Jeremiah 17:16 (LSB)

Passage

But as for me, I have not hurried away from being a shepherd after You, Nor have I longed for the sickening day; You Yourself know that the utterance of my lips Was in Your presence.

Nearby Context

Jeremiah 17:14 Heal me, O Yahweh, and I will be healed; Save me and I will be saved, For You are my praise.

Jeremiah 17:15 Behold, they keep saying to me, “Where is the word of Yahweh? Let it come now!”

Jeremiah 17:16 But as for me, I have not hurried away from being a shepherd after You, Nor have I longed for the sickening day; You Yourself know that the utterance of my lips Was in Your presence.

Jeremiah 17:17 Do not be a terror to me; You are my refuge in the day of calamity.

Jeremiah 17:18 Let those who pursue me be put to shame, but as for me, let me not be put to shame; Let them be dismayed, but let me not be dismayed. Bring on them a day of calamity, And crush them with twofold crushing!

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "hurried", "away", "shepherd", "after", "longed", "sickening", "yourself", and "utterance". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "hurried" and "away", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "Behold they keep saying to me Where..." into verse 17's "Do not be a terror to me...", so "hurried" and "away" 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 "hurried" and "away" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.