Jeremiah 17:5 (LSB)

Passage

Thus says Yahweh, “Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind And makes flesh his strength, And whose heart turns away from Yahweh.

Nearby Context

Jeremiah 17:3 O mountain of Mine in the countryside, I will give over your wealth and all your treasures for plunder, Your high places for sin throughout your borders.

Jeremiah 17:4 And you will, even of yourself, let go of your inheritance That I gave you; And I will make you serve your enemies In the land which you do not know, For you have kindled a fire in My anger Which will burn forever.

Jeremiah 17:5 Thus says Yahweh, “Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind And makes flesh his strength, And whose heart turns away from Yahweh.

Jeremiah 17:6 And he will be like a juniper in the desert And will not see when prosperity comes, But will dwell in stony wastes in the wilderness, A land of salt which is not inhabited.

Jeremiah 17:7 Blessed is the man who trusts in Yahweh And whose trust is Yahweh.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "thus", "says", "yahweh", "cursed", "trusts", "mankind", "makes", and "flesh". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "thus" and "says", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "And you will even of yourself let..." into verse 6's "And he will be like a juniper...", so "thus" and "says" 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 "thus" and "says" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.