter that Christ himself has written. We are the people who brought God's message to you. Now people see what God has done in your lives. That is like a letter that they read. But it is not a letter written on paper with ink. It is the Spirit of the living God who wrote it. He did not write it on pieces of stone. Instead, he wrote it deep inside you.
- Leviticus 4:17He will put his finger in the blood. He must shake it in front of the Lord and the holy curtain seven times.
- Hosea 12:11The people in Gilead do wicked things. They will become as useless as their idols. At Gilgal, the people offer bulls as sacrifices on their altars. Those altars will be like heaps of stones in a farmer's field.’
Commentaries on Jeremiah 17:1
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1The sin of Judah - Idolatry. Is written with a pen of iron - It is deeply and indelibly written in their heart, and shall be as indelibly written in their punishment. Writing with the point of a diamond must refer to glass, or some vitrified substance, as it is distinguished here from engraving with a steel burine, or graver. Their altars show what the deities are which they worship. There may be reference here to the different methods of recording events…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1This section Jeremiah 17:1-4 is inseparably connected with the preceding. Judah‘s sin had been described Jeremiah 16:19 as one of which the very Gentiles will become ashamed. and for which she will shortly be punished by, an intervention of God‘s hand more marked than anything in her previous history. Jeremiah now dwells upon the indelible nature of her sin. A pen of iron - i. e., an iron chisel for cutting inscriptions upon tables of stone. The point of…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1The fatal consequences of the idolatry of the Jews. (Jr 17:1-4) The happiness of the man that trusts in God; the end of the opposite character. (Jr 17:5-11) The malice of the prophet's enemies. (Jr 17:12-18) The observance of the sabbath. (Jr 17:19-27) Verses 1-4 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…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1A stone mason used an iron chisel or a diamond point to carve images and texts on stones permanently. Idol worship had so hardened the people's thoughts, emotions, and will that change seemed impossible. In Old Testament times, the corners of altars had projections called “horns” (for example, Exodus 27:1–2). According to covenant rules, when offering an animal sacrifice, they applied blood to these horns. How Baal worshipers treated them is unknown.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-27The the Septuagint omits the first four verses, but other Greek versions have them. 1. The first of the four clauses relates to the third, the second to the fourth, by alternate parallelism. The sense is: They are as keen after idols as if their propensity was "graven with an iron pen (Job 19:24) on their hearts," or as if it were sanctioned by a law "inscribed with a diamond point" on their altars. The names of their gods used to be written on "the horns…Read the comment
Topics related to Jeremiah 17:1
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Jeremiah 17
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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