Heart, Kidneys and Bad Theology from Jeremiah 17:9-10

Real Bible Rob

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This is about Bible translation and the bad theology that can come from it. There are many different ways Jeremiah 17:9-10. It is most often used to say, "Don't trust your heart!" But this is a terrible interpretation. The fundamentalist website Desiring God features an article by one of its founders that says, "Don't Follow Your Heart" and “No, our hearts will not save us. We need to be saved FROM our hearts." But the word for heart Levav in Hebrew means reason and mind. It is the word Kelahyote, which means kidneys, that means the emotions, passions, and feelings. This misunderstanding has led many people to believe the bad theology expressed in the Desiring God article, but it is passionately held by many Christians. This is the basis for their "sin of empathy" beliefs. I examine what these verses mean in context, and you should follow your heart because it is the best check on the fallacies of the mind. This is consistent with the overall theme of Jeremiah, that we need both reason and feelings to be faithful to God.
Jeremiah 17:9
The heart is devious above all else;
it is perverse—
who can understand it?
Jeremiah 17:10 in the ESV: “I the Lord search the HEART and test the MIND, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”
Jeremiah 17:10 in the Jubilee Bible: "I the LORD search the HEART; I try the KIDNEYS, even to give each man according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings."
Jeremiah 17:10 in the NRSV: "I the Lord test the MIND and search the HEART, to give to all according to their ways, according to the fruit of their doings."
Jeremiah 17:10 in the NET: "I, the Lord, probe into people’s MINDS. I examine people’s HEARTS. I deal with each person according to how he has behaved. I give them what they deserve based on what they have done."
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