Yeremia 1:1--6:30
Konteks1:1 The following is a record of what Jeremiah son of Hilkiah prophesied. 1 He was one of the priests who lived at Anathoth in the territory of the tribe of Benjamin. 1:2 The Lord 2 began to speak to him 3 in the thirteenth year that Josiah son of Amon ruled over Judah. 1:3 The Lord also spoke to him when Jehoiakim son of Josiah ruled over Judah, and he continued to speak to him until the fifth month of the eleventh year 4 that Zedekiah son of Josiah ruled over Judah. That was when the people of Jerusalem 5 were taken into exile. 6
1:4 The Lord said to me,
1:5 “Before I formed you in your mother’s womb 7 I chose you. 8
Before you were born I set you apart.
I appointed you to be a prophet to the nations.”
1:6 I answered, “Oh, Lord God, 9 I really 10 do not know how to speak well enough for that, 11 for I am too young.” 12 1:7 The Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ But go 13 to whomever I send you and say whatever I tell you. 1:8 Do not be afraid of those to whom I send you, 14 for I will be with you to protect 15 you,” says the Lord. 1:9 Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “I will most assuredly give you the words you are to speak for me. 16 1:10 Know for certain that 17 I hereby give you the authority to announce to nations and kingdoms that they will be 18 uprooted and torn down, destroyed and demolished, rebuilt and firmly planted.” 19
1:11 Later the Lord asked me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” I answered, “I see a branch of an almond tree.” 1:12 Then the Lord said, “You have observed correctly. This means 20 I am watching to make sure my threats are carried out.” 21
1:13 The Lord again asked me, “What do you see?” I answered, “I see a pot of boiling water; it is tipped toward us from the north.” 22 1:14 Then the Lord said, “This means 23 destruction will break out from the north on all who live in the land. 1:15 For I will soon summon all the peoples of the kingdoms of the north,” says the Lord. “They will come and their kings will set up their thrones 24 near the entrances of the gates of Jerusalem. 25 They will attack all the walls surrounding it, and all the towns in Judah. 26 1:16 In this way 27 I will pass sentence 28 on the people of Jerusalem and Judah 29 because of all their wickedness. For they rejected me and offered sacrifices to other gods, worshiping what they made with their own hands.” 30
1:17 “But you, Jeremiah, 31 get yourself ready! 32 Go and tell these people everything I instruct you to say. Do not be terrified of them, or I will give you good reason to be terrified of them. 33 1:18 I, the Lord, 34 hereby promise to make you 35 as strong as a fortified city, an iron pillar, and a bronze wall. You will be able to stand up against all who live in 36 the land, including the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests and all the people of the land. 1:19 They will attack you but they will not be able to overcome you, for I will be with you to rescue you,” says the Lord.
2:1 The Lord spoke to me. He said: 2:2 “Go and declare in the hearing of the people of Jerusalem: 37 ‘This is what the Lord says: “I have fond memories of you, 38 how devoted you were to me in your early years. 39 I remember how you loved me like a new bride; you followed me through the wilderness, through a land that had never been planted. 2:3 Israel was set apart to the Lord; they were like the first fruits of a harvest to him. 40 All who tried to devour them were punished; disaster came upon them,” says the Lord.’”
2:4 Now listen to what the Lord has to say, you descendants 41 of Jacob,
all you family groups from the nation 42 of Israel.
2:5 This is what the Lord says:
“What fault could your ancestors 43 have possibly found in me
that they strayed so far from me? 44
They paid allegiance to 45 worthless idols, and so became worthless to me. 46
2:6 They did not ask:
‘Where is the Lord who delivered us out of Egypt,
who brought us through the wilderness,
through a land of desert sands and rift valleys,
through a land of drought and deep darkness, 47
through a land in which no one travels,
and where no one lives?’ 48
2:7 I brought you 49 into a fertile land
so you could enjoy 50 its fruits and its rich bounty.
But when you entered my land, you defiled it; 51
you made the land I call my own 52 loathsome to me.
2:8 Your priests 53 did not ask, ‘Where is the Lord?’ 54
Those responsible for teaching my law 55 did not really know me. 56
Your rulers rebelled against me.
Your prophets prophesied in the name of the god Baal. 57
They all worshiped idols that could not help them. 58
2:9 “So, once more I will state my case 59 against you,” says the Lord.
“I will also state it against your children and grandchildren. 60
2:10 Go west 61 across the sea to the coasts of Cyprus 62 and see.
Send someone east to Kedar 63 and have them look carefully.
See if such a thing as this has ever happened:
2:11 Has a nation ever changed its gods
(even though they are not really gods at all)?
But my people have exchanged me, their glorious God, 64
for a god that cannot help them at all! 65
2:12 Be amazed at this, O heavens! 66
Be shocked and utterly dumbfounded,”
says the Lord.
2:13 “Do so because my people have committed a double wrong:
they have rejected me,
the fountain of life-giving water, 67
and they have dug cisterns for themselves,
cracked cisterns which cannot even hold water.”
2:14 “Israel is not a slave, is he?
He was not born into slavery, was he? 68
If not, why then is he being carried off?
2:15 Like lions his enemies roar victoriously over him;
they raise their voices in triumph. 69
They have laid his land waste;
his cities have been burned down and deserted. 70
2:16 Even the soldiers 71 from Memphis and Tahpanhes
have cracked your skulls, people of Israel. 72
2:17 You have brought all this on yourself, Israel, 73
by deserting the Lord your God when he was leading you along the right path. 74
2:18 What good will it do you 75 then 76 to go down to Egypt
to seek help from the Egyptians? 77
What good will it do you 78 to go over to Assyria
to seek help from the Assyrians? 79
2:19 Your own wickedness will bring about your punishment.
Your unfaithful acts will bring down discipline on you. 80
Know, then, and realize how utterly harmful 81
it was for you to reject me, the Lord your God, 82
to show no respect for me,” 83
says the Lord God who rules over all. 84
2:20 “Indeed, 85 long ago you threw off my authority
and refused to be subject to me. 86
You said, ‘I will not serve you.’ 87
Instead, you gave yourself to other gods on every high hill
and under every green tree,
like a prostitute sprawls out before her lovers. 88
2:21 I planted you in the land
like a special vine of the very best stock.
Why in the world have you turned into something like a wild vine
that produces rotten, foul-smelling grapes? 89
2:22 You can try to wash away your guilt with a strong detergent.
You can use as much soap as you want.
But the stain of your guilt is still there for me to see,” 90
says the Lord God. 91
2:23 “How can you say, ‘I have not made myself unclean.
I have not paid allegiance to 92 the gods called Baal.’
Just look at the way you have behaved in the Valley of Hinnom! 93
Think about the things you have done there!
You are like a flighty, young female camel
that rushes here and there, crisscrossing its path. 94
2:24 You are like a wild female donkey brought up in the wilderness.
In her lust she sniffs the wind to get the scent of a male. 95
No one can hold her back when she is in heat.
None of the males need wear themselves out chasing after her.
At mating time she is easy to find. 96
2:25 Do not chase after other gods until your shoes wear out
and your throats become dry. 97
But you say, ‘It is useless for you to try and stop me
because I love those foreign gods 98 and want to pursue them!’
2:26 Just as a thief has to suffer dishonor when he is caught,
so the people of Israel 99 will suffer dishonor for what they have done. 100
So will their kings and officials,
their priests and their prophets.
2:27 They say to a wooden idol, 101 ‘You are my father.’
They say to a stone image, ‘You gave birth to me.’ 102
Yes, they have turned away from me instead of turning to me. 103
Yet when they are in trouble, they say, ‘Come and save us!’
2:28 But where are the gods you made for yourselves?
Let them save you when you are in trouble.
The sad fact is that 104 you have as many gods
as you have towns, Judah.
2:29 “Why do you try to refute me? 105
All of you have rebelled against me,”
says the Lord.
2:30 “It did no good for me to punish your people.
They did not respond to such correction.
You slaughtered your prophets
like a voracious lion.” 106
2:31 You people of this generation,
listen to what the Lord says.
“Have I been like a wilderness to you, Israel?
Have I been like a dark and dangerous land to you? 107
Why then do you 108 say, ‘We are free to wander. 109
We will not come to you any more?’
2:32 Does a young woman forget to put on her jewels?
Does a bride forget to put on her bridal attire?
But my people have forgotten me
for more days than can even be counted.
2:33 “My, how good you have become
at chasing after your lovers! 110
Why, you could even teach prostitutes a thing or two! 111
2:34 Even your clothes are stained with
the lifeblood of the poor who had not done anything wrong;
you did not catch them breaking into your homes. 112
Yet, in spite of all these things you have done, 113
2:35 you say, ‘I have not done anything wrong,
so the Lord cannot really be angry with me any more.’
But, watch out! 114 I will bring down judgment on you
because you say, ‘I have not committed any sin.’
2:36 Why do you constantly go about
changing your political allegiances? 115
You will get no help from Egypt
just as you got no help from Assyria. 116
2:37 Moreover, you will come away from Egypt
with your hands covering your faces in sorrow and shame 117
because the Lord will not allow your reliance on them to be successful
and you will not gain any help from them. 118
3:1 “If a man divorces his wife
and she leaves him and becomes another man’s wife,
he may not take her back again. 119
Doing that would utterly defile the land. 120
But you, Israel, have given yourself as a prostitute to many gods. 121
So what makes you think you can return to me?” 122
says the Lord.
3:2 “Look up at the hilltops and consider this. 123
You have had sex with other gods on every one of them. 124
You waited for those gods like a thief lying in wait in the desert. 125
You defiled the land by your wicked prostitution to other gods. 126
3:3 That is why the rains have been withheld,
and the spring rains have not come.
Yet in spite of this you are obstinate as a prostitute. 127
You refuse to be ashamed of what you have done.
3:4 Even now you say to me, ‘You are my father! 128
You have been my faithful companion ever since I was young.
3:5 You will not always be angry with me, will you?
You will not be mad at me forever, will you?’ 129
That is what you say,
but you continually do all the evil that you can.” 130
3:6 When Josiah was king of Judah, the Lord said to me, “Jeremiah, you have no doubt seen what wayward Israel has done. 131 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. 132 3:7 Yet even after she had done all that, I thought that she might come back to me. 133 But she did not. Her sister, unfaithful Judah, saw what she did. 134 3:8 She also saw 135 that I gave wayward Israel her divorce papers and sent her away because of her adulterous worship of other gods. 136 Even after her unfaithful sister Judah had seen this, 137 she still was not afraid, and she too went and gave herself like a prostitute to other gods. 138 3:9 Because she took her prostitution so lightly, she defiled the land 139 through her adulterous worship of gods made of wood and stone. 140 3:10 In spite of all this, 141 Israel’s sister, unfaithful Judah, has not turned back to me with any sincerity; she has only pretended to do so,” 142 says the Lord. 3:11 Then the Lord said to me, “Under the circumstances, wayward Israel could even be considered less guilty than unfaithful Judah. 143
3:12 “Go and shout this message to my people in the countries in the north. 144 Tell them,
‘Come back to me, wayward Israel,’ says the Lord.
‘I will not continue to look on you with displeasure. 145
For I am merciful,’ says the Lord.
‘I will not be angry with you forever.
3:13 However, you must confess that you have done wrong, 146
and that you have rebelled against the Lord your God.
You must confess 147 that you have given yourself to 148 foreign gods under every green tree,
and have not obeyed my commands,’ says the Lord.
3:14 “Come back to me, my wayward sons,” says the Lord, “for I am your true master. 149 If you do, 150 I will take one of you from each town and two of you from each family group, and I will bring you back to Zion. 3:15 I will give you leaders 151 who will be faithful to me. 152 They will lead you with knowledge and insight. 3:16 In those days, your population will greatly increase 153 in the land. At that time,” says the Lord, “people will no longer talk about having the ark 154 that contains the Lord’s covenant with us. 155 They will not call it to mind, remember it, or miss it. No, that will not be done any more! 156 3:17 At that time the city of Jerusalem 157 will be called the Lord’s throne. All nations will gather there in Jerusalem to honor the Lord’s name. 158 They will no longer follow the stubborn inclinations of their own evil hearts. 159 3:18 At that time 160 the nation of Judah and the nation of Israel will be reunited. 161 Together they will come back from a land in the north to the land that I gave to your ancestors as a permanent possession. ” 162
3:19 “I thought to myself, 163
‘Oh what a joy it would be for me to treat you like a son! 164
What a joy it would be for me to give 165 you a pleasant land,
the most beautiful piece of property there is in all the world!’ 166
I thought you would call me, ‘Father’ 167
and would never cease being loyal to me. 168
3:20 But, you have been unfaithful to me, nation of Israel, 169
like an unfaithful wife who has left her husband,” 170
says the Lord.
3:21 “A noise is heard on the hilltops.
It is the sound of the people of Israel crying and pleading to their gods.
Indeed they have followed sinful ways; 171
they have forgotten to be true to the Lord their God. 172
3:22 Come back to me, you wayward people.
I want to cure your waywardness. 173
Say, 174 ‘Here we are. We come to you
because you are the Lord our God.
3:23 We know our noisy worship of false gods
on the hills and mountains did not help us. 175
We know that the Lord our God
is the only one who can deliver Israel. 176
3:24 From earliest times our worship of that shameful god, Baal,
has taken away 177 all that our ancestors 178 worked for.
It has taken away our flocks and our herds,
and even our sons and daughters.
3:25 Let us acknowledge 179 our shame.
Let us bear the disgrace that we deserve. 180
For we have sinned against the Lord our God,
both we and our ancestors.
From earliest times to this very day
we have not obeyed the Lord our God.’
4:1 “If you, Israel, want to come back,” says the Lord,
“if you want to come back to me 181
you must get those disgusting idols 182 out of my sight
and must no longer go astray. 183
4:2 You must be truthful, honest and upright
when you take an oath saying, ‘As surely as the Lord lives!’ 184
If you do, 185 the nations will pray to be as blessed by him as you are
and will make him the object of their boasting.” 186
4:3 Yes, 187 the Lord has this to say
to the people of Judah and Jerusalem:
“Like a farmer breaking up hard unplowed ground,
you must break your rebellious will and make a new beginning;
just as a farmer must clear away thorns lest the seed is wasted,
you must get rid of the sin that is ruining your lives. 188
4:4 Just as ritual circumcision cuts away the foreskin
as an external symbol of dedicated covenant commitment,
you must genuinely dedicate yourselves to the Lord
and get rid of everything that hinders your commitment to me, 189
people of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem.
If you do not, 190 my anger will blaze up like a flaming fire against you
that no one will be able to extinguish.
That will happen because of the evil you have done.”
“Announce 192 this in Judah and proclaim it in Jerusalem: 193
‘Sound the trumpet 194 throughout the land!’
Shout out loudly,
‘Gather together! Let us flee into the fortified cities!’
4:6 Raise a signal flag that tells people to go to Zion. 195
Run for safety! Do not delay!
For I am about to bring disaster out of the north.
It will bring great destruction. 196
4:7 Like a lion that has come up from its lair 197
the one who destroys nations has set out from his home base. 198
He is coming out to lay your land waste.
Your cities will become ruins and lie uninhabited.
4:8 So put on sackcloth!
Mourn and wail, saying,
‘The fierce anger of the Lord
has not turned away from us!’” 199
4:9 “When this happens,” 200 says the Lord,
“the king and his officials will lose their courage.
The priests will be struck with horror,
and the prophets will be speechless in astonishment.”
4:10 In response to all this 201 I said, “Ah, Lord God, 202 you have surely allowed 203 the people of Judah and Jerusalem 204 to be deceived by those who say, ‘You will be safe!’ 205 But in fact a sword is already at our throats.” 206
4:11 “At that time the people of Judah and Jerusalem 207 will be told,
‘A scorching wind will sweep down
from the hilltops in the desert on 208 my dear people. 209
It will not be a gentle breeze
for winnowing the grain and blowing away the chaff. 210
4:12 No, 211 a wind too strong for that will come at my bidding.
Yes, even now I, myself, am calling down judgment on them.’ 212
4:13 Look! The enemy is approaching like gathering clouds. 213
The roar of his chariots is like that of a whirlwind. 214
His horses move more swiftly than eagles.”
I cry out, 215 “We are doomed, 216 for we will be destroyed!”
4:14 “Oh people of Jerusalem, purify your hearts from evil 217
so that you may yet be delivered.
How long will you continue to harbor up
wicked schemes within you?
4:15 For messengers are coming, heralding disaster,
from the city of Dan and from the hills of Ephraim. 218
‘Announce to the surrounding nations, 220
“The enemy is coming!” 221
Proclaim this message 222 to Jerusalem:
“Those who besiege cities 223 are coming from a distant land.
They are ready to raise the battle cry against 224 the towns in Judah.”’
4:17 They will surround Jerusalem 225
like men guarding a field 226
because they have rebelled against me,”
says the Lord.
4:18 “The way you have lived and the things you have done 227
will bring this on you.
This is the punishment you deserve, and it will be painful indeed. 228
The pain will be so bad it will pierce your heart.” 229
“Oh, the feeling in the pit of my stomach! 231
I writhe in anguish.
Oh, the pain in my heart! 232
My heart pounds within me.
I cannot keep silent.
For I hear the sound of the trumpet; 233
the sound of the battle cry pierces my soul! 234
4:20 I see 235 one destruction after another taking place,
so that the whole land lies in ruins.
I see our 236 tents suddenly destroyed,
their 237 curtains torn down in a mere instant. 238
4:21 “How long must I see the enemy’s battle flags
and hear the military signals of their bugles?” 239
“This will happen 241 because my people are foolish.
They do not know me.
They are like children who have no sense. 242
They have no understanding.
They are skilled at doing evil.
They do not know how to do good.”
4:23 “I looked at the land and saw 243 that it was an empty wasteland. 244
I looked up at the sky, and its light had vanished.
4:24 I looked at the mountains and saw that they were shaking.
All the hills were swaying back and forth!
4:25 I looked and saw that there were no more people, 245
and that all the birds in the sky had flown away.
4:26 I looked and saw that the fruitful land had become a desert
and that all of the cities had been laid in ruins.
The Lord had brought this all about
because of his blazing anger. 246
4:27 All this will happen because the Lord said, 247
“The whole land will be desolate;
however, I will not completely destroy it.
4:28 Because of this the land will mourn
and the sky above will grow black. 248
For I have made my purpose known 249
and I will not relent or turn back from carrying it out.” 250
4:29 At the sound of the approaching horsemen and archers
the people of every town will flee.
Some of them will hide in the thickets.
Others will climb up among the rocks.
All the cities will be deserted.
No one will remain in them.
4:30 And you, Zion, city doomed to destruction, 251
you accomplish nothing 252 by wearing a beautiful dress, 253
decking yourself out in jewels of gold,
and putting on eye shadow! 254
You are making yourself beautiful for nothing.
Your lovers spurn you.
They want to kill you. 255
4:31 In fact, 256 I hear a cry like that of a woman in labor,
a cry of anguish like that of a woman giving birth to her first baby.
It is the cry of Daughter Zion 257 gasping for breath,
reaching out for help, 258 saying, “I am done in! 259
My life is ebbing away before these murderers!”
“Go up and down 261 through the streets of Jerusalem. 262
Look around and see for yourselves.
Search through its public squares.
See if any of you can find a single person
who deals honestly and tries to be truthful. 263
If you can, 264 then I will not punish this city. 265
5:2 These people make promises in the name of the Lord. 266
But the fact is, 267 what they swear to is really a lie.” 268
5:3 Lord, I know you look for faithfulness. 269
But even when you punish these people, they feel no remorse. 270
Even when you nearly destroy them, they refuse to be corrected.
They have become as hardheaded as a rock. 271
They refuse to change their ways. 272
5:4 I thought, “Surely it is only the ignorant poor who act this way. 273
They act like fools because they do not know what the Lord demands. 274
They do not know what their God requires of them. 275
5:5 I will go to the leaders 276
and speak with them.
Surely they know what the Lord demands. 277
Surely they know what their God requires of them.” 278
Yet all of them, too, have rejected his authority
and refuse to submit to him. 279
5:6 So like a lion from the thicket their enemies will kill them.
Like a wolf from the desert they will destroy them.
Like a leopard they will lie in wait outside their cities
and totally destroy anyone who ventures out. 280
For they have rebelled so much
and done so many unfaithful things. 281
“How can I leave you unpunished, Jerusalem? 283
Your people 284 have rejected me
and have worshiped gods that are not gods at all. 285
Even though I supplied all their needs, 286 they were like an unfaithful wife to me. 287
They went flocking 288 to the houses of prostitutes. 289
5:8 They are like lusty, well-fed 290 stallions.
Each of them lusts after 291 his neighbor’s wife.
5:9 I will surely punish them for doing such things!” says the Lord.
“I will surely bring retribution on such a nation as this!” 292
5:10 The Lord commanded the enemy, 293
“March through the vineyards of Israel and Judah and ruin them. 294
But do not destroy them completely.
Strip off their branches
for these people do not belong to the Lord. 295
5:11 For the nations of Israel and Judah 296
have been very unfaithful to me,”
says the Lord.
5:12 “These people have denied what the Lord says. 297
They have said, ‘That is not so! 298
No harm will come to us.
We will not experience war and famine. 299
5:13 The prophets will prove to be full of wind. 300
The Lord has not spoken through them. 301
So, let what they say happen to them.’”
5:14 Because of that, 302 the Lord, the God who rules over all, 303 said to me, 304
“Because these people have spoken 305 like this, 306
I will make the words that I put in your mouth like fire.
And I will make this people like wood
which the fiery judgments you speak will burn up.” 307
5:15 The Lord says, 308 “Listen, 309 nation of Israel! 310
I am about to bring a nation from far away to attack you.
It will be a nation that was founded long ago
and has lasted for a long time.
It will be a nation whose language you will not know.
Its people will speak words that you will not be able to understand.
5:16 All of its soldiers are strong and mighty. 311
Their arrows will send you to your grave. 312
5:17 They will eat up your crops and your food.
They will kill off 313 your sons and your daughters.
They will eat up your sheep and your cattle.
They will destroy your vines and your fig trees. 314
Their weapons will batter down 315
the fortified cities you trust in.
5:18 Yet even then 316 I will not completely destroy you,” says the Lord. 5:19 “So then, Jeremiah, 317 when your people 318 ask, ‘Why has the Lord our God done all this to us?’ tell them, ‘It is because you rejected me and served foreign gods in your own land. So 319 you must serve foreigners 320 in a land that does not belong to you.’
5:20 “Proclaim 321 this message among the descendants of Jacob. 322
Make it known throughout Judah.
5:21 Tell them: ‘Hear this,
you foolish people who have no understanding,
who have eyes but do not discern,
who have ears but do not perceive: 323
5:22 “You should fear me!” says the Lord.
“You should tremble in awe before me! 324
I made the sand to be a boundary for the sea,
a permanent barrier that it can never cross.
Its waves may roll, but they can never prevail.
They may roar, but they can never cross beyond that boundary.” 325
5:23 But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts.
They have turned aside and gone their own way. 326
5:24 They do not say to themselves, 327
“Let us revere the Lord our God.
It is he who gives us the autumn rains and the spring rains at the proper time.
It is he who assures us of the regular weeks of harvest.” 328
5:25 Your misdeeds have stopped these things from coming. 329
Your sins have deprived you of my bounty.’ 330
5:26 “Indeed, there are wicked scoundrels among my people.
They lie in wait like bird catchers hiding in ambush. 331
They set deadly traps 332 to catch people.
5:27 Like a cage filled with the birds that have been caught, 333
their houses are filled with the gains of their fraud and deceit. 334
That is how they have gotten so rich and powerful. 335
5:28 That is how 336 they have grown fat and sleek. 337
There is no limit to the evil things they do. 338
They do not plead the cause of the fatherless in such a way as to win it.
They do not defend the rights of the poor.
5:29 I will certainly punish them for doing such things!” says the Lord.
“I will certainly bring retribution on such a nation as this! 339
5:30 “Something horrible and shocking
is going on in the land of Judah:
5:31 The prophets prophesy lies.
The priests exercise power by their own authority. 340
And my people love to have it this way.
But they will not be able to help you when the time of judgment comes! 341
6:1 “Run for safety, people of Benjamin!
Get out of Jerusalem! 342
Sound the trumpet 343 in Tekoa!
Light the signal fires at Beth Hakkerem!
For disaster lurks 344 out of the north;
it will bring great destruction. 345
6:2 I will destroy 346 Daughter Zion, 347
who is as delicate and defenseless as a young maiden. 348
6:3 Kings will come against it with their armies. 349
They will encamp in siege all around it. 350
Each of them will devastate the portion assigned to him. 351
6:4 They will say, 352 ‘Prepare to do battle 353 against it!
Come on! Let’s attack it at noon!’
But later they will say, 354 ‘Oh, oh! Too bad! 355
The day is almost over
and the shadows of evening are getting long.
6:5 So come on, let’s go ahead and attack it by night
and destroy all its fortified buildings.’
6:6 All of this is because 356 the Lord who rules over all 357 has said:
‘Cut down the trees around Jerusalem
and build up a siege ramp against its walls. 358
This is the city which is to be punished. 359
Nothing but oppression happens in it. 360
6:7 As a well continually pours out fresh water
so it continually pours out wicked deeds. 361
Sounds of violence and destruction echo throughout it. 362
All I see are sick and wounded people.’ 363
6:8 So 364 take warning, Jerusalem,
or I will abandon you in disgust 365
and make you desolate,
a place where no one can live.”
6:9 This is what the Lord who rules over all 366 said to me: 367
“Those who remain in Israel will be
like the grapes thoroughly gleaned 368 from a vine.
So go over them again, as though you were a grape harvester
passing your hand over the branches one last time.” 369
“Who would listen
if I spoke to them and warned them? 371
Their ears are so closed 372
that they cannot hear!
Indeed, 373 what the Lord says is offensive to them.
They do not like it at all. 374
6:11 I am as full of anger as you are, Lord, 375
I am tired of trying to hold it in.”
The Lord answered, 376
“Vent it, then, 377 on the children who play in the street
and on the young men who are gathered together.
Husbands and wives are to be included, 378
as well as the old and those who are advanced in years.
6:12 Their houses will be turned over to others
as will their fields and their wives.
For I will unleash my power 379
against those who live in this land,”
says the Lord.
6:13 “That is because, from the least important to the most important of them,
all of them are greedy for dishonest gain.
Prophets and priests alike,
all of them practice deceit.
6:14 They offer only superficial help
for the harm my people have suffered. 380
They say, ‘Everything will be all right!’
But everything is not all right! 381
6:15 Are they ashamed because they have done such shameful things?
No, they are not at all ashamed.
They do not even know how to blush!
So they will die, just like others have died. 382
They will be brought to ruin when I punish them,”
says the Lord.
6:16 The Lord said to his people: 383
“You are standing at the crossroads. So consider your path. 384
Ask where the old, reliable paths 385 are.
Ask where the path is that leads to blessing 386 and follow it.
If you do, you will find rest for your souls.”
But they said, “We will not follow it!”
“I appointed prophets as watchmen to warn you, 388 saying:
‘Pay attention to the warning sound of the trumpet!’” 389
But they said, “We will not pay attention!”
“Hear, you nations!
Be witnesses and take note of what will happen to these people. 391
6:19 Hear this, you peoples of the earth: 392
‘Take note! 393 I am about to bring disaster on these people.
It will come as punishment for their scheming. 394
For they have paid no attention to what I have said, 395
and they have rejected my law.
6:20 I take no delight 396 when they offer up to me 397
frankincense that comes from Sheba
or sweet-smelling cane imported from a faraway land.
I cannot accept the burnt offerings they bring me.
I get no pleasure from the sacrifices they offer to me.’ 398
6:21 So, this is what the Lord says:
‘I will assuredly 399 make these people stumble to their doom. 400
Parents and children will stumble and fall to their destruction. 401
Friends and neighbors will die.’
6:22 “This is what the Lord says:
‘Beware! An army 402 is coming from a land in the north.
A mighty nation is stirring into action in faraway parts of the earth.
6:23 Its soldiers are armed with bows and spears.
They are cruel and show no mercy.
They sound like the roaring sea
as they ride forth on their horses.
Lined up in formation like men going into battle
to attack you, Daughter Zion.’” 403
6:24 The people cry out, 404 “We have heard reports about them!
We have become helpless with fear! 405
Anguish grips us,
agony like that of a woman giving birth to a baby!
6:25 Do not go out into the countryside.
Do not travel on the roads.
For the enemy is there with sword in hand. 406
They are spreading terror everywhere.” 407
6:26 So I said, 408 “Oh, my dear people, 409 put on sackcloth
and roll in ashes.
Mourn with painful sobs
as though you had lost your only child.
For any moment now 410 that destructive army 411
will come against us.”
“I have made you like a metal assayer
to test my people like ore. 413
You are to observe them
and evaluate how they behave.” 414
“All of them are the most stubborn of rebels! 416
They are as hard as bronze or iron.
They go about telling lies.
They all deal corruptly.
6:29 The fiery bellows of judgment burn fiercely.
But there is too much dross to be removed. 417
The process of refining them has proved useless. 418
The wicked have not been purged.
6:30 They are regarded as ‘rejected silver’ 419
because the Lord rejects them.”
[1:1] 1 tn Or “This is a record of what Jeremiah prophesied and did”; Heb “The words [or affairs] of Jeremiah.” The phrase could refer to either the messages of Jeremiah recorded in the book or to both his messages and the biographical (and autobiographical) narratives recorded about him in the book. Since the phrase is intended to serve as the title or superscription for the whole book and recurs again in 51:64 at the end of the book before the final appendix, it might refer to the latter. The expression “The words of [someone]” is a standard introductory formula (Deut 29:1[28:69]; 2 Sam 23:1; Amos 1:1; Eccl 1:1; Neh 1:1).
[1:2] 2 sn The translation reflects the ancient Jewish tradition of substituting the word for “Lord” for the proper name for Israel’s God which is now generally agreed to have been Yahweh. Jewish scribes wrote the consonants
[1:2] 3 tn Heb “to whom the word of the
[1:3] 4 sn This would have been August, 586
[1:3] 5 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[1:3] 6 tn Heb “and it [the word of the
[1:5] 7 tn Heb “the womb.” The words “your mother’s” are implicit and are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[1:5] 8 tn Heb “I knew you.” The parallelism here with “set you apart” and “appointed you” make clear that Jeremiah is speaking of his foreordination to be a prophet. For this same nuance of the Hebrew verb see Gen 18:19; Amos 3:2.
[1:6] sn The translation follows the ancient Jewish tradition of substituting the Hebrew word for “God” for the proper name Yahweh in this compound name. See the study note on v. 2 for the substitution of “Lord” in a similar kind of situation.
[1:6] 10 tn Heb “Behold, I do not know how to speak.” The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, commonly rendered “behold”) often introduces a speech and calls special attention to a specific word or the statement as a whole (see IBHS 675-78 §40.2.1).
[1:6] 11 tn The words “well enough for that” are implicit and are supplied in the translation for clarity. Jeremiah is not claiming an absolute inability to speak.
[1:6] 12 tn Heb “I am a boy/youth.” The Hebrew word can refer to an infant (Exod 2:6), a young boy (1 Sam 2:11), a teenager (Gen 21:12), or a young man (2 Sam 18:5). The translation is deliberately ambiguous since it is unclear how old Jeremiah was when he was called to begin prophesying.
[1:7] 13 tn Or “For you must go and say.” The Hebrew particle כִּי (ki) is likely adversative here after a negative statement (cf. BDB 474 s.v. כִּי 3.e). The
[1:8] 14 tn Heb “be afraid of them.” The antecedent is the “whomever” in v. 7.
[1:9] 16 tn Heb “Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.” This is an example of the Hebrew “scheduling” perfect or the “prophetic” perfect where a future event is viewed as so certain it is spoken of as past. The Hebrew particle rendered here “assuredly” (Heb הִנֵּה, hinneh) underlines the certitude of the promise for the future. See the translator’s note on v. 6.
[1:9] sn The passage is reminiscent of Deut 18:18 which refers to the
[1:10] 17 tn Heb “See!” The Hebrew imperative of the verb used here (רָאָה, ra’ah) functions the same as the particle in v. 9. See the translator’s note there.
[1:10] 18 tn Heb “I appoint you today over nations and kingdoms to uproot….” The phrase refers to the
[1:10] 19 sn These three pairs represent the twofold nature of Jeremiah’s prophecies, prophecies of judgment and restoration. For the further programmatic use of these pairs for Jeremiah’s ministry see 18:7-10 and 31:27-28.
[1:12] 20 tn This represents the Hebrew particle (כִּי, ki) that is normally rendered “for” or “because.” The particle here is meant to give the significance of the vision, not the rationale for the statement “you have observed correctly.”
[1:12] 21 tn Heb “watching over my word to do it.”
[1:12] sn There is a play on the Hebrew word for “almond tree” (שָׁקֵד, shaqed), which blossoms in January/February and is the harbinger of spring, and the Hebrew word for “watching” (שֹׁקֵד, shoqed), which refers to someone watching over someone or something in preparation for action. The play on words announces the certainty and imminence of the
[1:13] 22 tn Heb “a blown upon [= heated; boiling] pot and its face from the face of the north [= it is facing away from the north].”
[1:14] 23 tn There is nothing in the Hebrew text for these words but it is implicit in the connection. Once again the significance of the vision is spelled out. Compare the translator’s note on v. 12.
[1:15] 24 tn Heb “they will each set up.” The pronoun “they” refers back to the “kingdoms” in the preceding sentence. However, kingdoms do not sit on thrones; their kings do. This is an example of a figure of speech called metonymy where the kingdom is put for its king. For a similar use see 2 Chr 12:8.
[1:15] 25 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[1:15] 26 tn Or “They will come and set up their thrones in the entrances of the gates of Jerusalem. They will destroy all the walls surrounding it and also destroy all the towns in Judah.” The text of v. 15b reads in Hebrew, “they will each set up his throne [near? in?] the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem and against all its walls…and against all the towns….” Commentators are divided over whether the passage refers to the kings setting up their thrones after victory in preparation for passing judgment on their defeated enemies in the city or whether it refers to setting up siege against it. There is no Hebrew preposition before the word for “the entrance” so that it could be “in” (which would imply victory) or “at/near” (which would imply siege), and the same verb + object (i.e., “they will set up their thrones”) governs all the locative statements. It is most often taken to refer to the aftermath of victory because of the supposed parallel in Jer 43:8-13 and the supposed fulfillment in Jer 39:3. Though this may fit well with the first part of the compound expression, it does not fit well with the latter part which is most naturally taken to refer to hostile attacks against Jerusalem and the other cities of Judah. The translation given in the text is intended to reflect the idea of an army setting up for siege. The alternate translation is intended to reflect the other view.
[1:16] 27 tn The Hebrew particle (the vav [ו] consecutive), which is often rendered in some English versions as “and” and in others is simply left untranslated, is rendered here epexegetically, reflecting a summary statement.
[1:16] 28 sn The Hebrew idiom (literally “I will speak my judgments against”) is found three other times in Jeremiah (4:12; 39:5; 52:9), where it is followed by the carrying out of the sentence. Here the carrying out of the sentence precedes in v. 15.
[1:16] 29 tn Heb “on them.” The antecedent goes back to Jerusalem and the cities of Judah (i.e., the people in them) in v. 15.
[1:17] 31 tn The name “Jeremiah” is not in the text. The use of the personal pronoun followed by the proper name is an attempt to reflect the correlative emphasis between Jeremiah’s responsibility noted here and the
[1:17] 32 tn Heb “gird up your loins.” For the literal use of this idiom to refer to preparation for action see 2 Kgs 4:29; 9:1. For the idiomatic use to refer to spiritual and emotional preparation as here, see Job 38:3, 40:7, and 1 Pet 1:13 in the NT.
[1:17] 33 tn Heb “I will make you terrified in front of them.” There is a play on words here involving two different forms of the same Hebrew verb and two different but related prepositional phrases, “from before/of,” a preposition introducing the object of a verb of fearing, and “before, in front of,” a preposition introducing a spatial location.
[1:18] 34 tn See the note on “Jeremiah” at the beginning of v. 17.
[1:18] 35 tn Heb “today I have made you.” The Hebrew verb form here emphasizes the certainty of a yet future act; the
[1:18] 36 tn Heb “I make you a fortified city…against all the land….” The words “as strong as” and “so you will be able to stand against all the people of…” are given to clarify the meaning of the metaphor.
[2:2] 37 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[2:2] 38 tn Heb “I remember to/for you.”
[2:2] 39 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
[2:3] 40 sn Heb “the first fruits of his harvest.” Many commentators see the figure here as having theological significance for the calling of the Gentiles. It is likely, however, that in this context the metaphor – here rendered as a simile – is intended to bring out the special relationship and inviolability that Israel had with God. As the first fruits were the special possession of the
[2:5] 44 tn Or “I did not wrong your ancestors in any way. Yet they went far astray from me.” Both translations are an attempt to render the rhetorical question which demands a negative answer.
[2:5] 45 tn Heb “They went/followed after.” This idiom is found most often in Deuteronomy or covenant contexts. It refers to loyalty to God and to his covenant or his commandments (e.g., 1 Kgs 14:8; 2 Chr 34:31) with the metaphor of a path or way underlying it (e.g., Deut 11:28; 28:14). To “follow other gods” was to abandon this way and this loyalty (i.e., to “abandon” or “forget” God, Judg 2:12; Hos 2:13) and to follow the customs or religious traditions of the pagan nations (e.g., 2 Kgs 17:15). The classic text on “following” God or another god is 1 Kgs 18:18, 21 where Elijah taunts the people with “halting between two opinions” whether the
[2:5] 46 tn The words “to me” are not in the Hebrew text but are implicit from the context: Heb “they followed after the worthless thing/things and became worthless.” There is an obvious wordplay on the verb “became worthless” and the noun “worthless thing,” which is probably to be understood collectively and to refer to idols as it does in Jer 8:19; 10:8; 14:22; Jonah 2:8.
[2:6] 47 tn This word is erroneously rendered “shadow of death” in most older English versions; that translation is based on a faulty etymology. Contextual studies and comparative Semitic linguistics have demonstrated that the word is merely another word for darkness. It is confined to poetic texts and often carries connotations of danger and distress. It is associated in poetic texts with the darkness of a prison (Ps 107:10, 14), a mine (Job 28:3), and a ravine (Ps 23:4). Here it is associated with the darkness of the wasteland and ravines of the Sinai desert.
[2:6] 48 sn The context suggests that the question is related to a lament where the people turn to God in their troubles, asking him for help and reminding him of his past benefactions. See for example Isa 63:11-19 and Ps 44. It is an implicit prayer for his intervention, cf. 2 Kgs 2:14.
[2:7] 49 sn Note how contemporary Israel is again identified with her early ancestors. See the study note on 2:2.
[2:7] 51 sn I.e., made it ceremonially unclean. See Lev 18:19-30; Num 35:34; Deut 21:23.
[2:7] 52 tn Heb “my inheritance.” Or “the land [i.e., inheritance] I gave you,” reading the pronoun as indicating source rather than possession. The parallelism and the common use in Jeremiah of the term to refer to the land or people as the
[2:7] sn The land belonged to the
[2:8] 53 tn Heb “The priests…the ones who grasp my law…the shepherds…the prophets…they…”
[2:8] 54 sn See the study note on 2:6.
[2:8] 55 tn Heb “those who handle my law.”
[2:8] sn The reference is likely to the priests and Levites who were responsible for teaching the law (so Jer 18:18; cf. Deut 33:10). According to Jer 8:8 it could possibly refer to the scribes who copied the law.
[2:8] 56 tn Or “were not committed to me.” The Hebrew verb rendered “know” refers to more than mere intellectual knowledge. It carries also the ideas of emotional and volitional commitment as well intimacy. See for example its use in contexts like Hos 4:1; 6:6.
[2:8] 58 tn Heb “and they followed after those things [the word is plural] which do not profit.” The poetic structure of the verse, four lines in which a distinct subject appears at the beginning followed by a fifth line beginning with a prepositional phrase and no distinct subject, argues that this line is climactic and refers to all four classes enumerated in the preceding lines. See W. L. Holladay, Jeremiah (Hermeneia), 1:88-89. There may be a play or pun in the Hebrew text on the name for the god Baal (בַּעַל, ba’al) and the verb “cannot help you” (Heb “do not profit”) which is spelled יַעַל (ya’al).
[2:9] 59 tn Or “bring charges against you.”
[2:9] sn The language used here is that of the law court. In international political contexts it was the language of a great king charging his subject with breach of covenant. See for examples in earlier prophets, Isa 1:2-20; Mic 6:1-8.
[2:9] 60 tn The words “your children and” are supplied in the translation to bring out the idea of corporate solidarity implicit in the passage.
[2:9] sn The passage reflects the Hebrew concept of corporate solidarity: The actions of parents had consequences for their children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. Compare the usage in the ten commandments, Deut 5:10, and note the execution of the children of Dathan and Abiram, Deut 11:6, and of Achan, Josh 7:24-25.
[2:10] 61 tn Heb “For go west.”
[2:10] 62 tn Heb “pass over to the coasts of Kittim.” The words “west across the sea” in this line and “east of” in the next are implicit in the text and are supplied in the translation to give geographical orientation.
[2:10] sn The Hebrew term translated Cyprus (“Kittim”) originally referred to the island of Cyprus but later was used for the lands in the west, including Macedonia (1 Macc 1:1; 8:5) and Rome (Dan 11:30). It is used here as part of a figure called merism to denote the lands in the west as opposed to Kedar which was in the east. The figure includes polar opposites to indicate totality, i.e., everywhere from west to east.
[2:10] 63 sn Kedar is the home of the Bedouin tribes in the Syro-Arabian desert. See Gen 25:18 and Jer 49:38. See also the previous note for the significance of the reference here.
[2:11] 64 tn Heb “have exchanged their glory [i.e., the God in whom they glory].” This is a case of a figure of speech where the attribute of a person or thing is put for the person or thing. Compare the common phrase in Isaiah, the Holy One of Israel, obviously referring to the
[2:11] 65 tn Heb “what cannot profit.” The verb is singular and the allusion is likely to Baal. See the translator’s note on 2:8 for the likely pun or wordplay.
[2:12] 66 sn In earlier literature the heavens (and the earth) were called on to witness Israel’s commitment to the covenant (Deut 30:12) and were called to serve as witnesses to Israel’s fidelity or infidelity to it (Isa 1:2; Mic 6:1).
[2:13] 67 tn It is difficult to decide whether to translate “fresh, running water” which the Hebrew term for “living water” often refers to (e.g., Gen 26:19; Lev 14:5), or “life-giving water” which the idiom “fountain of life” as source of life and vitality often refers to (e.g., Ps 36:9; Prov 13:14; 14:27). The contrast with cisterns, which collected and held rain water, suggests “fresh, running water,” but the reality underlying the metaphor contrasts the
[2:14] 68 tn Heb “Is Israel a slave? Or is he a house born slave?” The questions are rhetorical, expecting a negative answer.
[2:14] sn The
[2:15] 69 tn Heb “Lions shout over him, they give out [raise] their voices.”
[2:15] sn The reference to lions is here a metaphor for the Assyrians (and later the Babylonians, see Jer 50:17). The statement about lions roaring over their prey implies that the prey has been vanquished.
[2:15] 70 tn Heb “without inhabitant.”
[2:16] 71 tn Heb “the sons of…”
[2:16] 72 tc The translation follows the reading of the Syriac version. The Hebrew text reads “have grazed [= “shaved” ?] your skulls [as a sign of disgracing them].” Note that the reference shifts from third person, “him,” to second person, “you,” which is common in Hebrew style. The words “people of Israel” have been supplied in the translation to help identify the referent and ease the switch. The reading presupposes יְרֹעוּךְ (yÿro’ukh) a Qal imperfect from the verb רָעַע (ra’a’; see BDB 949 s.v. II רָעַע Qal.1 and compare usage in Jer 15:2; Ps 2:9). The MT reads יִרְעוּךְ (yir’ukh), a Qal imperfect from the root רָעָה (ra’ah; see BDB 945 s.v. I רָעָה Qal.2.b for usage). The use of the verb in the MT is unparalleled in the sense suggested, but the resultant figure, if “graze” can mean “shave,” is paralleled in Jer 47:5; 48:37; Isa 7:20. The reading of the variant is accepted on the basis that it is the rarer root; the scribe would have been more familiar with the root “graze” even though it is unparalleled in the figurative nuance implied here. The noun “head/skull” is functioning as an accusative of further specification (see GKC 372 §117.ll and compare usage in Gen 3:8), i.e., “they crack you on the skull” or “they shave you on the skull.” The verb is a prefixed form and in this context is either a preterite without vav (ו) consecutive or an iterative imperfect denoting repeated action. Some modern English versions render the verb in the future tense, “they will break [or shave] your skull.”
[2:17] 73 tn Heb “Are you not bringing this on yourself.” The question is rhetorical and expects a positive answer.
[2:17] 74 tn Heb “at the time of leading you in the way.”
[2:18] 75 tn Heb “What to you to the way.”
[2:18] 76 tn The introductory particle וְעַתָּה (vÿ’attah, “and now”) carries a logical, not temporal, connotation here (cf. BDB 274 s.v. עַתָּה 2.b).
[2:18] 77 tn Heb “to drink water from the Shihor [a branch of the Nile].” The reference is to seeking help through political alliance with Egypt as opposed to trusting in God for help. This is an extension of the figure in 2:13.
[2:18] 78 tn Heb “What to you to the way.”
[2:18] 79 tn Heb “to drink water from the River [a common designation in biblical Hebrew for the Euphrates River].” This refers to seeking help through political alliance. See the preceding note.
[2:19] 80 tn Or “teach you a lesson”; Heb “rebuke/chide you.”
[2:19] 81 tn Heb “how evil and bitter.” The reference is to the consequences of their acts. This is a figure of speech (hendiadys) where two nouns or adjectives joined by “and” introduce a main concept modified by the other noun or adjective.
[2:19] 82 tn Heb “to leave the
[2:19] 83 tn Heb “and no fear of me was on you.”
[2:19] 84 tn Heb “the Lord Yahweh, [the God of] hosts.” For the title Lord
[2:20] 85 tn Or “For.” The Hebrew particle (כִּי, ki) here introduces the evidence that they had no respect for him.
[2:20] 86 tn Heb “you broke your yoke…tore off your yoke ropes.” The metaphor is that of a recalcitrant ox or heifer which has broken free from its master.
[2:20] 87 tc The MT of this verse has two examples of the old second feminine singular perfect, שָׁבַרְתִּי (shavarti) and נִתַּקְתִּי (nittaqti), which the Masoretes mistook for first singulars leading to the proposal to read אֶעֱבוֹר (’e’evor, “I will not transgress”) for אֶעֱבֹד (’e’evod, “I will not serve”). The latter understanding of the forms is accepted in KJV but rejected by almost all modern English versions as being less appropriate to the context than the reading accepted in the translation given here.
[2:20] 88 tn Heb “you sprawled as a prostitute on….” The translation reflects the meaning of the metaphor.
[2:21] 89 tc Heb “I planted you as a choice vine, all of it true seed. How then have you turned into a putrid thing to me, a strange [or wild] vine.” The question expresses surprise and consternation. The translation is based on a redivision of the Hebrew words סוּרֵי הַגֶּפֶן (sure haggefen) into סוֹרִיָּה גֶּפֶן (soriyyah gefen) and the recognition of a hapax legomenon סוֹרִיָּה (soriyyah) meaning “putrid, stinking thing.” See HALOT 707 s.v. סוֹרִי.
[2:22] 90 tn Heb “Even if you wash with natron/lye, and use much soap, your sin is a stain before me.”
[2:22] 91 tn Heb “Lord Yahweh.” For an explanation of this title see the study notes on 1:6.
[2:23] 92 tn Heb “I have not gone/followed after.” See the translator’s note on 2:5 for the meaning and usage of this idiom.
[2:23] 93 tn Heb “Look at your way in the valley.” The valley is an obvious reference to the Valley of Hinnom where Baal and Molech were worshiped and child sacrifice was practiced.
[2:23] 94 sn The metaphor is intended to depict Israel’s lack of clear direction and purpose without the
[2:24] 95 tn The words “to get the scent of a male” are implicit and are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[2:24] 96 sn The metaphor is intended to depict Israel’s irrepressible desire to worship other gods.
[2:25] 97 tn Heb “Refrain your feet from being bare and your throat from being dry/thirsty.”
[2:25] 98 tn Heb “It is useless! No!” For this idiom, see Jer 18:12; NEB “No; I am desperate.”
[2:26] 99 tn Heb “house of Israel.”
[2:26] 100 tn The words “for what they have done” are implicit in the comparison and are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[2:27] 101 tn Heb “wood…stone…”
[2:27] 102 sn The reference to wood and stone is, of course, a pejorative reference to idols made by human hands. See the next verse where reference is made to “the gods you have made.”
[2:27] 103 tn Heb “they have turned [their] backs to me, not [their] faces.”
[2:28] 104 tn This is an attempt to render the Hebrew particle כִּי (ki, “for, indeed”) contextually.
[2:29] 105 sn This is still part of the
[2:30] 106 tn Heb “Your sword devoured your prophets like a destroying lion.” However, the reference to the sword in this and many similar idioms is merely idiomatic for death by violent means.
[2:31] 107 tn Heb “a land of the darkness of Yah [= thick or deep darkness].” The idea of danger is an added connotation of the word in this context.
[2:31] 108 tn Heb “my people.”
[2:31] 109 tn Or more freely, “free to do as we please.” There is some debate about the meaning of this verb (רוּד, rud) because its usage is rare and its meaning is debated in the few passages where it does occur. The key to its meaning may rest in the emended text (reading וְרַדְתִּי [vÿradti] for וְיָרַדְתִּי [vÿyaradti]) in Judg 11:37 where it refers to the roaming of Jephthah’s daughter on the mountains of Israel.
[2:33] 110 tn Heb “How good you have made your ways to seek love.”
[2:33] 111 tn Heb “so that even the wicked women you teach your ways.”
[2:34] 112 tn The words “for example” are implicit and are supplied in the translation for clarification. This is only one example of why their death was not legitimate.
[2:34] sn Killing a thief caught in the act of breaking and entering into a person’s home was pardonable under the law of Moses, cf. Exod 22:2.
[2:34] 113 tn KJV and ASV read this line with 2:34. The ASV makes little sense and the KJV again erroneously reads the archaic second person feminine singular perfect as first person common singular. All the modern English versions and commentaries take this line with 2:35.
[2:35] 114 tn This is an attempt to render the Hebrew particle often translated “behold” (הִנֵּה, hinneh) in a meaningful way in this context. See further the translator’s note on the word “really” in 1:6.
[2:36] 115 tn Heb “changing your way.” The translation follows the identification of the Hebrew verb here as a defective writing of a form (תֵּזְלִי [tezÿli] instead of תֵּאזְלִי [te’zÿli]) from a verb meaning “go/go about” (אָזַל [’azal]; cf. BDB 23 s.v. אָזַל). Most modern English versions, commentaries, and lexicons read it from a root meaning “to treat cheaply [or lightly]” (תָּזֵלִּי [tazelli] from the root זָלַל (zalal); cf. HALOT 261 s.v. זָלַל); hence, “Why do you consider it such a small matter to…”
[2:36] 116 tn Heb “You will be ashamed/disappointed by Egypt, just as you were ashamed/ disappointed by Assyria.”
[2:37] 117 tn Heb “with your hands on your head.” For the picture here see 2 Sam 13:19.
[2:37] 118 tn Heb “The
[3:1] 119 tn Heb “May he go back to her again?” The question is rhetorical and expects a negative answer.
[3:1] sn For the legal background for the illustration that is used here see Deut 24:1-4.
[3:1] 120 tn Heb “Would the land not be utterly defiled?” The stative is here rendered actively to connect better with the preceding. The question is rhetorical and expects a positive answer.
[3:1] 121 tn Heb “But you have played the prostitute with many lovers.”
[3:1] 122 tn Heb “Returning to me.” The form is the bare infinitive which the KJV and ASV have interpreted as an imperative “Yet, return to me!” However, it is more likely that a question is intended, expressing surprise in the light of the law alluded to and the facts cited. For the use of the infinitive absolute in the place of a finite verb, cf. GKC 346 §113.ee. For the introduction of a question without a question marker, cf. GKC 473 §150.a.
[3:2] 124 tn Heb “Where have you not been ravished?” The rhetorical question expects the answer “nowhere,” which suggests she has engaged in the worship of pagan gods on every one of the hilltops.
[3:2] 125 tn Heb “You sat for them [the lovers, i.e., the foreign gods] beside the road like an Arab in the desert.”
[3:2] 126 tn Heb “by your prostitution and your wickedness.” This is probably an example of hendiadys where, when two nouns are joined by “and,” one expresses the main idea and the other qualifies it.
[3:3] 127 tn Heb “you have the forehead of a prostitute.”
[3:4] 128 tn Heb “Have you not just now called out to me, ‘[you are] my father!’?” The rhetorical question expects a positive answer.
[3:5] 129 tn Heb “Will he keep angry forever? Will he maintain [it] to the end?” The questions are rhetorical and expect a negative answer. The change to direct address in the English translation is intended to ease the problem of the rapid transition, common in Hebrew style (but not in English), from second person direct address in the preceding lines to third person indirect address in these two lines. See GKC 462 §144.p.
[3:5] 130 tn Heb “You do the evil and you are able.” This is an example of hendiadys, meaning “You do all the evil that you are able to do.”
[3:6] 131 tn “Have you seen…” The question is rhetorical and expects a positive answer.
[3:6] 132 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.
[3:7] 133 tn Or “I said to her, ‘Come back to me!’” The verb אָמַר (’amar) usually means “to say,” but here it means “to think,” of an assumption that turns out to be wrong (so HALOT 66.4 s.v. אמר); cf. Gen 44:28; Jer 3:19; Pss 82:6; 139:11; Job 29:18; Ruth 4:4; Lam 3:18.
[3:7] sn Open theists suggest that passages such as this indicate God has limited foreknowledge; however, more traditional theologians view this passage as an extended metaphor in which God presents himself as a deserted husband, hoping against hope that his adulterous wife might return to him. The point of the metaphor is not to make an assertion about God’s foreknowledge, but to develop the theme of God’s heartbreak due to Israel’s unrepentance.
[3:7] 134 tn The words “what she did” are not in the text but are implicit from the context and are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[3:8] 135 tc Heb “she [‘her sister, unfaithful Judah’ from the preceding verse] saw” with one Hebrew
[3:8] 136 tn Heb “because she committed adultery.” The translation is intended to spell out the significance of the metaphor.
[3:8] 137 tn The words “Even after her unfaithful sister, Judah, had seen this” are not in the Hebrew text but are implicit in the connection and are supplied for clarification.
[3:8] 138 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.
[3:9] 139 tc The translation reads the form as a causative (Hiphil, תַּהֲנֵף, tahanef) with some of the versions in place of the simple stative (Qal, תֶּחֱנַף, tekhenaf) in the MT.
[3:9] 140 tn Heb “because of the lightness of her prostitution, she defiled the land and committed adultery with stone and wood.”
[3:10] 141 tn Heb “And even in all this.”
[3:10] 142 tn Heb “ has not turned back to me with all her heart but only in falsehood.”
[3:11] 143 tn Heb “Wayward Israel has proven herself to be more righteous than unfaithful Judah.”
[3:11] sn A comparison is drawn here between the greater culpability of Judah, who has had the advantage of seeing how God disciplined her sister nation for having sinned and yet ignored the warning and committed the same sin, and the culpability of Israel who had no such advantage.
[3:12] 144 tn Heb “Go and proclaim these words to the north.” The translation assumes that the message is directed toward the exiles of northern Israel who have been scattered in the provinces of Assyria to the north.
[3:12] 145 tn Heb “I will not cause my face to fall on you.”
[3:13] 146 tn Heb “Only acknowledge your iniquity.”
[3:13] 147 tn The words “You must confess” are repeated to convey the connection. The Hebrew text has an introductory “that” in front of the second line and a coordinative “and” in front of the next two lines.
[3:13] 148 tc MT reads דְּרָכַיִךְ (dÿrakhayikh, “your ways”), but the BHS editors suggest דּוֹדַיִךְ (dodayikh, “your breasts”) as an example of orthographic confusion. While the proposal makes sense, it remains a conjectural emendation since it is not supported by any actual manuscripts or ancient versions.
[3:13] tn Heb “scattered your ways with foreign [gods]” or “spread out your breasts to strangers.”
[3:14] 149 tn Or “I am your true husband.”
[3:14] sn There is a wordplay between the term “true master” and the name of the pagan god Baal. The pronoun “I” is emphatic, creating a contrast between the
[3:14] 150 tn The words, “If you do” are not in the text but are implicit in the connection of the Hebrew verb with the preceding.
[3:15] 151 tn Heb “shepherds.”
[3:15] 152 tn Heb “after/according to my [own] heart.”
[3:16] 153 tn Heb “you will become numerous and fruitful.”
[3:16] 155 tn Heb “the ark of the covenant.” It is called this because it contained the tables of the law which in abbreviated form constituted their covenant obligations to the
[3:16] 156 tn Or “Nor will another one be made”; Heb “one will not do/make [it?] again.”
[3:17] 157 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[3:17] 158 tn Heb “will gather to the name of the
[3:17] 159 tn Heb “the stubbornness of their evil hearts.”
[3:18] 160 tn Heb “In those days.”
[3:18] 161 tn Heb “the house of Judah will walk together with the house of Israel.”
[3:18] 162 tn Heb “the land that I gave your [fore]fathers as an inheritance.”
[3:19] 163 tn Heb “I, myself, said.” See note on “I thought that she might come back to me” in 3:7.
[3:19] 164 tn Heb “How I would place you among the sons.” Israel appears to be addressed here contextually as the
[3:19] sn The imagery here appears to be that of treating the wife as an equal heir with the sons and of giving her the best piece of property.
[3:19] 165 tn The words “What a joy it would be for me to” are not in the Hebrew text but are implied in the parallel structure.
[3:19] 166 tn Heb “the most beautiful heritage among the nations.”
[3:19] 167 tn Heb “my father.”
[3:19] 168 tn Heb “turn back from [following] after me.”
[3:20] 169 tn Heb “house of Israel.”
[3:20] 170 tn Heb “a wife unfaithful from her husband.”
[3:21] 171 tn Heb “A sound is heard on the hilltops, the weeping of the supplication of the children of Israel because [or indeed] they have perverted their way.” At issue here is whether the supplication is made to Yahweh in repentance because of what they have done or whether it is supplication to the pagan gods which is evidence of their perverted ways. The reference in this verse to the hilltops where idolatry was practiced according to 3:2 and the reference to Israel’s unfaithfulness in the preceding verse make the latter more likely. For the asseverative use of the Hebrew particle (here rendered “indeed”) where the particle retains some of the explicative nuance; cf. BDB 472-73 s.v. כִּי 1.e and 3.c.
[3:21] 172 tn Heb “have forgotten the
[3:22] 173 tn Or “I will forgive your apostasies.” Heb “I will [or want to] heal your apostasies.” For the use of the verb “heal” (רָפָא, rafa’) to refer to spiritual healing and forgiveness see Hos 14:4.
[3:22] 174 tn Or “They say.” There is an obvious ellipsis of a verb of saying here since the preceding words are those of the
[3:23] 175 tn Heb “Truly in vain from the hills the noise/commotion [and from] the mountains.” The syntax of the Hebrew sentence is very elliptical here.
[3:23] 176 tn Heb “Truly in the
[3:24] 177 tn Heb “From our youth the shameful thing has eaten up…” The shameful thing is specifically identified as Baal in Jer 11:13. Compare also the shift in certain names such as Ishbaal (“man of Baal”) to Ishbosheth (“man of shame”).
[3:24] 178 tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 25).
[3:25] 179 tn Heb “Let us lie down in….”
[3:25] 180 tn Heb “Let us be covered with disgrace.”
[4:1] 181 tn Or “If you, Israel, want to turn [away from your shameful ways (those described in 3:23-25)]…then you must turn back to me.” Or perhaps, “Israel, you must turn back…Yes, you must turn back to me.”
[4:1] 182 tn Heb “disgusting things.”
[4:1] 183 tn Or possibly, “If you get those disgusting idols out of my sight, you will not need to flee.” This is less probable because the normal meaning of the last verb is “to wander,” “ to stray.”
[4:2] 184 tn Heb “If you [= you must, see the translator’s note on the word “do” later in this verse] swear/take an oath, ‘As the
[4:2] 185 tn 4:1-2a consists of a number of “if” clauses, two of which are formally introduced by the Hebrew particle אִם (’im) while the others are introduced by the conjunction “and,” followed by a conjunction (“and” = “then”) with a perfect in 4:2b which introduces the consequence. The translation “You must…. If you do,” was chosen to avoid a long and complicated sentence.
[4:2] 186 tn Heb “bless themselves in him and make their boasts in him.”
[4:3] 187 tn The Hebrew particle is obviously asseverative here since a causal connection appears to make little sense.
[4:3] 188 tn Heb “Plow up your unplowed ground and do not sow among the thorns.” The translation is an attempt to bring out the force of a metaphor. The idea seems to be that they are to plow over the thorns and make the ground ready for the seeds which will produce a new crop where none had been produced before.
[4:4] 189 tn Heb “Circumcise yourselves to the
[4:5] 191 tn The words “The
[4:5] 192 tn It is unclear who the addressees of the masculine plural imperatives are here. They may be the citizens of Jerusalem and Judah who are sounding the alarm to others. However, the first person reference to the
[4:5] 193 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[4:5] 194 tn Heb “ram’s horn,” but the modern equivalent is “trumpet” and is more readily understandable.
[4:6] 195 tn Heb “Raise up a signal toward Zion.”
[4:6] 196 tn Heb “out of the north, even great destruction.”
[4:7] 197 tn Heb “A lion has left its lair.” The metaphor is turned into a simile for clarification. The word translated “lair” has also been understood to refer to a hiding place. However, it appears to be cognate in meaning to the word translated “lair” in Ps 10:9; Jer 25:38, a word which also refers to the abode of the
[4:8] 199 tn Or “wail because the fierce anger of the
[4:9] 200 tn Heb “In that day.”
[4:10] 201 tn The words “In response to all this” are not in the text but are supplied in the translation to clarify the connection.
[4:10] 202 tn Heb “Lord Yahweh.” The translation follows the ancient Jewish tradition of substituting the Hebrew word for God for the proper name Yahweh.
[4:10] 203 tn Or “You have deceived.” The Hiphil of נָשָׁא (nasha’, “to deceive”) is understood in a tolerative sense here: “to allow [someone] to be deceived.” IBHS 446 §27.5c notes that this function of the hiphil describes caused activity that is welcome to the undersubject, but unacceptable or disagreeable to a third party. Jerusalem and Judah welcomed the assurances of false prophets who deceived them. Although this was detestable to God, he allowed it.
[4:10] 204 tn Heb “this people and Jerusalem.”
[4:10] 205 tn Heb “Jerusalem, saying, ‘You will have peace’”; or “You have deceived the people of Judah and Jerusalem, saying, ‘You will have peace.’” The words “you will be safe” are, of course, those of the false prophets (cf., Jer 6:14; 8:11; 14:13; 23:16-17). It is difficult to tell whether the charge here is meant literally as the emotional outburst of the prophet (compare for example, Jer 15:18) or whether it is to be understood as a figure of speech in which a verb of direct causation is to be understood as permissive or tolerative, i.e., God did not command the prophets to say this but allowed them to do so. While it is not beyond God to use false prophets to accomplish his will (cf., e.g., 1 Kgs 22:19-23), he elsewhere in the book of Jeremiah directly denies having sent the false prophets to say such things as this (cf., e.g., Jer 14:14-15; 23:21, 32). For examples of the use of this figure of speech, see E. W. Bullinger, Figures of Speech, 571, 823 and compare Ezek 20:25. The translation given attempts to resolve the issue.
[4:10] 206 tn Heb “touches the throat/soul.” For this use of the word usually translated “soul” or “life” cf. HALOT 672 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ 1, 2 and compare the use in Ps 105:18.
[4:11] 207 tn Heb “this people and Jerusalem.”
[4:11] 208 tn Heb “A scorching wind from the hilltops in the desert toward…”
[4:11] sn The allusion is, of course, to the destructive forces of the enemy armies of Babylon compared above in 4:7 to a destructive lion and here to the destructive desert winds of the Near Eastern sirocco.
[4:11] 209 tn Heb “daughter of my people.” The term “daughter of” is appositional to “my people” and is supplied in the translation as a term of sympathy and endearment. Compare the common expression “daughter of Zion.”
[4:11] 210 tn Heb “not for winnowing and not for cleansing.” The words “It will not be a gentle breeze” are not in the text but are implicit in the connection. They are supplied in the translation here for clarification.
[4:12] 211 tn The word “No” is not in the text but is carried over from the connection with the preceding line “not for…”
[4:12] 212 tn Heb “will speak judgments against them.”
[4:13] 213 tn Heb “he is coming up like clouds.” The words “The enemy” are supplied in the translation to identify the referent and the word “gathering” is supplied to try to convey the significance of the simile, i.e., that of quantity and of an approaching storm.
[4:13] 214 tn Heb “his chariots [are] like a whirlwind.” The words “roar” and “sound” are supplied in the translation to clarify the significance of the simile.
[4:13] 215 tn The words “I cry out” are not in the text, but the words that follow are obviously not the
[4:13] 216 tn Heb “Woe to us!” The words “woe to” are common in funeral laments and at the beginning of oracles of judgment. In many contexts they carry the connotation of hopelessness or apprehensiveness of inevitable doom.
[4:14] 217 tn Heb “Oh, Jerusalem, wash your heart from evil.”
[4:15] 218 tn Heb “For a voice declaring from Dan and making heard disaster from the hills of Ephraim.”
[4:16] 219 tn The words “They are saying” are not in the text but are implicit in the connection and are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[4:16] 220 tn The word “surrounding” is not in the text but is implicit and is supplied in the translation for clarification.
[4:16] 221 tc Or “Here they come!” Heb “Look!” or “Behold!” Or “Announce to the surrounding nations, indeed [or yes] proclaim to Jerusalem, ‘Besiegers…’” The text is very elliptical here. Some of the modern English versions appear to be emending the text from הִנֵּה (hinneh, “behold”) to either הֵנָּה (hennah, “these things”; so NEB), or הַזֶּה (hazzeh, “this”; so NIV). The solution proposed here is as old as the LXX which reads, “Behold, they have come.”
[4:16] 222 tn The words, “this message,” are not in the text but are supplied in the translation to make the introduction of the quote easier.
[4:16] 223 tn Heb “Besiegers.” For the use of this verb to refer to besieging a city compare Isa 1:8.
[4:16] 224 tn Heb “They have raised their voices against.” The verb here, a vav (ו) consecutive with an imperfect, continues the nuance of the preceding participle “are coming.”
[4:17] 225 tn Heb “will surround her.” The antecedent is Jerusalem in the preceding verse. The referent is again made explicit in the translation to avoid any possible lack of clarity. The verb form here is a form of the verb that emphasizes the fact as being as good as done (i.e., it is a prophetic perfect).
[4:17] 226 sn There is some irony involved in the choice of the simile since the men guarding a field were there to keep thieves from getting in and stealing the crops. Here the besiegers are guarding the city to keep people from getting out.
[4:18] 227 tn Heb “Your way and your deeds.”
[4:18] 228 tn Heb “How bitter!”
[4:18] 229 tn Heb “Indeed, it reaches to your heart.” The subject must be the pain alluded to in the last half of the preceding line; the verb is masculine, agreeing with the adjective translated “painful.” The only other possible antecedent “punishment” is feminine.
[4:19] 230 tn The words “I said” are not in the text. They are used to mark the shift from the
[4:19] 231 tn Heb “My bowels! My bowels!”
[4:19] 232 tn Heb “the walls of my heart!”
[4:19] 233 tn Heb “ram’s horn,” but the modern equivalent is “trumpet” and is more readily understandable.
[4:19] 234 tc The translation reflects a different division of the last two lines than that suggested by the Masoretes. The written text (the Kethib) reads “for the sound of the ram’s horn I have heard [or “you have heard,” if the form is understood as the old second feminine singular perfect] my soul” followed by “the battle cry” in the last line. The translation is based on taking “my soul” with the last line and understanding an elliptical expression “the battle cry [to] my soul.” Such an elliptical expression is in keeping with the elliptical nature of the exclamations at the beginning of the verse (cf. the literal translations of the first two lines of the verse in the notes on the words “stomach” and “heart”).
[4:20] 235 tn The words, “I see” are not in the text here or at the beginning of the third line. They are supplied in the translation to show that this is Jeremiah’s vision of what will happen as a result of the invasion announced in 4:5-9, 11-17a.
[4:20] 236 tn Heb “my.” This is probably not a reference to Jeremiah’s own tents since he foresees the destruction of the whole land. Jeremiah so identifies with the plight of his people that he sees the destruction of their tents as though they were his very own. It would probably lead to confusion to translate literally and it is not uncommon in Hebrew laments for the community or its representative to speak of the community as an “I.” See for example the interchange between first singular and first plural pronouns in Ps 44:4-8.
[4:20] 238 tn It is not altogether clear what Jeremiah intends by the use of this metaphor. In all likelihood he means that the defenses of Israel’s cities and towns have offered no more resistance than nomads’ tents. However, in light of the fact that the word “tent” came to be used generically for a person’s home (cf. 1 Kgs 8:66; 12:16), it is possible that Jeremiah is here referring to the destruction of their homes and the resultant feeling of homelessness and loss of even elementary protection. Given the lack of certainty the present translation is rather literal here.
[4:21] 239 tn Heb “the sound of ram’s horns,” but the modern equivalent is “bugles” and is more readily understandable.
[4:22] 240 tn These words are not in the text but are supplied in the translation to show clearly the shift in speaker. Jeremiah has been speaking; now the
[4:22] 241 tn Heb “For….” This gives the explanation for the destruction envisaged in 4:20 to which Jeremiah responds in 4:19, 21.
[4:22] 242 tn Heb “They are senseless children.”
[4:23] 243 tn Heb “I looked at the land and behold...” This indicates the visionary character of Jeremiah’s description of the future condition of the land of Israel.
[4:23] 244 tn Heb “formless and empty.” This is a case of hendiadys (two nouns joined by “and” both describe the same thing): one noun retains its full nominal force, the other functions as an adjective. The words תֹהוּ וָבֹהוּ (tohu vavohu) allude to Gen 1:2, hyperbolically picturing a reversal of creation and return to the original precreation chaos.
[4:25] 245 tn Heb “there was no man/human being.”
[4:26] 246 tn Heb “because of the
[4:27] 247 tn Heb “For this is what the
[4:28] 248 sn The earth and the heavens are personified here and depicted in the act of mourning and wearing black clothes because of the destruction of the land of Israel.
[4:28] 249 tn Heb “has spoken and purposed.” This is an example of hendiadys where two verbs are joined by “and” but one is meant to serve as a modifier of the other.
[4:28] 250 tn Heb “will not turn back from it.”
[4:30] 251 tn Heb “And you that are doomed to destruction.” The referent is supplied from the following context and the fact that Zion/Jerusalem represents the leadership which was continually making overtures to foreign nations for help.
[4:30] 252 tn Heb “What are you accomplishing…?” The rhetorical question assumes a negative answer, made clear by the translation in the indicative.
[4:30] 253 tn Heb “clothing yourself in scarlet.”
[4:30] 254 tn Heb “enlarging your eyes with antimony.” Antimony was a black powder used by women as eyeliner to make their eyes look larger.
[4:30] 255 tn Heb “they seek your life.”
[4:31] 256 tn The particle כִּי (ki) is more likely asseverative here than causal.
[4:31] 257 sn Jerusalem is personified as a helpless maiden.
[4:31] 258 tn Heb “spreading out her hands.” The idea of asking or pleading for help is implicit in the figure.
[4:31] 259 tn Heb “Woe, now to me!” See the translator’s note on 4:13 for the usage of “Woe to…”
[5:1] 260 tn These words are not in the text, but since the words at the end are obviously those of the
[5:1] 261 tn It is not clear who is being addressed here. The verbs are plural so they are not addressed to Jeremiah per se. Since the passage is talking about the people of Jerusalem, it is unlikely they are addressed here except perhaps rhetorically. Some have suggested that the heavenly court is being addressed here as in Job 1:6-8; 2:1-3. It is clear from Jer 23:18, 22; Amos 3:7 that the prophets had access to this heavenly counsel through visions (cf. 1 Kgs 22:19-23), so Jeremiah could have been privy to this speech through that means. Though these are the most likely addressee, it is too presumptuous to supply such an explicit addressee without clearer indication in the text. The translation will just have to run the risk of the probable erroneous assumption by most English readers that the addressee is Jeremiah.
[5:1] 262 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[5:1] 263 tn Heb “who does justice and seeks faithfulness.”
[5:1] 264 tn Heb “squares. If you can find…if there is one person…then I will…”
[5:1] 265 tn Heb “forgive [or pardon] it.”
[5:2] 266 tn Heb “Though they say, ‘As surely as the
[5:2] 267 tc The translation follows many Hebrew
[5:2] tn Heb “Surely.”
[5:2] 268 tn Heb “they swear falsely.”
[5:3] 269 tn Heb “O
[5:3] 270 tn Commentaries and lexicons debate the meaning of the verb here. The MT is pointed as though from a verb meaning “to writhe in anguish or contrition” (חוּל [khul]; see, e.g., BDB 297 s.v. חוּל 2.c), but some commentaries and lexicons repoint the text as though from a verb meaning “to be sick,” thus “to feel pain” (חָלָה [khalah]; see, e.g., HALOT 304 s.v. חָלָה 3). The former appears more appropriate to the context.
[5:3] 271 tn Heb “They made their faces as hard as a rock.”
[5:3] 272 tn Or “to repent”; Heb “to turn back.”
[5:4] 273 tn Heb “Surely they are poor.” The translation is intended to make clear the explicit contrasts and qualifications drawn in this verse and the next.
[5:4] 274 tn Heb “the way of the
[5:4] 275 tn Heb “the judgment [or ordinance] of their God.”
[5:5] 276 tn Or “people in power”; Heb “the great ones.”
[5:5] 277 tn Heb “the way of the
[5:5] 278 tn Heb “the judgment [or ordinance] of their God.”
[5:5] 279 tn Heb “have broken the yoke and torn off the yoke ropes.” Compare Jer 2:20 and the note there.
[5:6] 280 tn Heb “So a lion from the thicket will kill them. A wolf from the desert will destroy them. A leopard will watch outside their cities. Anyone who goes out from them will be torn in pieces.” However, it is unlikely that, in the context of judgment that Jeremiah has previously been describing, literal lions are meant. The animals are metaphorical for their enemies. Compare Jer 4:7.
[5:6] 281 tn Heb “their rebellions are so many and their unfaithful acts so numerous.”
[5:7] 282 tn These words are not in the text, but are supplied in the translation to make clear who is speaking.
[5:7] 283 tn Heb “How can I forgive [or pardon] you.” The pronoun “you” is second feminine singular, referring to the city. See v. 1.
[5:7] 284 tn Heb “your children.”
[5:7] 285 tn Heb “and they have sworn [oaths] by not-gods.”
[5:7] 286 tn Heb “I satisfied them to the full.”
[5:7] 287 tn Heb “they committed adultery.” It is difficult to decide whether literal adultery with other women or spiritual adultery with other gods is meant. The word for adultery is used for both in the book of Jeremiah. For examples of its use for spiritual adultery see 3:8, 9; 9:2. For examples of its use for literal adultery see 7:9; 23:14. The context here could argue for either. The swearing by other gods and the implicit contradiction in their actions in contrast to the expected gratitude for supplying their needs argues for spiritual adultery. However, the reference to prostitution in the next line and the reference to chasing after their neighbor’s wives argues for literal adultery. The translation opts for spiritual adultery because of the contrast implicit in the concessive clause.
[5:7] 288 tn There is a great deal of debate about the meaning of this word. Most of the modern English versions follow the lead of lexicographers who relate this word to a noun meaning “troop” and understand it to mean “they trooped together” (cf. BDB 151 s.v. גָּדַד Hithpo.2 and compare the usage in Mic 5:1 [4:14 HT]). A few of the modern English versions and commentaries follow the reading of the Greek and read a word meaning “they lodged” (reading ִיתְגּוֹרְרוּ [yitggorÿru] from I גּוּר [gur; cf. HALOT 177 s.v. Hithpo. and compare the usage in 1 Kgs 17:20] instead of יִתְגֹּדָדוּ [yitggodadu]). W. L. Holladay (Jeremiah [Hermeneia], 1:180) sees a reference here to the cultic practice of cutting oneself in supplication to pagan gods (cf. BDB 151 s.v. גָּדַד Hithpo.1 and compare the usage in 1 Kgs 18:28). The houses of prostitutes would then be a reference to ritual prostitutes at the pagan shrines. The translation follows BDB and the majority of modern English versions.
[5:7] 289 tn Heb “to a house of a prostitute.”
[5:7] sn This could be a reference to cultic temple prostitution connected with the pagan shrines. For allusion to this in the OT, see, e.g., Deut 23:17 and 2 Kgs 23:7.
[5:8] 290 tn The meanings of these two adjectives are uncertain. The translation of the first adjective is based on assuming that the word is a defectively written participle related to the noun “testicle” (a Hiphil participle מַאֲשִׁכִים [ma’ashikhim] from a verb related to אֶשֶׁךְ [’eshekh, “testicle”]; cf. Lev 21:20) and hence “having testicles” (cf. HALOT 1379 s.v. שָׁכָה) instead of the Masoretic form מַשְׁכִּים (mashkim) from a root שָׁכָה (shakhah), which is otherwise unattested in either verbal or nominal forms. The second adjective is best derived from a verb root meaning “to feed” (a Hophal participle מוּזָנִים [muzanim, the Kethib] from a root זוּן [zun; cf. BDB 266 s.v. זוּן] for which there is the cognate noun מָזוֹן [mazon; cf. 2 Chr 11:23]). This is more likely than the derivation from a root יָזַן ([yazan]reading מְיֻזָּנִים [mÿyuzzanim], a Pual participle with the Qere) which is otherwise unattested in verbal or nominal forms and whose meaning is dependent only on a supposed Arabic cognate (cf. HALOT 387 s.v. יָזַן).
[5:8] 291 tn Heb “neighs after.”
[5:9] 292 tn Heb “Should I not punish them…? Should I not bring retribution…?” The rhetorical questions have the force of strong declarations.
[5:10] 293 tn These words to not appear in the Hebrew text but have been added in the translation for the sake of clarity to identify the implied addressee.
[5:10] 294 tn Heb “through her vine rows and destroy.” No object is given but “vines” must be implicit. The word for “vineyards” (or “vine rows”) is a hapax legomenon and its derivation is debated. BDB 1004 s.v. שּׁוּרָה repoints שָׁרוֹתֶיהָ (sharoteha) to שֻׁרוֹתֶיהָ (shuroteha) and relates it to a Mishnaic Hebrew and Palestinian Aramaic word meaning “row.” HALOT 1348 s.v. שּׁוּרָה also repoints to שֻׁרוֹתֶיהָ and relates it to a noun meaning “wall,” preferring to see the reference here to the walled terraces on which the vineyards were planted. The difference in meaning is minimal.
[5:10] 295 tn Heb “for they do not belong to the
[5:11] 296 tn Heb “the house of Israel and the house of Judah.”
[5:12] 297 tn Heb “have denied the
[5:12] 298 tn Or “he will do nothing”; Heb “Not he [or it]!”
[5:12] 299 tn Heb “we will not see the sword and famine.”
[5:13] 300 tn Heb “will be wind.”
[5:13] sn There is a wordplay on the Hebrew word translated “wind” (רוּחַ, ruakh) which also means “spirit.” The prophets spoke by inspiration of the Spirit of the
[5:13] 301 tc Heb “the word is not in them.” The MT has a highly unusual form here, the Piel perfect with the definite article (הַדִּבֵּר, haddibber). It is undoubtedly best to read with the LXX (Greek version) and one Hebrew
[5:14] 302 tn Heb “Therefore.”
[5:14] 303 tn Heb “The
[5:14] sn Here the emphasis appears to be on the fact that the
[5:14] 304 tn The words, “to me” are not in the text but are implicit in the connection. They are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[5:14] 305 tn Heb “you have spoken.” The text here דַּבֶּרְכֶם (dabberkhem, “you have spoken”) is either a case of a scribal error for דַּבֶּרָם (dabberam, “they have spoken”) or an example of the rapid shift in addressee which is common in Jeremiah.
[5:14] 306 tn Heb “this word.”
[5:14] 307 tn Heb “like wood and it [i.e., the fire I put in your mouth] will consume them.”
[5:15] 308 tn Heb “oracle of the
[5:15] 310 tn Heb “house of Israel.”
[5:16] 311 tn Heb “All of them are mighty warriors.”
[5:16] 312 tn Heb “his quiver [is] an open grave.” The order of the lines has been reversed to make the transition from “nation” to “their arrows” easier.
[5:17] 314 tn Or “eat up your grapes and figs”; Heb “eat up your vines and your fig trees.”
[5:17] sn It was typical for an army in time of war in the ancient Near East not only to eat up the crops but to destroy the means of further production.
[5:17] 315 tn Heb “They will beat down with the sword.” The term “sword” is a figure of speech (synecdoche) for military weapons in general. Siege ramps, not swords, beat down city walls; swords kill people, not city walls.
[5:18] 316 tn Heb “in those days.”
[5:19] 317 tn The word, “Jeremiah,” is not in the text but the second person address in the second half of the verse is obviously to him. The word is supplied in the translation here for clarity.
[5:19] 318 tn The MT reads the second masculine plural; this is probably a case of attraction to the second masculine plural pronoun in the preceding line. An alternative would be to understand a shift from speaking first to the people in the first half of the verse and then speaking to Jeremiah in the second half where the verb is second masculine singular. E.g., “When you [people] say, “Why…?” then you, Jeremiah, tell them…”
[5:19] 319 tn Heb “As you left me and…, so you will….” The translation was chosen so as to break up a rather long and complex sentence.
[5:19] 320 sn This is probably a case of deliberate ambiguity (double entendre). The adjective “foreigners” is used for both foreign people (so Jer 30:8; 51:51) and foreign gods (so Jer 2:25; 3:13). See also Jer 16:13 for the idea of having to serve other gods in the lands of exile.
[5:20] 321 sn The verbs are second plural here. Jeremiah, speaking for the
[5:20] 322 tn Heb “in the house of Jacob.”
[5:21] 323 tn Heb “they have eyes but they do not see, they have ears but they do not hear.”
[5:22] 324 tn Heb “Should you not fear me? Should you not tremble in awe before me?” The rhetorical questions expect the answer explicit in the translation.
[5:22] 325 tn Heb “it.” The referent is made explicit to avoid any possible confusion.
[5:23] 326 tn The words, “their own way” are not in the text but are implicit and are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[5:24] 327 tn Heb “say in their hearts.”
[5:24] 328 tn Heb “who keeps for us the weeks appointed for harvest.”
[5:25] 329 tn Heb “have turned these things away.”
[5:25] 330 tn Heb “have withheld the good from you.”
[5:26] 331 tn The meaning of the last three words is uncertain. The pointing and meaning of the Hebrew word rendered “hiding in ambush” is debated. BDB relates the form (כְּשַׁךְ, kÿshakh) to a root שָׁכַךְ (shakhakh), which elsewhere means “decrease, abate” (cf. BDB 1013 s.v. שָׁכַךְ), and notes that this is usually understood as “like the crouching of fowlers,” but they say this meaning is dubious. HALOT 1345 s.v. I שׁוֹר questions the validity of the text and offers three proposals; the second appears to create the least textual modification, i.e., reading כְּשַׂךְ (kesakh, “as in the hiding place of (bird catchers)”; for the word שַׂךְ (sakh) see HALOT 1236 s.v. שׂךְ 4 and compare Lam 2:6 for usage. The versions do not help. The Greek does not translate the first two words of the line. The proposal given in HALOT is accepted with some hesitancy.
[5:26] 332 tn Heb “a destroying thing.”
[5:27] 333 tn The words, “that have been caught” are not in the text but are implicit in the comparison.
[5:27] 334 tn Heb “are filled with deceit.” The translation assumes a figure of speech of cause for effect (metonymy). Compare the same word in the same figure in Zeph 1:9.
[5:27] 335 tn Heb “therefore they have gotten great and rich.”
[5:28] 336 tn These words are not in the text but are supplied in the translation to show that this line is parallel with the preceding.
[5:28] 337 tn The meaning of this word is uncertain. This verb occurs only here. The lexicons generally relate it to the word translated “plate” in Song 5:14 and understand it to mean “smooth, shiny” (so BDB 799 s.v. I עֶשֶׁת) or “fat” (so HALOT 850 s.v. II עֶשֶׁת). The word in Song 5:14 more likely means “smooth” than “plate” (so TEV). So “sleek” is most likely here.
[5:28] 338 tn Heb “they cross over/transgress with respect to matters of evil.”
[5:28] sn There is a wordplay in the use of this word which has twice been applied in v. 22 to the sea not crossing the boundary set for it by God.
[5:29] 339 tn Heb “Should I not punish…? Should I not bring retribution…?” The rhetorical questions function as emphatic declarations.
[5:29] sn These words are repeated from 5:9 to give a kind of refrain justifying again the necessity of punishment in the light of such sins.
[5:31] 340 tn Heb “they shall rule at their hands.” Since the word “hand” can be used figuratively for authority or mean “side” and the pronoun “them” can refer to the priests themselves or the prophets, the following translations have also been suggested: “the priests rule under their [the prophets’] directions,” or “the priests rule in league with them [the prophets].” From the rest of the book it would appear that the prophets did not exercise authority over the priests nor did they exercise the same authority over the people that the priests did. Hence it probably mean “by their own hand/power/authority.”
[5:31] 341 tn Heb “But what will you do at its end?” The rhetorical question implies a negative answer: “Nothing!”
[6:1] 342 tn Heb “Flee for safety, people of Benjamin, out of the midst of Jerusalem.”
[6:1] sn Compare and contrast Jer 4:6. There people in the outlying areas were warned to seek safety in the fortified city of Jerusalem. Here they are told to flee it because it was about to be destroyed.
[6:1] map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[6:1] 343 tn Heb “ram’s horn,” but the modern equivalent is “trumpet” and is more readily understandable.
[6:1] 344 tn Heb “leans down” or “looks down.” This verb personifies destruction leaning/looking down from its window in the sky, ready to attack.
[6:1] 345 tn Heb “[It will be] a severe fracture.” The nation is pictured as a limb being fractured.
[6:1] sn This passage is emotionally charged. There are two examples of assonance or wordplay in the verse: “sound” (Heb tiq’u, “blow”), which has the same consonants as “Tekoa” (Heb uvitqoa’), and “signal fire,” which comes from the same root as “light” (Heb sÿ’u mas’et, “lift up”). There is also an example of personification where disaster is said to “lurk” (Heb “look down on”) out of the north. This gives a sense of urgency and concern for the coming destruction.
[6:2] 346 tn The verb here is another example of the Hebrew verb form that indicates the action is as good as done (a Hebrew prophetic perfect).
[6:2] 347 sn Jerusalem is personified as a young maiden who is helpless in the hands of her enemies.
[6:2] 348 tn Heb “The beautiful and delicate one I will destroy, the daughter of Zion. The English versions and commentaries are divided over the rendering of this verse because (1) there are two verbs with these same consonants, one meaning “to be like” and the other meaning “to be destroyed” (intransitive) or “to destroy” (transitive), and (2) the word rendered “beautiful” (נָוָה, navah) can be understood as a noun meaning “pasture” or as a defective writing of an adjective meaning “beautiful, comely” (נָאוָה, na’vah). Hence some render “Fair Zion, you are like a lovely pasture,” reading the verb form as an example of the old second feminine singular perfect. Although this may fit the imagery of the next verse, that rendering ignores the absence of a preposition (לְ or אֶל, lÿ or ’el, both of which can be translated “to”) that normally goes with the verb “be like” and drops the conjunction in front of the adjective “delicate.” The parallel usage of the verb in Hos 4:5 argues for the meaning “destroy.”
[6:3] 349 tn Heb “Shepherds and their flocks will come against it.” Rulers are often depicted as shepherds; see BDB 945 s.v. רָעָה 1.d(2) (cf. Jer 12:10). The translation of this verse attempts to clarify the point of this extended metaphor.
[6:3] 350 tn Heb “They will thrust [= pitch] tents around it.” The shepherd imagery has a surprisingly ominous tone. The beautiful pasture filled with shepherds grazing their sheep is in reality a city under siege from an attacking enemy.
[6:3] 351 tn Heb “They will graze each one his portion.” For the use of the verb “graze” to mean “strip” or “devastate” see BDB 945 s.v. רָעָה 2.c. For a similar use of the word normally meaning “hand” to mean portion compare 2 Sam 19:43 (19:44 HT).
[6:3] sn There is a wordplay involving “sound…in Tekoa” mentioned in the study note on “destruction” in v. 1. The Hebrew verb “they will pitch” is from the same root as the word translated “sound” (taqÿ’u [תִּקְעוּ] here and tiq’u [תִּקְעוּ] in v. 1).
[6:4] 352 tn These words are not in the text but are implicit in the connection. They are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[6:4] 353 tn Heb “Sanctify war.” This is probably an idiom from early Israel’s holy wars in which religious rites were to precede the battle.
[6:4] 354 tn These words are not in the text but are supplied in the translation for clarity. Some commentaries and English versions see these not as the words of the enemy but as those of the Israelites expressing their fear that the enemy will launch a night attack against them and further destroy them. The connection with the next verse, however, fits better with them if they are the words of the enemy.
[6:4] 355 tn Heb “Woe to us!” For the usage of this phrase see the translator’s note on 4:13. The usage of this particle here is a little exaggerated. They have lost the most advantageous time for attack but they are scarcely in a hopeless or doomed situation. The equivalent in English slang is “Bad news!”
[6:6] 356 tn Heb “For.” The translation attempts to make the connection clearer.
[6:6] 357 tn Heb “Yahweh of armies.”
[6:6] sn For an explanation of the significance of this title see the study note on 2:19.
[6:6] 358 tn Heb “Cut down its trees and build up a siege ramp against Jerusalem.” The referent has been moved forward from the second line for clarity.
[6:6] 359 tn Or “must be punished.” The meaning of this line is uncertain. The LXX reads, “Woe, city of falsehood!” The MT presents two anomalies: a masculine singular verb with a feminine singular subject in a verbal stem (Hophal) that elsewhere does not have the meaning “is to be punished.” Hence many follow the Greek which presupposes הוֹי עִיר הַשֶּׁקֶר (hoy ’ir hasheqer) instead of הִיא הָעִיר הָפְקַד (hi’ ha’ir hofqad). The Greek is the easier reading in light of the parallelism, and it would be hard to explain how the MT arose from it. KBL suggests reading a noun meaning “licentiousness” which occurs elsewhere only in Mishnaic Hebrew, hence “this is the city, the licentious one” (attributive apposition; cf. KBL 775 s.v. פֶּקֶר). Perhaps the Hophal perfect (הָפְקַד, hofÿqad) should be revocalized as a Niphal infinitive absolute (הִפָּקֹד, hippaqod); this would solve both anomalies in the MT since the Niphal is used in this nuance and the infinitive absolute can function in place of a finite verb (cf. GKC 346 §113.ee and ff). This, however, is mere speculation and is supported by no Hebrew
[6:6] 360 tn Heb “All of it oppression in its midst.”
[6:7] 361 tc Heb “As a well makes cool/fresh its water, she makes cool/fresh her wickedness.” The translation follows the reading proposed by the Masoretes (Qere) which reads a rare form of the word “well” (בַּיִר [bayir] for בְּאֵר [bÿ’er]) in place of the form written in the text (Kethib, בּוֹר [bor]), which means “cistern.” The latter noun is masculine and the pronoun “its” is feminine. If indeed בַּיִר (bayir) is a byform of בְּאֵר (be’er), which is feminine, it would agree in gender with the pronoun. It also forms a more appropriate comparison since cisterns do not hold fresh water.
[6:7] 362 tn Heb “Violence and destruction are heard in it.”
[6:7] 363 tn Heb “Sickness and wound are continually before my face.”
[6:8] 364 tn This word is not in the text but is supplied in the translation. Jeremiah uses a figure of speech (enallage) where the speaker turns from talking about someone to address him/her directly.
[6:8] 365 tn Heb “lest my soul [= I] becomes disgusted with you.”
[6:8] sn The wordplay begun with “sound…in Tekoa” in v. 1 and continued with “they will pitch” in v. 3 is concluded here with “turn away” (וּבִתְקוֹעַ תִּקְעוּ [uvitqoa’ tiq’u] in v. 1, תָּקְעוּ [taq’u] in v. 3 and תֵּקַע [teqa’] here).
[6:9] 366 tn Heb “Yahweh of armies.”
[6:9] sn For an explanation of the significance of this title see the study note on 2:19.
[6:9] 367 tn The words “to me” are not in the text but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[6:9] 368 tn Heb “They will thoroughly glean those who are left in Israel like a vine.” That is, they will be carried off by judgment. It is not necessary to read the verb forms here as two imperatives or an infinitive absolute followed by an imperative as some English versions and commentaries do. This is an example of a third plural verb used impersonally and translated as a passive (cf. GKC 460 §144.g).
[6:9] 369 tn Heb “Pass your hand back over the branches like a grape harvester.” The translation is intended to clarify the metaphor that Jeremiah should try to rescue some from the coming destruction.
[6:10] 370 tn These words are not in the text but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[6:10] 371 tn Or “To whom shall I speak? To whom shall I give warning? Who will listen?” Heb “Unto whom shall I speak and give warning that they may listen?”
[6:10] 372 tn Heb “are uncircumcised.”
[6:10] 374 tn Heb “They do not take pleasure in it.”
[6:11] 375 tn Heb “I am full of the wrath of the
[6:11] 376 tn These words are not in the text but are implicit from the words that follow. They are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[6:11] 377 tn Heb “Pour it out.”
[6:11] 378 tn Heb “are to be captured.”
[6:12] 379 tn Heb “I will reach out my hand.” This figure involves both comparing God to a person (anthropomorphism) and substitution (metonymy) where hand is put for the actions or exertions of the hand. A common use of “hand” is for the exertion of power or strength (cf. BDB 290 s.v. יָד 2 and 289-90 s.v. יָד 1.e(2); cf. Deut 34:12; Ps 78:42; Jer 16:21).
[6:14] 380 tn Heb “They heal [= bandage] the wound of my people lightly”; TEV “They act as if my people’s wounds were only scratches.”
[6:14] 381 tn Heb “They say, ‘Peace! Peace!’ and there is no peace!”
[6:15] 382 tn Heb “They will fall among the fallen.”
[6:16] 383 tn The words, “to his people” are not in the text but are implicit in the interchange of pronouns in the Hebrew of vv. 16-17. They are supplied in the translation here for clarity.
[6:16] 384 tn Heb “Stand at the crossroads and look.”
[6:16] 385 tn Heb “the ancient path,” i.e., the path the
[6:16] 386 tn Heb “the way of/to the good.”
[6:17] 387 tn These words are not in the text but are implicit in the interchange of pronouns in the Hebrew of vv. 16-17. They are supplied in the translation here for clarity.
[6:17] 388 tn Heb “I appointed watchmen over you.”
[6:17] 389 tn Heb “Pay attention to the sound of the trumpet.” The word “warning” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied.
[6:18] 390 tn These words are not in the text but are implicit from the flow of the context. They are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[6:18] 391 tn Heb “Know, congregation [or witness], what in [or against] them.” The meaning of this line is somewhat uncertain. The meaning of the noun of address in the second line (“witness,” rendered as an imperative in the translation, “Be witnesses”) is greatly debated. It is often taken as “congregation” but the lexicons and commentaries generally question the validity of reading that word since it is nowhere else applied to the nations. BDB 417 s.v. עֵדָה 3 says that the text is dubious. HALOT 747 s.v. I עֵדָה, 4 emends the text to דֵּעָה (de’ah). Several modern English versions (e.g., NIV, NCV, God’s Word) take it as the feminine singular noun “witness” (cf. BDB 729 s.v. II עֵדָה) and understand it as a collective. This solution is also proposed by J. A. Thompson (Jeremiah [NICOT], 259, n. 3) and appears to make the best sense in the context. The end of the line is very elliptical but is generally taken as either, “what I will do with/to them,” or “what is coming against them” (= “what will happen to them”) on the basis of the following context.
[6:19] 394 tn Heb “disaster on these people, the fruit of their schemes.”
[6:20] 396 tn Heb “To what purpose is it to me?” The question is rhetorical and expects a negative answer.
[6:20] 397 tn The words “when they offer up to me” are not in the text but are implicit from the following context. They are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[6:20] 398 tn Heb “Your burnt offerings are not acceptable and your sacrifices are not pleasing to me.” “The shift from “your” to “their” is an example of the figure of speech (apostrophe) where the speaker turns from talking about someone to addressing him/her directly. Though common in Hebrew style, it is not common in English. The shift to the third person in the translation is an accommodation to English style.
[6:21] 399 tn This is an attempt to render the Hebrew particle rendered “behold” joined to the first person pronoun.
[6:21] 400 tn Heb “I will put stumbling blocks in front of these people.” In this context the stumbling blocks are the invading armies.
[6:21] 401 tn The words “and fall to their destruction” are implicit in the metaphor and are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[6:23] 403 sn Jerualem is personified as a young maiden helpless before enemy attackers.
[6:24] 404 tn These words are not in the text, but, from the context, someone other than God is speaking and is speaking for and to the people (either Jeremiah or the people themselves). These words are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[6:24] 405 tn Or “We have lost our strength to do battle”; Heb “Our hands hang limp [or helpless at our sides].” According to BDB 951 s.v. רָפָה Qal.2, this idiom is used figuratively for losing heart or energy. The best example of its figurative use of loss of strength or the feeling of helplessness is in Ezek 21:12 where it appears in the context of the heart (courage) melting, the spirit sinking, and the knees becoming like water. For other examples compare 2 Sam 4:1; Zeph 3:16. In Neh 6:9 it is used literally of the builders “dropping their hands from the work” out of fear. The words “with fear” are supplied in the translation because they are implicit in the context.
[6:25] 406 tn Heb “For the enemy has a sword.”
[6:25] 407 tn Heb “Terror is all around!”
[6:26] 408 tn These words are not in the text but are implicit from the context.
[6:26] 409 tn Heb “daughter of my people.” For the translation given here see 4:11 and the translator’s note there.
[6:26] 411 tn Heb “the destroyer.”
[6:27] 412 tn These words are not in the text but are supplied in the translation for clarity. Note “I have appointed you.” Compare Jer 1:18.
[6:27] 413 tn Heb “I have made you an assayer of my people, a tester [?].” The meaning of the words translated “assayer” (בָּחוֹן, bakhon) and “tester” (מִבְצָר, mivtsar) is uncertain. The word בָּחוֹן (bakhon) can mean “tower” (cf. BDB 103 s.v. בָּחוֹן; cf. Isa 23:13 for the only other use) or “assayer” (cf. BDB 103 s.v. בָּחוֹן). The latter would be the more expected nuance because of the other uses of nouns and verbs from this root. The word מִבְצָר (mivtsar) normally means “fortress” (cf. BDB 131 s.v. מִבְצָר), but most modern commentaries and lexicons deem that nuance inappropriate here. HALOT follows a proposal that the word is to be repointed to מְבַצֵּר (mÿvatser) and derived from a root בָּצַר (batsar) meaning “to test” (cf. HALOT 143 s.v. IV בָּצַר). That proposal makes the most sense in the context, but the root appears nowhere else in the OT.
[6:27] 414 tn Heb “test their way.”
[6:28] 415 tn These words are not in the text but are supplied in the translation for clarity. Some takes these words to be the continuation of the
[6:28] 416 tn Or “arch rebels,” or “hardened rebels.” Literally “rebels of rebels.”
[6:29] 417 tn Heb “The bellows blow fiercely; the lead is consumed by the fire.” The translation tries to clarify a metaphor involving ancient metallurgy. In the ancient refining process lead was added as a flux to remove impurities from silver ore in the process of oxidizing the lead. Jeremiah says that the lead has been used up and the impurities have not been removed. The translation is based on the recognition of an otherwise unused verb root meaning “blow” (נָחַר [nakhar]; cf. BDB 1123 s.v. I חָרַר and HALOT 651 s.v. נָחַר) and the Masoretes’ suggestion that the consonants מאשׁתם be read מֵאֵשׁ תַּם (me’esh tam) rather than as מֵאֶשָּׁתָם (me’eshatam, “from their fire”) from an otherwise unattested noun אֶשָּׁה (’eshah).
[6:29] 418 tn Heb “The refiner refines them in vain.”
[6:30] 419 tn This translation is intended to reflect the wordplay in the Hebrew text where the same root word is repeated in the two lines.
