The Meaning of Jeremiah 11:17 Explained

Jeremiah 11:17

KJV: For the LORD of hosts, that planted thee, hath pronounced evil against thee, for the evil of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah, which they have done against themselves to provoke me to anger in offering incense unto Baal.

YLT: And Jehovah of Hosts, who is planting thee, Hath spoken evil concerning thee, For the evil of the house of Israel, and of the house of Judah, That they have done to themselves, To provoke Me to anger, to make perfume to Baal.

Darby: For Jehovah of hosts, that planted thee, hath pronounced evil against thee, for the evil of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah, which they have done for themselves, to provoke me to anger in burning incense unto Baal.

ASV: For Jehovah of hosts, who planted thee, hath pronounced evil against thee, because of the evil of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah, which they have wrought for themselves in provoking me to anger by offering incense unto Baal.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

For the LORD  of hosts,  that planted  thee, hath pronounced  evil  against thee, for  the evil  of the house  of Israel  and of the house  of Judah,  which they have done  against themselves to provoke me to anger  in offering incense  unto Baal. 

What does Jeremiah 11:17 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Even though Almighty Yahweh had planted Israel, He would bring evil (Heb. ra"ah) on her, because she had done evil (ra"ah) in provoking Him by worshipping Baal.
"There is nothing in this oracle that does not appear in earlier oracles except that there is here a certain sense of the imminence of coming doom. Such language would certainly provoke the kind of reaction we find in Jeremiah 11:18 to Jeremiah 12:6, where we are told of a plot against Jeremiah"s life in his own village." [1]

Context Summary

Jeremiah 11:1-20 - The Penalty Of A Broken Covenant
This and the following two chapters belong to the earlier ministry of Jeremiah, when he still dwelt in his native home of Anathoth. The prophet refers to the covenant which had been lately renewed by Josiah, 2 Kings 22:1-20 and 2 Kings 23:1-37, and quotes largely from the book of Deuteronomy, which had been recently read in the hearing of the people. To that covenant the prophet reverently gives his endorsement, Jeremiah 11:5. His amen reminds us of Him who is God's Amen, and in whom all the promises of God are ratified forever, 2 Corinthians 1:20. Shall we not learn, like our Lord in Matthew 11:26, to look into the Father's face and say, "Even so?" We must do so, that one day we may join with the redeemed in crying, "Amen, Hallelujah," Revelation 19:4.
The repeated relapses of Israel into idolatry were in part due to the licentious rites associated with such worship. The people were seduced from their allegiance to Jehovah by the fascination of passion; and herein we are reminded of the many times that we have been beguiled into sinful thoughts and imaginings, in spite of God's earnest solicitations and protestation, "rising early and protesting." As long as the soul is wedded to its evil ways, it is impervious to the entrance of God's light and love. "There is a sin unto death," says the Apostle, "I do not say that he shall pray for it," a saying which is closely akin to the solemn prohibition of Jeremiah 11:14, "Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up a cry or prayer for them." [source]

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 11

1  Jeremiah proclaims God's covenant;
8  rebukes the peoples' disobeying thereof;
11  prophesies evils to come upon them;
18  and upon the men of Anathoth, for conspiring to kill him

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 11:17 mean?

For Yahweh of hosts who planted you has pronounced against you doom for the evil of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah which they have done against themselves to provoke Me to anger in offering incense to Baal -
וַיהוָ֤ה צְבָאוֹת֙ הַנּוֹטֵ֣עַ אוֹתָ֔ךְ דִּבֶּ֥ר עָלַ֖יִךְ רָעָ֑ה בִּ֠גְלַל רָעַ֨ת בֵּֽית־ יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל וּבֵ֣ית יְהוּדָ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר עָשׂ֥וּ לָהֶ֛ם לְהַכְעִסֵ֖נִי לְקַטֵּ֥ר לַבָּֽעַל ס

וַיהוָ֤ה  For  Yahweh 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
צְבָאוֹת֙  of  hosts 
Parse: Noun, common plural
Root: צָבָא 
Sense: that which goes forth, army, war, warfare, host.
הַנּוֹטֵ֣עַ  who  planted 
Parse: Article, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: נָטַע  
Sense: to plant, fasten, fix, establish.
דִּבֶּ֥ר  has  pronounced 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: דָּבַר 
Sense: to speak, declare, converse, command, promise, warn, threaten, sing.
עָלַ֖יִךְ  against  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person feminine singular
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
רָעָ֑ה  doom 
Parse: Adjective, feminine singular
Root: רַע 
Sense: bad, evil.
רָעַ֨ת  the  evil 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: רַע 
Sense: bad, evil.
בֵּֽית־  of  the  house 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל  of  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
וּבֵ֣ית  and  of  the  house 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
יְהוּדָ֗ה  of  Judah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יְהוּדָה  
Sense: the son of Jacob by Leah.
עָשׂ֥וּ  they  have  done 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
לָהֶ֛ם  against  themselves 
Parse: Preposition-l, Pronoun, third person masculine plural
Root: הֵם 
Sense: they, these, the same, who.
לְהַכְעִסֵ֖נִי  to  provoke  Me  to  anger 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Hifil, Infinitive construct, first person common singular
Root: כָּעַס  
Sense: to be angry, be vexed, be indignant, be wroth, be grieved, provoke to anger and wrath.
לְקַטֵּ֥ר  in  offering  incense 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Piel, Infinitive construct
Root: מֻקְטָר 
Sense: .
לַבָּֽעַל  to  Baal 
Parse: Preposition-l, Article, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: בַּעַל  
Sense: supreme male divinity of the Phoenicians or Canaanites.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation