Jeremiah 17:5-18 is a collection of sayings ocncluding with a prayer. The principle of organization is not logical; these were materials put together because they belonged to the same period, like weblog entries belonging to the same week. The phrases "koh 'amar YHWH" (v.5) and "koh 'amar YHWH 'elay" (v.19) sets off the section from what precedes and what follows respectively. Verse 19 begins a new section.
The sayings in these sections can be divided thus:
| 5-8 | Curse and Blessing |
| 9-10 | The Lord, Knower of Human Hearts |
| 11 | Unjust Wealth |
| 12-13 | The Temple and Its Waters |
| 14-18 | Jeremiah's Prayer for Vindication |
Curse and Blessing. Presented in contrast are those who trust in men (5-6) and thosw who trust in God (7-8). The curse is illustrated by images of death (barren bush, desert); the blessing, that of life (green tree, river, fruits). Verses 7-8 are similar to the description of the man whose joy is the Torah in Psalm 1:3. The curse and the blessing flow from the covenant, and one or the other "falls" depending on whether one is for Yahweh or not (cf. Deut 27; 30:15-20).
The Lord, Knower of Hearts. The mystery of the human heart is set forth in v. 9. It is a mystery that only God fathoms. "Heart" here is "leb", also meaning "flesh." It is the seat of decision-making. Writes McKenzie: "(H)eart is used in the Bible where in English we should use mind or will. (p. 395)". "Torturous" is denoted by 'qb, the same consonantal root for the name of Jacob. Other meanings in English are "deceitfulness", "trickery", "insidiousness." Since only the Lord knows it, He alone can judge it.
Unjust Wealth. The man who acquires wealth unjustly is compared to a bird that makes itself a mother to the brood from the eggs lain by other birds. She is destined to be left alone. Those who have acquired wealth unjustly will lose their wealth and be revealed for what they are: fools.
The Temple and the Waters. The saying can only be understood within the context of Jeremiah's oracles against idolatry. "Our holy place" is the Temple which is a reflection of God's Heavenly abode. In the myths of Canaan, the high god's house is surrounded by rivers. The living waters surrounding "our holy place" is -- according to Jeremiah -- Yahweh himself. Because idolatry has drawn away Judah from the Temple (to the high hillls and the highland peaks, cf. 17:2-3), Judah has also abandoned the living waters, God.
Jeremiah's Prayer for Vindication. Verses 14-18 can be compared to psalms about the suffering just man. While it looks like a lament, it lacks one element, the concluding stanza of praise and thanksgiving:
| v.14 | The opening petition for "healing" and "salvation." |
| v.15 | The petitioner's predicament: The enemies challenge him to make his prophecies come true. |
| vv. 16-17 | The petitioner's innocense is declared: The word that he uttered -- a word of destruction -- is not something invented. His appeal is for God to carry out the word which the prophet has spoiken in His name. |
| v.18 | The prayer of vindication agains the enemies. |
The lectionary for Lent (Thursday, Week II) presents Jer. 17:5-10 in conjunction with Lk. 16:19-31, the parable of Dives and Lazarus. Dives, while in appearance blessed of God is tormented by fire in death. He had been indifferent tot he hunger of Lazarus who used to sigh after the scraps that feel from his table. He knows that unless his brothers are warned, they too would suffer his fate. Abraham's advice that these should listed to "Moses and the prophets" is an indication that compassion for the poor and the weak is already in the Scriptures. To learn Scriptures is to learn compassion. Thus one becomes "compassionate as your heavenly Father is compassionate." Dives, then, is like the man under curse who is destined for the fate of those who are compared to the barren bush that lives under the desert heat.
In Year III, Jer. 15:5-8 is presented in conjunction with Luke 6:17.20-36 where Jesus utters his own curse and blessing. Those he pronounces "blessed" are the "poor...now", "hungry...now" and "those who mourn now., while the curses fall on those who "have their consolation now": the rich, the sated, those who laugh. The joys of the eschaton are reserved for those who only have God as their hope.
