Yeremia 3:6

3:6 When Josiah was king of Judah, the Lord said to me, “Jeremiah, you have no doubt seen what wayward Israel has done. ¹  You have seen how she went up to every high hill and under every green tree to give herself like a prostitute to other gods. ² 

Yeremia 51:58

51:58 This is what the Lord who rules over all ³  says,

“Babylon’s thick wall ⁴  will be completely demolished. ⁵ 

Her high gates will be set on fire.

The peoples strive for what does not satisfy. ⁶ 

The nations grow weary trying to get what will be destroyed.” ⁷ 

[3:6]  ¹ tn “Have you seen…” The question is rhetorical and expects a positive answer.

[3:6]  ² tn Heb “she played the prostitute there.” This is a metaphor for Israel’s worship; she gave herself to the worship of other gods like a prostitute gives herself to her lovers. There seems no clear way to completely spell out the metaphor in the translation.

[51:58]  ³ sn See the note at Jer 2:19.

[51:58]  ⁴ tn The text has the plural “walls,” but many Hebrew mss read the singular “wall,” which is also supported by the ancient Greek version. The modifying adjective “thick” is singular as well.

[51:58]  ⁵ tn The infinitive absolute emphasizes the following finite verb. Another option is to translate, “will certainly be demolished.”

[51:58]  ⁶ tn Heb “for what is empty.”

[51:58]  ⁷ tn Heb “and the nations for fire, and they grow weary.”