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Brenton's Septuagint

Jeremiah 17:11

The partridge utters her voice, she gathers eggs which she did not lay; so is a man gaining his wealth unjustly; in the midst of his days his riches shall leave him, and at his latter end he will be a fool.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Covetousness;   Judgment;   Partridge;   Rich, the;   Thompson Chain Reference - Avarice;   Business Life;   Dishonesty;   Fools;   Gain, Unjust;   Liberality-Parsimony;   Poverty-Riches;   Riches, Earthly;   Unjust Gain;   Vices;   Wisdom-Folly;   The Topic Concordance - Wealth;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Birds;   Riches;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Partridge;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Hazael;   Jehoiakim;   Partridge;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Birds;   Jeremiah;   Partridge;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - En-Hakkore;   Partridge;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Zion;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Partridge;   Sit (and forms);   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Partridge;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Gather;   Partridge;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Birds;   Ethics;   Partridge;   Poultry;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for December 26;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
He who makes a fortune unjustlyis like a partridge that hatches eggs it didn’t lay.In the middle of his lifehis riches will abandon him,so in the end he will be a fool.
Hebrew Names Version
As the partridge that sits on [eggs] which she has not laid, so is he who gets riches, and not by right; in the midst of his days they shall leave him, and at his end he shall be a fool.
King James Version
As the partridge sitteth on eggs, and hatcheth them not; so he that getteth riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end shall be a fool.
English Standard Version
Like the partridge that gathers a brood that she did not hatch, so is he who gets riches but not by justice; in the midst of his days they will leave him, and at his end he will be a fool.
New American Standard Bible
"As a partridge that hatches eggs which it has not laid, So is a person who makes a fortune, but unjustly; In the middle of his days it will abandon him, And in the end he will be a fool."
New Century Version
Like a bird hatching an egg it did not lay, so are the people who get rich by cheating. When their lives are half finished, they will lose their riches. At the end of their lives, it will be clear they were fools.
Amplified Bible
"Like the partridge that hatches eggs which she has not laid, So is he who makes a fortune in ways that are unjust. It will be lost to him before his days are over, And in the end he will be [nothing but] a fool."
World English Bible
As the partridge that sits on [eggs] which she has not laid, so is he who gets riches, and not by right; in the midst of his days they shall leave him, and at his end he shall be a fool.
Geneva Bible (1587)
As the partryche gathereth the yong, which she hath not brought forth: so he that getteth riches, and not by right, shall leaue them in the middes of his dayes, and at his ende shall bee a foole.
Legacy Standard Bible
As a partridge that hatches eggs which it has not laid,So is he who makes a fortune, but unjustly;In the midst of his days it will forsake him,And in the end he will be a wicked fool."
Berean Standard Bible
Like a partridge hatching eggs it did not lay is the man who makes a fortune unjustly. In the middle of his days his riches will desert him, and in the end he will be the fool.
Contemporary English Version
You cheated others, but everything you gained will fly away, like birds hatched from stolen eggs. Then you will discover what fools you are.
Complete Jewish Bible
A partridge hatches eggs it did not lay; like this are those who get rich unjustly: in the prime of life their wealth will desert them; in the end they will prove to be fools.
Darby Translation
[As] the partridge sitteth on [eggs] it hath not laid, [so] is he that getteth riches and not by right: in the midst of his days shall he leave them, and at his end shall be a fool.
Easy-to-Read Version
Sometimes a bird will hatch an egg that it did not lay. Those who cheat to get money are like that bird. But when their lives are half finished, they will lose the money. At the end of their lives, it will be clear that they were fools."
George Lamsa Translation
Like the partridge that calls to the eggs which she has not hatched, so is he who gets riches and not by right; he shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end he shall be in disgrace.
Good News Translation
The person who gets money dishonestly is like a bird that hatches eggs it didn't lay. In the prime of life he will lose his riches, and in the end he is nothing but a fool.
Lexham English Bible
Like a partridge that hatches eggs it did not lay is one who amasses wealth without justice. In the middle of his days it will leave him, and at his end he will prove to be a fool."
Literal Translation
As a partridge broods and does not hatch, so is he who makes riches, and not by right; it will leave him in the middle of his days, and in his end he will be a fool.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
The disceatfull maketh a nest, but bringeth forth no yonge: He commeth by riches, but not rightuously. In the myddest off his life must he leaue them behinde him, and at the last be founde a very foole.
American Standard Version
As the partridge that sitteth on eggs which she hath not laid, so is he that getteth riches, and not by right; in the midst of his days they shall leave him, and at his end he shall be a fool.
Bible in Basic English
Like the partridge, getting eggs together but not producing young, is a man who gets wealth but not by right; before half his days are ended, it will go from him, and at his end he will be foolish.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
As the partridge that broodeth over young which she hath not brought forth, so is he that getteth riches, and not by right; in the midst of his days he shall leave them, and at his end he shall be a fool.
King James Version (1611)
As the partrich sitteth on egges, and hatcheth them not: so he that getteth riches and not by right, shall leaue them in the midst of his dayes, and at his end shall be a foole.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
The partrich maketh a nest of egges, which she layed not: he commeth by riches, but not righteously, in the middest of his life must he leane them behynde hym, & at the last be founde a very foole.
English Revised Version
As the partridge that gathereth young which she hath not brought forth, so is he that getteth riches, and not by right; in the midst of his days they shall leave him, and at his end he shall be a fool.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
A partriche nurschide tho thingis whiche sche bredde not; he made richessis, and not in doom; in the myddis of hise daies he schal forsake tho, and in hise laste tyme he schal be vnwijs.
Update Bible Version
As the partridge that sits on [eggs] which she has not laid, so is he that gets riches, and not by right; in the midst of his days they shall leave him, and at his end he shall be a fool.
Webster's Bible Translation
[As] the partridge sitteth [on eggs], and hatcheth [them] not; [so] he that getteth riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end shall be a fool.
New English Translation
The person who gathers wealth by unjust means is like the partridge that broods over eggs but does not hatch them. Before his life is half over he will lose his ill-gotten gains. At the end of his life it will be clear he was a fool."
New King James Version
"As a partridge that broods but does not hatch, So is he who gets riches, but not by right; It will leave him in the midst of his days, And at his end he will be a fool."
New Living Translation
Like a partridge that hatches eggs she has not laid, so are those who get their wealth by unjust means. At midlife they will lose their riches; in the end, they will become poor old fools.
New Life Bible
As a bird that sits on eggs which it has not laid, so is he who gets rich by doing wrong. When his life is half over, they will leave him, and in the end he will be a fool."
New Revised Standard
Like the partridge hatching what it did not lay, so are all who amass wealth unjustly; in mid-life it will leave them, and at their end they will prove to be fools.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
As a partridge gathereth eggs she did not lay, So is he that maketh riches but not with justice, - In the midst of his days, shall he leave them, And in his latter end, prove to have been base.
Douay-Rheims Bible
As the partridge hath hatched eggs which she did not lay: so is he that hath gathered riches, and not by right: in the midst of his days he shall leave them, and in his latter end he shall be a fool.
Revised Standard Version
Like the partridge that gathers a brood which she did not hatch, so is he who gets riches but not by right; in the midst of his days they will leave him, and at his end he will be a fool.
Young's Literal Translation
A partridge hatching, and not bringing forth, [Is] one making wealth, and not by right, In the midst of his days he doth forsake it, And in his latter end -- he is a fool.
THE MESSAGE
Like a cowbird that cheats by laying its eggs in another bird's nest Is the person who gets rich by cheating. When the eggs hatch, the deceit is exposed. What a fool he'll look like then!
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"As a partridge that hatches eggs which it has not laid, So is he who makes a fortune, but unjustly; In the midst of his days it will forsake him, And in the end he will be a fool."

Contextual Overview

5 Cursed is the man who trusts in man, and will lean his arm of flesh upon him, while his heart departs from the Lord. 6 And he shall be as the wild tamarisk in the desert: he shall not see when good comes; but he shall dwell in barren places, and in the wilderness, in a salt land which is not inhabited. 7 But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord shall be. 8 And he shall be as a thriving tree by the waters, and he shall cast forth his root toward a moist place: he shall not fear when heat comes, and there shall be upon him shady branches: he shall not fear in a year of drought, and he shall not fail to bear fruit. 9 The heart is deep beyond all things, and it is the man, and who can know him? 10 I the Lord try the hearts, and prove the reins, to give to every one according to his ways, and according to the fruits of his devices. 11 The partridge utters her voice, she gathers eggs which she did not lay; so is a man gaining his wealth unjustly; in the midst of his days his riches shall leave him, and at his latter end he will be a fool.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

sitteth: etc. or gathered young which she hath not brought forth

he that: Jeremiah 5:27, Jeremiah 5:28, Jeremiah 22:13, Jeremiah 22:17, Proverbs 1:18, Proverbs 1:19, Proverbs 13:11, Proverbs 15:27, Proverbs 21:6, Proverbs 28:8, Proverbs 28:16, Proverbs 28:20, Proverbs 28:22, Isaiah 1:23, Isaiah 1:24, Ezekiel 22:12, Ezekiel 22:13, Hosea 12:7, Hosea 12:8, Amos 3:10, Amos 8:4-6, Micah 2:1, Micah 2:2, Micah 2:9, Micah 6:10-12, Micah 7:3, Habakkuk 2:6-12, Zephaniah 1:9, Zechariah 5:4, Zechariah 7:9-13, Malachi 3:5, Matthew 23:14, 1 Timothy 6:9, Titus 1:11, James 5:3-5, 2 Peter 2:3, 2 Peter 2:14

shall leave: Psalms 55:23, Proverbs 23:5, Ecclesiastes 5:13-16

a fool: Luke 12:20

Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 32:29 - they would Joshua 8:2 - only the spoil 2 Samuel 3:33 - as a fool dieth Job 20:21 - none of his meat be left Psalms 49:10 - leave Psalms 62:10 - Trust Proverbs 10:27 - the years Proverbs 16:8 - great Ecclesiastes 5:11 - what Jeremiah 48:36 - the riches Jeremiah 51:13 - thine Matthew 5:22 - fool James 5:2 - Your riches

Cross-References

Genesis 17:25
And Ismael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.
Genesis 17:27
and all the men of his house, both those born in the house, and those bought with money of foreign nations.
Exodus 4:25
and Sepphora having taken a stone cut off the foreskin of her son, and fell at his feet and said, The blood of the circumcision of my son is staunched:
Exodus 12:48
And if any proselyte shall come to you to keep the passover to the Lord, thou shalt circumcise every male of him, and then shall he approach to sacrifice it, and he shall be even as the original inhabitant of the land; no uncircumcised person shall eat of it.
Deuteronomy 10:16
Therefore ye shall circumcise the hardness of your heart, and ye shall not harden your neck.
Joshua 5:3
And Joshua made sharp knives of stone, and circumcised the children of Israel at the place called the "Hill of Foreskins."
2 Samuel 3:14
And David sent messengers to Jebosthe the son of Saul, saying, Restore me my wife Melchol, whom I took for a hundred foreskins of the Philistines.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

As the partridge sitteth on eggs, and hatcheth them not,.... Here seems to be another sin pointed at, as the cause of the ruin of the Jews; as idolatry and trust in the creature before mentioned; so riches unjustly got, and these boasted of and trusted in; the folly of which is illustrated by the simile of a bird sitting on eggs, and not hatching them; being either addled, or broke by the male through lust, or by the foot of man or beast, being laid on the ground; Or by a bird which "gathers" s, as some; or "hatches", as others, eggs it has not laid; which being hatched, run away from it, and so not enjoyed by it. The Targum is,

"as the partridge, or "koraah", which gathers eggs that are not its own, and nourishes young ones which will not follow it, so, c.''

whether the partridge is meant by "kore", the word here used, is uncertain. Bochart t thinks the "woodcock", or "snite" or "snipe", is intended. Jarchi interprets it, by the "cuckoo", which is not likely since that does not take away another's eggs, and sit on them; but lays its own eggs in another's nest, and leaves them to be hatched by it; but it must be understood rather of such an one that gets the eggs of another, and hatches them, but cannot keep the young when hatched; and this is said of the partridge, that when its own eggs are broke, it will get others, and sit upon them, and hatch them; but being hatched, knowing her not to be their dam, and hearing the voice of that which is, run from her to it u:

so he that getteth riches, and not by right; but by fraud, rapine, and oppression; such are they that will be rich, that are resolved upon it at any rate, right or wrong; and such persons may succeed, and become rich by illicit methods; but then, as such riches may be truly called "mammon of unrighteousness"; so they will not profit in a time to come, in a day of wrath; neither are they of long continuance now: for such a man

shall leave them in the midst of his days; which, according to the common term of life, and course of nature, he might hope to arrive to; he shall die, and not enjoy what he has got together; while he is promising himself much and long happiness, his soul is required of him; and whose his substance shall be, he knows not; the riches he has heaped up together, he knows not who shall gather; nor to whom he leaves them, whether a wise man or a fool: however, this is certain as to himself,

and at his end shall be a fool; he shall appear to be one for getting riches in an unlawful way; for trusting in uncertain riches; for promising himself a great deal of pleasure and felicity in them for a long time, which he could not secure; and for neglecting the true riches of grace and glory; see Luke 12:19. The Targum is,

"at his end he is called a wicked man;''

because of the unjust manner in which he has got his riches, and which appears by his end; every wicked man is a fool. The word here used is "Nabal"; and as is his name, so is he.

s דגר "collegit", Vatablus, Pagninus, Junius Tremellius, Piscator, Cocceius "collegit", Montanus, Schmidt; so R. Sol. Urbin. Ohel Moed, fol. 82. 1. t Hierozoicon, par. 2. l. 1. c. 12. col. 81. u Vid. Frantz. Hist. Animal. Sacr. par. 2. c. 11. p. 414.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

In the rest of the prophecy Jeremiah dwells upon the moral faults which had led to Judah’s ruin.

Jeremiah 17:6

Like the heath - Or, “like a destitute man” Psalms 102:17. The verbs “he shall see” (or fear) and “shall inhabit” plainly show that a man is here meant and not a plant.

Jeremiah 17:8

The river - Or, “water-course” Isaiah 30:25, made for purposes of irrigation.

Shall not see - Or, “shall not fear Jeremiah 17:6.” God’s people feel trouble as much as other people, but they do not fear it because they know

(1) that it is for their good, and

(2) that God will give them strength to bear it.

Jeremiah 17:9

The train of thought is apparently this: If the man is so blessed Jeremiah 17:7-8 who trusts in Yahweh, what is the reason why men so generally “make flesh their arm”? And the answer is: Because man’s heart is incapable of seeing things in a straightforward manner, but is full of shrewd guile, and ever seeking to overreach others.

Desperately wicked - Rather, mortally sick.

Jeremiah 17:10

The answer to the question, “who can know it?” To himself a man’s heart is an inscrutable mystery: God alone can fathom it.

Ways - Rather, way, his course of life. The “and” must be omitted, for the last clause explains what is meant “by man’s way,” when he comes before God for judgment. It is “the fruit,” the final result “of his doings, i. e., his real character as formed by the acts and habits of his life.

Jeremiah 17:11

Rather, “As the partridge hath gathered eggs which it laid not, so ...” The general sense is: the covetous man is as sure to reap finally disappointment only as is the partridge which piles up eggs not of her own laying, and is unable to hatch them.

A fool - A Nabal. See 1 Samuel 25:25.

Jeremiah 17:12, Jeremiah 17:13

Or, “Thou throne ... thou place ... thou hope ... Yahweh! All that forsake Thee etc.” The prophet concludes his prediction with the expression of his own trust in Yahweh, and confidence that the divine justice will finally be vindicated by the punishment of the wicked. The “throne of glory” is equivalent to Him who is enthroned in glory.

Jeremiah 17:13

Shall be written in the earth - i. e., their names shall quickly disappear, unlike those graven in the rock forever Job 19:24. A board covered with sand is used in the East to this day in schools for giving lessons in writing: but writing inscribed on such materials is intended to be immediately obliterated. Equally fleeting is the existence of those who forsake God. “All men are written somewhere, the saints in heaven, but sinners upon earth” (Origen).

Jeremiah 17:15

This taunt shows that this prophecy was written before any very signal fulfillment of Jeremiah’s words had taken place, and prior therefore to the capture of Jerusalem at the close of Jehoiakim’s life. “Now” means “I pray,” and is ironical.

Jeremiah 17:16

I have not hastened from - i. e., I have not sought to escape from.

A pastor to follow thee - Rather, “a shepherd after Thee.” “Shepherd” means “ruler, magistrate” (Jeremiah 2:8 note), and belongs to the prophet not as a teacher, but as one invested with authority by God to guide and direct the political course of the nation. So Yahweh guides His people Psalms 23:1-2, and the prophet does so “after Him,” following obediently His instructions.

The woeful day - literally, “the day of mortal sickness:” the day on which Jerusalem was to be destroyed, and the temple burned.

Right - Omit the word. What Jeremiah asserts is that he spake as in God’s presence. They were no words of his own, but had the authority of Him before whom he stood. Compare Jeremiah 15:19.

Jeremiah 17:17

A terror - Rather, “a cause of dismay,” or consternation Jeremiah 1:17. By not fulfilling Jeremiah’s prediction God Himself seemed to put him to shame.

Jeremiah 17:18

Confounded - Put to shame.

Destroy them ... - Rather, break them with a double breaking: a twofold punishment, the first their general share in the miseries attendant upon their country’s fall; the second, a special punishment for their sin in persecuting and mocking God’s prophet.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Jeremiah 17:11. As the partridge — קרא kore. It is very likely that this was a bird different from our partridge. The text Dr. Blayney translates thus: -

(As) the kore that hatcheth what it doth not lay

(So is) he who getteth riches, and not according to right.


"The covetous man," says Dahler, "who heaps up riches by unjust ways, is compared to a bird which hatches the eggs of other fowls. And as the young, when hatched, and able at all to shift for themselves, abandon her who is not their mother, and leave her nothing to compensate her trouble, so the covetous man loses those unjustly-gotten treasures, and the fruit of his labour."

And at his end shall be a fool. — Shall be reputed as such. He was a fool all the way through; he lost his soul to get wealth, and this wealth he never enjoyed. To him also are applicable those strong words of the poet: -

"O cursed lust of gold! when for thy sake

The wretch throws up his interest in both worlds.

First starved in this, then damned in that to come."

BLAIR.


 
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