¶I know, Lord, that a person’s way is not in himself, Nor is it in a person who walks 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.
- KJV O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh 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.
- 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 20:24A man’s steps are from Yahweh; how then can man understand his way?
- Prov 16:1The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from Yahweh.
- Ps 37:23A man’s goings are established by Yahweh. He delights in his way.
- Ps 119:116–117Uphold me according to your word, that I may live. Let me not be ashamed of my hope.
- Ps 17:5My steps have held fast to your paths. My feet have not slipped.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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
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