New Living Translation
Jeremiah 17:11
11Like a partridge that hatches eggs she has not laid, so are those who get their wealth by unjust means. At midlife they will lose their riches; in the end, they will become poor old fools.
Jeremiah 17:11 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)As the partridge sitteth on eggs, and hatcheth them not; so he that getteth riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end shall be a fool.
- New International Version (NIV)Like a partridge that hatches eggs it did not lay are those who gain riches by unjust means. When their lives are half gone, their riches will desert them, and in the end they will prove to be fools.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Like the partridge that gathers a brood that she did not hatch, so is he who gets riches but not by justice; in the midst of his days they will leave him, and at his end he will be a fool.
- New King James Version (NKJV)“As a partridge that broods but does not hatch, So is he who gets riches, but not by right; It will leave him in the midst of his days, And at his end he will be a fool.”
Context of Jeremiah 17:11
9“The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? 10But I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.” Like a partridge that hatches eggs she has not laid, so are those who get their wealth by unjust means. At midlife they will lose their riches; in the end, they will become poor old fools. 12But we worship at your throne— eternal, high, and glorious! 13O Lord, the hope of Israel, all who turn away from you will be disgraced. They will be buried in the dust of the earth, for they have abandoned the Lord, the fountain of living water.
Read all of Jeremiah 17Jeremiah 17:11 word by word
קֹרֵ֤א דָגַר֙ וְלֹ֣א יָלָ֔ד עֹ֥שֶׂה עֹ֖שֶׁר וְלֹ֣א בְמִשְׁפָּ֑ט בַּחֲצִ֤י יָמָיו֙ יַעַזְבֶ֔נּוּ וּבְאַחֲרִית֖וֹ יִהְיֶ֥ה נָבָֽל׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- the partridgeקֹרֵאqôrê' · partridgeH7124
- sittethדָּגַרdâgar · to gatherH1716
- and hatchethיָלַדyâlad · to begetH3205
- he that gettethעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: offerH6213
- richesעֹ֫שֶׁר‛ôsher · richesH6239
- and not by rightמִשְׁפָּטmishpâţ · justiceH4941
- shall leaveעָזַב‛âzab · to leave: forsakeH5800
- them in the midstחֲצִיchêtsîy · halfH2677
- of his daysיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
- and at his endאַחֲרִית'achărîyth · endH319
- shall be a foolנָבָלnâbâl · foolishH5036
Cross-references for Jeremiah 17:11
- Jeremiah 5:27Like a cage filled with birds, their homes are filled with evil plots. And now they are great and rich.
- Jeremiah 22:13And the Lord says, “What sorrow awaits Jehoiakim, who builds his palace with forced labor. He builds injustice into its walls, for he makes his neighbors work for nothing. He does not pay them for their labor.
- Proverbs 1:18But these people set an ambush for themselves; they are trying to get themselves killed.
- Proverbs 13:11Wealth from get-rich-quick schemes quickly disappears; wealth from hard work grows over time.
- Proverbs 15:27Greed brings grief to the whole family, but those who hate bribes will live.
- Proverbs 21:6Wealth created by a lying tongue is a vanishing mist and a deadly trap.
- Proverbs 28:8Income from charging high interest rates will end up in the pocket of someone who is kind to the poor.
- Isaiah 1:23Your leaders are rebels, the companions of thieves. All of them love bribes and demand payoffs, but they refuse to defend the cause of orphans or fight for the rights of widows.
- Ezekiel 22:12There are hired murderers, loan racketeers, and extortioners everywhere. They never even think of me and my commands, says the Sovereign Lord.
- Hosea 12:7But no, the people are like crafty merchants selling from dishonest scales— they love to cheat.
- Amos 3:10“My people have forgotten how to do right,” says the Lord. “Their fortresses are filled with wealth taken by theft and violence.
- Amos 8:4Listen to this, you who rob the poor and trample down the needy!
- Micah 2:1What sorrow awaits you who lie awake at night, thinking up evil plans. You rise at dawn and hurry to carry them out, simply because you have the power to do so.
- Micah 6:10What shall I say about the homes of the wicked filled with treasures gained by cheating? What about the disgusting practice of measuring out grain with dishonest measures?
- Micah 7:3Both their hands are equally skilled at doing evil! Officials and judges alike demand bribes. The people with influence get what they want, and together they scheme to twist justice.
- Habakkuk 2:6“But soon their captives will taunt them. They will mock them, saying, ‘What sorrow awaits you thieves! Now you will get what you deserve! You’ve become rich by extortion, but how much longer can this go on?’
Commentaries on Jeremiah 17:11
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 11As the partridge - קרא kore . It is very likely that this was a bird different from our partridge. The text Dr. Blayney translates thus: - (As) the kore that hatcheth what it doth not lay (So is) he who getteth riches, and not according to right. "The covetous man," says Dahler, "who heaps up riches by unjust ways, is compared to a bird which hatches the eggs of other fowls. And as the young, when hatched, and able at all to shift for themselves, abandon…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 5-18Verses 5-18 In the rest of the prophecy Jeremiah dwells upon the moral faults which had led to Judah‘s ruin. Jeremiah 17:6 Like the heath - Or, “like a destitute man” Psalm 102:17. The verbs “he shall see” (or fear) and “shall inhabit” plainly show that a man is here meant and not a plant. Jeremiah 17:8 The river - Or, “water-course” Isaiah 30:25, made for purposes of irrigation. Shall not see - Or, “shall not fear Jeremiah 17:6.” God‘s people feel…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 5-11Verses 5-11 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. Those who trust to their own righteousness and strength, and think they can do without Christ, make flesh their arm, and their souls cannot prosper in graces or comforts. Those who make God their Hope, shall flourish like a tree always green, whose leaf does not wither. They shall be fixed in…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 11Jeremiah mentioned a general principle (see Psalm 73) that was not always true (Job 21:27–33): People who gain wealth unfairly eventually lose it.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1111. partridge--(1Sa 26:20). Hebrew, korea, from a root, "to call," alluding to its cry; a name still applied to a bustard by the Arabs. Its nest is liable, being on the ground, to be trodden under foot, or robbed by carnivorous animals, notwithstanding all the beautiful manoeuvres of the parent birds to save the brood. The translation, "sitteth on eggs which it has not laid," alludes to the ancient notion that she stole the eggs of other birds and hatched…Read the comment
Topics related to Jeremiah 17:11
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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