CINXE.COM

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?</title><link rel="canonical" href="https://biblehub.com/jeremiah/17-9.htm" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/new9.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><meta property="og:image" content="https://biblehub.com/visuals/19/24_Jer_17_09.jpg" /><meta property="og:title" content="Jeremiah 17:9 - The Sin and Punishment of Judah" /><meta property="og:site_name" content="Bible Hub" /><meta property="og:description" content="The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" /><script type="application/javascript" src="https://scripts.webcontentassessor.com/scripts/8a2459b64f9cac8122fc7f2eac4409c8555fac9383016db59c4c26e3d5b8b157"></script><script src='https://qd.admetricspro.com/js/biblehub/biblehub-layout-loader-revcatch.js'></script><script id='HyDgbd_1s' src='https://prebidads.revcatch.com/ads.js' type='text/javascript' async></script><script>(function(w,d,b,s,i){var cts=d.createElement(s);cts.async=true;cts.id='catchscript'; cts.dataset.appid=i;cts.src='https://app.protectsubrev.com/catch_rp.js?cb='+Math.random(); document.head.appendChild(cts); }) (window,document,'head','script','rc-anksrH');</script></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="/vmenus/jeremiah/17-9.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="/bmc/jeremiah/17-9.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="/">Bible</a> > <a href="/jeremiah/">Jeremiah</a> > <a href="/jeremiah/17.htm">Chapter 17</a> > Verse 9</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div><div id="ad1"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/ad9.htm" width="100%" height="48" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="/jeremiah/17-8.htm" title="Jeremiah 17:8">◄</a> Jeremiah 17:9 <a href="/jeremiah/17-10.htm" title="Jeremiah 17:10">►</a></div></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="topverse"> <a href="#audio" class="clickchap2" title="Context and Audio Bible"> Audio </a> <a href="#crossref" class="clickchap2" title="Cross References"> Cross </a> <a href="#study" class="clickchap2" title="Study Bible"> Study </a> <a href="#commentary" class="clickchap2" title="Commentary"> Comm </a> <a href="#lexicon" class="clickchap2" title="Lexicon"> Heb </a> </div><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheadingv"><b>Verse</b><a href="/bsb/jeremiah/17.htm" class="clickchap" style="color:#001320" title="Click any translation name for full chapter">  (Click for Chapter)</a></div><div id="par"><span class="versiontext"><a href="/niv/jeremiah/17.htm">New International Version</a></span><br />The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nlt/jeremiah/17.htm">New Living Translation</a></span><br />“The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/esv/jeremiah/17.htm">English Standard Version</a></span><br />The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/bsb/jeremiah/17.htm">Berean Standard Bible</a></span><br />The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/kjv/jeremiah/17.htm">King James Bible</a></span><br />The heart <i>is</i> deceitful above all <i>things</i>, and desperately wicked: who can know it?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nkjv/jeremiah/17.htm">New King James Version</a></span><br />“The heart <i>is</i> deceitful above all <i>things,</i> And desperately wicked; Who can know it?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb_/jeremiah/17.htm">New American Standard Bible</a></span><br />“The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb/jeremiah/17.htm">NASB 1995</a></span><br />&#8220The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb77/jeremiah/17.htm">NASB 1977 </a></span><br />“The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsb/jeremiah/17.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a></span><br />“The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can know it?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/amp/jeremiah/17.htm">Amplified Bible</a></span><br />“The heart is deceitful above all things And it is extremely sick; Who can understand it fully <i>and</i> know its secret motives?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/csb/jeremiah/17.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />The heart is more deceitful than anything else, and incurable—who can understand it?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hcsb/jeremiah/17.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />The heart is more deceitful than anything else, and incurable—who can understand it? <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/asv/jeremiah/17.htm">American Standard Version</a></span><br />The heart is deceitful above all things, and it is exceedingly corrupt: who can know it?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cev/jeremiah/17.htm">Contemporary English Version</a></span><br />You people of Judah are so deceitful that you even fool yourselves, and you can't change. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/erv/jeremiah/17.htm">English Revised Version</a></span><br />The heart is deceitful above all things, and it is desperately sick: who can know it?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gwt/jeremiah/17.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a></span><br />"The human mind is the most deceitful of all things. It is incurable. No one can understand how deceitful it is.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gnt/jeremiah/17.htm">Good News Translation</a></span><br />"Who can understand the human heart? There is nothing else so deceitful; it is too sick to be healed. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/isv/jeremiah/17.htm">International Standard Version</a></span><br />"The heart is more deceitful than anything. It is incurable— who can know it?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/msb/jeremiah/17.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a></span><br />The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/net/jeremiah/17.htm">NET Bible</a></span><br />The human mind is more deceitful than anything else. It is incurably bad. Who can understand it? <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nheb/jeremiah/17.htm">New Heart English Bible</a></span><br />The heart is deceitful above all things, and it is exceedingly corrupt: who can know it?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/wbt/jeremiah/17.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a></span><br />The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/web/jeremiah/17.htm">World English Bible</a></span><br />The heart is deceitful above all things and it is exceedingly corrupt. Who can know it? <div class="vheading2"><b>Literal Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsv/jeremiah/17.htm">Literal Standard Version</a></span><br />The heart [is] deceitful above all things, "" And it [is] incurable—who knows it?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/ylt/jeremiah/17.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a></span><br /> Crooked is the heart above all things, And it is incurable -- who doth know it?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/slt/jeremiah/17.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a></span><br />The heart is deceitful above all, and man himself, who shall know him?<div class="vheading2"><b>Catholic Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/drb/jeremiah/17.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a></span><br />The heart is perverse above all things, and unsearchable, who can know it? <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cpdv/jeremiah/17.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a></span><br />The heart is depraved above all things, and it is unsearchable, who can know it?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nabre/jeremiah/17.htm">New American Bible</a></span><br />More tortuous than anything is the human heart, beyond remedy; who can understand it? <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nrsvce/jeremiah/17.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a></span><br />The heart is devious above all else; it is perverse— who can understand it?<div class="vheading2"><b>Translations from Aramaic</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lamsa/jeremiah/17.htm">Lamsa Bible</a></span><br />The heart is stubborn above all things; who can understand it?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hpbt/jeremiah/17.htm">Peshitta Holy Bible Translated</a></span><br />The heart of every man is hard. Who knows it?<div class="vheading2"><b>OT Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/jps/jeremiah/17.htm">JPS Tanakh 1917</a></span><br />The heart is deceitful above all things, And it is exceeding weak--who can know it?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/sep/jeremiah/17.htm">Brenton Septuagint Translation</a></span><br />The heart is deep beyond all things, and it is the man, and who can know him?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/parallel/jeremiah/17-9.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></span></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="audio" id="audio"></a><div class="vheadingv"><b>Audio Bible</b></div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5k55c51ZGhs?start=5089" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><div class="vheadingv"><b>Context</b></div><span class="hdg"><a href="/bsb/jeremiah/17.htm">The Sin and Punishment of Judah</a></span><br>…<span class="reftext">8</span>He is like a tree planted by the waters that sends out its roots toward the stream. It does not fear when the heat comes, and its leaves are always green. It does not worry in a year of drought, nor does it cease to produce fruit. <span class="reftext">9</span><span class="highl"><a href="/hebrew/3820.htm" title="3820: hal·lêḇ (Art:: N-ms) -- A form of lebab; the heart; also used very widely for the feelings, the will and even the intellect; likewise for the centre of anything.">The heart</a> <a href="/hebrew/6121.htm" title="6121: ‘ā·qōḇ (Adj-ms) -- From aqab; in the original sense, a knoll; in the denominative sense fraudulent or tracked.">is deceitful</a> <a href="/hebrew/3605.htm" title="3605: mik·kōl (Prep-m:: N-ms) -- The whole, all. Or kowl; from kalal; properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every.">above all things</a> <a href="/hebrew/605.htm" title="605: wə·’ā·nuš (Conj-w:: V-Qal-QalPassPrtcpl-ms) -- To be weak, sick. A primitive root; to be frail, feeble, or melancholy.">and beyond cure.</a> <a href="/hebrew/1931.htm" title="1931: hū (Pro-3ms) -- He, she, it. "></a> <a href="/hebrew/4310.htm" title="4310: mî (Interrog) -- An interrogative pronoun of persons, as mah is of things, who?; also whoever; often used in oblique construction with prefix or suffix.">Who</a> <a href="/hebrew/3045.htm" title="3045: yê·ḏā·‘en·nū (V-Qal-Imperf-3ms:: 3mse) -- A primitive root; to know; used in a great variety of senses, figuratively, literally, euphemistically and inferentially.">can understand it?</a> </span><span class="reftext">10</span>I, the LORD, search the heart; I examine the mind to reward a man according to his way, by what his deeds deserve.…<div class="cred"><a href="//berean.bible">Berean Standard Bible</a> · <a href="//berean.bible/downloads.htm">Download</a></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="crossref" id="crossref"></a><div class="vheading">Cross References</div><div id="crf"><span class="crossverse"><a href="/genesis/6-5.htm">Genesis 6:5</a></span><br />Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great upon the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was altogether evil all the time.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/mark/7-21.htm">Mark 7:21-23</a></span><br />For from within the hearts of men come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, / greed, wickedness, deceit, debauchery, envy, slander, arrogance, and foolishness. / All these evils come from within, and these are what defile a man.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/romans/3-10.htm">Romans 3:10-12</a></span><br />As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one. / There is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. / All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/proverbs/28-26.htm">Proverbs 28:26</a></span><br />He who trusts in himself is a fool, but one who walks in wisdom will be safe.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/matthew/15-19.htm">Matthew 15:19</a></span><br />For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/romans/7-18.htm">Romans 7:18</a></span><br />I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh; for I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/51-5.htm">Psalm 51:5</a></span><br />Surely I was brought forth in iniquity; I was sinful when my mother conceived me.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/ecclesiastes/9-3.htm">Ecclesiastes 9:3</a></span><br />This is an evil in everything that is done under the sun: There is one fate for everyone. Furthermore, the hearts of men are full of evil and madness while they are alive, and afterward they join the dead.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/romans/8-7.htm">Romans 8:7</a></span><br />because the mind of the flesh is hostile to God: It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/james/1-14.htm">James 1:14-15</a></span><br />But each one is tempted when by his own evil desires he is lured away and enticed. / Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/1-5.htm">Isaiah 1:5-6</a></span><br />Why do you want more beatings? Why do you keep rebelling? Your head has a massive wound, and your whole heart is afflicted. / From the sole of your foot to the top of your head, there is no soundness—only wounds and welts and festering sores neither cleansed nor bandaged nor soothed with oil.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/1_john/1-8.htm">1 John 1:8</a></span><br />If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/ezekiel/36-26.htm">Ezekiel 36:26</a></span><br />I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/romans/1-21.htm">Romans 1:21</a></span><br />For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking and darkened in their foolish hearts.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/58-3.htm">Psalm 58:3</a></span><br />The wicked are estranged from the womb; the liars go astray from birth.</div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div><p class="tsk2">The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/jeremiah/16-12.htm">Jeremiah 16:12</a></b></br> And ye have done worse than your fathers; for, behold, ye walk every one after the imagination of his evil heart, that they may not hearken unto me:</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/genesis/6-5.htm">Genesis 6:5</a></b></br> And GOD saw that the wickedness of man <i>was</i> great in the earth, and <i>that</i> every imagination of the thoughts of his heart <i>was</i> only evil continually.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/genesis/8-21.htm">Genesis 8:21</a></b></br> And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart <i>is</i> evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.</p><div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/jeremiah/14-9.htm">Able</a> <a href="/jeremiah/6-28.htm">Corrupt</a> <a href="/isaiah/59-8.htm">Crooked</a> <a href="/jeremiah/3-22.htm">Cure</a> <a href="/jeremiah/15-18.htm">Deceitful</a> <a href="/jonah/1-13.htm">Desperately</a> <a href="/jeremiah/2-12.htm">Exceeding</a> <a href="/isaiah/66-10.htm">Exceedingly</a> <a href="/jeremiah/17-5.htm">Heart</a> <a href="/jeremiah/15-18.htm">Incurable</a> <a href="/songs/5-6.htm">Searched</a> <a href="/jeremiah/14-18.htm">Sick</a> <a href="/jeremiah/9-5.htm">Twisted</a> <a href="/jeremiah/15-15.htm">Understand</a> <a href="/isaiah/42-4.htm">Weak</a> <a href="/jeremiah/15-21.htm">Wicked</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/jeremiah/18-6.htm">Able</a> <a href="/ezekiel/16-47.htm">Corrupt</a> <a href="/lamentations/3-9.htm">Crooked</a> <a href="/jeremiah/30-15.htm">Cure</a> <a href="/jeremiah/51-17.htm">Deceitful</a> <a href="/jonah/1-13.htm">Desperately</a> <a href="/jeremiah/48-29.htm">Exceeding</a> <a href="/jeremiah/48-16.htm">Exceedingly</a> <a href="/jeremiah/17-10.htm">Heart</a> <a href="/jeremiah/30-12.htm">Incurable</a> <a href="/jeremiah/31-37.htm">Searched</a> <a href="/lamentations/1-22.htm">Sick</a> <a href="/lamentations/3-9.htm">Twisted</a> <a href="/jeremiah/23-20.htm">Understand</a> <a href="/ezekiel/7-17.htm">Weak</a> <a href="/jeremiah/20-13.htm">Wicked</a><div class="vheading2">Jeremiah 17</div><span class="reftext">1. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/jeremiah/17-1.htm">The captivity of Judah for her sin.</a></span><br><span class="reftext">5. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/jeremiah/17-5.htm">Trust in man is cursed;</a></span><br><span class="reftext">7. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/jeremiah/17-7.htm">in God is blessed.</a></span><br><span class="reftext">9. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/jeremiah/17-9.htm">The deceitful heart cannot deceive God.</a></span><br><span class="reftext">12. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/jeremiah/17-12.htm">The salvation of God.</a></span><br><span class="reftext">15. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/jeremiah/17-15.htm">The prophet complains of the mockers of his prophecy.</a></span><br><span class="reftext">19. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/jeremiah/17-19.htm">He is sent to renew the covenant in hallowing the Sabbath.</a></span><br></div></div><div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div><br /><br /> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:200px;height:200px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="3592799687"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> <br /><br /> </div> </td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="combox"><div class="padcom"><a name="study" id="study"></a><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top"><a href="/study/jeremiah/17.htm">Study Bible</a></td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/study/jeremiah/" title="Book Summary and Study">Book ◦</a> <a href="/study/chapters/jeremiah/17.htm" title="Chapter summary and Study">Chapter </a></tr></table></div><b>The heart is deceitful above all things</b><br>This phrase highlights the inherent sinfulness and moral corruption of the human heart. In biblical context, the "heart" often represents the center of human will, emotions, and intellect. The deceitfulness of the heart is a recurring theme in Scripture, emphasizing humanity's tendency towards sin and self-deception. <a href="/genesis/6-5.htm">Genesis 6:5</a> illustrates this by describing the wickedness of man's heart before the flood. The heart's deceitfulness is a result of the Fall, as seen in <a href="/genesis/3.htm">Genesis 3</a>, where Adam and Eve's disobedience introduced sin into the world. This phrase underscores the need for divine intervention and transformation, as human efforts alone cannot overcome the heart's deceit.<p><b>and beyond cure</b><br>This part of the verse suggests the incurable nature of the human heart's condition without divine intervention. The term "beyond cure" implies that no human remedy or effort can rectify the heart's deceitfulness. This aligns with the biblical teaching of total depravity, where sin affects every part of human nature. The need for a new heart is echoed in <a href="/ezekiel/36-26.htm">Ezekiel 36:26</a>, where God promises to give His people a new heart and spirit. The ultimate cure is found in Jesus Christ, whose sacrifice and resurrection provide the means for spiritual regeneration and renewal.<p><b>Who can understand it?</b><br>This rhetorical question emphasizes the complexity and inscrutability of the human heart. It suggests that only God, who searches and knows the heart (<a href="/1_samuel/16-7.htm">1 Samuel 16:7</a>), can truly understand its depths. The question points to the limitations of human understanding and the necessity of relying on God's wisdom and insight. In the New Testament, Jesus demonstrates His understanding of the human heart, as seen in <a href="/john/2-24.htm">John 2:24-25</a>, where He knows what is in man. This phrase calls believers to seek God's guidance and wisdom in discerning their own hearts and motives.<div class="vheading2">Persons / Places / Events</div>1. <b><a href="/topical/j/jeremiah.htm">Jeremiah</a></b><br>A major prophet in the Old Testament, known for his messages of warning and hope to the people of Judah. He is often called the "weeping prophet" due to his deep sorrow over the spiritual state of his people.<br><br>2. <b><a href="/topical/j/judah.htm">Judah</a></b><br>The southern kingdom of Israel, which was often rebuked by God through prophets like Jeremiah for its idolatry and disobedience.<br><br>3. <b><a href="/topical/t/the_heart.htm">The Heart</a></b><br>In Hebrew thought, the heart ("lev") is the center of human will, emotions, and intellect. It is not merely the seat of emotions but the core of one's being and decision-making.<div class="vheading2">Teaching Points</div><b><a href="/topical/t/the_deceitful_nature_of_the_heart.htm">The Deceitful Nature of the Heart</a></b><br>The heart is inherently deceitful, leading us away from God's truth. We must recognize our need for divine guidance and transformation.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/the_need_for_divine_understanding.htm">The Need for Divine Understanding</a></b><br>Only God can truly understand and judge the heart. We should seek His wisdom and discernment in evaluating our motives and actions.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/g/guarding_the_heart.htm">Guarding the Heart</a></b><br>As believers, we are called to guard our hearts diligently, filling them with God's Word and aligning our desires with His will.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/the_role_of_the_holy_spirit.htm">The Role of the Holy Spirit</a></b><br>The Holy Spirit plays a crucial role in transforming our hearts, helping us to overcome deceit and live in accordance with God's truth.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/r/repentance_and_renewal.htm">Repentance and Renewal</a></b><br>Regular repentance and seeking God's renewal are essential for maintaining a heart that is aligned with His purposes.<div class="vheading2">Lists and Questions</div><a href="/top10/lessons_from_jeremiah_17.htm">Top 10 Lessons from Jeremiah 17</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/can_good_intentions_cause_harm.htm">Do good intentions lead to negative outcomes?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/how_do_sociopaths_differ_from_psychopaths.htm">How do sociopaths and psychopaths differ?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/is_trusting_feelings_wise.htm">Is trusting your feelings a wise decision?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/what_defines_spiritual_sickness.htm">What defines spiritual sickness?</a><a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/ellicott/jeremiah/17.htm">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</a></div>(9) <span class= "bld">The heart is deceitful . . .</span>--The sequence of ideas seems as follows: If the blessing and the curse are thus so plainly marked, how is it that man chooses the curse and not the blessing, the portion of the "heath in the desert" rather than that of the "tree planted by the waters"? And the answer is found in the inscrutable self-deceit of his nature blinding his perceptions of good and evil.<p><span class= "bld">Desperately wicked.</span>--Rather, <span class= "ital">incurably diseased, </span>as in <a href="/jeremiah/15-18.htm" title="Why is my pain perpetual, and my wound incurable, which refuses to be healed? will you be altogether to me as a liar, and as waters that fail?">Jeremiah 15:18</a>; <a href="/jeremiah/30-12.htm" title="For thus said the LORD, Your bruise is incurable, and your wound is grievous.">Jeremiah 30:12</a>; <a href="/jeremiah/30-15.htm" title="Why cry you for your affliction? your sorrow is incurable for the multitude of your iniquity: because your sins were increased, I have done these things to you.">Jeremiah 30:15</a>; <a href="/isaiah/17-11.htm" title="In the day shall you make your plant to grow, and in the morning shall you make your seed to flourish: but the harvest shall be a heap in the day of grief and of desperate sorrow.">Isaiah 17:11</a>, and elsewhere. Wickedness is, of course, implied, but it is regarded rather as a moral taint following on the deliberate choice, than as the choice itself.<p><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/pulpit/jeremiah/17.htm">Pulpit Commentary</a></div><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verses 9, 10.</span> - The crocked devices of the human heart, which is characterized as <span class="cmt_word">deceitful above all things</span> (or, as Delitzsch, ' Biblical Psychology,' English translation, p. 340, "proud;" literally, <span class="accented">uneven</span> or <span class="accented">rugged</span>; comp. <a href="/isaiah/40-4.htm">Isaiah 40:4</a>; <a href="/habakkuk/2-4.htm">Habakkuk 2:4, Hebrew</a>; <a href="/psalms/131-2.htm">Psalm 131:2</a>, Hebrew), and desperately wicked, or rather, desperately sick (see <a href="/jeremiah/15-18.htm">Jeremiah 15:18</a>, where it is explained by the words, "which refuseth to be healed"). The Septuagint reads this verse differently, "The heart is deep above all things, and it is a man." <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/commentaries/jeremiah/17-9.htm">Parallel Commentaries ...</a></span><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><a name="lexicon" id="lexicon"></a><div class="vheading">Hebrew</div><span class="word">The heart</span><br /><span class="heb">הַלֵּ֛ב</span> <span class="translit">(hal·lêḇ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Article | Noun - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3820.htm">Strong's 3820: </a> </span><span class="str2">The heart, the feelings, the will, the intellect, centre</span><br /><br /><span class="word">[is] deceitful</span><br /><span class="heb">עָקֹ֥ב</span> <span class="translit">(‘ā·qōḇ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Adjective - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_6121.htm">Strong's 6121: </a> </span><span class="str2">Insidious, deceitful, tracked by footprints</span><br /><br /><span class="word">above all things</span><br /><span class="heb">מִכֹּ֖ל</span> <span class="translit">(mik·kōl)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3605.htm">Strong's 3605: </a> </span><span class="str2">The whole, all, any, every</span><br /><br /><span class="word">and beyond cure—</span><br /><span class="heb">וְאָנֻ֣שׁ</span> <span class="translit">(wə·’ā·nuš)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - QalPassParticiple - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_605.htm">Strong's 605: </a> </span><span class="str2">To be frail, feeble, melancholy</span><br /><br /><span class="word">who</span><br /><span class="heb">מִ֖י</span> <span class="translit">(mî)</span><br /><span class="parse">Interrogative<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_4310.htm">Strong's 4310: </a> </span><span class="str2">Who?, whoever, in oblique construction with prefix, suffix</span><br /><br /><span class="word">can understand it?</span><br /><span class="heb">יֵדָעֶֽנּוּ׃</span> <span class="translit">(yê·ḏā·‘en·nū)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular | third person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3045.htm">Strong's 3045: </a> </span><span class="str2">To know</span><br /><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/jeremiah/17-9.htm">Jeremiah 17:9 NIV</a><br /><a href="/nlt/jeremiah/17-9.htm">Jeremiah 17:9 NLT</a><br /><a href="/esv/jeremiah/17-9.htm">Jeremiah 17:9 ESV</a><br /><a href="/nasb/jeremiah/17-9.htm">Jeremiah 17:9 NASB</a><br /><a href="/kjv/jeremiah/17-9.htm">Jeremiah 17:9 KJV</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="//bibleapps.com/jeremiah/17-9.htm">Jeremiah 17:9 BibleApps.com</a><br /><a href="//bibliaparalela.com/jeremiah/17-9.htm">Jeremiah 17:9 Biblia Paralela</a><br /><a href="//holybible.com.cn/jeremiah/17-9.htm">Jeremiah 17:9 Chinese Bible</a><br /><a href="//saintebible.com/jeremiah/17-9.htm">Jeremiah 17:9 French Bible</a><br /><a href="/catholic/jeremiah/17-9.htm">Jeremiah 17:9 Catholic Bible</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/jeremiah/17-9.htm">OT Prophets: Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things (Jer.) </a></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="/jeremiah/17-8.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Jeremiah 17:8"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Jeremiah 17:8" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="/jeremiah/17-10.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Jeremiah 17:10"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Jeremiah 17:10" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhnew2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>