Jeremiah 17:10

17:10 I, the Lord, probe into people’s minds.

I examine people’s hearts. 1 

I deal with each person according to how he has behaved.

I give them what they deserve based on what they have done.

Jeremiah 18:6

18:6 “I, the Lord, say: 2  ‘O nation of Israel, can I not deal with you as this potter deals with the clay? 3  In my hands, you, O nation of Israel, are just like the clay in this potter’s hand.’

1 tn The term rendered “mind” here and in the previous verse is actually the Hebrew word for “heart.” However, in combination with the word rendered “heart” in the next line, which is the Hebrew for “kidneys,” it is best rendered “mind” because the “heart” was considered the center of intellect, conscience, and will and the “kidneys” the center of emotions.

sn For an earlier reference to this motif see Jer 11:20. For a later reference see Jer 20:12. See also Ps 17:2-3.

2 tn This phrase (literally “Oracle of the Lord”) has been handled this way on several occasions when it occurs within first person addresses where the Lord is the speaker. See, e.g., 16:16; 17:24.

3 tn The words “deals with the clay” are not in the text. They are part of an elliptical comparison and are supplied in the translation here for clarity.