Yeremia 11:11

11:11 So I, the Lord, say this: ¹  ‘I will soon bring disaster on them which they will not be able to escape! When they cry out to me for help, I will not listen to them.

Yeremia 21:14

21:14 But I will punish you as your deeds deserve,’

says the Lord. ² 

‘I will set fire to your palace;

it will burn up everything around it.’” ³ 

Yeremia 32:18

32:18 You show unfailing love to thousands. ⁴  But you also punish children for the sins of their parents. ⁵  You are the great and powerful God who is known as the Lord who rules over all. ⁶ 

Yeremia 38:19

38:19 Then King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I am afraid of the Judeans who have deserted to the Babylonians. ⁷  The Babylonians might hand me over to them and they will torture me.” ⁸ 

Yeremia 39:18

39:18 I will certainly save you. You will not fall victim to violence. ⁹  You will escape with your life ¹⁰  because you trust in me. I, the Lord, affirm it!”’” ¹¹ 

[11:11]  ¹ tn Heb “Therefore, thus, says the Lord.” The person has been shifted in the translation in accordance with the difference between Hebrew and English style.

[21:14]  ² tn Heb “oracle of the Lord.”

[21:14]  ³ tn Heb “I will set fire in its forest and it will devour its surroundings.” The pronouns are actually third feminine singular going back to the participle “you who sit enthroned above the valley.” However, this is another example of those rapid shifts in pronouns typical of the biblical Hebrew style which are uncommon in English. They have regularly been leveled to the same person throughout in the translation to avoid possible confusion for the English reader.

[32:18]  ⁴ tn Or “to thousands of generations.” The contrast of showing steadfast love to “thousands” to the limitation of punishing the third and fourth generation of children for their parents’ sins in Exod 20:5-6; Deut 5:9-10; Exod 34:7 has suggested to many commentators and translators (cf., e.g., NRSV, TEV, NJPS) that reference here is to “thousands of generations.” The statement is, of course, rhetorical emphasizing God’s great desire to bless as opposed to the reluctant necessity to punish. It is part of the attributes of God spelled out in Exod 34:6-7.

[32:18]  ⁵ tn Heb “pays back into the bosom of their children the sin of their parents.”

[32:18]  ⁶ tn Heb “Nothing is too hard for you who show…and who punishes…the great [and] powerful God whose name is Yahweh of armies, [you who are] great in counsel…whose eyes are open…who did signs…” Jer 32:18-22 is a long series of relative clauses introduced by participles or relative pronouns in vv. 18-20a followed by second person vav consecutive imperfects carrying on the last of these relative clauses in vv. 20b-22. This is typical of hymnic introductions to hymns of praise (cf., e.g., Ps 136) but it is hard to sustain the relative subordination which all goes back to the suffix on “hard for you.” The sentences have been broken up but the connection with the end of v. 17 has been sacrificed for conformity to contemporary English style.

[38:19]  ⁷ tn Heb “Chaldeans.” See the study note on 21:4 for explanation.

[38:19]  ⁸ tn Or “and they will badly abuse me.” For the usage of this verb in the situation presupposed see Judg 19:25 and 1 Sam 31:4.

[39:18]  ⁹ sn Heb “you will not fall by the sword.” In the context this would include death in battle and execution as a prisoner of war.

[39:18]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “your life will be to you for spoil.” For the meaning of this idiom see the study note on 21:9 and compare the usage in 21:9; 38:2; 45:4.

[39:18]  ¹¹ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”