The Meaning of Jeremiah 17:3 Explained

Jeremiah 17:3

KJV: O my mountain in the field, I will give thy substance and all thy treasures to the spoil, and thy high places for sin, throughout all thy borders.

YLT: O My mountain in the field -- thy strength, All thy treasures -- for a prey I give, Thy high places for sin in all thy borders.

Darby: My mountain in the field, thy substance, all thy treasures will I give for a spoil, thy high places, because of sin throughout thy borders.

ASV: O my mountain in the field, I will give thy substance and all thy treasures for a spoil, and thy high places, because of sin, throughout all thy borders.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

O my mountain  in the field,  I will give  thy substance  [and] all thy treasures  to the spoil,  [and] thy high places  for sin,  throughout all thy borders. 

What does Jeremiah 17:3 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Jerusalem, or Mount Zion, stood like a mountain surrounded by countryside. Normally a city on such a site would be secure from invaders. But Yahweh would turn over His people"s wealth and treasures, and their pagan places of worship (really sin), to their enemy (cf. Jeremiah 15:13). The idolaters thought the places where their shrines stood belonged to the gods they worshipped there, but Yahweh really owned them, and would turn them over to Judah"s invader.

Context Summary

Jeremiah 17:1-14 - Human And Divine Help Contrasted
The Jews were always seeking alliance either with Egypt or Babylon. What was true of them applies to us all; but we cannot depend upon human aid, without departing from the Lord. The heath is probably the juniper, a lonely tree, dwelling in arid wastes, unvisited by dew. The soul that rests on God is watered from His throne. The roots of such are fed from the hidden springs of Eternity. The heart is deceitful; it tends constantly to substitute the arm of flesh for the living God. Desperately wicked means "incurably sick." It was the ancient notion that the partridge stole the eggs of other birds and hatched them as her own. The covetous man is sure to reap disappointment. He steals other people's goods, but is driven off the nest before they hatch out for the benefit of himself. God's glorious throne is a defense to all who trust Him; while those who depart from Him shall be forgotten, as a sentence written in the sand is obliterated by the next puff of wind. Contrast Job 19:23-24. [source]

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 17

1  The captivity of Judah for her sin
5  Trust in man is cursed;
7  in God is blessed
9  The deceitful heart cannot deceive God
12  The salvation of God
15  The prophet complains of the mockers of his prophecy
19  He is sent to renew the covenant in hallowing the Sabbath

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 17:3 mean?

My mountain in the field your wealth all your treasures as plunder I will give [And] your high places of sin within all your borders
הֲרָרִי֙ בַּשָּׂדֶ֔ה חֵילְךָ֥ כָל־ אוֹצְרוֹתֶ֖יךָ לָבַ֣ז אֶתֵּ֑ן בָּמֹתֶ֕יךָ בְּחַטָּ֖את בְּכָל־ גְּבוּלֶֽיךָ

הֲרָרִי֙  My  mountain 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: הַר  
Sense: mountain, hill, hill country, mount.
בַּשָּׂדֶ֔ה  in  the  field 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: שָׂדֶה 
Sense: field, land.
חֵילְךָ֥  your  wealth 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: חַיִל 
Sense: strength, might, efficiency, wealth, army.
אוֹצְרוֹתֶ֖יךָ  your  treasures 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, second person masculine singular
Root: אֹוצָר  
Sense: treasure, storehouse.
לָבַ֣ז  as  plunder 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular
Root: בַּז  
Sense: spoil, booty, robbery, spoiling.
אֶתֵּ֑ן  I  will  give 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, first person common singular
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
בָּמֹתֶ֕יךָ  [And]  your  high  places 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct, second person masculine singular
Root: בָּמָה  
Sense: high place, ridge, height, bamah (technical name for cultic platform).
בְּחַטָּ֖את  of  sin 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular
Root: חַטָּאָה 
Sense: sin, sinful.
בְּכָל־  within  all 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
גְּבוּלֶֽיךָ  your  borders 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, second person masculine singular
Root: גְּבוּל  
Sense: border, territory.