Yeremia 11:20
Konteks11:20 So I said to the Lord, 1
“O Lord who rules over all, 2 you are a just judge!
You examine people’s hearts and minds. 3
I want to see you pay them back for what they have done
because I trust you to vindicate my cause.” 4
Yeremia 17:9-10
Konteks17:9 The human mind is more deceitful than anything else.
It is incurably bad. 5 Who can understand it?
17:10 I, the Lord, probe into people’s minds.
I examine people’s hearts. 6
I deal with each person according to how he has behaved.
I give them what they deserve based on what they have done.
Yeremia 20:12
Konteks20:12 O Lord who rules over all, 7 you test and prove the righteous.
You see into people’s hearts and minds. 8
Pay them back for what they have done
because I trust you to vindicate my cause.
[11:20] 1 tn The words “So I said to the
[11:20] 2 tn Heb “Yahweh of armies.”
[11:20] sn For the significance of the term see the notes at 2:19 and 7:3.
[11:20] 3 tn Heb “
[11:20] 4 tn Heb “Let me see your retribution [i.e., see you exact retribution] from them because I reveal my cause [i.e., plea for justice] to you.”
[17:9] 5 tn Or “incurably deceitful”; Heb “It is incurable.” For the word “deceitful” compare the usage of the verb in Gen 27:36 and a related noun in 2 Kgs 10:19. For the adjective “incurable” compare the usage in Jer 15:18. It is most commonly used with reference to wounds or of pain. In Jer 17:16 it is used metaphorically for a “woeful day” (i.e., day of irreparable devastation).
[17:9] sn The background for this verse is Deut 29:18-19 (29:17-18 HT) and Deut 30:17.
[17:10] 6 tn The term rendered “mind” here and in the previous verse is actually the Hebrew word for “heart.” However, in combination with the word rendered “heart” in the next line, which is the Hebrew for “kidneys,” it is best rendered “mind” because the “heart” was considered the center of intellect, conscience, and will and the “kidneys” the center of emotions.
[17:10] sn For an earlier reference to this motif see Jer 11:20. For a later reference see Jer 20:12. See also Ps 17:2-3.
[20:12] 7 tn Heb “Yahweh of armies.”
[20:12] sn See the study note on 2:19 for explanation of this title for God.
[20:12] 8 tn Heb “
[20:12] sn This verse is almost an exact duplication of the petition in one of Jeremiah’s earlier prayers and complaints. See Jer 11:20 and notes there for explanation of the Hebrew psychology underlying the use of “kidneys and heart” here. For the thoughts expressed here see Ps 17.