O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.
Parallel translations
- WEB Yahweh, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man who walks to direct his steps.
- BSB I know, O LORD, that a man’s way is not his own; no one who walks directs his own steps.
- NKJV O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.
- NASB ¶I know, Lord, that a person’s way is not in himself, Nor is it in a person who walks to direct his steps.
- NLT I know, Lord, that our lives are not our own. We are not able to plan our own course.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jeremiah confesses that a person's way is not in himself; no one can rightly direct his own steps. Human life depends on God, not on self-direction.
Overview
The prophet acknowledges before God that mankind cannot govern its own course or guide its own steps apart from Him. This humble confession contrasts sharply with the self-confident sin condemned earlier. The verse teaches dependence on God's sovereign guidance and exposes the folly of self-reliance, pointing to the wisdom of submitting one's path to the Lord.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Prov 20:24Man’s goings are of the LORD; how can a man then understand his own way?
- Prov 16:1The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD.
- Ps 37:23The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.
- Ps 119:116–117Uphold me according unto thy word, that I may live: and let me not be ashamed of my hope.
- Ps 17:5Hold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip not.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Against the failure of false shepherds Jeremiah promises the Righteous Branch, 'The LORD our righteousness,' and the new covenant written on the heart and sealed in the blood of Christ.
How Jeremiah 10:23 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.