Jeremiah 17 16

Jeremiah 17:16 kjv

As for me, I have not hastened from being a pastor to follow thee: neither have I desired the woeful day; thou knowest: that which came out of my lips was right before thee.

Jeremiah 17:16 nkjv

As for me, I have not hurried away from being a shepherd who follows You, Nor have I desired the woeful day; You know what came out of my lips; It was right there before You.

Jeremiah 17:16 niv

I have not run away from being your shepherd; you know I have not desired the day of despair. What passes my lips is open before you.

Jeremiah 17:16 esv

I have not run away from being your shepherd, nor have I desired the day of sickness. You know what came out of my lips; it was before your face.

Jeremiah 17:16 nlt

LORD, I have not abandoned my job
as a shepherd for your people.
I have not urged you to send disaster.
You have heard everything I've said.

Jeremiah 17 verses

Jeremiah 17 16 Meaning

Jeremiah 17:16 declares the prophet's innocence of pursuing harmful prophecies against his people, stating his faithfulness to God and the direct pronouncement of God's words to him. It's a plea of integrity, a defense against accusation, emphasizing his role as a conduit for divine truth, not a purveyor of personal malice or deceptive visions. The verse underscores his commitment to proclaiming God's judgments accurately, even when difficult.

Jeremiah 17 16 Context

Jeremiah is speaking in a time of great crisis for Judah. The Babylonians are either at the gates or have already begun their invasion. The people are in despair and are seeking answers and reassurance. Many false prophets are offering misleading comfort, claiming peace will return and the exile will be short. Jeremiah, however, has been consistently delivering God's message of impending judgment and the need for repentance due to their persistent sins. In this chapter, he laments the corruption of the people, particularly the betrayal of trust and idolatry, which he has been tasked by God to expose. This verse, 17:16, serves as Jeremiah's defense against accusations that he is a bringer of bad news due to his own malevolence or a false prophet who delights in calamity. He clarifies that his pronouncements are not his own invention but direct utterances from the Lord, reflecting divine justice.

Jeremiah 17 16 Word Analysis

• וְאִנִי (ve'ani): "And I" - Emphasizes Jeremiah's personal stance and direct involvement.

• לֹא־בִקַּשְׁתִּי (lo'-bhik-kashtî): "have not sought" - "Bikkesh" implies to seek after, to look for, to desire, or to pursue. Jeremiah denies actively pursuing or desiring the "calamity" or "disaster."

• כְּרוֹעַ (ke-rō'aʿ): "as a shepherd" - Used metaphorically here. The word "ra'a" (רעה) often refers to a shepherd. Jeremiah is saying he has not acted like a shepherd who would wish evil upon his flock, but rather in accordance with his duty as a divinely appointed messenger.

• יִתְאָוֵֽה (yit'awweh): "has desired" - Derived from the root 'ava (אוה), meaning to desire, long for, or crave. This reinforces the idea of malicious intent being absent from Jeremiah's heart concerning the judgments he announced.

• אוֹיֵב (oyev): "an enemy" - Directly states the opposite of what a shepherd would be to his sheep. He is not acting as an enemy who wishes ill.

• חַרְפֵּךְ (charpeḵ): "your reproach" - "Charpah" (חרפה) refers to disgrace, insult, shame, or taunt. This could refer to the public shame Judah would experience due to its sin or a shame he has allegedly brought upon them by his prophecies.

• נָהָ֑ר (nahâr): "has brought forth" - Implies causing to come, producing, or bringing into existence. It refers to Jeremiah not causing the prophetic pronouncements of judgment to emerge from himself in the sense of their origin.

• וְלֹא־אָבִ֥יתִי (velo-'ävîytî): "and have not willed" - "Avah" (אבה) means to be willing, to consent, to wish. Jeremiah denies wishing for or consenting to their downfall or the experience of "woe" that the preceding clause refers to.

• שׁוֹדֵֽךְ (shôdeḵ): "your ruin" or "your destruction" - "Shod" (שוד) signifies violent destruction, plunder, or devastation.

• לְצַרְמַ֖ת (letzarmah): "of woe" - "Tzarah" (צרה) signifies distress, trouble, tribulation, or narrowness. He is denying desiring this kind of trouble.

• הָפַ֤ךְ (haphakh): "brought forth" / "turned" - From the root "haphakh" (הפך), meaning to turn over, overturn, transform, or bring about. Jeremiah's role was to reveal, not to cause these things by his own will.

• נְאֻם־יְהוָֽה (ne'um-YHWH): "the utterance/declaration of the LORD" - This is the crucial phrase asserting the divine origin of his pronouncements. It clearly states that the words Jeremiah spoke were directly from God, not his own fabrication or desire.

• וּבְחִירֹתַ֥י (u'vchirotay): "and My chosen" - Referring to the people of Israel, the chosen of God. Jeremiah is not seeking their ruin as God's chosen people.

• Group Analysis: The phrase "neither have I desired the day of calamity" links "seeking" (בִּקַּשְׁתִּי) with "desire" (יִתְאָוֵֽה), highlighting Jeremiah's lack of malicious intent. The structure "not sought as a shepherd...desired...ruin" paints a picture of rejected pastoral duty replaced by enmity, which Jeremiah denies. The final assertion "it has not come from Me, the utterance of the LORD my God" separates his person from the source of the judgment, firmly attributing it to divine declaration.

Jeremiah 17 16 Bonus Section

Jeremiah's use of "utterance of the LORD my God" (נְאֻם־יְהוָֽה) is a frequent and authoritative claim throughout his prophecy. It serves as a hallmark of divine communication, distinguishing his pronouncements from human opinion or speculation. This emphasizes the "verbal inspiration" of scripture. The prophet, in essence, is saying, "This judgment is not my idea, nor my wish; it is God's spoken word and God's ordained action." The comparison to a shepherd, while indirect, touches upon the tender and protective role God desires for His people and the role prophets should emulate in speaking truth. False prophets in Jeremiah's time often offered platitudes of peace (Jeremiah 6:14; 8:11), which is the opposite of "calamity" or "ruin." Jeremiah's insistence on his lack of desire for these negative outcomes is also an indirect polemic against such false teachers, who might appear comforting but are ultimately leading the people astray.

Jeremiah 17 16 Commentary

Jeremiah's statement in this verse is a powerful affirmation of his integrity as a prophet. He was tasked with delivering severe warnings and pronouncements of judgment to a people deep in sin. These messages, by their very nature, involved "calamity" and "ruin" for Judah. It's crucial to understand that Jeremiah was not an enemy desiring their destruction; he was a faithful messenger conveying God's just pronouncements. The imagery of a "shepherd" (כְּרוֹעַ) contrasts sharply with an "enemy" (אוֹיֵב), emphasizing that a true shepherd cares for the flock and wouldn't wish them ill. Jeremiah's point is that his message was not born of personal ill will, nor did he have any desire (יִתְאָוֵֽה) for their ruin (שׁוֹדֵֽךְ) or the associated "woe" (צַרְמַ֖ת). He clarifies that these dire outcomes were not the product of his own "shepherding" in a negative sense or a result he willed (אָבִ֥יתִי). Instead, the pronouncements themselves are directly attributed to God: "it has not come from Me, the utterance of the LORD my God" (נְאֻם־יְהוָֽה). This is a key declaration of divine authority, setting Jeremiah apart from false prophets who might fabricate their messages. He was an instrument, a conduit, and his honesty in delivering God's pure word, even when it brought judgment, is the core of this verse. His responsibility was to faithfully relay what God revealed.