Psalms 146:3-5

146:3 Do not trust in princes,

or in human beings, who cannot deliver! ¹ 

146:4 Their life’s breath departs, they return to the ground;

on that day their plans die. ² 

146:5 How blessed is the one whose helper is the God of Jacob,

whose hope is in the Lord his God,

Jeremiah 17:5

Individuals Are Challenged to Put Their Trust in the Lord ³ 

17:5 The Lord says,

“I will put a curse on people

who trust in mere human beings,

who depend on mere flesh and blood for their strength, ⁴ 

and whose hearts ⁵  have turned away from the Lord.

[146:3]  ¹ tn Heb “in a son of man, to whom there is no deliverance.”

[146:4]  ² tn Heb “his spirit goes out, it returns to his ground; in that day his plans die.” The singular refers to the representative man mentioned in v. 3b.

[17:5]  ³ sn Verses 5-11 are a collection of wisdom-like sayings (cf. Ps 1) which set forth the theme of the two ways and their consequences. It has as its background the blessings and the curses of Deut 28 and the challenge to faith in Deut 29-30 which climaxes in Deut 30:15-20. The nation is sinful and God is weary of showing them patience. However, there is hope for individuals within the nation if they will trust in him.

[17:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “who make flesh their arm.” The “arm” is the symbol of strength and the flesh is the symbol of mortal man in relation to the omnipotent God. The translation “mere flesh and blood” reflects this.

[17:5]  ⁵ sn In the psychology of ancient Hebrew thought the heart was the center not only of the emotions but of the thoughts and motivations. It was also the seat of moral conduct (cf. its placement in the middle of the discussion of moral conduct in Prov 4:20-27, i.e., in v. 23).