Yeremia 2:2

2:2 “Go and declare in the hearing of the people of Jerusalem: ¹  ‘This is what the Lord says: “I have fond memories of you, ²  how devoted you were to me in your early years. ³  I remember how you loved me like a new bride; you followed me through the wilderness, through a land that had never been planted.

Yeremia 11:10

11:10 They have gone back to the evil ways ⁴  of their ancestors of old who refused to obey what I told them. They, too, have paid allegiance to ⁵  other gods and worshiped them. Both the nation of Israel and the nation of Judah ⁶  have violated the covenant I made with their ancestors.

Yeremia 13:10

13:10 These wicked people refuse to obey what I have said. ⁷  They follow the stubborn inclinations of their own hearts and pay allegiance ⁸  to other gods by worshiping and serving them. So ⁹  they will become just like these linen shorts which are good for nothing.

[2:2]  ¹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[2:2]  ² tn Heb “I remember to/for you.”

[2:2]  ³ tn Heb “the loyal love of your youth.”

[2:2]  sn The Hebrew word translated “how devoted you were” (חֶסֶד, khesed) refers metaphorically to the devotion of a new bride to her husband. In typical Hebraic fashion, contemporary Israel is identified with early Israel after she first entered into covenant with (= married) the Lord. The reference to her earlier devotion is not absolute but relative. Compared to her unfaithfulness in worshiping other gods after she got into the land, the murmuring and complaining in the wilderness are ignored.

[11:10]  ⁴ tn Or “They have repeated the evil actions of….”

[11:10]  ⁵ tn Heb “have walked/followed after.” See the translator’s note at 2:5 for the idiom.

[11:10]  ⁶ tn Heb “house of Israel and house of Judah.”

[13:10]  ⁷ tn Heb “to listen to my words.”

[13:10]  ⁸ tn Heb “and [they follow] after.” See the translator’s note at 2:5 for the idiom.

[13:10]  ⁹ tn The structure of this verse is a little unusual. It consists of a subject, “this wicked people” qualified by several “which” clauses preceding a conjunction and a form which would normally be taken as a third person imperative (a Hebrew jussive; וִיהִי, vihi). This construction, called casus pendens by Hebrew grammarians, lays focus on the subject, here calling attention to the nature of Israel’s corruption which makes it rotten and useless to God. See GKC 458 §143.d for other examples of this construction.