Jeremiah 17:9 (GNV)

Passage

The heart is deceitfull and wicked aboue all things, who can knowe it?

Nearby Context

Jeremiah 17:7 Blessed be the man, that trusteth in ye Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.

Jeremiah 17:8 For he shall be as a tree that is planted by the water, which spreadeth out her rootes by the riuer, and shall not feele when the heate commeth, but her leafe shall be greene, and shall not care for the yeere of drought, neyther shall cease from yeelding fruit.

Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitfull and wicked aboue all things, who can knowe it?

Jeremiah 17:10 I the Lord search the heart, and try ye reines, euen to giue euery man according to his wayes, and according to the fruite of his workes.

Jeremiah 17:11 As the partryche gathereth the yong, which she hath not brought forth: so he that getteth riches, and not by right, shall leaue them in the middes of his dayes, and at his ende shall bee a foole.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "all things", "heart", "deceitfull", "wicked", "aboue", and "knowe". 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 the Lord search the heart and...", 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.