Jeremiah 17:11
Like the partridge that gathers a brood that she did not hatch, so is he who gets riches but not by justice; in the midst of his days they will leave him, and at his end he will be a fool.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The verse highlights that ill-gotten wealth is like a partridge's eggs – collected but never truly resulting in your own offspring. Just as the young birds, once hatched, abandon the false mother, so will these unjust riches ultimately leave their possessor, proving to be a foolish pursuit.
Jeremiah has been denouncing Judah's deep-seated sin of idolatry and their misplaced trust in human alliances rather than God. This verse uses a vivid, somewhat debated natural analogy—the partridge gathering eggs it didn't lay—to illustrate the futility and ultimate loss that comes from acquiring wealth unjustly. The prophet is directly linking ill-gotten gains to the same divine judgment that will fall on the unfaithful nation.
Why does the Bible compare ill-gotten wealth to a bird's eggs?
Jeremiah uses a vivid, albeit debated, image of a partridge to illustrate a core truth: riches gained unjustly will not last.
A Deceptive Nest
The verse suggests a bird that gathers eggs it didn't lay. Whether the partridge stole eggs, or simply gathered many of its own and then lost them, the result is the same: the effort is wasted. The young birds, once hatched, abandon the false mother or the broken nest.
The 'Mammon of Unrighteousness'
This is a picture of wealth accumulated through fraud, oppression, or any means that violate justice. It's like collecting something that isn't truly yours. You might hoard it, but it lacks a solid foundation. The Bible calls this 'mammon of unrighteousness' – wealth that is tainted and temporary.
The Inevitable Loss
Jeremiah declares that these riches will leave the person 'in the midst of his days.' This isn't just about dying with money; it's about the wealth disappearing before life's end, or becoming useless and unsatisfying. It crumbles away, leaving the hoarder with nothing to show for their sin.
What makes someone a 'fool' in God's eyes?
The end result for the person who hoards ill-gotten gain is stark: 'at his end he will be a fool.' This isn't about intelligence, but about a profound lack of wisdom and moral sense.
A Nabal-like Folly
The Hebrew word translated 'fool' here is nabal. This word describes someone who is not just stupid, but morally bankrupt – someone who lacks discernment regarding God and His ways. Think of Nabal in 1 Samuel 25, a rich but churlish and foolish man whose actions nearly led to disaster. He was a fool because he despised wisdom and God's appointed servants.
Missing the True Treasure
Understand the original words
mishpat · Hebrew Noun
Refers to what is right, equitable, and in accordance with God's moral law and standard of holiness. In the context of wealth, it implies gaining possessions through honest, ethical, and God-honoring means.
nabal · Hebrew Noun/Adjective
A person who lacks spiritual wisdom, moral discernment, and the fear of God. In biblical wisdom literature, a fool is one who rejects God's authority and lives according to their own corrupt desires.
This passage warns directly against greed and the deceptive nature of possessions, mirroring Jeremiah's theme that ill-gotten riches offer no true security or lasting value.
Proverbs 10:2This proverb states that ill-gotten treasures yield no lasting benefit, directly aligning with Jeremiah's depiction of unjust riches as ultimately fruitless and leaving the owner a fool.
Psalm 49:10-12The Psalmist reflects on how the wise and the foolish, the rich and the poor, all face death, highlighting the vanity of accumulating wealth through unjust means when it cannot be taken with them.
1 Samuel 25:25The comparison of the unjust rich person to a 'fool' or 'Nabal' directly echoes the insult leveled against Nabal, whose foolishness was rooted in his greed and lack of discernment, much like the figure in Jeremiah.
barnesJeremiah 17:11: "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."
Rather, "As the partridge hath gathered eggs which it laid not, so ..." The general sense is: the covetous man is as sure to reap finally disappointment only as is the partridge which piles up eggs not of her own laying, and is unable to hatch them. A fool - A Nabal. See 1 Samuel 25:25.
clarkeJeremiah 17:11: "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."
As the partridge - קרא kore. It is very likely that this was a bird different from our partridge. The text Dr. Blayney translates thus: - (As) the kore that hatcheth what it doth not lay (So is) he who getteth riches, and not according to right. "The covetous man," says Dahler, "who heaps up riches by…
The verse highlights that ill-gotten wealth is like a partridge's eggs – collected but never truly resulting in your own offspring. Just as the young birds, once hatched, abandon the false mother, so will these unjust riches ultimately leave their possessor, proving to be a foolish pursuit.
Jeremiah has been denouncing Judah's deep-seated sin of idolatry and their misplaced trust in human alliances rather than God. This verse uses a vivid, somewhat debated natural analogy—the partridge gathering eggs it didn't lay—to illustrate the futility and ultimate loss that comes from acquiring wealth unjustly. The prophet is directly linking ill-gotten gains to the same divine judgment that will fall on the unfaithful nation.
Jeremiah has been denouncing Judah's deep-seated sin of idolatry and their misplaced trust in human alliances rather than God. This verse uses a vivid, somewhat debated natural analogy—the partridge gathering eggs it didn't lay—to illustrate the futility and ultimate loss that comes from acquiring wealth unjustly. The prophet is directly linking ill-gotten gains to the same divine judgment that will fall on the unfaithful nation.
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Jeremiah implies that the pursuit of unjust riches makes a person blind to what truly matters. They sacrifice their integrity, their relationships, and potentially their standing with God for temporary wealth. This is the ultimate folly – to lose one's soul to gain something that will inevitably slip away.
The World's View vs. God's View
Society might praise the shrewdness of someone who amasses wealth, regardless of the method. But God's perspective is different. At the end, when all is stripped away, the one who lived for unjust gain will be exposed not as wise, but as a fool who squandered the most precious opportunities.
"Like the partridge that gathers a brood that she did not hatch, so is he who gets riches but not by justice; in the midst of his days they will leave him, and at his end he will be a fool." — The verse highlights that ill-gotten wealth is like a partridge's eggs – collected but never truly resulting in your own offspring. Just as the young birds, once hatched, abandon the false mother, so…
