Jeremiah 17:4

And you yourself will relinquish the inheritance that I gave you. I will enslave you to your enemies in a land that you do not know, for you have kindled My anger; it will burn forever.”

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — God addresses Judah through Jeremiah, pronouncing immediate judgment after declaring in the preceding verse that He will hand over their wealth and treasures as plunder.

The words — שָמַטְתָּה (sha.ma.Tah) literally means "you will let fall" or relinquish, and הַעֲבַדְתִּי/ךָ (ha.'a.vad.Ti./kha) literally means "I will make serve" or enslave.

The thread — The motif of surrendering land and facing foreign bondage recurs in Jeremiah 15:14 and Lamentations 5:2, while the image of kindled divine anger appears in Isaiah 5:25.

Why it lands — The text states that kindling God’s anger causes permanent loss of inherited land and forced servitude to enemies, demonstrating that persistent rebellion severs divine protection and demands a shift from self-reliance to accountability.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

וְשָׁמַטְתָּ֗הve./sha.ma.Tahand/ you will let fallוּבְךָ֙u./ve./Khaand/ in <the>/ youמִנַּחֲלָֽתְךָ֙mi./na.cha.la.te./Khafrom/ inheritance/ your אֲשֶׁ֣ר'a.Sherwhich נָתַ֣תִּיna.Ta.tiI gaveלָ֔ךְLa/khto <the>/ youוְהַעֲבַדְתִּ֙יךָ֙ve./ha.'a.vad.Ti./khaand/ I will make serve/ you אֶת־'et-<obj.>אֹ֣יְבֶ֔יךָ'o.ye.Vei./khaenemies/ your בָּאָ֖רֶץba./'A.retzin <the>/ land אֲשֶׁ֣ר'a.Sherwhich לֹֽא־lo'-not יָדָ֑עְתָּya.Da.'e.tayou know כִּֽי־ki-for אֵ֛שׁ'esha fire קְדַחְתֶּ֥םke.dach.Temyou have kindled בְּאַפִּ֖יbe./'a.P/iin/ anger/ my עַד־'ad-until עוֹלָ֥םo.Lamperpetuity תּוּקָֽד׃ סtu.Kadit will burn

King James Version

And thou, even thyself, shalt discontinue from thine heritage that I gave thee; and I will cause thee to serve thine enemies in the land which thou knowest not: for ye have kindled a fire in mine anger, which shall burn for ever.

Cross-references

Jeremiah 15:14 Then I will enslave you to your enemies in a land you do not know, for My anger will kindle a fire that will burn against you.”
Lamentations 5:2 Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers, our houses to foreigners.
Isaiah 5:25 Therefore the anger of the LORD burns against His people; His hand is raised against them to strike them down. The mountains quake, and the corpses lie like refuse in the streets. Despite all this, His anger is not turned away; His hand is still upraised.
Jeremiah 7:20 Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: Behold, My anger and My fury will be poured out on this place, on man and beast, on the trees of the field and the produce of the land, and it will burn and not be extinguished.
Mark 9:43 If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two hands and go into hell, into the unquenchable fire.
Deuteronomy 4:26 I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you this day that you will quickly perish from the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess. You will not live long upon it, but will be utterly destroyed.
Isaiah 14:3 On the day that the LORD gives you rest from your pain and torment, and from the hard labor into which you were forced,
Jeremiah 16:13 So I will cast you out of this land into a land that neither you nor your fathers have known. There you will serve other gods day and night, for I will show you no favor.’
Jeremiah 27:12 And to Zedekiah king of Judah I spoke the same message: “Put your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon; serve him and his people, and live!
Leviticus 26:31 I will reduce your cities to rubble and lay waste your sanctuaries, and I will refuse to smell the pleasing aroma of your sacrifices.