27:6 The time is coming when Jacob will take root; 1
Israel will blossom and grow branches.
The produce 2 will fill the surface of the world. 3
12:2 You plant them like trees and they put down their roots. 5
They grow prosperous and are very fruitful. 6
They always talk about you,
but they really care nothing about you. 7
1 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “the coming ones, let Jacob take root.” הַבָּאִים (habba’im, “the coming ones”) should probably be emended to יָמִים בָאִים (yamim va’im, “days [are] coming”) or בְּיָמִים הַבָּאִים (biyamim habba’im, “in the coming days”).
2 tn Heb “fruit” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
3 sn This apparently refers to a future population explosion. See 26:18.
4 tn Heb “The remnant of the house of Judah that is left will add roots below and produce fruit above.”
5 tn Heb “You planted them and they took root.”
6 tn Heb “they grow and produce fruit.” For the nuance “grow” for the verb which normally means “go, walk,” see BDB 232 s.v. חָלַךְ Qal.I.3 and compare Hos 14:7.
7 tn Heb “You are near in their mouths, but far from their kidneys.” The figure of substitution is being used here, “mouth” for “words” and “kidneys” for passions and affections. A contemporary equivalent might be, “your name is always on their lips, but their hearts are far from you.”