Jeremiah 17:5
Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord.
Study Note
Study Note
The curse pronounced on those who trust in 'man' and 'make flesh their arm' establishes a radical distinction between human and divine sources of security. The Hebrew 'arur' (cursed) is the polar opposite of the 'blessed' (baruk) in verse 7, creating a beatitude-like structure around the choice between human and divine trust. The image of the shrub in the desert (17:6) — rootless, unfruitful, in an arid waste — portrays the existential consequence of misplaced trust with extraordinary psychological accuracy. Psalm 1, Isaiah 31:3, and Jesus' saying in John 15:5 ('without me you can do nothing') all develop this same anti-self-reliance theology.
Other Translations
Thus saith Jehovah: Cursed is the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from Jehovah.
Thus said Jehovah: Cursed <FI>is<Fi> the man who doth trust in man, And hath made flesh his arm, And from Jehovah whose heart turneth.
This is what the Lord has said: Cursed is the man who puts his faith in man, and makes flesh his arm, and whose heart is turned away from the Lord.
Cross References
Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?
Woe to the rebellious children, saith the Lord, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a …
For the Egyptians shall help in vain, and to no purpose: therefore have I cried concerning this, Their strength is …
Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they …
And he shall pass over to his strong hold for fear, and his princes shall be afraid of the ensign, …
Lo, thou trustest in the staff of this broken reed, on Egypt; whereon if a man lean, it will go …
Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: and the Lord saw it, and it …
And they that escape of you shall remember me among the nations whither they shall be carried captives, because I …
And all the inhabitants of Egypt shall know that I am the Lord, because they have been a staff of …
When they took hold of thee by thy hand, thou didst break, and rend all their shoulder: and when they …