Yeremia 9:6

9:6 They do one act of violence after another,

and one deceitful thing after another. ¹ 

They refuse to pay attention to me,” ² 

says the Lord.

Yeremia 7:9

7:9 You steal. ³  You murder. You commit adultery. You lie when you swear on oath. You sacrifice to the god Baal. You pay allegiance to ⁴  other gods whom you have not previously known.

Yeremia 8:7

8:7 Even the stork knows

when it is time to move on. ⁵ 

The turtledove, swallow, and crane ⁶ 

recognize ⁷  the normal times for their migration.

But my people pay no attention

to ⁸  what I, the Lord, require of them. ⁹ 

Yeremia 31:34

31:34 “People will no longer need to teach their neighbors and relatives to know me. ¹⁰  For all of them, from the least important to the most important, will know me,” ¹¹  says the Lord. “For ¹²  I will forgive their sin and will no longer call to mind the wrong they have done.”

Yeremia 15:14

15:14 I will make you serve your enemies ¹³  in a land that you know nothing about.

For my anger is like a fire that will burn against you.”

Yeremia 1:5

1:5 “Before I formed you in your mother’s womb ¹⁴  I chose you. ¹⁵ 

Before you were born I set you apart.

I appointed you to be a prophet to the nations.”

Yeremia 12:3

12:3 But you, Lord, know all about me.

You watch me and test my devotion to you. ¹⁶ 

Drag these wicked men away like sheep to be slaughtered!

Appoint a time when they will be killed! ¹⁷ 

Yeremia 4:22

4:22 The Lord answered, ¹⁸ 

“This will happen ¹⁹  because my people are foolish.

They do not know me.

They are like children who have no sense. ²⁰ 

They have no understanding.

They are skilled at doing evil.

They do not know how to do good.”

Yeremia 22:28

22:28 This man, Jeconiah, will be like a broken pot someone threw away.

He will be like a clay vessel ²¹  that no one wants. ²² 

Why will he and his children be forced into exile?

Why will they be thrown out into a country they know nothing about? ²³ 

Yeremia 48:17

48:17 Mourn for that nation, all you nations living around it,

all of you nations that know of its fame. ²⁴ 

Mourn and say, ‘Alas, its powerful influence has been broken!

Its glory and power have been done away!’ ²⁵ 

Yeremia 9:24

9:24 If people want to boast, they should boast about this:

They should boast that they understand and know me.

They should boast that they know and understand

that I, the Lord, act out of faithfulness, fairness, and justice in the earth

and that I desire people to do these things,” ²⁶ 

says the Lord.

Yeremia 44:3

44:3 This happened because of the wickedness the people living there did. ²⁷  They made me angry ²⁸  by worshiping and offering sacrifice to ²⁹  other gods whom neither they nor you nor your ancestors ³⁰  previously knew. ³¹ 

Yeremia 9:3

The Lord Laments That He Has No Choice But to Judge Them

9:3 The Lord says, ³² 

“These people are like soldiers who have readied their bows.

Their tongues are always ready to shoot out lies. ³³ 

They have become powerful in the land,

but they have not done so by honest means. ³⁴ 

Indeed, they do one evil thing after another ³⁵ 

and do not pay attention to me. ³⁶ 

Yeremia 9:16

9:16 I will scatter them among nations that neither they nor their ancestors ³⁷  have known anything about. I will send people chasing after them with swords ³⁸  until I have destroyed them.’” ³⁹ 

Yeremia 5:15

5:15 The Lord says, ⁴⁰  “Listen, ⁴¹  nation of Israel! ⁴² 

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.

Yeremia 16:13

16:13 So I will throw you out of this land into a land that neither you nor your ancestors have ever known. There you must worship other gods day and night, for I will show you no mercy.’”

Yeremia 24:7

24:7 I will give them the desire to acknowledge that I ⁴³  am the Lord. I will be their God and they will be my people. For they will wholeheartedly ⁴⁴  return to me.’

Yeremia 2:8

2:8 Your priests ⁴⁵  did not ask, ‘Where is the Lord?’ ⁴⁶ 

Those responsible for teaching my law ⁴⁷  did not really know me. ⁴⁸ 

Your rulers rebelled against me.

Your prophets prophesied in the name of the god Baal. ⁴⁹ 

They all worshiped idols that could not help them. ⁵⁰ 

Yeremia 17:4

17:4 You will lose your hold on the land ⁵¹ 

which I gave to you as a permanent possession.

I will make you serve your enemies in a land that you know nothing about.

For you have made my anger burn like a fire that will never be put out.” ⁵² 

Yeremia 19:4

19:4 I will do so because these people ⁵³  have rejected me and have defiled ⁵⁴  this place. They have offered sacrifices in it to other gods which neither they nor their ancestors ⁵⁵  nor the kings of Judah knew anything about. They have filled it with the blood of innocent children. ⁵⁶ 

Yeremia 3:8

3:8 She also saw ⁵⁷  that I gave wayward Israel her divorce papers and sent her away because of her adulterous worship of other gods. ⁵⁸  Even after her unfaithful sister Judah had seen this, ⁵⁹  she still was not afraid, and she too went and gave herself like a prostitute to other gods. ⁶⁰ 

Yeremia 9:14

9:14 Instead they have followed the stubborn inclinations of their own hearts. They have paid allegiance to ⁶¹  the gods called Baal, ⁶²  as their fathers ⁶³  taught them to do.

Yeremia 18:23

18:23 But you, Lord, know

all their plots to kill me.

Do not pardon their crimes!

Do not ignore their sins as though you had erased them! ⁶⁴ 

Let them be brought down in defeat before you!

Deal with them while you are still angry! ⁶⁵ 

Yeremia 22:16

22:16 He upheld the cause of the poor and needy.

So things went well for Judah.’ ⁶⁶ 

The Lord says,

‘That is a good example of what it means to know me.’ ⁶⁷ 

Yeremia 3:3

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. ⁶⁸ 

You refuse to be ashamed of what you have done.

Yeremia 49:25

49:25 How deserted will that once-famous city ⁶⁹  be,

that city that was once filled with ⁷⁰  joy! ⁷¹ 

Yeremia 6:23

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.’” ⁷² 

Yeremia 50:42

50:42 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,

they are coming against you, fair Babylon! ⁷³ 

Yeremia 5:4

5:4 I thought, “Surely it is only the ignorant poor who act this way. ⁷⁴ 

They act like fools because they do not know what the Lord demands. ⁷⁵ 

They do not know what their God requires of them. ⁷⁶ 

Yeremia 48:30

48:30 I, the Lord, affirm that ⁷⁷  I know how arrogant they are.

But their pride is ill-founded.

Their boastings will prove to be false. ⁷⁸ 

Yeremia 10:25

10:25 Vent your anger on the nations that do not acknowledge you. ⁷⁹ 

Vent it on the peoples ⁸⁰  who do not worship you. ⁸¹ 

For they have destroyed the people of Jacob. ⁸² 

They have completely destroyed them ⁸³ 

and left their homeland in utter ruin.

Yeremia 17:11

17:11 The person who gathers wealth by unjust means

is like the partridge that broods over eggs but does not hatch them. ⁸⁴ 

Before his life is half over he will lose his ill-gotten gains. ⁸⁵ 

At the end of his life it will be clear he was a fool.” ⁸⁶ 

Yeremia 6:22

6:22 “This is what the Lord says:

‘Beware! An army ⁸⁷  is coming from a land in the north.

A mighty nation is stirring into action in faraway parts of the earth.

Yeremia 10:14

10:14 All these idolaters ⁸⁸  will prove to be stupid and ignorant.

Every goldsmith will be disgraced by the idol he made.

For the image he forges is merely a sham. ⁸⁹ 

There is no breath in any of those idols. ⁹⁰ 

Yeremia 20:12

20:12 O Lord who rules over all, ⁹¹  you test and prove the righteous.

You see into people’s hearts and minds. ⁹² 

Pay them back for what they have done

because I trust you to vindicate my cause.

Yeremia 20:16

20:16 May that man be like the cities ⁹³ 

that the Lord destroyed without showing any mercy.

May he hear a cry of distress in the morning

and a battle cry at noon.

Yeremia 23:11

23:11 Moreover, ⁹⁴  the Lord says, ⁹⁵ 

“Both the prophets and priests are godless.

I have even found them doing evil in my temple!

Yeremia 30:14

30:14 All your allies have abandoned you. ⁹⁶ 

They no longer have any concern for you.

For I have attacked you like an enemy would.

I have chastened you cruelly.

For your wickedness is so great

and your sin is so much. ⁹⁷ 

Yeremia 51:17

51:17 All idolaters will prove to be stupid and ignorant.

Every goldsmith will be disgraced by the idol he made.

For the image he forges is merely a sham.

There is no breath in any of those idols.

Yeremia 3:17

3:17 At that time the city of Jerusalem ⁹⁸  will be called the Lord’s throne. All nations will gather there in Jerusalem to honor the Lord’s name. ⁹⁹  They will no longer follow the stubborn inclinations of their own evil hearts. ¹⁰⁰ 

Yeremia 5:5

5:5 I will go to the leaders ¹⁰¹ 

and speak with them.

Surely they know what the Lord demands. ¹⁰² 

Surely they know what their God requires of them.” ¹⁰³ 

Yet all of them, too, have rejected his authority

and refuse to submit to him. ¹⁰⁴ 

Yeremia 6:15

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. ¹⁰⁵ 

They will be brought to ruin when I punish them,”

says the Lord.

Yeremia 8:12

8:12 Are they ashamed because they have done such disgusting 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. ¹⁰⁶ 

They will be brought to ruin when I punish them,

says the Lord.

Yeremia 14:9

14:9 Why should you be like someone who is helpless, ¹⁰⁷ 

like a champion ¹⁰⁸  who cannot save anyone?

You are indeed with us, ¹⁰⁹ 

and we belong to you. ¹¹⁰ 

Do not abandon us!”

Yeremia 14:18

14:18 If I go out into the countryside,

I see those who have been killed in battle.

If I go into the city,

I see those who are sick because of starvation. ¹¹¹ 

For both prophet and priest go about their own business

in the land without having any real understanding.’” ¹¹² 

Yeremia 22:15

22:15 Does it make you any more of a king

that you outstrip everyone else in ¹¹³  building with cedar?

Just think about your father.

He was content that he had food and drink. ¹¹⁴ 

He did what was just and right. ¹¹⁵ 

So things went well with him.

Yeremia 44:2

44:2 “The Lord God of Israel who rules over all ¹¹⁶  says, ‘You have seen all the disaster I brought on Jerusalem ¹¹⁷  and all the towns of Judah. Indeed, they now lie in ruins and are deserted. ¹¹⁸ 

[9:6]  ¹ tc An alternate reading for vv. 5d-6b is: “They wear themselves out doing wrong. Jeremiah, you live in the midst of deceitful people. They deceitfully refuse to take any thought of/acknowledge me.” The translation which has been adopted is based on a redivision of the lines, a redivision of some of the words, and a revocalization of some of the consonants. The MT reads literally “doing wrong they weary themselves. Your sitting in the midst of deceit; in deceit they refuse to know me” (הַעֲוֵה נִלְאוּ׃ שִׁבְתְּךָ בְּתוֹךְ מִרְמָה בְּמִרְמָה מֵאֲנוּ דַעַת־אוֹתִי). The Greek version reads literally “they do wrong and they do not cease to turn themselves around. Usury upon usury and deceit upon deceit. They do not want to know me.” This suggests that one should read the Hebrew text as שֻׁב׃ תֹּךְ בְּתוֹךְ מִרְ־מָה בְּמִרְ־מָה מֵאֲנוּ דַעַת אוֹתִי הַעֲוֵה נִלְאוּ, which translated literally yields “doing evil [= “they do evil” using the Hiphil infinitive absolute as a finite verb (cf. GKC 346 §113.ff)] they are not able [cf. KBL 468 s.v. לָאָה Niph.3 and see Exod 7:18 for parallel use] to repent. Oppression on oppression [cf. BDB 1067 s.v. תֹּךְ, II תּוֹךְ]; deceit on deceit. They refuse to know me.” This reading has ancient support and avoids the introduction of an unexpected second masculine suffix into the context. It has been adopted here along with a number of modern commentaries (cf., e.g., W. McKane, Jeremiah [ICC], 1:201) and English versions as the more likely reading.

[9:6]  ² tn Or “do not acknowledge me”; Heb “do not know me.” See the note on the phrase “do not take any thought of me” in 9:3.

[7:9]  ³ tn Heb “Will you steal…then say, ‘We are safe’?” Verses 9-10 are one long sentence in the Hebrew text.

[7:9]  ⁴ tn Heb “You go/follow after.” See the translator’s note at 2:5 for an explanation of the idiom involved here.

[8:7]  ⁵ tn Heb “its appointed time.” The translation is contextually motivated to avoid lack of clarity.

[8:7]  ⁶ tn There is debate in the commentaries and lexicons about the identification of some of these birds, particularly regarding the identification of the “swallow” which is more likely the “swift” and the “crane” which some identify with the “thrush.” For a discussion see the Bible encyclopedias and the UBS handbook Fauna and Flora of the Bible. The identity of the individual birds makes little difference to the point being made and “swallow” is more easily identifiable to the average reader than the “swift.”

[8:7]  ⁷ tn Heb “keep.” Ironically birds, which do not think, obey the laws of nature, but Israel does not obey the laws of God.

[8:7]  ⁸ tn Heb “do not know.” But here as elsewhere the word “know” is more than an intellectual matter. It is intended here to summarize both “know” and “follow” (Heb “observe”) in the preceding lines.

[8:7]  ⁹ tn Heb “the ordinance/requirement of the Lord.”

[31:34]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “teach…, saying, ‘Know the Lord.’” The indirect quote has been chosen for stylistic reasons, i.e., to better parallel the following line.

[31:34]  sn As mentioned in the translator’s note on 9:3 (9:2 HT) “knowing” God in covenant contexts like this involves more than just an awareness of who he is (9:23 [9:22 HT]). It involves an acknowledgment of his sovereignty and whole hearted commitment to obedience to him. This is perhaps best seen in the parallelisms in Hos 4:1; 6:6 where “the knowledge of God” is parallel with faithfulness and steadfast love and in the context of Hos 4 refers to obedience to the Lord’s commands.

[31:34]  ¹¹ sn This statement should be understood against the background of Jer 8:8-9 where class distinctions were drawn and certain people were considered to have more awareness and responsibility for knowing the law and also Jer 5:1-5 and 9:3-9 where the sinfulness of Israel was seen to be universal across these class distinctions and no trust was to be placed in friends, neighbors, or relatives because all without distinction had cast off God’s yoke (i.e., refused to submit themselves to his authority).

[31:34]  ¹² tn The Hebrew particle כִּי (ki) that introduces this clause refers to more than just the preceding clause (i.e., that all will know the Lord) but to all of vv. 31-34a (See BDB 474 s.v. כִּי 3.c).

[15:14]  ¹³ tc This reading follows the Greek and Syriac versions and several Hebrew mss. Other Hebrew mss read “I will cause the enemy to pass through a land.” The difference in the reading is between one Hebrew letter, a dalet (ד) and a resh (ר).

[1:5]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “the womb.” The words “your mother’s” are implicit and are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[1:5]  ¹⁵ 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.

[12:3]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “You, Lord, know me. You watch me and you test my heart toward you.”

[12:3]  sn Jeremiah appears to be complaining like Job that God cares nothing about the prosperity of the wicked, but watches his every move. The reverse ought to be true. Jeremiah shouldn’t be suffering the onslaughts of his fellow countrymen as he is. The wicked who are prospering should be experiencing punishment.

[12:3]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “set aside for them a day of killing.”

[4:22]  ¹⁸ 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 Lord answers, giving the reason for the devastation Jeremiah foresees.

[4:22]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “For….” This gives the explanation for the destruction envisaged in 4:20 to which Jeremiah responds in 4:19, 21.

[4:22]  ²⁰ tn Heb “They are senseless children.”

[22:28]  ²¹ tn The word translated “clay vessel” occurs only here. Its meaning, however, is assured on the basis of the parallelism and on the basis of the verb root which is used for shaping or fashioning in Job 10:8. The KJV renders it as “idol,” but that word, while having the same consonants, never appears in the singular. The word is missing in the Greek version but is translated “vessel” in the Latin version. The word “clay” is supplied in the translation to clarify what sort of vessel is meant; its inclusion is justified based on the context and the use of the same verb root in Job 10:8 to refer to shaping or fashioning, which would imply clay pots or vessels.

[22:28]  ²² tn Heb “Is this man, Coniah, a despised, broken vessel or a vessel that no one wants?” The question is rhetorical expecting a positive answer in agreement with the preceding oracle.

[22:28]  sn For the image of the rejected, broken vessel see Jer 19:1-13 (where, however, the vessel is rejected first and then broken) and compare also the image of the linen shorts which are good for nothing in Jer 13 (see especially vv. 10-11).

[22:28]  ²³ sn The question “Why?” is a common rhetorical feature in the book of Jeremiah. See Jer 2:14, 31; 8:5, 19, 22; 12:1; 13:22; 14:19. In several cases like this one no answer is given, leaving a sense of exasperation and hopelessness with the sinfulness of the nation that calls forth such punishment from God.

[48:17]  ²⁴ tn For the use of the word “name” (שֵׁם, shem) to “fame” or “repute” see BDB 1028 s.v. שֵׁם 2.b and compare the usage in Ezek 16:14; 2 Chr 26:15.

[48:17]  sn This refers to both the nearby nations and those who lived further away who had heard of Moab’s power and might only by repute.

[48:17]  ²⁵ tn Heb “How is the strong staff broken, the beautiful rod.” “How” introduces a lament which is here rendered by “Alas.” The staff and rod refer to the support that Moab gave to others not to the fact that she ruled over others which was never the case. According to BDB 739 s.v. עוֹז 1 the “strong staff” is figurative of political power.

[9:24]  ²⁶ tn Or “fairness and justice, because these things give me pleasure.” Verse 24 reads in Hebrew, “But let the one who brags brag in this: understanding and knowing me that I, the Lord, do faithfulness, justice, and righteousness in the earth for/that I delight in these.” It is uncertain whether the Hebrew particle כִּי (ki) before the clause “I delight in these things” is parallel to the כִּי introducing the clause “that I, the Lord, act…” or causal giving the grounds for the Lord acting the way he does. In the light of the contrasts in the passage and the emphasis that Jeremiah has placed on obedience to the covenant and ethical conduct in conjunction with real allegiance to the Lord not mere lip service, it is probable that the clauses are parallel. For the use of כִּי to introduce clauses of further definition after a direct object as here see GKC 365 §117.h and see BDB 393 s.v. יָדַע Qal.1.a. For parallels to the idea of Yahweh requiring these characteristics in people see Hos 6:6, Mic 6:8.

[44:3]  ²⁷ tn Heb “they.” The referent must be supplied from the preceding, i.e., Jerusalem and all the towns of Judah. “They” are those who have experienced the disaster and are distinct from those being addressed and their ancestors (44:3b).

[44:3]  ²⁸ tn Heb “thus making me angry.” However, this is a good place to break the sentence to create a shorter sentence that is more in keeping with contemporary English style.

[44:3]  ²⁹ tn Heb “by going to offer sacrifice in serving/worshiping.” The second לְ (lamed) + infinitive is epexegetical of the first (cf. IBHS 608-9 §36.2.3e).

[44:3]  ³⁰ tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 9, 10, 17, 21).

[44:3]  ³¹ sn Compare Jer 19:4 for the same thought and see also 7:9.

[9:3]  ³² tn The words “The Lord says” have been moved up from the end of the verse to make clear that a change in speaker has occurred.

[9:3]  ³³ tn Heb “They have readied [or strung] their tongue as their bow for lies.”

[9:3]  ³⁴ tn Heb “but not through honesty.”

[9:3]  ³⁵ tn Heb “they go from evil to evil.”

[9:3]  ³⁶ tn Or “do not acknowledge me”; Heb “do not know me.” But “knowing” in Hebrew thought often involves more than intellectual knowledge; it involves emotional and volitional commitment as well. For יָדַע meaning “acknowledge” see 1 Chr 28:9; Isa 29:21; Hos 2:20; Prov 3:6. This word is also found in ancient Near Eastern treaty contexts where it has the idea of a vassal king acknowledging the sovereignty of a greater king (cf. H. Huffmon, “The Treaty Background of Hebrew yada,” BASOR 181 [1966]: 31-37).

[9:16]  ³⁷ tn Heb “fathers.”

[9:16]  ³⁸ tn Heb “I will send the sword after them.” The sword here is probably not completely literal but refers to death by violent means, including death by the sword.

[9:16]  ³⁹ sn He will destroy them but not completely. See Jer 5:18; 30:11; 46:28.

[5:15]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “oracle of the Lord.”

[5:15]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “Behold!”

[5:15]  ⁴² tn Heb “house of Israel.”

[24:7]  ⁴³ tn Heb “I will give them a heart to know me that I am the Lord.” For the use of “heart” here referring to “inclinations, resolutions, and determinations of the will” see BDB 525 s.v. לֵב 4 and compare the usage in 2 Chr 12:14. For the use of “know” to mean “acknowledge” see BDB 384 s.v. יָדַע Qal.1.f and compare the usage in Jer 39:4. For the construction “know ‘someone’ that he…” = “know that ‘someone’…” see GKC 365 §117.h and compare the usage in 2 Sam 3:25.

[24:7]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “with all their heart.”

[2:8]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “The priests…the ones who grasp my law…the shepherds…the prophets…they…”

[2:8]  ⁴⁶ sn See the study note on 2:6.

[2:8]  ⁴⁷ 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]  ⁴⁸ 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]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “by Baal.”

[2:8]  ⁵⁰ 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).

[17:4]  ⁵¹ tc Or “Through your own fault you will lose the land…” As W. McKane (Jeremiah [ICC], 1:386) notes the ancient versions do not appear to be reading וּבְךָ (uvÿkha) as in the MT but possibly לְבַדְּךָ (lÿvaddÿkha; see BHS fn). The translation follows the suggestion in BHS fn that יָדְךָ (yadÿkha, literally “your hand”) be read for MT וּבְךָ. This has the advantage of fitting the idiom of this verb with “hand” in Deut 15:2 (see also v. 3 there). The Hebrew text thus reads “You will release your hand from your heritage.”

[17:4]  ⁵² tc A few Hebrew mss and two Greek mss read “a fire is kindled in my anger” (reading קָדְחָה, qodkha) as in 15:14 in place of “you have kindled a fire in my anger” (reading קָדַחְתֶּם, qadakhtem) in the majority of Hebrew mss and versions. The variant may be explained on the basis of harmonization with the parallel passage.

[17:4]  tn Heb “you have started a fire in my anger which will burn forever.”

[19:4]  ⁵³ tn The text merely has “they.” But since a reference is made later to “they” and “their ancestors,” the referent must be to the people that the leaders of the people and leaders of the priests represent.

[19:4]  ⁵⁴ sn Heb “have made this city foreign.” The verb here is one that is built off of the noun and adjective which relate to foreign nations. Comparison may be made to Jer 2:21 where the adjective refers to the strange, wild vine as opposed to the choice vine the Lord planted and to 5:19 and 8:19 where the noun is used of worshiping foreign gods. Israel through its false worship has “denationalized” itself in its relation to God.

[19:4]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “fathers.”

[19:4]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “the blood of innocent ones.” This must be a reference to child sacrifice as explained in the next verse. Some have seen a reference to the sins of social injustice alluded to in 2 Kgs 21:16 and 24:4 but those are connected with the city itself. Hence the word children is supplied in the translation to make the referent explicit.

[3:8]  ⁵⁷ tc Heb “she [‘her sister, unfaithful Judah’ from the preceding verse] saw” with one Hebrew ms, some Greek mss, and the Syriac version. The MT reads “I saw” which may be a case of attraction to the verb at the beginning of the previous verse.

[3:8]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “because she committed adultery.” The translation is intended to spell out the significance of the metaphor.

[3:8]  ⁵⁹ 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]  ⁶⁰ 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.

[9:14]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “they have gone/followed after.” See the translator’s note at 2:5 for the idiom.

[9:14]  ⁶² tn Heb “the Baals,” referring either to the pagan gods called “Baals” or the images of Baal (so NLT).

[9:14]  ⁶³ tn Or “forefathers,” or “ancestors.” Here the referent could be the immediate parents or, by their example, more distant ancestors.

[18:23]  ⁶⁴ sn Heb “Do not blot out their sins from before you.” For this anthropomorphic figure which looks at God’s actions as though connected with record books, i.e., a book of wrongdoings to be punished, and a book of life for those who are to live, see e.g., Exod 32:32, 33, Ps 51:1 (51:3 HT); 69:28 (69:29 HT).

[18:23]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “in the time of your anger.”

[22:16]  ⁶⁶ tn The words “for Judah” are not in the text, but the absence of the preposition plus object as in the preceding verse suggests that this is a more general statement, i.e., “things went well for everyone.”

[22:16]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “Is that not what it means to know me.” The question is rhetorical and expects a positive answer. It is translated in the light of the context.

[22:16]  sn Comparison of the usage of the words “know me” in their context in Jer 2:8; 9:3, 6, 24 and here will show that more than mere intellectual knowledge is involved. It involves also personal commitment to God and obedience to the demands of the agreements with him. The word “know” is used in ancient Near Eastern treaty contexts of submission to the will of the overlord. See further the notes on 9:3.

[3:3]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “you have the forehead of a prostitute.”

[49:25]  ⁶⁹ tn Heb “city of praise.”

[49:25]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “city of joy.”

[49:25]  ⁷¹ tc Or “Why has that famous city not been abandoned, that city I once took delight in?” The translation follows the majority of modern commentaries in understanding לֹא (lo’, “not”) before “abandoned” as a misunderstanding of the emphatic ל (lamed; so J. A. Thompson, Jeremiah [NICOT], 723, n. 3, and J. Bright, Jeremiah [AB], 333, n. c; see also IBHS 211-12 §11.2.10i and HALOT 485-86 s.v. II לְ for the phenomenon). The particle is missing from the Vulgate. The translation also follows the versions in omitting the suffix on the word “joy” that is found in the Hebrew text (see BHS note b for a listing of the versions). This gives a better connection with the preceding and the following verse than the alternate translation.

[6:23]  ⁷² sn Jerualem is personified as a young maiden helpless before enemy attackers.

[50:42]  ⁷³ tn Heb “daughter Babylon.” The word “daughter” is a personification of the city of Babylon and its inhabitants.

[5:4]  ⁷⁴ 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]  ⁷⁵ tn Heb “the way of the Lord.”

[5:4]  ⁷⁶ tn Heb “the judgment [or ordinance] of their God.”

[48:30]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

[48:30]  ⁷⁸ tn The meaning of this verse is somewhat uncertain: Heb “I know, oracle of the Lord,/ his arrogance and [that it is?] not true; // his boastings accomplish that which is not true.” Several of the modern English versions and commentaries redivide the verse and read something like, “I know his insolence…his boastings are false; his deeds are false (NRSV, REB).” However, the word translated “deeds” in the last line is a verb in the third person plural and can only have as its logical grammatical subject the word “boastings.” The adjective כֵּן (ken) + the negative לֹא (lo’) is evidently repeated here and applied to two different subjects “arrogance” and “boasting” to emphasize that Moab’s arrogant boasts will prove “untrue” (Cf. HALOT 459 s.v. II כֵּן 2.c for the meaning “untrue” for both this passage and the parallel one in Isa 16:6). There is some difference of opinion about the identification of the “I” in this verse. Most commentators see it as referring to the prophet. However, F. B. Huey (Jeremiah, Lamentations [NAC], 395) is probably correct in seeing it as referring to the Lord. He points to the fact that the “I” in vv. 33, 35, 38 can only refer to God. The “I know” in v. 30 also clearly has the Lord as its subject. There are other cases in the book of Jeremiah where the Lord expresses his lament over the fate of a people (cf. 14:1-6, 17-18).

[10:25]  ⁷⁹ tn Heb “know you.” For this use of the word “know” (יָדַע, yada’) see the note on 9:3.

[10:25]  ⁸⁰ tn Heb “tribes/clans.”

[10:25]  ⁸¹ tn Heb “who do not call on your name.” The idiom “to call on your name” (directed to God) refers to prayer (mainly) and praise. See 1 Kgs 18:24-26 and Ps 116:13, 17. Here “calling on your name” is parallel to “acknowledging you.” In many locations in the OT “name” is equivalent to the person. In the OT, the “name” reflected the person’s character (cf. Gen 27:36; 1 Sam 25:25) or his reputation (Gen 11:4; 2 Sam 8:13). To speak in a person’s name was to act as his representative or carry his authority (1 Sam 25:9; 1 Kgs 21:8). To call someone’s name over something was to claim it for one’s own (2 Sam 12:28).

[10:25]  ⁸² tn Heb “have devoured Jacob.”

[10:25]  ⁸³ tn Or “have almost completely destroyed them”; Heb “they have devoured them and consumed them.” The figure of hyperbole is used here; elsewhere Jeremiah and God refer to the fact that they will not be completely consumed. See for example 4:27; 5:10, 18.

[17:11]  ⁸⁴ tn The meaning of this line is somewhat uncertain. The word translated “broods over” occurs only here and Isa 34:15. It is often defined on the basis of an Aramaic cognate which means “to gather” with an extended meaning of “to gather together under her to hatch.” Many commentators go back to a Rabbinic explanation that the partridge steals the eggs of other birds and hatches them out only to see the birds depart when they recognize that she is not the mother. Modern studies question the validity of this zoologically. Moreover, W. L. Holladay contests the validity on the basis of the wording “and she does hatch them” (Heb “bring them to birth”). See W. L. Holladay, Jeremiah (Hermeneia), 1:498, and see also P. C. Craigie, P. H. Kelley, J. F. Drinkard, Jeremiah 1-25 (WBC), 229. The point of the comparison is that the rich gather their wealth but they do not get to see the fruits of it.

[17:11]  ⁸⁵ tn The Hebrew text merely says “it.” But the antecedent might be ambiguous in English so the reference to wealth gained by unjust means is here reiterated for clarity.

[17:11]  ⁸⁶ tn Heb “he will be [= prove to be] a fool.”

[6:22]  ⁸⁷ tn Heb “people.”

[10:14]  ⁸⁸ tn Heb “Every man.” But in the context this is not a reference to all people without exception but to all idolaters. The referent is made explicit for the sake of clarity.

[10:14]  ⁸⁹ tn Or “nothing but a phony god”; Heb “a lie/falsehood.”

[10:14]  ⁹⁰ tn Heb “There is no breath in them.” The referent is made explicit so that no one will mistakenly take it to refer to the idolaters or goldsmiths.

[20:12]  ⁹¹ tn Heb “Yahweh of armies.”

[20:12]  sn See the study note on 2:19 for explanation of this title for God.

[20:12]  ⁹² tn Heb “Lord of armies, the one who tests the righteous, who sees kidneys and heart.” The sentence has been broken up to avoid a long and complex English sentence. The translation is more in keeping with contemporary English style.

[20:12]  sn This verse is almost an exact duplication of the petition in one of Jeremiah’s earlier prayers and complaints. See Jer 11:20 and notes there for explanation of the Hebrew psychology underlying the use of “kidneys and heart” here. For the thoughts expressed here see Ps 17.

[20:16]  ⁹³ sn The cities alluded to are Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities of the Jordan plain which had become proverbial for their wickedness and for the destruction that the Lord brought on them because of it. See Isa 1:9-10; 13:19; Jer 23:14; 49:18.

[23:11]  ⁹⁴ tn The particle כִּי (ki) which begins this verse is parallel to the one at the beginning of the preceding verse. However, the connection is too distant to render it “for.” “Moreover” is intended to draw the parallel. The words “the Lord says” (Heb “Oracle of the Lord”) have been drawn up to the front to introduce the shift in speaker from Jeremiah, who describes his agitated state, to God, who describes the sins of the prophets and priests and his consequent judgment on them.

[23:11]  ⁹⁵ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

[30:14]  ⁹⁶ tn Heb “forgotten you.”

[30:14]  ⁹⁷ tn Heb “attacked you like…with the chastening of a cruel one because of the greatness of your iniquity [and because] your sins are many.” The sentence has been broken down to conform to contemporary English style and better poetic scansion.

[3:17]  ⁹⁸ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[3:17]  ⁹⁹ tn Heb “will gather to the name of the Lord.”

[3:17]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Heb “the stubbornness of their evil hearts.”

[5:5]  ¹⁰¹ tn Or “people in power”; Heb “the great ones.”

[5:5]  ¹⁰² tn Heb “the way of the Lord.”

[5:5]  ¹⁰³ tn Heb “the judgment [or ordinance] of their God.”

[5:5]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Heb “have broken the yoke and torn off the yoke ropes.” Compare Jer 2:20 and the note there.

[6:15]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Heb “They will fall among the fallen.”

[8:12]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Heb “They will fall among the fallen.”

[14:9]  ¹⁰⁷ tn This is the only time this word occurs in the Hebrew Bible. The lexicons generally take it to mean “confused” or “surprised” (cf., e.g., BDB 187 s.v. דָּהַם). However, the word has been found in a letter from the seventh century in a passage where it must mean something like “be helpless”; see W. L. Holladay, Jeremiah (Hermeneia), 1:433, for discussion and bibliography of an article where this letter is dealt with.

[14:9]  ¹⁰⁸ tn Heb “mighty man, warrior.” For this nuance see 1 Sam 17:51 where it parallels a technical term used of Goliath used earlier in 17:4, 23.

[14:9]  ¹⁰⁹ tn Heb “in our midst.”

[14:9]  ¹¹⁰ tn Heb “Your name is called upon us.” See Jer 7:10, 11, 14, 30 for this idiom with respect to the temple and see the notes on Jer 7:10.

[14:18]  ¹¹¹ tn The word “starvation” has been translated “famine” elsewhere in this passage. It is the word which refers to hunger. The “starvation” here may be war induced and not simply that which comes from famine per se. “Starvation” will cover both.

[14:18]  ¹¹² tn The meaning of these last two lines is somewhat uncertain. The meaning of these two lines is debated because of the uncertainty of the meaning of the verb rendered “go about their business” (סָחַר, sakhar) and the last phrase translated here “without any real understanding.” The verb in question most commonly occurs as a participle meaning “trader” or “merchant” (cf., e.g., Ezek 27:21, 36; Prov 31:14). It occurs as a finite verb elsewhere only in Gen 34:10, 21; 42:34 and there in a literal sense of “trading,” “doing business.” While the nuance is metaphorical here it need not extend to “journeying into” (cf., e.g., BDB 695 s.v. סָחַר Qal.1) and be seen as a reference to exile as is sometimes assumed. That seems at variance with the causal particle which introduces this clause, the tense of the verb, and the surrounding context. People are dying in the land (vv. 17-18a) not because prophet and priest have gone (the verb is the Hebrew perfect or past) into exile but because prophet and priest have no true knowledge of God or the situation. The clause translated here “without having any real understanding” (Heb “and they do not know”) is using the verb in the absolute sense indicated in BDB 394 s.v. יָדַע Qal.5 and illustrated in Isa 1:3; 56:10. For a more thorough discussion of the issues one may consult W. McKane, Jeremiah (ICC), 1:330-31.

[14:18]  sn For the “business” of the prophets and priest see 2:8; 5:13; 6:13; 8:10. In the context it refers to the prophets prophesying lies (see vv. 13-15).

[22:15]  ¹¹³ tn For the use of this verb see Jer 12:5 where it is used of Jeremiah “competing” with horses. The form is a rare Tiphel (see GKC 153 §55.h).

[22:15]  ¹¹⁴ tn Heb “Your father, did he not eat and drink and do justice and right.” The copulative vav in front of the verbs here (all Hebrew perfects) shows that these actions are all coordinate not sequential. The contrast drawn here between the actions of Jehoiakim and Josiah show that the phrase eating and drinking should be read in the light of the same contrasts in Eccl 2 which ends with the note of contentment in Eccl 2:24 (see also Eccl 3:13; 5:18 [5:17 HT]; 8:15). The question is, of course, rhetorical setting forth the positive role model against which Jehoiakim’s actions are to be condemned. The key terms here are “then things went well with him” which is repeated in the next verse after the reiteration of Josiah’s practice of justice.

[22:15]  ¹¹⁵ sn The father referred to here is the godly king Josiah. He followed the requirements for kings set forth in 22:3 in contrast to his son who did not (22:13).

[44:2]  ¹¹⁶ tn Heb “Yahweh of armies, the God of Israel.” Compare 7:3 and see the study note on 2:19 for explanation and translation of this title.

[44:2]  ¹¹⁷ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[44:2]  ¹¹⁸ tn Heb “Behold, they are in ruins this day and there is no one living in them.”