Jeremiah 17:10 (ASV)

Passage

I, Jehovah, search the mind, I try the heart, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.

Nearby Context

Jeremiah 17:8 For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, that spreadeth out its roots by the river, and shall not fear when heat cometh, but its leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.

Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and it is exceedingly corrupt: who can know it?

Jeremiah 17:10 I, Jehovah, search the mind, I try the heart, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.

Jeremiah 17:11 As the partridge that sitteth on [eggs] which she hath not laid, so is he that getteth riches, and not by right; in the midst of his days they shall leave him, and at his end he shall be a fool.

Jeremiah 17:12 A glorious throne, [set] on high from the beginning, is the place of our sanctuary.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "jehovah", "search", "mind", "heart", "even", "give", "ways", and "fruit". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "jehovah" and "search", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 9's "The heart is deceitful above all things..." into verse 11's "As the partridge that sitteth on eggs...", so "jehovah" and "search" belong inside that flow. In Jeremiah context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "jehovah" and "search" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.