Jeremiah 17:9 (ASV)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

Jeremiah 17:7 Blessed is the man that trusteth in Jehovah, and whose trust Jehovah is.

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.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "all things", "heart", "deceitful", "above", "exceedingly", and "corrupt". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "all things" and "heart", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "For he shall be as a tree..." into verse 10's "I Jehovah search the mind I try...", so "all things" and "heart" 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 "all things" and "heart" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.