Jeremiah 17:11

KJV1611 – Modern English

As the partridge sits on eggs, and hatches them not; so he that gets riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end shall be a fool.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

קֹרֵ֤א דָגַר֙ וְלֹ֣א יָלָ֔ד עֹ֥שֶׂה עֹ֖שֶׁר וְלֹ֣א בְמִשְׁפָּ֑ט בַּחֲצִ֤י *ימו **יָמָיו֙ יַעַזְבֶ֔נּוּ וּבְאַחֲרִית֖וֹ יִהְיֶ֥ה נָבָֽל׃

Transliteration

qōrēʾ dāgar and-not yālād ʿōśeh ʿōšer and-not in-mišpāṭ in-half yāmāyw yaʿazbennû and-in-ʾaḥărîtô yihyeh nābāl

Grammar Details

• *qōrēʾ*: qal participle masculine singular - calling/gathering
• *dāgar*: qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular - hatches
• *yālād*: qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular - he bore/begot
• *ʿōśeh*: qal participle masculine singular - making/acquiring
• *ʿōšer*: masculine singular noun - wealth/riches
• *mišpāṭ*: masculine singular noun - justice/judgment
• *yāmāyw*: masculine plural noun + 3rd person masculine singular suffix - his days
• *yaʿazbennû*: qal imperfect 3rd person masculine singular + 3rd person masculine singular suffix - it will leave him
• *ʾaḥărîtô*: feminine singular noun + 3rd person masculine singular suffix - his end
• *yihyeh*: qal imperfect 3rd person masculine singular - he will be
• *nābāl*: masculine singular adjective - foolish/senseless

Word Meanings

• *qōrēʾ*: partridge/caller/one who calls
• *dāgar*: hatches/gathers/sits on
• *ʿōśeh*: acquires/makes/gathers
• *mišpāṭ*: justice/judgment/right/righteousness
• *nābāl*: fool/senseless/despicable

Other Translations

• Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

  Like a partridge that hatches eggs it did not lay, so is one who gains wealth by unjust means. In the middle of his life, it will desert him, and in the end, he will prove to be a fool.

• King James Version 1769 (Standard 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.

• American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

  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.

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

  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.

• 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.

• Geneva Bible (1560)

  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.

• Bishops' 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.

• Authorized King James Version (1611)

  [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.

• Webster's Bible (1833)

  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.

• Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

  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.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  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.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  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 (1941)

  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.

• World English Bible (2000)

  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.

• NET Bible® (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.”

Referenced Verses

• Prov 28:8 : 8 He who by usury and unjust gain increases his wealth gathers it for one who will pity the poor.
• Luke 12:20 : 20 But God said to him, You fool, this night your soul shall be required of you; then whose shall those things be, which you have provided?
• Prov 15:27 : 27 He who is greedy for gain troubles his own house, but he who hates bribes will live.
• Prov 21:6 : 6 The accumulation of treasures by a lying tongue is a fleeting vanity to those who seek death.
• Prov 28:20 : 20 A faithful person shall abound with blessings, but he who hastens to be rich shall not be innocent.
• Prov 28:22 : 22 He who hastens to be rich has an evil eye and does not consider that poverty shall come upon him.
• Eccl 5:13-16 : 13 There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept for the owners to their hurt. 14 But those riches perish through misfortune, and he begets a son, and there is nothing in his hand. 15 As he came from his mother's womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labor which he may carry away in his hand. 16 And this also is a grievous evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go; and what profit has he who has labored for the wind?
• Ps 55:23 : 23 But You, O God, shall bring them down into the pit of destruction; bloodthirsty and deceitful men shall not live out half their days, but I will trust in You.
• Jer 22:13 : 13 Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness, and his upper rooms by injustice; who uses his neighbor’s service without wages, and gives him nothing for his work;
• Jer 22:17 : 17 But your eyes and your heart are set only on your covetousness, and on shedding innocent blood, and on oppression, and on violence, to do it.
• Hab 2:6-9 : 6 Shall not all these take up a parable against him, and a taunting proverb against him, and say, Woe to him who increases that which is not his! How long? And to him who loads himself with thick clay! 7 Shall they not rise up suddenly that will bite you, and awake that will vex you, and you shall be for plunder to them? 8 Because you have plundered many nations, all the remnant of the people shall plunder you; because of men's blood, and for the violence of the land, of the city, and of all who dwell therein. 9 Woe to him who covets an evil covetousness to his house, that he may set his nest on high, that he may be delivered from the power of evil! 10 You have consulted shame to your house by cutting off many people, and have sinned against your soul. 11 For the stone shall cry out from the wall, and the beam from the timber shall answer it. 12 Woe to him who builds a town with blood, and establishes a city by iniquity!
• Zeph 1:9 : 9 In the same day also will I punish all those that leap over the threshold, who fill their masters' houses with violence and deceit.
• Prov 13:11 : 11 Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished, but he who gathers by labor shall increase.
• Prov 28:16 : 16 The prince who lacks understanding is also a great oppressor, but he who hates covetousness shall prolong his days.
• Zech 5:4 : 4 I will bring it forth, says the LORD of hosts, and it shall enter into the house of the thief, and into the house of him who swears falsely by my name: and it shall remain in the midst of his house, and shall consume it, with its timber and its stones.
• Zech 7:9-9 : 9 Thus says the LORD of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and show mercy and compassion every man to his brother: 10 And do not oppress the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you plot evil against his brother in your heart. 11 But they refused to heed, and shrugged their shoulders, and stopped their ears, so they should not hear. 12 Yes, they made their hearts like an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the LORD of hosts sent in His Spirit by the former prophets: therefore, great wrath came from the LORD of hosts. 13 Therefore it has come to pass, that just as He called and they would not hear, so they called, and I would not hear, says the LORD of hosts:
• Mal 3:5 : 5 And I will come near to you for judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those who oppress the laborer in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and who turn aside the stranger from his right, and do not fear me, says the LORD of hosts.
• Matt 23:13 : 13 But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for you neither go in yourselves, nor allow those who are entering to go in.
• 1 Tim 6:9 : 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
• Titus 1:11 : 11 Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole households, teaching things they ought not, for the sake of dishonest gain.
• Jas 5:3-5 : 3 Your gold and silver are corroded; and their corrosion shall be a witness against you, and shall consume your flesh like fire. You have hoarded treasure for the last days. 4 Behold, the wages of the laborers who have reaped down your fields, which you have kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of those who have reaped have entered into the ears of the Lord of hosts. 5 You have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been indulgent; you have nourished your hearts as in a day of slaughter.
• 2 Pet 2:3 : 3 And through covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; their judgment is long overdue, and their destruction does not slumber.
• 2 Pet 2:14 : 14 Having eyes full of adultery and unable to cease from sin, enticing unstable souls. They have a heart trained in covetous practices and are accursed children.
• Ezek 22:12-13 : 12 In you they have taken bribes to shed blood; you have taken usury and increase, and you have greedily gained from your neighbors by extortion, and have forgotten Me, says the Lord GOD. 13 Behold, therefore I have struck My hand at your dishonest gain which you have made, and at the blood which has been in your midst.
• Hos 12:7-8 : 7 He is a merchant, the balances of deceit are in his hand; he loves to oppress. 8 And Ephraim said, Surely I have become rich, I have found wealth for myself; in all my labors they shall find no iniquity in me that is sin.
• Amos 3:10 : 10 For they know not to do right, says the LORD, who store up violence and robbery in their palaces.
• Amos 8:4-6 : 4 Hear this, you who swallow up the needy, even to make the poor of the land fail, 5 Saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell grain? and the Sabbath, that we may offer wheat for sale, making the ephah small and the shekel large, and falsifying the balances with deceit? 6 That we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals; yes, and sell the refuse of the wheat?
• Mic 2:1-2 : 1 Woe to those who devise iniquity and work evil upon their beds! When the morning is light, they practice it because it is in the power of their hand. 2 They covet fields and take them by violence, and houses, and take them away; so they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage.
• Mic 2:9 : 9 The women of my people you have cast out from their pleasant houses; from their children you have taken away my glory forever.
• Mic 6:10-12 : 10 Are there yet treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and the short measure that is abominable? 11 Shall I count them pure with wicked balances, and with a bag of deceitful weights? 12 For the rich men there are full of violence, the inhabitants have spoken lies, and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth.
• Mic 7:3 : 3 That they may do evil with both hands earnestly, the prince asks, and the judge asks for a reward; and the great man utters his mischievous desire: so they wrap it up.
• Prov 1:18-19 : 18 And they lie in wait for their own blood; they lurk secretly for their own lives. 19 So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain; it takes away the life of its owners.
• Prov 23:5 : 5 Will you set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.
• Isa 1:23-24 : 23 Your princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves: everyone loves gifts, and follows after rewards: they do not judge the fatherless, nor does the cause of the widow come to them. 24 Therefore says the Lord, the LORD of hosts, the mighty One of Israel, Ah, I will ease myself of my adversaries, and avenge myself of my enemies:
• Jer 5:27-28 : 27 As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit: therefore they have become great, and grown rich. 28 They have grown fat, they shine: yes, they surpass the deeds of the wicked: they do not judge the cause, the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper; and the right of the needy they do not judge.