Bible Strands
Jeremiah 20:12
O LORD of Hosts, who examines the righteous, who sees the heart and mind, let me see Your vengeance upon them, for to You I have committed my cause.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jeremiah speaks this prayer to Yahweh immediately after declaring that God acts as a fearsome warrior against his persecutors. The utterance occurs at the moment of transition from personal threat to anticipated divine judgment.
The words — בֹּחֵן (bo.Chen) means "[who] tests" or examines, and כְלָי֖וֹת (khe.la.Yot) literally denotes "kidneys." In Hebrew idiom, kidneys represent the innermost seat of thought and emotion, parallel to the "heart and mind" in the translation.
The thread — Jeremiah 11:20 repeats the identical formula of addressing the LORD of Hosts who examines the heart and mind. Psalm 54:7 mirrors the expectation of triumph over opponents, while Psalm 62:8 reinforces the practice of pouring out one's burden directly to God.
Why it lands — The verse requires a reader to transfer the pursuit of justice from personal action to divine jurisdiction. It demands acceptance that God’s inspection of motives is the necessary precondition for waiting on His timing rather than forcing an outcome.
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
King James Version
But, O Lord of hosts, that triest the righteous, and seest the reins and the heart, let me see thy vengeance on them: for unto thee have I opened my cause.
Cross-references
- Psalms 62:8 Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts before Him. God is our refuge. Selah
- Jeremiah 11:20 O LORD of Hosts, who judges righteously, who examines the heart and mind, let me see Your vengeance upon them, for to You I have committed my cause.
- Psalms 54:7 For He has delivered me from every trouble, and my eyes have looked in triumph on my foes.
- Psalms 59:10 My God of loving devotion will come to meet me; God will let me stare down my foes.
- Jeremiah 17:10 I, the LORD, search the heart; I examine the mind to reward a man according to his way, by what his deeds deserve.
- Psalms 7:9 Put an end to the evil of the wicked, but establish the righteous, O righteous God who searches hearts and minds.
- Psalms 26:2 Test me, O LORD, and try me; examine my heart and mind.
- Psalms 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns.
- Psalms 11:5 The LORD tests the righteous and the wicked; His soul hates the lover of violence.
- Psalms 17:3 You have tried my heart; You have visited me in the night. You have tested me and found no evil; I have resolved not to sin with my mouth.