# Where is “The heart is deceitful above all things” in the Bible?

> “The heart is deceitful above all things” is Jeremiah 17:9.

Source: https://www.lumin.faith/is-it-in-the-bible/the-heart-is-deceitful-above-all-things
By Andrew Kittridge · November 10, 2026

God says it through the prophet Jeremiah.

## The verse

> The heart is more deceitful than anything else, and it is incurably sick. Who can know it? I, Yahweh, search the heart and test the mind, to give to each person according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.
>
> — [Jeremiah 17:9-10](https://www.lumin.faith/read/jeremiah/17#9) (Lumin Translation)

These exact words are in the King James Bible. The Lumin Translation, a modern English Bible, is quoted here, and it words the verse differently.

## What it means there

It is the verse to set beside the advice “follow your heart.” The heart can fool even its owner. The next verse says who does understand it: God, who searches the heart and tests the mind.

## Common questions

### Where is “The heart is deceitful above all things” in the Bible?

“The heart is deceitful above all things” is Jeremiah 17:9. These exact words are in the King James Bible. The Lumin Translation, a modern English Bible, is quoted here, and it words the verse differently. God says it through the prophet Jeremiah.

### Is “The heart is deceitful above all things” in the Bible?

Yes. It is Jeremiah 17:9. In the Lumin Translation, Jeremiah 17:9-10 reads: “The heart is more deceitful than anything else, and it is incurably sick. Who can know it? I, Yahweh, search the heart and test the mind, to give to each person according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”

### Who said “The heart is deceitful above all things”?

God says it through the prophet Jeremiah.

### What does “The heart is deceitful above all things” mean in the Bible?

It is the verse to set beside the advice “follow your heart.” The heart can fool even its owner. The next verse says who does understand it: God, who searches the heart and tests the mind.

## More

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- [Check any word or a whole song](https://www.lumin.faith/bible-verse-checker)