Yeremia 49:38-39

49:38 I will establish my sovereignty over Elam. ¹ 

I will destroy their king and their leaders,” ²  says the Lord. ³ 

49:39 “Yet in days to come

I will reverse Elam’s ill fortune.” ⁴ 

says the Lord. ⁵ 

[49:38]  ¹ tn Or “I will sit in judgment over Elam”; Heb “I will set up my throne in Elam.” Commentators are divided over whether this refers to a king sitting in judgment over his captured enemies or whether it refers to formally establishing his rule over the country. Those who argue for the former idea point to the supposed parallels in 1:15 (which the present translation understands not to refer to this but to setting up siege) and 43:8-13. The parallelism in the verse here, however, argues that it refers to the Lord taking over the reins of government by destroying their former leaders.

[49:38]  ² tn Heb “I will destroy king and leaders from there.”

[49:38]  ³ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

[49:39]  ⁴ tn See Jer 29:14; 30:3 and the translator’s note on 29:14 for the idiom used here.

[49:39]  sn See a similar note on the reversal of Moab’s fortunes in Jer 48:47 and compare also 46:26 for a future restoration of Egypt.

[49:39]  ⁵ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”