Charles Ellicott Commentary Jeremiah 17:13

"O Jehovah, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be put to shame. They that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken Jehovah, the fountain of living waters." — Jeremiah 17:13 (ASV)

They that depart from me. —The rapid change of person from second to first and first to third is eminently Hebrew.

Written in the earth. —In implied contrast with the name graven on the rock for ever (Job 19:24) are those written on the dust or sand. The Eastern habit of writing on the ground (of which John 8:6 supplies one memorable instance, and which was the common practice in Jewish schools) gave a vividness to the similitude which we have almost lost. For the fountain of living waters, compare Note on Jeremiah 2:13.