Jeremiah 17:4
in Jeremiah 17And you yourself will relinquish the inheritance that I gave you. I will enslave you to your enemies in a land that you do not know, for you have kindled My anger; it will burn forever.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And thou, even of thyself, shalt discontinue from thy heritage that I gave thee; and I will cause thee to serve thine enemies in the land which thou knowest not: for ye have kindled a fire in mine anger which shall burn for ever.
KJV
And thou, even thyself, shalt discontinue from thine heritage that I gave thee; and I will cause thee to serve thine enemies in the land which thou knowest not: for ye have kindled a fire in mine anger, which shall burn for ever.
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This verse in Jeremiah 17
Commentary
8 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
The verb rendered “discontinue” is that used of letting the land rest Exo 23:11, and of releasing creditors Deu 15:2 in the sabbatical year. As Judah had not kept these sabbatical years she must now discontinue the tillage of God’s inheritance until the land had had its rest. “Even thyself may mean and that through thyself,” through thine own fault.
This site's exposition
The sin of Judah is written with an iron stylus
on Jeremiah 17:1-4
The sin is “written with an iron stylus, engraved with a diamond point”, on their hearts and on the horns of their altars. The two places show idolatry fixed in the very heart that was meant to love the LORD. Even their children remember their altars and Asherah poles.
This site's exposition
And you yourself will relinquish the inheritance
Albert Barnes notes that the Hebrew verb for relinquish is the one used of letting the land rest in the Sabbath year. Judah had failed to keep those rest years. The land will now get its rest while its people serve enemies in a strange country.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
Observe, (1.) Sin works a discontinuance of our comforts and deprives us of the enjoyment of that which God has given us. Yet, (2.) A discontinuance of the possession is not a defeasance of the right, but it is intimated that upon their repentance they shall recover possession again.
Justly are men stripped of that which they have served their idols with and have made the food and the fuel of their lusts. My mountain (so the whole land was, Ps. lxxviii. 11 ) you have turned into your high places for sin, have worshipped your idols upon the high hills (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
And thou, even thyself,....
He shows them the folly of all their carnal confidences, which should stand them in no stead when God's time came to contend with them, and that this was one of the sins upon which his controversy with them was grounded,
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
even thyself--rather, "owing to thyself," that is, by thy own fault (Jer 15:13). discontinue from--be dispossessed of. Not only thy substance, but thyself shall be carried off to a strange land (Jer 15:14).
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
The words behind it
20 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְשָׁמַטְתָּ֗ה | veshamatah | and you will let fall | H8058 → | |
| וּבְךָ֙ | uvekha | and in <the> you | ||
| מִנַּחֲלָֽתְךָ֙ | minachalatekha | from inheritance your | H5159 → | 222 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֣ר | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| נָתַ֣תִּי | natati | I gave | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| לָ֔ךְ | lakh | to <the> you | ||
| וְהַעֲבַדְתִּ֙יךָ֙ | vehaavadtikha | and I will make serve you | H5647 → | 288 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| אֹ֣יְבֶ֔יךָ | ʾoyeveikha | enemies your | H341 → | 282 times |
| בָּאָ֖רֶץ | baaretz | in <the> land | H776 → | 2504 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֣ר | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| לֹֽא־ | lo'- | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יָדָ֑עְתָּ | yadaeta | you know | H3045 → | 945 times |
| כִּֽי־ | ki- | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| אֵ֛שׁ | ʾesh | a fire | H784 → | 378 times |
| קְדַחְתֶּ֥ם | kedachtem | you have kindled | H6919 → | |
| בְּאַפִּ֖י | beapi | in anger my | H639 → | 276 times |
| עַד־ | ʾad- | until | H5704 → | 1261 times |
| עוֹלָ֥ם | olam | perpetuity | H5769 → | 438 times |
| תּוּקָֽד׃ ס | tukad | it will burn | H3344 → |
וְשָׁמַטְתָּ֗הand you will let fall
veshamatahH8058 →
וּבְךָ֙and in <the> you
uvekha
מִנַּחֲלָֽתְךָ֙from inheritance your
minachalatekhaH5159 →222 times
אֲשֶׁ֣רwhich
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
נָתַ֣תִּיI gave
natatiH5414 →2011 times
לָ֔ךְto <the> you
lakh
וְהַעֲבַדְתִּ֙יךָ֙and I will make serve you
vehaavadtikhaH5647 →288 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
אֹ֣יְבֶ֔יךָenemies your
ʾoyeveikhaH341 →282 times
בָּאָ֖רֶץin <the> land
baaretzH776 →2504 times
אֲשֶׁ֣רwhich
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
לֹֽא־not
lo'-H3808 →5168 times
יָדָ֑עְתָּyou know
yadaetaH3045 →945 times
כִּֽי־for
ki-H3588 →4482 times
אֵ֛שׁa fire
ʾeshH784 →378 times
קְדַחְתֶּ֥םyou have kindled
kedachtemH6919 →
בְּאַפִּ֖יin anger my
beapiH639 →276 times
עַד־until
ʾad-H5704 →1261 times
עוֹלָ֥םperpetuity
olamH5769 →438 times
תּוּקָֽד׃ סit will burn
tukadH3344 →
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Isaiah 5:25Therefore the anger of the LORD burns against His people; His hand is raised against them to strike them down. The mountains quake, and the corpses lay like refuse in the streets. Despite all…
it leads to
- Isaiah 10:4
Nothing will remain but to crouch among the captives or fall among the slain. Despite all this, His anger is not turned away; His hand is still upraised.
- Isaiah 9:21
Manasseh devours Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh; together they turn against Judah. Despite all this, His anger is not turned away; His hand is still upraised.
- Isaiah 9:17
Therefore the Lord takes no pleasure in their young men; He has no compassion on their fatherless and widows. For every one of them is godless and wicked, and every mouth speaks folly. Despite…
- 2 Kings 9:37
And Jezebel’s body will lie like dung in the field on the plot of ground at Jezreel, so that no one can say: This is Jezebel.’”
- Isaiah 10:4
Through
Jeremiah 15:14Then I will enslave you to your enemies in a land you do not know, for My anger will kindle a fire that will burn against you.”
it leads to
- Jeremiah 16:13
So I will cast you out of this land into a land that neither you nor your fathers have known. There you will serve other gods day and night, for I will show you…
- Deuteronomy 32:22
For a fire has been kindled by My anger, and it burns to the depths of Sheol; it consumes the earth and its produce, and scorches the foundations of the mountains.
- Jeremiah 16:13
Through
Jeremiah 7:20Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: Behold, My anger and My fury will be poured out on this place, on man and beast, on the trees of the field and the produce…
it leads to
- Jeremiah 42:18
For this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘Just as My anger and wrath were poured out on the residents of Jerusalem, so will My wrath be poured out…
- Jeremiah 42:18
Through
Lamentations 5:2Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers, our houses to foreigners.
it leads to
- Isaiah 1:7
Your land is desolate; your cities are burned with fire. Foreigners devour your fields before you—a desolation demolished by strangers.
- Isaiah 1:7
Where this verse is studied
About Jeremiah

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Carl Friedrich Keil, The Prophecies of Jeremiah; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.
