Jeremiah 17:8 (WEB)

Passage

For he will be as a tree planted by the waters, who spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes, but its leaf will be green; and will not be concerned in the year of drought. It won’t cease from yielding fruit.

Nearby Context

Jeremiah 17:6 For he will be like a bush in the desert, and will not see when good comes, but will inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, an uninhabited salt land.

Jeremiah 17:7 “Blessed is the man who trusts in Yahweh, and whose confidence is in Yahweh.

Jeremiah 17:8 For he will be as a tree planted by the waters, who spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes, but its leaf will be green; and will not be concerned in the year of drought. It won’t 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, Yahweh, search the mind. I try the heart, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.”

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "tree", "planted", "waters", "spreads", "roots", "river", "fear", and "heat". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "tree" and "planted", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 7's "Blessed is the man who trusts in..." into verse 9's "The heart is deceitful above all things...", so "tree" and "planted" 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 "tree" and "planted" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.