Jer 12:2 | NETfull | STEP | You plant them like trees and they put down their roots. They grow prosperous and are very fruitful. They always talk about you, but they really care nothing about you.

Jeremiah 12:2

2 You plant them like trees and they put down their roots. ^{▼▼ Heb “You planted them and they took root.”}
They grow prosperous and are very fruitful. ^{▼▼ Heb “they grow and produce fruit.” For the nuance “grow” for the verb which normally means “go, walk,” see BDB 232 s.v. חָלַךְ Qal.I.3 and compare Hos 14:7.}
They always talk about you,
but they really care nothing about you. ^{▼▼ Heb “You are near in their mouths, but far from their kidneys.” The figure of substitution is being used here, “mouth” for “words” and “kidneys” for passions and affections. A contemporary equivalent might be, “your name is always on their lips, but their hearts are far from you.”}