Jeremiah 16 17

Jeremiah 16:17 kjv

For mine eyes are upon all their ways: they are not hid from my face, neither is their iniquity hid from mine eyes.

Jeremiah 16:17 nkjv

For My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from My face, nor is their iniquity hidden from My eyes.

Jeremiah 16:17 niv

My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from me, nor is their sin concealed from my eyes.

Jeremiah 16:17 esv

For my eyes are on all their ways. They are not hidden from me, nor is their iniquity concealed from my eyes.

Jeremiah 16:17 nlt

I am watching them closely, and I see every sin. They cannot hope to hide from me.

Jeremiah 16 verses

Jeremiah 16 17 Meaning

Jeremiah 16:17 unequivocally declares God's perfect and inescapable omniscience regarding humanity's actions, specifically their sins. It states that no aspect of human conduct, particularly their moral failings and rebellion against Him, can ever be hidden or concealed from His direct observation. This verse serves as a foundational premise for divine justice, emphasizing that the Lord's judgment is righteous because it is based on His complete and unceasing awareness of every detail of human life and their moral standing before Him.

Jeremiah 16 17 Context

Jeremiah chapter 16 unfolds primarily as a stark prophecy of impending judgment against Judah. The preceding verses (16:1-13) detail the severity of this judgment, including prohibitions for Jeremiah against marriage, mourning, and feasting, symbolizing the future suffering of the people where no one will mourn the dead. The destruction, famine, pestilence, and exile are explicitly foretold as consequences for their persistent idolatry and forsaking of the Lord (16:10-13).

Following a brief interlude of hope for a future restoration (16:14-15), verses 16-18 return to elaborate on the certainty and method of divine punishment. Jeremiah 16:16 depicts God sending "many fishers and hunters" to catch the people from their hiding places, implying an inescapable judgment. Verse 17 directly follows this, providing the theological justification and assurance that this comprehensive pursuit and judgment are not random, but precisely because God is fully aware of all their sinful "ways" and "iniquity." It reinforces the absolute righteousness of the coming punishment, rooted in God's perfect knowledge of their rebellion. Historically, this prophecy was set against a backdrop of Judah's deep moral and spiritual decay, widespread idolatry (including child sacrifice), and reliance on foreign powers instead of Yahweh, all leading towards the Babylonian exile.

Jeremiah 16 17 Word analysis

• For (כִּי - ki): A conjunction introducing the reason or explanation for the preceding statement, which is God's comprehensive search for and judgment upon His people (Jer 16:16). It signifies "because" or "indeed."
• My eyes (עֵינַי - eynay): This is the first-person singular possessive form of the Hebrew word for "eyes" (עַיִן - ayin). It anthropomorphizes God's perception, emphasizing a personal, direct, and unblinking observation, implying both attention and intent.
• are on all their ways (עַל־כָּל־דַּרְכֵיהֶם - al-kāl-dakhêhem):
  • all (כָּל - kāl): Indicates totality, leaving nothing out.
  • their ways (דַּרְכֵיהֶם - darkheykhem): From דֶּרֶךְ (derekh), meaning a path, road, or metaphorically, a course of life, conduct, or moral actions. This refers to their entire manner of living, their habits, decisions, and trajectory in life.
  • on (עַל - al): Signifies direct attention and close watch over, implying oversight and supervision.
  • This phrase speaks to God's all-encompassing surveillance of every facet of human existence, both public and private.
• they are not hidden (לֹא־נִכְחֲדוּ - lo'-nikhḥădû):
  • not (לֹא - lo): A definitive negation.
  • hidden (נִכְחֲדוּ - nikhḥădû): A passive form of the verb כָּחַד (kachad), meaning "to hide," "to be concealed," or "to cut off." Here, it powerfully states the absolute impossibility of their ways remaining unobserved.
• from My face (מִפָּנָי - mippānāy):
  • My face (פָּנָי - panay): From פָּנִים (panim), meaning "face" or "presence." Referring to God's face indicates a direct, personal, and unavoidable encounter with His divine presence and gaze, adding a layer of directness to His omniscience.
  • from (מִ - mi): Denotes separation or origin.
• nor is their iniquity (וְלֹא־נִסְתְּרָה עֲוֹנָם - wəlo'-nistəráh 'ăvonam):
  • nor (וְלֹא - welo'): Reinforces the preceding negation, providing further emphasis on concealment's impossibility.
  • their iniquity (עֲוֹנָם - 'ăvonam): From עָוֹן ('awon), meaning "iniquity," "guilt," "sin," or "punishment for sin." This specifies that among all "their ways," God is particularly aware of and concerned with their moral offenses and corruptions.
• concealed from My eyes (נִסְתְּרָה מֵעֵינָי - nistəráh mē'êynāy):
  • concealed (נִסְתְּרָה - nistəráh): A passive form of the verb סָתַר (satar), also meaning "to hide" or "to conceal." This verb often carries the nuance of something being kept hidden. The repetition of verbs for "hidden" (כָּחַד and סָתַר) emphasizes the thoroughness of God's sight.
  • from My eyes (מֵעֵינָי - mē'êynāy): A direct echo of the opening phrase "My eyes," providing chiasm and strengthening the assertion that God's sight is comprehensive and complete even to their moral failures.

Words-group analysis

• "My eyes are on all their ways": This phrase encapsulates God's comprehensive, all-seeing knowledge, acting as the premise for His divine oversight. It denotes not merely passive observation but an active and attentive scrutiny of every decision, action, and direction a person takes.
• "they are not hidden from My face": This extends the concept of divine omniscience to the intimacy and directness of God's presence. It means that humans cannot evade God's scrutiny by spatial distance or metaphorical obscurity; they stand perpetually in the direct beam of His divine gaze, leaving no room for escape or disguise.
• "nor is their iniquity concealed from My eyes": This second, parallel clause brings the focus squarely onto moral accountability. It specifically highlights that the very thing humans often try most desperately to hide—their wrongdoing, secret sins, and moral perversions—are perfectly clear and completely known to God. This dual statement acts as a profound warning that no sin, no matter how carefully veiled, escapes divine recognition.

Jeremiah 16 17 Bonus section

The rhetorical device of repeating and slightly rephrasing the assertion of God's sight—"My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from My face, nor is their iniquity concealed from My eyes"—is known as parallelism and intensification. It ensures that the message of God's total awareness is emphatically conveyed. The slight variation, moving from "eyes" to "face" and back to "eyes," broadens the scope from mere vision to an inescapable personal presence and full apprehension. The shift from "their ways" to the more specific "their iniquity" clarifies the moral core of God's judgment, emphasizing that while He sees everything, His particular concern in this context is their rebellion against Him. This verse profoundly asserts that the bedrock of divine justice is divine knowledge; God can judge righteously because He sees and knows everything. This foundational truth not only serves as a warning against sin but also as an assurance that God sees and remembers acts of faithfulness and genuine repentance.

Jeremiah 16 17 Commentary

Jeremiah 16:17 presents a powerful and unwavering statement regarding God's divine omniscience, serving as the immutable basis for His just judgment upon Judah. In an era marked by widespread idolatry, moral degradation, and the false presumption that God was either oblivious or indifferent to their actions, this verse shatters any such delusion. It declares that God's eyes—a common anthropomorphism for divine awareness—are perpetually fixed upon "all their ways." This encompasses every aspect of human conduct, thought, and intent, leaving no hidden corner of life unobserved.

The doubling of the negative assertion ("not hidden from My face, nor is their iniquity concealed from My eyes") serves to underscore the absolute impossibility of escaping divine notice. The mention of "My face" further elevates the concept beyond mere sight to a personal, direct confrontation with God's very presence, implying an intimate and unavoidable scrutiny. By specifically highlighting "their iniquity," the verse points to the particular object of God's knowledge that will prompt judgment. It's not just their actions but the moral crookedness and rebellion behind them that God fully discerns. This forewarns Judah that their impending punishment is not arbitrary, but a direct, righteous consequence of their consistently observed disobedience. For the prophet Jeremiah and his audience, it served as a call to profound repentance, emphasizing that true turning from sin begins with acknowledging that all of one's deeds and secret thoughts are known to the all-seeing God.