Jeremiah 17:9
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
Original Language Analysis
עָקֹ֥ב
is deceitful
H6121
עָקֹ֥ב
is deceitful
Strong's:
H6121
Word #:
1 of 7
(transitive) fraudulent or (intransitive) tracked
הַלֵּ֛ב
The heart
H3820
הַלֵּ֛ב
The heart
Strong's:
H3820
Word #:
2 of 7
the heart; also used (figuratively) very widely for the feelings, the will and even the intellect; likewise for the center of anything
מִכֹּ֖ל
H3605
מִכֹּ֖ל
Strong's:
H3605
Word #:
3 of 7
properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)
וְאָנֻ֣שׁ
above all things and desperately wicked
H605
וְאָנֻ֣שׁ
above all things and desperately wicked
Strong's:
H605
Word #:
4 of 7
to be frail, feeble, or (figuratively) melancholy
ה֑וּא
H1931
ה֑וּא
Strong's:
H1931
Word #:
5 of 7
he (she or it); only expressed when emphatic or without a verb; also (intensively) self, or (especially with the article) the same; sometimes (as demo
Cross References
Matthew 15:19For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:Hebrews 3:12Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.Proverbs 28:26He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.Ecclesiastes 9:3This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead.Genesis 6:5And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.Genesis 8:21And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.Matthew 13:15For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.Jeremiah 16:12And ye have done worse than your fathers; for, behold, ye walk every one after the imagination of his evil heart, that they may not hearken unto me:Psalms 51:5Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
Historical Context
Ancient Near Eastern thought often located emotions, will, and moral consciousness in internal organs—heart, kidneys, liver. The Hebrew lev (לֵב, heart) encompassed the whole inner person, including intellect, affections, and will. Jeremiah's radical assessment of the heart's depravity challenged both ancient and modern assumptions about innate human goodness. This text became central to Reformed theological anthropology and debates about human nature.
Questions for Reflection
- How does this verse expose the inadequacy of trusting your own moral intuitions or emotions as guides for life?
- In what ways have you experienced your heart's deceitfulness through self-justification or rationalization of sin?
- How does the doctrine of the heart's depravity drive us to Christ as our only hope for transformation?
Related Resources
Explore related topics, people, and study resources to deepen your understanding of this passage.
Analysis & Commentary
This is one of Scripture's most penetrating assessments of human nature. The Hebrew aqov (עָקֹב, "deceitful") comes from the same root as Jacob's name, meaning "heel-grabber" or "supplanter"—one who deceives and tricks. The heart is not merely mistaken but actively deceptive, skilled at self-justification and rationalization. "Above all things" (literally "from all") indicates the heart surpasses everything else in its capacity for deception.
"Desperately wicked" translates anush (אָנֻשׁ), which can mean incurably sick, frail, or mortal. The heart's condition is terminal—beyond human remedy. The rhetorical question "who can know it?" emphasizes the depth and inscrutability of human corruption. We cannot even accurately diagnose our own hearts, let alone cure them.
This verse is foundational for the Reformed doctrine of total depravity. Not that humans are as evil as possible, but that sin affects every faculty, including moral judgment. The heart, which should guide us, is itself corrupted. This explains why all humanity sins (Rom 3:10-18, 23) and why regeneration must be God's sovereign work (Ezek 36:26, 2 Cor 5:17). Only divine omniscience can truly know the heart (Jer 17:10), and only divine power can transform it.