Jeremiah 17:17Don't be a terror to me: you are my refuge in the day of evil.
The setting
Jerusalem, ~605 BC. Jeremiah, facing death threats from his own people, pleads with God not to become his enemy too...
The emotion here: desperate and clinging to God as his last hope
The original word
machittah (מְחִתָּה) — terror, destruction; from root meaning to shatter or break down
Why it matters
Jeremiah was beaten, put in stocks, and thrown into cisterns by his own countrymen
Read with care
What most readers miss in Jeremiah 17:17
This isn't fear of enemies — it's terror that GOD might abandon him too
Common misconceptionMost read this as fear of human enemies, but Jeremiah's deepest terror was that God might withdraw His protection and become his enemy too.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Jeremiah 17:17
Bible Genome reading
Jeremiah 17:17 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Jeremiah 17:17 comes from the book of Jeremiah, written during the Divided Kingdom period. These words are attributed to Jeremiah. The dominant emotion in this verse is seeking, with a comfort power of 70% and a tone that is urgent. It belongs to the prayer genre of biblical literature. Key themes include refuge, protection, trust. Notable phrases: don't be a terror; you are my refuge. This verse is a prayer.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same seeking
“Pray without ceasing.”
— 1 Thessalonians 5:17
“But let justice roll on like rivers, and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
— Amos 5:24
“Be it far from you to do things like that, to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be like the wicked. May that …”
— Genesis 18:25
“Call to me, and I will answer you, and will show you great things, and difficult, which you don't know.”
— Jeremiah 33:3
“Forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evi…”
— Luke 11:4
Your reflection
What does Jeremiah 17:17 mean to you, today?
A short note. A question. A prayer. Saved privately to your Soul Garden, dated, and tied to this verse forever.
Speak your heart →Get 3 verses for "seeking"
Delivered to your inbox right now. Free.