Yeremia 17:4
Konteks17:4 You will lose your hold on the land 1
which I gave to you as a permanent possession.
I will make you serve your enemies in a land that you know nothing about.
For you have made my anger burn like a fire that will never be put out.” 2
Yeremia 18:20
Konteks18:20 Should good be paid back with evil?
Yet they are virtually digging a pit to kill me. 3
Just remember how I stood before you
pleading on their behalf 4
to keep you from venting your anger on them. 5
[17:4] 1 tc Or “Through your own fault you will lose the land…” As W. McKane (Jeremiah [ICC], 1:386) notes the ancient versions do not appear to be reading וּבְךָ (uvÿkha) as in the MT but possibly לְבַדְּךָ (lÿvaddÿkha; see BHS fn). The translation follows the suggestion in BHS fn that יָדְךָ (yadÿkha, literally “your hand”) be read for MT וּבְךָ. This has the advantage of fitting the idiom of this verb with “hand” in Deut 15:2 (see also v. 3 there). The Hebrew text thus reads “You will release your hand from your heritage.”
[17:4] 2 tc A few Hebrew
[17:4] tn Heb “you have started a fire in my anger which will burn forever.”
[18:20] 3 tn Or “They are plotting to kill me”; Heb “They have dug a pit for my soul.” This is a common metaphor for plotting against someone. See BDB 500 s.v. כָּרָה Qal and for an example see Pss 7:16 (7:15 HT) in its context.
[18:20] 4 tn Heb “to speak good concerning them” going back to the concept of “good” being paid back with evil.
[18:20] 5 tn Heb “to turn back your anger from them.”
[18:20] sn See Jer 14:7-9, 19-21 and 15:1-4 for the idea.