I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.

JEREMIAH 17:10KJV
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Jeremiah 17:10 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 17:10 mean?

Jeremiah 17:10 says that the LORD alone truly knows what is inside each person and tests their deepest thoughts and motives, rewarding everyone based on their actions and the results of what they do. This verse emphasizes that God’s judgment is personal and perfectly fair, since He sees beyond outward appearances to the real character of each person.

In this verse, the prophet Jeremiah is relaying God’s own words to the people of Judah, who were struggling with unfaithfulness and divided loyalties. God is making it clear that He examines both the “heart” (the inner self) and the “reins” (the deepest motives or feelings), and that His rewards or consequences are based on what He finds there, not just on surface behavior. This statement comes in a passage warning against trusting in human strength instead of God.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 17:10

  • LORD (יְהוָה, YHWH): This is the personal name of God, highlighting that the speaker is not just any deity, but Israel’s covenant God who knows His people intimately.
  • search (חָקַר, chaqar): This word means to examine or investigate thoroughly, showing that God’s knowledge of the heart is deep and searching, not superficial.
  • heart (לֵב, lev): In Hebrew thought, the “heart” refers to the center of a person’s thoughts, will, and emotions—not just feelings, but the whole inner life.
  • try (בָּחַן, bachan): This means to test or prove, like testing metal for purity. God does not just look; He actively tests the “reins” to reveal what is truly there.
  • reins (כִּלְיָה, kilyah): Literally “kidneys,” this word often refers to the innermost feelings or motives, the hidden parts of a person that even they might not fully understand.

Why Jeremiah 17:10 matters

  • Jeremiah 17:10 corrects the idea that outward actions alone are enough to please God; it shows that God cares about the inner life and true motives.
  • This verse ties into the wider message of Jeremiah, where the people’s hearts are often described as deceitful or divided, warning that God’s judgment is based on what is real, not just what is visible.
  • The verse reassures readers that God’s justice is not arbitrary—He rewards or disciplines each person according to their actual ways and the “fruit” (results) of their choices, making His judgment both personal and just.

Where else these words appear

“search” Hebrew H2713 · used in 26 verses

  • Deuteronomy 13:14 Then shalt thou enquire, and make search, and ask diligently; and, behold, if it be truth, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought among you;
  • Job 13:9 Is it good that he should search you out? or as one man mocketh another, do ye so mock him?
  • Proverbs 18:17 He that is first in his own cause seemeth just; but his neighbour cometh and searcheth him.

“reins” Hebrew H3629 · used in 26 verses

  • Exodus 29:13 And thou shalt take all the fat that covereth the inwards, and the caul that is above the liver, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, and burn them upon the altar.
  • Leviticus 8:25 And he took the fat, and the rump, and all the fat that was upon the inwards, and the caul above the liver, and the two kidneys, and their fat, and the right shoulder:
  • Psalms 26:2 Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart.

“try” Hebrew H974 · used in 28 verses

  • Genesis 42:15 Hereby ye shall be proved: By the life of Pharaoh ye shall not go forth hence, except your youngest brother come hither.
  • Psalms 11:4 The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD'S throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men.
  • Jeremiah 6:27 I have set thee for a tower and a fortress among my people, that thou mayest know and try their way.

“doings” Hebrew H4611 · used in 41 verses

  • Deuteronomy 28:20 The LORD shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken me.
  • Jeremiah 4:4 Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.
  • Jeremiah 32:19 Great in counsel, and mighty in work: for thine eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men: to give every one according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings: