Jeremiah 30 17

Jeremiah 30:17 kjv

For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the LORD; because they called thee an Outcast, saying, This is Zion, whom no man seeketh after.

Jeremiah 30:17 nkjv

For I will restore health to you And heal you of your wounds,' says the LORD, 'Because they called you an outcast saying: "This is Zion; No one seeks her." '

Jeremiah 30:17 niv

But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,' declares the LORD, 'because you are called an outcast, Zion for whom no one cares.'

Jeremiah 30:17 esv

For I will restore health to you, and your wounds I will heal, declares the LORD, because they have called you an outcast: 'It is Zion, for whom no one cares!'

Jeremiah 30:17 nlt

I will give you back your health
and heal your wounds," says the LORD.
"For you are called an outcast ?
'Jerusalem for whom no one cares.'"

Jeremiah 30 verses

Jeremiah 30 17 meaning

Jeremiah 30:17 promises the total restoration and divine healing of Judah, a people deeply wounded by their sins, suffering judgment, and feeling utterly abandoned by the nations around them. The Lord declares His personal intervention to repair their spiritual, physical, and national brokenness. This healing is a direct reversal of the scorn and rejection they experienced, affirming God’s unwavering care for His chosen people, Zion, even when human compassion had vanished.

Jeremiah 30 17 Context

Jeremiah 30:17 is situated within chapters 30-33, often referred to as "The Book of Consolation" or "The Book of Comfort." These chapters interrupt the prevailing tone of judgment and doom found in much of Jeremiah, shifting to a future promise of restoration for both Judah (Jacob) and Israel. Specifically, Jeremiah 30-31 details the future return from exile, national renewal, and the establishment of a New Covenant. Verse 17 directly follows vivid descriptions of Judah's severe and seemingly incurable wounds (Jer 30:12-16), inflicted due to their transgressions against God. In the historical context, the people faced imminent or ongoing Babylonian captivity, believing themselves irrevocably condemned and forgotten. The surrounding nations, once allies, now scoffed at their suffering and viewed them as discarded, making this promise of divine healing and care profoundly counter-cultural and revolutionary for the despondent original audience.

Jeremiah 30 17 Word analysis

• For I will restore health (כִּי אַעֲלֶה אֲרֻכָה – ki a'aleh arukah):

  • For (כִּי – ki): Introduces the reason for the previous distress or an emphatic confirmation of what follows. Here, it affirms God’s direct and certain intervention, a pivot from previous lament.
  • I (אַעֲלֶה – a'aleh): The first-person singular emphasizes God Himself as the active agent, making this promise deeply personal and reliant solely on divine power.
  • restore health (אַעֲלֶה אֲרֻכָה – a'aleh arukah): Hebrew arukah (אֲרֻכָה) denotes "restoration," "healing," or "new flesh growing over a wound." The verb a'aleh (from alah, to go up/rise) implies causing healing to "come up" or "spring forth," suggesting a complete, visible mending that covers previous damage. It indicates regeneration and recovery to a prior, healthy state. This isn't just treatment; it's thorough regeneration.

• to you and heal you (וּמִמַּכּוֹתַיִךְ אֶרְפָּאֵךְ – u’mi’makkotaich erpā’ech):

  • heal you (אֶרְפָּאֵךְ – erpā’ech): Hebrew rapha (רָפָא) is a common term for physical and spiritual healing. It is comprehensive, addressing physical injury, emotional distress, and spiritual brokenness. Paired with arukah, it signifies complete restoration, not just alleviation.

• of your wounds (מַכּוֹתַיִךְ – makkotaich):

  • wounds (מַכּוֹת – makkot): Refers to severe blows, stripes, or deep injuries, indicating a state of being utterly broken, not just superficially hurt. This word highlights the depth of their affliction and suffering due to divine judgment.

• declares the LORD (נְאֻם יְהוָה – nə’um YHVH):

  • declares (נְאֻם – nə’um): A prophetic formula, asserting that the following words are an authoritative and absolute declaration from God Himself, guaranteeing their fulfillment. It signifies a divine utterance, not a human hope or wish.
  • the LORD (יְהוָה – YHVH): The covenant name of God, emphasizing His eternal faithfulness, power, and personal relationship with His people, even in their broken state.

• because they have called you an outcast (כִּי נִדָּחָה קָרְאוּ לָךְ – ki niddāchāh qār’û lach):

  • because (כִּי – ki): Explains the divine motivation for the healing: God’s response to their abandonment and rejection.
  • outcast (נִדָּחָה – niddāchāh): From nadach (נָדַח), meaning "to push away," "banish," or "drive out." This term graphically portrays Judah's societal and international status as one despised, rejected, and beyond help by human standards. It highlights their humiliation and loneliness.

• ‘It is Zion, for whom no one cares!’ (צִיּוֹן הִיא דֹּרֵשׁ אֵין לָהּ – tzion hi doreš ên lâh):

  • Zion (צִיּוֹן – tzion): Represents Jerusalem and, metonymically, the whole people of Judah/Israel. It evokes both their historical grandeur as God's chosen dwelling and their current state of desolation.
  • no one cares (אֵין לָהּ – ên lâh): More literally, "there is no seeker for her," or "none caring for her." This emphasizes the profound loneliness and perceived abandonment, not just by foreign nations but by their former allies and even within themselves. This deepens the reason for God's personal intervention, as He becomes their sole defender and caregiver.

Jeremiah 30 17 Bonus section

This verse carries a messianic undertone for some scholars, foreshadowing the comprehensive healing and restoration offered through the ultimate Redeemer. The concept of Zion as "unattended" resonates with the Suffering Servant passages in Isaiah, where the Servant, rejected by many, brings ultimate healing. The language of "wounds" and "outcast" applies profoundly to Christ, who bore the ultimate wounds for our healing and was despised by man, yet through Him comes God's true, eternal restoration. It emphasizes the profound grace where God actively intervenes not despite our brokenness but because of it, reversing the verdict of the world.

Jeremiah 30 17 Commentary

Jeremiah 30:17 is a profound declaration of God's sovereign and compassionate intervention. Following a period of severe divine judgment for their idolatry and unfaithfulness, the people of Judah were left utterly broken and scorned, viewed as beyond hope or redemption. This verse promises not merely alleviation of symptoms but a complete, internal and external healing that reverses their shame. God identifies the depth of their despair – they are an "outcast" (niddāchāh), a people forsaken and uncared for, even by those who should have offered solace. In this darkest moment, the Lord Yahweh Himself steps in as the ultimate physician and restorer. His "healing" encompasses not only physical and national restoration but also deep spiritual renewal, binding up the wounds inflicted by sin and its consequences. This verse reassures that God's covenant love prevails, offering hope and transformation even when all human systems of support and dignity have collapsed, replacing societal scorn with divine care and future glory.