Yeremia 1:16
Konteks1:16 In this way 1 I will pass sentence 2 on the people of Jerusalem and Judah 3 because of all their wickedness. For they rejected me and offered sacrifices to other gods, worshiping what they made with their own hands.” 4
Yeremia 2:35
Konteks2:35 you say, ‘I have not done anything wrong,
so the Lord cannot really be angry with me any more.’
But, watch out! 5 I will bring down judgment on you
because you say, ‘I have not committed any sin.’
Yeremia 2:37
Konteks2:37 Moreover, you will come away from Egypt
with your hands covering your faces in sorrow and shame 6
because the Lord will not allow your reliance on them to be successful
and you will not gain any help from them. 7
Yeremia 3:10
Konteks3:10 In spite of all this, 8 Israel’s sister, unfaithful Judah, has not turned back to me with any sincerity; she has only pretended to do so,” 9 says the Lord.
Yeremia 4:1
Konteks4:1 “If you, Israel, want to come back,” says the Lord,
“if you want to come back to me 10
you must get those disgusting idols 11 out of my sight
and must no longer go astray. 12
Yeremia 4:7
Konteks4:7 Like a lion that has come up from its lair 13
the one who destroys nations has set out from his home base. 14
He is coming out to lay your land waste.
Your cities will become ruins and lie uninhabited.
Yeremia 5:28
Konteks5:28 That is how 15 they have grown fat and sleek. 16
There is no limit to the evil things they do. 17
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.
Yeremia 5:31
Konteks5:31 The prophets prophesy lies.
The priests exercise power by their own authority. 18
And my people love to have it this way.
But they will not be able to help you when the time of judgment comes! 19
Yeremia 6:12
Konteks6:12 Their houses will be turned over to others
as will their fields and their wives.
For I will unleash my power 20
against those who live in this land,”
says the Lord.
Yeremia 6:21
Konteks6:21 So, this is what the Lord says:
‘I will assuredly 21 make these people stumble to their doom. 22
Parents and children will stumble and fall to their destruction. 23
Friends and neighbors will die.’
Yeremia 6:23
Konteks6:23 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.’” 24
Yeremia 6:29
Konteks6:29 The fiery bellows of judgment burn fiercely.
But there is too much dross to be removed. 25
The process of refining them has proved useless. 26
The wicked have not been purged.
Yeremia 7:34--8:1
Konteks7:34 I will put an end to the sounds of joy and gladness, or the glad celebration of brides and grooms throughout the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem. For the whole land will become a desolate wasteland.”
8:1 The Lord says, “When that time comes, 27 the bones of the kings of Judah and its leaders, the bones of the priests and prophets and of all the other people who lived in Jerusalem will be dug up from their graves.
Yeremia 8:9
Konteks8:9 Your wise men will be put to shame.
They will be dumbfounded and be brought to judgment. 28
Since they have rejected the word of the Lord,
what wisdom do they really have?
Yeremia 8:16
Konteks8:16 The snorting of the enemy’s horses
is already being heard in the city of Dan.
The sound of the neighing of their stallions 29
causes the whole land to tremble with fear.
They are coming to destroy the land and everything in it!
They are coming to destroy 30 the cities and everyone who lives in them!”
Yeremia 9:5
Konteks9:5 One friend deceives another
and no one tells the truth.
These people have trained themselves 31 to tell lies.
They do wrong and are unable to repent.
Yeremia 9:16
Konteks9:16 I will scatter them among nations that neither they nor their ancestors 32 have known anything about. I will send people chasing after them with swords 33 until I have destroyed them.’” 34
Yeremia 11:6
Konteks11:6 The Lord said to me, “Announce all the following words in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem: ‘Listen to the terms of my covenant with you 35 and carry them out!
Yeremia 12:12
Konteks12:12 A destructive army 36 will come marching
over the hilltops in the desert.
For the Lord will use them as his destructive weapon 37
against 38 everyone from one end of the land to the other.
No one will be safe. 39
Yeremia 13:1
Konteks13:1 The Lord said to me, “Go and buy some linen shorts 40 and put them on. 41 Do not put them in water.” 42
Yeremia 13:6
Konteks13:6 Many days later the Lord said to me, “Go at once to Perath and get 43 the shorts I ordered you to bury there.”
Yeremia 13:14
Konteks13:14 And I will smash them like wine bottles against one another, children and parents alike. 44 I will not show any pity, mercy, or compassion. Nothing will keep me from destroying them,’ 45 says the Lord.”
Yeremia 13:19
Konteks13:19 The gates of the towns in southern Judah will be shut tight. 46
No one will be able to go in or out of them. 47
All Judah will be carried off into exile.
They will be completely carried off into exile.’” 48
Yeremia 14:7
Konteks“O Lord, intervene for the honor of your name 50
even though our sins speak out against us. 51
Indeed, 52 we have turned away from you many times.
We have sinned against you.
Yeremia 15:11
Konteks15:11 The Lord said,
“Jerusalem, 53 I will surely send you away for your own good.
I will surely 54 bring the enemy upon you in a time of trouble and distress.
Yeremia 18:13
Konteks18:13 Therefore, the Lord says,
“Ask the people of other nations
whether they have heard of anything like this.
Israel should have been like a virgin.
But she has done something utterly revolting!
Yeremia 19:1
Konteks19:1 The Lord told Jeremiah, 55 “Go and buy a clay jar from a potter. 56 Take with you 57 some of the leaders of the people and some of the leaders 58 of the priests.
Yeremia 19:8
Konteks19:8 I will make this city an object of horror, a thing to be hissed at. All who pass by it will be filled with horror and will hiss out their scorn 59 because of all the disasters that have happened to it. 60
Yeremia 19:14
Konteks19:14 Then Jeremiah left Topheth where the Lord had sent him to give that prophecy. He went to the Lord’s temple and stood 61 in its courtyard and called out to all the people.
Yeremia 20:3
Konteks20:3 But the next day Pashhur released Jeremiah from the stocks. When he did, Jeremiah said to him, “The Lord’s name for you is not ‘Pashhur’ but ‘Terror is Everywhere.’ 62
Yeremia 20:8
Konteks20:8 For whenever I prophesy, 63 I must cry out, 64
“Violence and destruction are coming!” 65
This message from the Lord 66 has made me
an object of continual insults and derision.
Yeremia 21:10
Konteks21:10 For I, the Lord, say that 67 I am determined not to deliver this city but to bring disaster on it. 68 It will be handed over to the king of Babylon and he will destroy it with fire.’” 69
Yeremia 22:21
Konteks22:21 While you were feeling secure I gave you warning. 70
But you said, “I refuse to listen to you.”
That is the way you have acted from your earliest history onward. 71
Indeed, you have never paid attention to me.
Yeremia 23:10
Konteks23:10 For the land is full of people unfaithful to him. 72
They live wicked lives and they misuse their power. 73
So the land is dried up 74 because it is under his curse. 75
The pastures in the wilderness are withered.
Yeremia 23:34
Konteks23:34 I will punish any prophet, priest, or other person who says “The Lord’s message is burdensome.” 76 I will punish both that person and his whole family.’” 77
Yeremia 23:38
Konteks23:38 But just suppose you continue to say, ‘The message of the Lord is burdensome.’ Here is what the Lord says will happen: ‘I sent word to you that you must not say, “The Lord’s message is burdensome.” But you used the words “The Lord’s message is burdensome” anyway.
Yeremia 25:8
Konteks25:8 “Therefore, the Lord who rules over all 78 says, ‘You have not listened to what I said. 79
Yeremia 25:13
Konteks25:13 I will bring on that land everything that I said I would. I will bring on it everything that is written in this book. I will bring on it everything that Jeremiah has prophesied against all the nations. 80
Yeremia 25:31
Konteks25:31 The sounds of battle 81 will resound to the ends of the earth.
For the Lord will bring charges against the nations. 82
He will pass judgment on all humankind
and will hand the wicked over to be killed in war.’ 83
The Lord so affirms it! 84
Yeremia 25:38
Konteks25:38 The Lord is like a lion who has left his lair. 85
So their lands will certainly 86 be laid waste
by the warfare of the oppressive nation 87
and by the fierce anger of the Lord.”
Yeremia 26:20
Konteks26:20 Now there was another man 88 who prophesied as the Lord’s representative 89 against this city and this land just as Jeremiah did. His name was Uriah son of Shemaiah from Kiriath Jearim. 90
Yeremia 27:7
Konteks27:7 All nations must serve him and his son and grandson 91 until the time comes for his own nation to fall. 92 Then many nations and great kings will in turn subjugate Babylon. 93
Yeremia 27:11
Konteks27:11 Things will go better for the nation that submits to the yoke of servitude to 94 the king of Babylon and is subject to him. I will leave that nation 95 in its native land. Its people can continue to farm it and live in it. I, the Lord, affirm it!”’” 96
Yeremia 28:16
Konteks28:16 So the Lord says, ‘I will most assuredly remove 97 you from the face of the earth. You will die this very year because you have counseled rebellion against the Lord.’” 98
Yeremia 29:19
Konteks29:19 For they have not paid attention to what I said to them through my servants the prophets whom I sent to them over and over again,’ 99 says the Lord. 100 ‘And you exiles 101 have not paid any attention to them either,’ says the Lord. 102
Yeremia 30:8
Konteks30:8 When the time for them to be rescued comes,” 103
says the Lord who rules over all, 104
“I will rescue you from foreign subjugation. 105
I will deliver you from captivity. 106
Foreigners will then no longer subjugate them.
Yeremia 30:20
Konteks30:20 The descendants of Jacob will enjoy their former privileges.
Their community will be reestablished in my favor 107
and I will punish all who try to oppress them.
Yeremia 31:14
Konteks31:14 I will provide the priests with abundant provisions. 108
My people will be filled to the full with the good things I provide.”
Yeremia 31:16
Konteks31:16 The Lord says to her, 109
“Stop crying! Do not shed any more tears! 110
For your heartfelt repentance 111 will be rewarded.
Your children will return from the land of the enemy.
I, the Lord, affirm it! 112
Yeremia 32:19
Konteks32:19 You plan great things and you do mighty deeds. 113 You see everything people do. 114 You reward each of them for the way they live and for the things they do. 115
Yeremia 32:25
Konteks32:25 The city is sure to fall into the hands of the Babylonians. 116 Yet, in spite of this, 117 you, Lord God, 118 have said to me, “Buy that field with silver and have the transaction legally witnessed.”’” 119
Yeremia 32:43
Konteks32:43 You and your people 120 are saying that this land will become desolate, uninhabited by either people or animals. You are saying that it will be handed over to the Babylonians. 121 But fields 122 will again be bought in this land. 123
Yeremia 33:12
Konteks33:12 “I, the Lord who rules over all, say: 124 ‘This place will indeed lie in ruins. There will be no people or animals in it. But there will again be in it and in its towns sheepfolds where shepherds can rest their sheep.
Yeremia 34:20
Konteks34:20 I will hand them over to their enemies who want to kill them. Their dead bodies will become food for the birds and the wild animals. 125
Yeremia 36:24
Konteks36:24 Neither he nor any of his attendants showed any alarm when they heard all that had been read. Nor did they tear their clothes to show any grief or sorrow. 126
Yeremia 37:3
Konteks37:3 King Zedekiah sent 127 Jehucal 128 son of Shelemiah and the priest Zephaniah 129 son of Maaseiah to the prophet Jeremiah. He told them to say, “Please pray to the Lord our God on our behalf.”
Yeremia 37:14-15
Konteks37:14 Jeremiah answered, “That’s a lie! I am not deserting to the Babylonians.” 130 But Irijah would not listen to him. Irijah put Jeremiah under arrest and took him to the officials. 37:15 The officials were very angry 131 at Jeremiah. They had him flogged and put in prison in the house of Jonathan, the royal secretary, which they had converted into a place for confining prisoners. 132
Yeremia 38:14-15
Konteks38:14 Some time later 133 Zedekiah sent and had Jeremiah brought to him at the third entrance 134 of the Lord’s temple. The king said to Jeremiah, “I would like to ask you a question. Do not hide anything from me when you answer.” 135 38:15 Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “If I answer you, you will certainly kill me. 136 If I give you advice, you will not listen to me.”
Yeremia 38:20
Konteks38:20 Then Jeremiah answered, “You will not be handed over to them. Please obey the Lord by doing what I have been telling you. 137 Then all will go well with you and your life will be spared. 138
Yeremia 39:1
Konteks39:1 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came against Jerusalem with his whole army and laid siege to it. The siege began in the tenth month of the ninth year that Zedekiah ruled over Judah. 139
Yeremia 39:14
Konteks39:14 sent and had Jeremiah brought from the courtyard of the guardhouse. They turned him over to Gedaliah, 140 the son of Ahikam and the grandson of Shaphan, to take him home with him. 141 But Jeremiah stayed among the people. 142
Yeremia 42:21
Konteks42:21 This day 143 I have told you what he said. 144 But you do not want to obey the Lord by doing what he sent me to tell you. 145
Yeremia 44:4
Konteks44:4 I sent my servants the prophets to you people over and over 146 again warning you not to do this disgusting thing I hate. 147
Yeremia 44:23
Konteks44:23 You have sacrificed to other gods! You have sinned against the Lord! You have not obeyed the Lord! You have not followed his laws, his statutes, and his decrees! That is why this disaster that is evident to this day has happened to you.” 148
Yeremia 44:29
Konteks44:29 Moreover the Lord says, 149 ‘I will make something happen to prove that I will punish you in this place. I will do it so that you will know that my threats to bring disaster on you will prove true. 150
Yeremia 46:5-6
Konteks46:5 What do I see?” 151 says the Lord. 152
“The soldiers 153 are terrified.
They are retreating.
They have been defeated.
They are overcome with terror; 154
they desert quickly
without looking back.
46:6 But even the swiftest cannot get away.
Even the strongest cannot escape. 155
There in the north by the Euphrates River
they stumble and fall in defeat. 156
Yeremia 47:3
Konteks47:3 Fathers will hear the hoofbeats of the enemies’ horses,
the clatter of their chariots and the rumbling of their wheels.
They will not turn back to save their children
because they will be paralyzed with fear. 157
Yeremia 48:1
Konteks48:1 The Lord God of Israel who rules over all 158 spoke about Moab. 159
“Sure to be judged is Nebo! Indeed, 160 it will be destroyed!
Kiriathaim 161 will suffer disgrace. It will be captured!
Its fortress 162 will suffer disgrace. It will be torn down! 163
Yeremia 49:4
Konteks49:4 Why do you brag about your great power?
Your power is ebbing away, 164 you rebellious people of Ammon, 165
who trust in your riches and say,
‘Who would dare to attack us?’
Yeremia 49:23-24
Konteks49:23 The Lord spoke 166 about Damascus. 167
“The people of Hamath and Arpad 168 will be dismayed
because they have heard bad news.
Their courage will melt away because of worry.
Their hearts will not be able to rest. 169
49:24 The people of Damascus will lose heart and turn to flee.
Panic will grip them.
Pain and anguish will seize them
like a woman in labor.
Yeremia 49:29
Konteks49:29 Their tents and their flocks will be taken away.
Their tent curtains, equipment, and camels will be carried off.
People will shout 170 to them,
‘Terror is all around you!’” 171
Yeremia 49:33
Konteks49:33 “Hazor will become a permanent wasteland,
a place where only jackals live. 172
No one will live there.
No human being will settle in it.” 173
Yeremia 49:36
Konteks49:36 I will cause enemies to blow through Elam from every direction
like the winds blowing in from the four quarters of heaven.
I will scatter the people of Elam to the four winds.
There will not be any nation where the refugees of Elam will not go. 174
Yeremia 50:4-5
Konteks50:4 “When that time comes,” says the Lord, 175
“the people of Israel and Judah will return to the land together.
They will come back with tears of repentance
as they seek the Lord their God. 176
50:5 They will ask the way to Zion;
they will turn their faces toward it.
They will come 177 and bind themselves to the Lord
in a lasting covenant that will never be forgotten. 178
Yeremia 50:19-20
Konteks50:19 But I will restore the flock of Israel to their own pasture.
They will graze on Mount Carmel and the land of Bashan.
They will eat until they are full 179
on the hills of Ephraim and the land of Gilead. 180
50:20 When that time comes,
no guilt will be found in Israel.
No sin will be found in Judah. 181
For I will forgive those of them I have allowed to survive. 182
I, the Lord, affirm it!’” 183
Yeremia 50:24
Konteks50:24 I set a trap for you, Babylon;
you were caught before you knew it.
You fought against me.
So you were found and captured. 184
Yeremia 50:37
Konteks50:37 Destructive forces will come against her horses and her 185 chariots.
Destructive forces will come against all the foreign troops within her; 186
they will be as frightened as women! 187
Destructive forces will come against her treasures;
they will be taken away as plunder!
Yeremia 51:2
Konteks51:2 I will send people to winnow Babylonia like a wind blowing away chaff. 188
They will winnow her and strip her land bare. 189
This will happen when 190 they come against her from every direction,
when it is time to destroy her. 191
Yeremia 51:36
Konteks51:36 Therefore the Lord says,
“I will stand up for your cause.
I will pay the Babylonians back for what they have done to you. 192
I will dry up their sea.
I will make their springs run dry. 193
Yeremia 51:39
Konteks51:39 When their appetites are all stirred up, 194
I will set out a banquet for them.
I will make them drunk
so that they will pass out, 195
they will fall asleep forever,
they will never wake up,” 196
says the Lord. 197
Yeremia 51:52
Konteks51:52 Yes, but the time will certainly come,” 198 says the Lord, 199
“when I will punish her idols.
Throughout her land the mortally wounded will groan.
Yeremia 51:64
Konteks51:64 Then say, ‘In the same way Babylon will sink and never rise again because of the judgments 200 I am ready to bring upon her; they will grow faint.’”
The prophecies of Jeremiah end here. 201
Yeremia 52:6
Konteks52:6 By the ninth day of the fourth month 202 the famine in the city was so severe the residents 203 had no food.
Yeremia 52:22
Konteks52:22 The bronze top of one pillar was about seven and one-half feet 204 high and had bronze latticework and pomegranate-shaped ornaments all around it. The second pillar with its pomegranate-shaped ornaments was like it.
Yeremia 52:28
Konteks52:28 Here is the official record of the number of people 205 Nebuchadnezzar carried into exile: In the seventh year, 206 3,023 Jews;
[1:16] 1 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] 2 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] 3 tn Heb “on them.” The antecedent goes back to Jerusalem and the cities of Judah (i.e., the people in them) in v. 15.
[2:35] 5 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.
[2:37] 6 tn Heb “with your hands on your head.” For the picture here see 2 Sam 13:19.
[2:37] 7 tn Heb “The
[3:10] 8 tn Heb “And even in all this.”
[3:10] 9 tn Heb “ has not turned back to me with all her heart but only in falsehood.”
[4:1] 10 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] 11 tn Heb “disgusting things.”
[4:1] 12 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.”
[4:7] 13 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
[5:28] 15 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] 16 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] 17 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.
[5:31] 18 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] 19 tn Heb “But what will you do at its end?” The rhetorical question implies a negative answer: “Nothing!”
[6:12] 20 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).
[6:21] 21 tn This is an attempt to render the Hebrew particle rendered “behold” joined to the first person pronoun.
[6:21] 22 tn Heb “I will put stumbling blocks in front of these people.” In this context the stumbling blocks are the invading armies.
[6:21] 23 tn The words “and fall to their destruction” are implicit in the metaphor and are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[6:23] 24 sn Jerualem is personified as a young maiden helpless before enemy attackers.
[6:29] 25 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] 26 tn Heb “The refiner refines them in vain.”
[8:1] 27 tn Heb “At that time.”
[8:9] 28 tn Heb “be trapped.” However, the word “trapped” generally carries with it the connotation of divine judgment. See BDB 540 s.v. לָכַד Niph.2, and compare usage in Jer 6:11 for support. The verbs in the first two lines are again the form of the Hebrew verb that emphasizes that the action is as good as done (Hebrew prophetic perfects).
[8:16] 29 tn Heb “his stallions.”
[8:16] 30 tn The words “They are coming to destroy” are not in the text. They are inserted to break up a long sentence in conformity with contemporary English style.
[9:5] 31 tn Heb “their tongues.” However, this is probably not a natural idiom in contemporary English and the tongue may stand as a part for the whole anyway.
[9:16] 33 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] 34 sn He will destroy them but not completely. See Jer 5:18; 30:11; 46:28.
[11:6] 35 tn Heb “the terms of this covenant.” However, this was a separate message and the ambiguity of “this” could still cause some confusion.
[12:12] 36 tn Heb “destroyers.”
[12:12] 37 tn Heb “It is the
[12:12] 38 tn Heb “For a sword of the
[12:12] 39 tn Heb “There is no peace to all flesh.”
[13:1] 40 tn The term here (אֵזוֹר, ’ezor) has been rendered in various ways: “girdle” (KJV, ASV), “waistband” (NASB), “waistcloth” (RSV), “sash” (NKJV), “belt” (NIV, NCV, NLT), and “loincloth” (NAB, NRSV, NJPS, REB). The latter is more accurate according to J. M. Myers, “Dress and Ornaments,” IDB 1:870, and W. L. Holladay, Jeremiah (Hermeneia), 1:399. It was a short, skirt-like garment reaching from the waist to the knees and worn next to the body (cf. v. 9). The modern equivalent is “shorts” as in TEV/GNB, CEV.
[13:1] sn The linen shorts (Heb “loincloth”) were representative of Israel and the wearing of them was to illustrate the
[13:1] 41 tn Heb “upon your loins.” The “loins” were the midriff of the body from the waist to the knees. For a further discussion including the figurative uses see, IDB, “Loins,” 3:149.
[13:1] 42 tn Or “Do not ever put them in water,” i.e., “Do not even wash them.”
[13:1] sn The fact that the garment was not to be put in water is not explained. A possible explanation within the context is that it was to be worn continuously, not even taken off to wash it. That would illustrate that the close relationship that the
[13:6] 43 tn Heb “Get from there.” The words “from there” are not necessary to the English sentence. They would lead to a redundancy later in the verse, i.e., “from there…bury there.”
[13:14] 44 tn Or “children along with their parents”; Heb “fathers and children together.”
[13:14] 45 tn Heb “I will not show…so as not to destroy them.”
[13:19] 46 tn Heb “The towns of the Negev will be shut.”
[13:19] 47 tn Heb “There is no one to open them.” The translation is based on the parallel in Josh 6:1 where the very expression in the translation is used. Opening the city would have permitted entrance (of relief forces) as well as exit (of fugitives).
[13:19] 48 sn The statements are poetic exaggerations (hyperbole), as most commentaries note. Even in the exile of 587
[14:7] 49 tn The words “Then I said” are not in the text. However, it cannot be a continuation of the
[14:7] 50 tn Heb “Act for the sake of your name.” The usage of “act” in this absolute, unqualified sense cf. BDB 794 s.v. עָוֹשָׂה Qal.I.r and compare the usage, e.g., in 1 Kgs 8:32 and 39. For the nuance of “for the sake of your name” compare the usage in Isa 48:9 and Ezek 20:9, 14.
[14:7] 51 tn Or “bear witness against us,” or “can be used as evidence against us,” to keep the legal metaphor. Heb “testify against.”
[14:7] 52 tn The Hebrew particle כִּי (ki) can scarcely be causal here; it is either intensive (BDB 472 s.v. כִּי 1.e) or concessive (BDB 473 s.v. כִּי 2.c). The parallel usage in Gen 18:20 argues for the intensive force as does the fact that the concessive has already been expressed by אִם (’im).
[15:11] 53 tn The word “Jerusalem” is not in the text. It is supplied in the translation for clarity to identify the referent of “you.” A comparison of three or four English versions will show how difficult this verse is to interpret. The primary difficulty is with the meaning of the verb rendered here as “I will surely send you out [שֵׁרִותִךָ, sherivtikha].” The text and the meaning of the word are debated (for a rather full discussion see W. L. Holladay, Jeremiah [Hermeneia], 1:446-47, n. b-b). Tied up with that is the meaning of the verb in the second line and the identification of who the speaker and addressee are. One of two approaches are usually followed. Some follow the Greek version which has Jeremiah speaking and supporting his complaint that he has been faithful. In this case the word “said” is left out, the difficult verb is taken to mean “I have served you” (שֵׁרַתִּיךָ [sheratikha] from שָׁרַת [sharat; BDB 1058 s.v. שָׁרַת]) and the parallel verb means “I have made intercession for my enemies.” The second tack is to suppose that God is speaking and is promising Jeremiah deliverance from his detractors. In this case the troublesome word is taken to mean “deliver” (cf. BDB 1056 s.v. I שָׁרָה), “strengthen” (see BDB’s discussion) or read as a noun “remnant” (שֵׁרִיתְךָ = שְׁאֵרִיתְךָ [sheritekha = shÿ’eritekha]; again see BDB’s discussion). In this case the parallel verb is taken to mean “I will cause your enemies to entreat you,” a meaning it has nowhere else. Both of these approaches are probably wrong. The Greek text is the only evidence for leaving out “said.” The problem with making Jeremiah the addressee is twofold. First, the word “enemy” is never used in the book of Jeremiah’s foes, always of political enemies. Second, and more troublesome, one must assume a shift in the addressee between v. 11 and vv.13-14 or assume that the whole is addressed. The latter would be odd if he is promised deliverance from his detractors only to be delivered to captivity. If, however, one assumes that the whole is addressed to Jerusalem, there is no such problem. A check of earlier chapters will show that the second masculine pronoun is used for Judah/Jerusalem in 2:28-29; 4:1-2; 5:17-18; 11:13. In 2:28-28 and 4:1-2 the same shift from second singular to second plural takes place as does here in vv. 13-14. Moreover, vv. 13-14 continue much of the same vocabulary and is addressed to Jerusalem. The approach followed here is similar to that taken in REB except “for good” is taken in the way it is always used rather to mean “utterly.” The nuance suggested by BDB 1056 s.v. I שָׁרָה is assumed and the meaning of the parallel verb is assumed to be similar to that in Isa 53:6 (see BDB 803 s.v. פָּגַע Hiph.1). The MT is retained with demonstrable meanings. For the concept of “for good” see Jer 24:5-6. This assumes that the ultimate goal of God’s discipline is here announced.
[15:11] sn The
[15:11] 54 tn “Surely” represents a construct in Hebrew that indicates a strong oath of affirmation. Cf. BDB 50 s.v. אִם 1.b(2) and compare usage in 2 Kgs 9:26.
[19:1] 55 tn The word “Jeremiah” is not in the text. Some Hebrew
[19:1] 56 tn Heb “an earthenware jar of the potter.”
[19:1] sn The word translated “clay” here refers to a clay which has been baked or fired in a kiln. In Jer 18 the clay was still soft and pliable, capable of being formed into different kinds of vessels. Here the clay is set, just as Israel is set in its ways. The word for jar refers probably to a water jug or decanter and is onomatopoeic, baqbuq, referring to the gurgling sound made by pouring out the water.
[19:1] 57 tc The words “Take with you” follow the reading of the Syriac version and to a certain extent the reading of the Greek version (the latter does not have “with you”). The Hebrew text does not have these words but they are undoubtedly implicit.
[19:1] 58 tn Heb “elders” both here and before “of the people.”
[19:1] sn The civil and religious leaders are referred to here. They were to be witnesses of the symbolic act and of the message that Jeremiah proclaimed to the leaders of Jerusalem and its citizens (see v. 3).
[19:8] 59 sn See 18:16 and the study note there.
[19:8] 60 tn Heb “all its smitings.” This word has been used several times for the metaphorical “wounds” that Israel has suffered as a result of the blows from its enemies. See, e.g., 14:17. It is used in the Hebrew Bible of scourging, both literally and metaphorically (cf. Deut 25:3; Isa 10:26), and of slaughter and defeat (1 Sam 4:10; Josh 10:20). Here it refers to the results of the crushing blows at the hands of her enemies which has made her the object of scorn.
[19:14] 61 tn Heb “And Jeremiah entered from Topheth where the
[20:3] 62 tn This name is translated rather than transliterated to aid the reader in understanding this name and connect it clearly with the explanation that follows in the next verse. For a rather complete discussion on the significance of this name and an attempt to explain it as a pun on the name “Pashhur” see J. A. Thompson, Jeremiah (NICOT), 455, n. 35.
[20:3] sn The name Pashhur is essentially a curse pronounced by Jeremiah invoking the
[20:8] 63 tn Heb “speak,” but the speaking is in the context of speaking as a prophet.
[20:8] 64 tn Heb “I cry out, I proclaim.”
[20:8] 65 tn Heb “Violence and destruction.”
[20:8] sn The words “Violence and destruction…” are a synopsis of his messages of judgment. Jeremiah is lamenting that his ministry up to this point has been one of judgment and has brought him nothing but ridicule because the
[20:8] 66 tn Heb “the word of the
[21:10] 67 tn Heb “oracle of the
[21:10] 68 tn Heb “I have set my face against this city for evil [i.e., disaster] and not for good [i.e., well-being].” For the use of the idiom “set one’s face against/toward” see, e.g., usage in 1 Kgs 2:15; 2 Kgs 2:17; Jer 42:15, 17 and note the interesting interplay of usage in Jer 44:11-12.
[21:10] 69 tn Heb “he will burn it with fire.”
[22:21] 70 tn Heb “I spoke to you in your security.” The reference is to the sending of the prophets. Compare this context with the context of 7:25. For the nuance “security” for this noun (שַׁלְוָה, shalvah) rather than “prosperity” as many translate see Pss 122:7; 30:6 and the related adjective (שָׁלֵו, shalev) in Jer 49:31; Job 16:2; 21:23.
[22:21] 71 tn Heb “from your youth.” Compare the usage in 2:2; 3:24 and compare a similar idea in 7:25.
[23:10] 72 tn Heb “adulterers.” But spiritual adultery is clearly meant as also in 3:8-9; 9:2, and probably also 5:7.
[23:10] 73 tn For the word translated “They live…lives” see usage in Jer 8:6. For the idea of “misusing” their power (Heb “their power is not right” i.e., used in the wrong way) see 2 Kgs 7:9; 17:9. In the original text this line (really two lines in the Hebrew poetry) are at the end of the verse. However, this places the antecedent too far away and could lead to confusion. The lines have been rearranged to avoid such confusion.
[23:10] 74 tn For the use of this verb see 12:4 and the note there.
[23:10] 75 tc The translation follows the majority of Hebrew
[23:10] sn The curse is, of course, the covenant curse. See Deut 29:20-21 (29:19-20 HT) and for the specific curse see Deut 28:23-24. The curse is appropriate since their “adultery” lay in attributing their fertility to the god Baal (see Hos 2:9-13 (2:11-15 HT) and violating the covenant (see Hos 4:1-3).
[23:34] 76 tn Heb “burden of the
[23:34] 77 tn Heb “And the prophet or the priest or the people [common person] who says, ‘The burden of the
[25:8] 78 tn Heb “Yahweh of armies.”
[25:8] sn See the study note on 2:19 for an explanation of this title.
[25:8] 79 tn Heb “You have not listened to my words.”
[25:13] 80 tn Or “I will bring upon it everything that is to be written in this book. I will bring upon it everything that Jeremiah is going to prophesy concerning all the nations.” The reference to “this book” and “what Jeremiah has prophesied against the nations” raises issues about the editorial process underlying the current form of the book of Jeremiah. As the book now stands there is no earlier reference to any judgments against Babylon or any book (really “scroll”; books were a development of the first or second century
[25:31] 81 tn For the use of this word see Amos 2:2; Hos 10:14; Ps 74:23. See also the usage in Isa 66:6 which is very similar to the metaphorical usage here.
[25:31] 82 tn Heb “the
[25:31] 83 tn Heb “give the wicked over to the sword.”
[25:31] sn There is undoubtedly a deliberate allusion here to the reference to the “wars” (Heb “sword”) that the
[25:31] 84 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[25:38] 85 tn Heb “Like a lion he has left his lair.”
[25:38] sn The text returns to the metaphor alluded to in v. 30. The bracketing of speeches with repeated words or motifs is a common rhetorical device in ancient literature.
[25:38] 86 tn This is a way of rendering the Hebrew particle כִּי (ki) which is probably here for emphasis rather than indicating cause (see BDB 473 s.v. כִּי 1.e and compare usage in Jer 22:22).
[25:38] 87 tc Heb “by the sword of the oppressors.” The reading here follows a number of Hebrew
[25:38] sn The connection between “war” (Heb “the sword”) and the wrath or anger of the
[26:20] 88 sn This is a brief parenthetical narrative about an otherwise unknown prophet who was executed for saying the same things Jeremiah did. It is put here to show the real danger that Jeremiah faced for saying what he did. There is nothing in the narrative here to show any involvement by Jehoiakim. This was a “lynch mob” instigated by the priests and false prophets which was stymied by the royal officials supported by some of the elders of Judah. Since it is disjunctive or parenthetical it is unclear whether this incident happened before or after that in the main narrative being reported.
[26:20] 89 tn Heb “in the name of the
[26:20] 90 tn Heb “Now also a man was prophesying in the name of the
[27:7] 91 sn This is a figure that emphasizes that they will serve for a long time but not for an unlimited duration. The kingdom of Babylon lasted a relatively short time by ancient standards. It lasted from 605
[27:7] 92 tn Heb “until the time of his land, even his, comes.” The independent pronoun is placed here for emphasis on the possessive pronoun. The word “time” is used by substitution for the things that are done in it (compare in the NT John 2:4; 7:30; 8:20 “his hour had not yet come”).
[27:7] sn See Jer 25:12-14, 16.
[27:7] 93 tn Heb “him.” This is a good example of the figure of substitution where the person is put for his descendants or the nation or subject he rules. (See Gen 28:13-14 for another good example and Acts 22:7 in the NT.)
[27:11] 94 tn Heb “put their necks in the yoke of.” See the study note on v. 2 for the figure.
[27:11] 95 tn The words “Things will go better for” are not in the text. They are supplied contextually as a means of breaking up the awkward syntax of the original which reads “The nation which brings its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and subjects itself to him, I will leave it…”
[27:11] 96 tn Heb “oracle of the
[28:16] 97 sn There is a play on words here in Hebrew between “did not send you” and “will…remove you.” The two verbs are from the same root word in Hebrew. The first is the simple active and the second is the intensive.
[28:16] 98 sn In giving people false assurances of restoration when the
[29:19] 99 tn See the translator’s note on 7:13 for an explanation of this idiom.
[29:19] 100 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[29:19] 101 tn The word “exiles” is not in the text. It is supplied in the translation to clarify the referent of “you.”
[29:19] 102 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[30:8] 103 tn Heb “And it shall happen in that day.”
[30:8] sn The time for them to be rescued (Heb “that day”) is the day of deliverance from the trouble alluded to at the end of the preceding verse, not the day of trouble mentioned at the beginning. Israel (even the good figs) will still need to go through the period of trouble (cf. vv. 10-11).
[30:8] 104 tn Heb “Oracle of Yahweh of armies.” See the study note on 2:19 for explanation of the title for God.
[30:8] 105 tn Heb “I will break his yoke from upon your neck.” For the explanation of the figure see the study note on 27:2. The shift from third person at the end of v. 7 to second person in v. 8c, d and back to third person in v. 8e is typical of Hebrew poetry in the book of Psalms and in the prophetic books (cf., GKC 351 §114.p and compare usage in Deut 32:15; Isa 5:8 listed there). The present translation, like several other modern ones, has typically leveled them to the same person to avoid confusion for modern readers who are not accustomed to this poetic tradition.
[30:8] sn In the immediate context the reference to the yoke of their servitude to foreign domination (Heb “his yoke”) should be understood as a reference to the yoke of servitude to Nebuchadnezzar which has been referred to often in Jer 27-28 (see, e.g., 27:8, 12; 28:2, 4, 11). The end of that servitude has already been referred to in 25:11-14; 29:11-14. Like many other passages in the OT it has been given a later eschatological reinterpretation in the light of subsequent bondages and lack of complete fulfillment, i.e., of restoration to the land and restoration of the Davidic monarchy.
[30:8] 106 tn Heb “I will tear off their bands.” The “bands” are the leather straps which held the yoke bars in place (cf. 27:2). The metaphor of the “yoke on the neck” is continued. The translation reflects the sense of the metaphor but not the specific referent.
[30:20] 107 tn Heb “his children will be as in former times and his congregation/community will be established before me.” “His children” refers to “Jacob” who has been referred to in v. 18 in the phrase “I will restore the fortunes of the tents of Jacob.” “His children” are thus the restored exiles. Some commentaries see the reference here to the restoration of numbers in accordance with the previous verse. However, the last line of this verse and the reference to the ruler in the following verse suggests rather restoration of the religious and political institutions to their former state. For the use of the word translated “community” (עֵדָה, ’edah) to refer to a political congregation as well as its normal use to refer to a religious one see 1 Kgs 12:20. For the idea of “in my favor” (i.e., under the eye and regard of) for the Hebrew phrase used here (לְפָנַי, lÿfanay) see BDB 817 s.v. פָּנֶה II.4.a(b).
[31:14] 108 tn Heb “I will satiate the priests with fat.” However, the word translated “fat” refers literally to the fat ashes of the sacrifices (see Lev 1:16; 4:2 and cf. BDB 206 s.v. דֶּשֶׁן 2. The word is used more abstractly for “abundance” or “rich food” (see Job 36:16 and BDB 206 s.v. דֶּשֶׁן 1). The people and the priests were prohibited from eating the fat (Lev 7:23-24).
[31:16] 109 tn The words “to her” are not in the text but are implicit from the context. They are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[31:16] 110 tn Heb “Refrain your voice from crying and your eyes from tears.”
[31:16] 111 tn Heb “your work.” Contextually her “work” refers to her weeping and refusing to be comforted, that is, signs of genuine repentance (v. 15).
[31:16] 112 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[32:19] 113 tn Heb “[you are] great in counsel and mighty in deed.”
[32:19] 114 tn Heb “your eyes are open to the ways of the sons of men.”
[32:19] 115 tn Heb “giving to each according to his way [= behavior/conduct] and according to the fruit of his deeds.”
[32:25] 116 tn Heb “The Chaldeans.” See the study note on 21:4 for further explanation.
[32:25] 117 tn Heb “And you, Lord Yahweh, have said to me, ‘Buy the field for…’ even though the city will be given into the hands of the Babylonians.” The sentence has been broken up and the order reversed for English stylistic purposes. For the rendering “is sure to fall into the hands of” see the translator’s note on the preceding verse.
[32:25] 118 tn Heb “Lord
[32:25] 119 tn Heb “call in witnesses to witness.”
[32:43] 120 tn Heb “you.” However, the pronoun is plural and is addressed to more than just Jeremiah (v. 26). It includes Jeremiah and those who have accepted his prophecy of doom.
[32:43] 121 tn Heb “The Chaldeans.” See the study note on 21:4 for further explanation.
[32:43] 122 tn The noun is singular with the article, but it is a case of the generic singular (cf. GKC 406 §126.m).
[32:43] 123 tn Heb “Fields will be bought in this land of which you [masc. pl.] are saying, ‘It will be desolate [a perfect of certainty or prophetic perfect] without man or beast; it will be given into the hand of the Chaldeans.’” The original sentence has been broken down to better conform to contemporary English style.
[33:12] 124 tn Heb “Thus says Yahweh of armies.” For the explanation for the first person introduction see the translator’s notes on 33:2, 10. Verses 4, 10, 12 introduce three oracles, all under the answer to the
[34:20] 125 sn See this same phrase in Jer 7:33; 16:4; 19:7.
[36:24] 126 tn Heb “Neither the king nor any of his servants who heard all these words were afraid or tore their clothes.” The sentence has been broken up into two shorter sentences to better conform to English style and some of the terms explained (e.g., tore their clothes) for the sake of clarity.
[36:24] sn There are some interesting wordplays and contrasts involved here. The action of the king and his attendants should be contrasted with that of the officials who heard the same things read (v. 16). The king and his officials did not tear their garments in grief and sorrow; instead the king cut up the scroll (the words “tear” and “cut off” are the same in Hebrew [קָרַע, qara’]). Likewise, the actions of Jehoiakim and his attendants is to be contrasted with that of his father Josiah who some twenty or more years earlier tore his clothes in grief and sorrow (2 Kgs 22:11-20) and led the people in renewing their commitment to the covenant (2 Kgs 23:1-3). That was what the
[37:3] 127 sn This is the second of two delegations that Zedekiah sent to Jeremiah to ask him to pray for a miraculous deliverance. Both of them are against the background of the siege of Jerusalem which was instigated by Zedekiah’s rebelling against Nebuchadnezzar and sending to Egypt for help (cf. Ezek 17:15). The earlier delegation (21:1-2) was sent before Nebuchadnezzar had clamped down on Jerusalem because the Judean forces at that time were still fighting against the Babylonian forces in the open field (see 21:4 and the translator’s note there). Here the siege has been lifted because the Babylonian troops had heard a report that the Egyptian army was on the way into Palestine to give the Judeans the promised aid (vv. 5, 7). The request is briefer here than in 21:2 but the intent is no doubt the same (see also the study note on 21:2).
[37:3] 128 sn Jehucal was one of the officials who later sought to have Jeremiah put to death for what they considered treason (38:1-4).
[37:3] 129 sn The priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah was a member of the earlier delegation (21:2) and the chief of security in the temple to whom the Babylonian false prophet wrote a letter complaining that Jeremiah should be locked up for his treasonous prophecies (29:25-26). See the study notes on 21:2 and 29:25 for further details.
[37:14] 130 tn Heb “the Chaldeans.” See the study note on 21:4 for explanation.
[37:15] 131 sn The officials mentioned here are not the same as those mentioned in Jer 36:12, most of whom were favorably disposed toward Jeremiah, or at least regarded what he said with enough trepidation to try to protect Jeremiah and preserve the scroll containing his messages (36:16, 19, 24). All those officials had been taken into exile with Jeconiah in 597
[37:15] 132 tn Heb “for they had made it into the house of confinement.” The causal particle does not fit the English sentence very well and “house of confinement” needs some explanation. Some translate this word “prison” but that creates redundancy with the earlier word translated “prison” (בֵּית הָאֵסוּר, bet ha’esur, “house of the band/binding”] which is more closely related to the concept of prison [cf. אָסִיר, ’asir, “prisoner”]). It is clear from the next verse that Jeremiah was confined in a cell in the dungeon of this place.
[38:14] 133 tn The words “Some time later” are not in the text but are a way of translating the conjunction “And” or “Then” that introduces this narrative.
[38:14] 134 sn The precise location of this entrance is unknown since it is mentioned nowhere else in the OT. Many commentators equate this with the “king’s outer entry” (mentioned in 2 Kgs 16:18) which appears to have been a private entryway between the temple and the palace.
[38:14] 135 tn The words “when you answer” are not in the text but are implicit in the connection. They are supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity and smoothness of style.
[38:15] 136 tn Or “you will most certainly kill me, won’t you?” Heb “Will you not certainly kill me?” The question is rhetorical and expects a positive answer. In situations like this BDB s.v. לֹא 4.b(β) says that הֲלֹא (halo’) “has a tendency to become little more than an affirmative particle, declaring with some rhetorical emphasis what is, or might be, well known.” The idea of certainty is emphasized here by the addition of the infinitive absolute before the finite verb (Joüon 2:422 §123.e).
[38:20] 137 tn Heb “Please listen to the voice of the
[38:20] 138 tn Heb “your life [or you yourself] will live.” Compare v. 17 and the translator’s note there for the idiom.
[39:1] 139 sn 2 Kgs 25:1 and Jer 52:4 give the more precise date of the tenth day of the tenth month of the ninth year which would have been Jan 15, 588
[39:14] 140 sn Gedaliah. This is the first reference to this individual whom Nebuchadnezzar appointed governor over the people who were left to live in Judah (cf. 40:5; 2 Kgs 25:22). His father was the man who spoke up for Jeremiah when he was accused of being a false prophet by some of the priests and prophets (26:24). His grandfather was the royal secretary under Josiah who brought the discovery of the book of the law to Josiah’s attention, read it to him, and was involved in helping Josiah institute his reforms (2 Kgs 22:8-10).
[39:14] 141 tn The meaning of the last phrase is uncertain. An alternate translation is “to take him home with him.” The text reads literally “to bring him into the house.” However, it is unclear whether “the house” refers to Jeremiah’s house or to Gedaliah’s. The fact that Nebuzaradan later offers Jeremiah the option of going back to Gedaliah (40:5) suggests that the house is here Gedaliah’s where Jeremiah would be looked out for in accord with Nebuchadnezzar’s command (v. 12).
[39:14] 142 tn Many translate this last clause as a conclusion or summary remark, “So Jeremiah stayed…” However, it is better to translate it as an adversative because it probably refers to the fact that rather than staying with Gedaliah in the governor’s residence Jeremiah stayed among the people. That is how he wound up being led off as a prisoner to Ramah. See further the study note on 40:1. According to IBHS 550 §33.2.1d the vav (ו) consecutive can have either of these values (see examples 11 and 12 for the adversative or contrastive nuance).
[42:21] 144 tn The words “what he said” are not in the text but are implicit and seem necessary for clarity.
[42:21] 145 tn Heb “But you have not hearkened to the voice of [idiomatic for “obeyed” see BDB 1034 s.v. שָׁמַע Qal.1.m] the
[44:4] 146 tn See 7:13 for an explanation of this idiom and compare 7:25; 25:4; 26:5; 29:19; 35:15 for similar references to the persistent warnings of the prophets.
[44:4] 147 tn Heb “sent…over again, saying, ‘Do not do this terrible thing that I hate.’” The indirect quote has been used to shorten the sentence and eliminate one level of embedded quotes.
[44:4] sn This refers to the worship of other gods mentioned in the previous verse.
[44:23] 148 tn Heb “Because you have sacrificed and you have sinned against the
[44:29] 149 tn Heb “oracle of the
[44:29] 150 tn Heb “This will be to you the sign, oracle of the
[46:5] 151 tn Heb “Why do I see?” The rendering is that of J. A. Thompson (Jeremiah [NICOT], 685, 88) and J. Bright (Jeremiah [AB], 301; TEV; NIV). The question is not asking for information but is expressing surprise or wonder (see E. W. Bullinger, Figures of Speech, 951).
[46:5] sn The passage takes an unexpected turn at v. 5. After ironically summoning the Egyptian army to battle, the
[46:5] 152 tn Heb “oracle of the
[46:5] 153 tn Heb “Their soldiers.” These words are actually at the midpoint of the stanza as the subject of the third of the five verbs. However, as G. L. Keown, P. J. Scalise, and T. G. Smothers (Jeremiah 26-52 [WBC], 291) note, this is the subject of all five verbs “are terrified,” “are retreating,” “have been defeated,” “have run away,” and “have not looked back.” The subject is put at the front to avoid an unidentified “they.”
[46:5] 154 tn Heb “terror is all around.”
[46:6] 155 tn The translation assumes that the adjectives with the article are functioning as superlatives in this context (cf. GKC 431 §133.g). It also assumes that אַל (’al) with the jussive is expressing here an emphatic negative rather than a negative wish (cf. GKC 317 §107.p and compare the usage in Ps 50:3).
[46:6] 156 tn Heb “they stumble and fall.” However, the verbs here are used of a fatal fall, of a violent death in battle (see BDB 657 s.v. נָפַל Qal.2.a), and a literal translation might not be understood by some readers.
[47:3] 157 tn Heb “From the noise of the stamping of the hoofs of his stallions, from the rattling of his chariots at the rumbling of their wheels, fathers will not turn to their children from sinking of hands.” According to BDB 952 s.v. רִפָּיוֹן the “sinking of the hands” is figurative of helplessness caused by terror. A very similar figure is seen with a related expression in Isa 35:3-4. The sentence has been restructured to put the subject up front and to suggest through shorter sentences more in keeping with contemporary English style the same causal connections. The figures have been interpreted for the sake of clarity for the average reader.
[48:1] 158 tn Heb “Yahweh of armies, the God of Israel.” For this title see 7:3 and the study note on 2:19.
[48:1] 159 sn Moab was a country east of the Dead Sea whose boundaries varied greatly over time. Basically, it was the tableland between the Arnon River about halfway up the Dead Sea and the Zered River which is roughly at the southern tip of the Dead Sea. When the Israelites entered Palestine they were forbidden to take any of the Moabite territory but they did capture the kingdom of Sihon north of the Arnon which Sihon had taken from Moab. Several of the towns mentioned in the oracles of judgment against Moab here are in this territory north of the Arnon and were assigned to Reuben and Gad. Several are mentioned on the famous Moabite Stone which details how Mesha king of Moab recovered from Israel many of these cities during the reign of Joram (852-841
[48:1] 160 tn Heb “Woe to Nebo for it is destroyed.” For the use of the Hebrew particle “Woe” (הוֹי, hoy) see the translator’s note on 22:13. The translation has taken this form because the phrase “Woe to” probably does not convey the proper meaning or significance to the modern reader. The verbs again are in the tense (Hebrew prophetic perfect) that views the action as if it were as good as done. The particle כִּי (ki) probably is causal but the asseverative works better in the modified translation.
[48:1] 161 sn Nebo and Kiriathaim were both north of the Arnon and were assigned to Reuben (Num 32:3, Josh 13:19). They are both mentioned on the Moabite Stone as having been recovered from Israel.
[48:1] 162 tn Or “Misgab.” The translation here follows the majority of commentaries and English versions. Only REB sees this as a place name, “Misgab,” which is otherwise unknown. The constant use of this word to refer to a fortress, the presence of the article on the front of it, and the lack of any reference to a place of this name anywhere else argues against it being a place name. However, the fact that the verbs that accompany it are feminine while the noun for “fortress” is masculine causes some pause.
[48:1] 163 tn For the meaning of the verb here see BDB 369 s.v. חָתַת Qal.1 and compare usage in Isa 7:8; 30:31.
[49:4] 164 tn Or “Why do you brag about your valleys, about the fruitfulness of your valleys.” The meaning of the first two lines of this verse are uncertain primarily due to the ambiguity of the expression זָב עִמְקֵךְ (zav ’imqekh). The form זָב (zav) is either a Qal perfect or Qal participle of a verb meaning flow. It is common in the expression “a land flowing with milk and honey” and is also common to refer to the seminal discharge or discharge of blood which makes a man or woman unclean. BDB 264 s.v. זוּב Qal.2 sees it as an abbreviation of the idea of “flowing with milk and honey” and sees it as referring to the fertility of Ammon’s valley. However, there are no other examples of such an ellipsis. Several of the modern English versions and commentaries have taken the word עֵמֶק (’emeq) not as a reference to a valley but to the homonym cited in the note on 47:5 and see the reference here to the flowing away of Ammon’s strength. That interpretation is followed here. Instead of explaining the plural ending on עֲמָקִים (’amaqim) as being an enclitic ם (mem) as others who follow this interpretation (e.g., J. Bright, Jeremiah [AB], 325), the present translation understands the plural as a plural of amplification (cf. GKC 397-98 §124.e and compare the noun “might” in Isa 40:26).
[49:4] 165 tn Heb “apostate daughter.” This same term is applied to Israel in Jer 31:22 but seems inappropriate here to Ammon because she had never been loyal to the
[49:23] 166 tn The words “The
[49:23] 167 sn Damascus is a city in Syria, located below the eastern slopes of the Anti-lebanon Mountains. It was the capital of the Aramean state that was in constant hostility with Israel from the time of David until its destruction by the Assyrians in 732
[49:23] 168 tn Heb “Hamath and Arpad.” There is no word for people in the text. The cities are being personified. However, since it is really the people who are involved and it is clearer for the modern reader, the present translation supplies the words “people of” both here and in v. 24. The verbs in vv. 23-25 are all to be interpreted as prophetic perfects, the tense of the Hebrew verb that views an action as though it were as good as done. The verbs are clearly future in vv. 26-27 which begin with a “therefore.”
[49:23] sn Hamath was a city on the Orontes River about 110 miles (183 km) north of Damascus. Arpad was a city that was 95 miles (158 km) farther north from there. These two cities were in the path of the northern descent of the kings of Assyria and Babylonia and had been conquered earlier under the Assyrian kings (Isa 10:9; 36:19; 37:13). The apparent reference here is to their terror and loss of courage when they hear the news that Nebuchadnezzar’s armies are on the move toward them and Damascus. They would have been in the path of Nebuchadnezzar as he chased Necho south after the battle of Carchemish.
[49:23] 169 tc The meaning of this verse is very uncertain. The Hebrew text apparently reads “Hamath and Arpad are dismayed. They melt away because they have heard bad news. Anxiety is in the sea; it [the sea] cannot be quiet.” Many commentaries and English versions redivide the verse and read “like the sea” for “in the sea” (כַּיָּם [kayyam] for בַּיָּם [bayyam]) and read the feminine singular noun דְּאָגָה (dÿ’agam) as though it were the third masculine plural verb דָּאֲגוּ (da’agu): “They are troubled like the sea.” The translation follows the emendation proposed in BHS and accepted by a number of commentaries (e.g., J. Bright, Jeremiah [AB], 333; J. A. Thompson, Jeremiah [NICOT], 723, n. 1). That emendation involves reading נָמֹג לִבָּם מִדְּאָגָה (namog libbam middÿ’agah) instead of נָמֹגוּ בַּיָּם דְּאָגָה (namogu bayyam dÿ’agah). The translation also involves a double reading of “heart,” for the sake of English style, once in the sense of courage (BDB 525 s.v. לֵב 10) because that is the nuance that best fits “melts” in the English idiom and once in the more general sense of hearts as the seat of fear, anxiety, worry. The double translation is a concession to English style.
[49:29] 170 tn Or “Let their tents…be taken….Let their tent…be carried…. Let people shout….”
[49:29] 171 sn This expression is a favorite theme in the book of Jeremiah. It describes the terrors of war awaiting the people of Judah and Jerusalem (6:25), the Egyptians at Carchemish (46:5), and here the Kedarites.
[49:33] 172 sn Compare Jer 9:11.
[49:33] 173 sn Compare Jer 49:18 and 50:40 where the same thing is said about Edom and Babylon.
[49:36] 174 tn Or more simply, “I will bring enemies against Elam from every direction. / And I will scatter the people of Elam to the four winds. // There won’t be any nation / where the refugees of Elam will not go.” Or more literally, “I will bring the four winds against Elam / from the four quarters of heaven. / I will scatter….” However, the winds are not to be understood literally here. God isn’t going to “blow the Elamites” out of Elam with natural forces. The winds must figuratively represent enemy forces that God will use to drive them out. Translating literally would be misleading at this point.
[50:4] 175 tn Heb “oracle of the
[50:4] 176 tn Heb “and the children of Israel will come, they and the children of Judah together. They shall go, weeping as they go, and they will seek the
[50:5] 177 tc The translation here assumes that the Hebrew בֹּאוּ (bo’u; a Qal imperative masculine plural) should be read בָּאוּ (ba’u; a Qal perfect third plural). This reading is presupposed by the Greek version of Aquila, the Latin version, and the Targum (see BHS note a, which mistakenly assumes that the form must be imperfect).
[50:5] 178 sn See Jer 32:40 and the study note there for the nature of this lasting agreement.
[50:19] 179 tn Heb “their soul [or hunger/appetite] will be satisfied.”
[50:19] 180 sn The metaphor of Israel as a flock of sheep (v. 17) is continued here. The places named were all in Northern Israel and in the Transjordan, lands that were lost to the Assyrians in the period 738-722
[50:20] 181 tn Heb “In those days and at that time, oracle of the
[50:20] 182 sn Compare Jer 31:34 and 33:8.
[50:20] 183 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[50:24] 184 tn Heb “You were found [or found out] and captured because you fought against the
[50:37] 185 tn Hebrew has “his” in both cases here whereas the rest of the possessive pronouns throughout vv. 35-37 are “her.” There is no explanation for this switch unless the third masculine singular refers as a distributive singular to the soldiers mentioned in the preceding verse (cf. GKC 464 §145.l). This is probably the case here, but to refer to “their horses and their chariots” in the midst of all the “her…” might create more confusion than what it is worth to be that pedantic.
[50:37] 186 tn Or “in the country,” or “in her armies”; Heb “in her midst.”
[50:37] 187 tn Heb “A sword against his horses and his chariots and against all the mixed company [or mixed multitude] in her midst and they will become like women.” The sentence had to be split up because it is too long and the continuation of the second half with its consequential statement would not fit together with the first half very well. Hence the subject and verb have been repeated. The Hebrew word translated “foreign troops” (עֶרֶב, ’erev) is the same word that is used in 25:20 to refer to the foreign peoples living in Egypt and in Exod 12:38 for the foreign people that accompanied Israel out of Egypt. Here the word is translated contextually to refer to foreign mercenaries, an identification that most of the commentaries and many of the modern English versions accept (see, e.g., J. Bright, Jeremiah [AB], 355; NRSV; NIV). The significance of the simile “they will become like women” has been spelled out for the sake of clarity.
[51:2] 188 tn Or “I will send foreign people against Babylonia.” The translation follows the reading of the Greek recensions of Aquila and Symmachus and the Latin version (the Vulgate). That reading is accepted by the majority of modern commentaries and several of the modern versions (e.g., NRSV, REB, NAB, and God’s Word). It fits better with the verb that follows it than the reading of the Hebrew text and the rest of the versions. The difference in the two readings is again only the difference in vocalization, the Hebrew text reading זָרִים (zarim) and the versions cited reading זֹרִים (zorim). If the Hebrew text is followed, there is a wordplay between the two words, “foreigners” and “winnow.” The words “like a wind blowing away chaff” have been supplied in the translation to clarify for the reader what “winnow” means.
[51:2] sn Winnowing involved throwing a mixture of grain and chaff (or straw) into the air and letting the wind blow away the lighter chaff, leaving the grain to fall on the ground. Since God considered all the Babylonians chaff, they would all be “blown away.”
[51:2] 189 tn Or “They will strip her land bare like a wind blowing away chaff.” The alternate translation would be necessary if one were to adopt the alternate reading of the first line (the reading of the Hebrew text). The explanation of “winnow” would then be necessary in the second line. The verb translated “strip…bare” means literally “to empty out” (see BDB 132 s.v. בָּקַק Polel). It has been used in 19:7 in the Qal of “making void” Judah’s plans in a wordplay on the word for “bottle.” See the study note on 19:7 for further details.
[51:2] 190 tn This assumes that the particle כִּי (ki) is temporal (cf. BDB 473 s.v. כִּי 2.a). This is the interpretation adopted also by NRSV and G. L. Keown, P. J. Scalise, T. G. Smothers, Jeremiah 26-52 (WBC), 349. J. Bright (Jeremiah [AB], 345) and J. A. Thompson (Jeremiah [NICOT], 747, n. 3) interpret it as asseverative or emphatic, “Truly, indeed.” Many of the modern English versions merely ignore it. Reading it as temporal makes it unnecessary to emend the following verb as Bright and Thompson do (from הָיוּ [hayu] to יִהְיוּ [yihyu]).
[51:2] 191 tn Heb “in the day of disaster.”
[51:36] 192 tn Heb “I will avenge your vengeance [= I will take vengeance for you; the phrase involves a verb and a cognate accusative].” The meaning of the phrase has been spelled out in more readily understandable terms.
[51:36] 193 tn Heb “I will dry up her [Babylon’s] sea and make her fountain dry.” “Their” has been substituted for “her” because “Babylonians” has been inserted in the previous clause and is easier to understand than the personification of Babylon = “her.”
[51:36] sn The reference to their sea is not clear. Most interpreters understand it to be a figurative reference to the rivers and canals surrounding Babylon. But some feel it refers to the reservoir that the wife of Nebuchadnezzar, Queen Nictoris, had made.
[51:39] 194 tn Heb “When they are hot.”
[51:39] 195 tc The translation follows the suggestion of KBL 707 s.v. עָלַז and a number of modern commentaries (e.g., Bright, J. A. Thompson, and W. L. Holladay) in reading יְעֻלְּפוּ (ye’ullÿfu) for יַעֲלֹזוּ (ya’alozu) in the sense of “swoon away” or “grow faint” (see KBL 710 s.v. עָלַף Pual). That appears to be the verb that the LXX (the Greek version) was reading when they translated καρωθῶσιν (karwqwsin, “they will be stupefied”). For parallel usage KBL cites Isa 51:20. This fits the context much better than “they will exult” in the Hebrew text.
[51:39] 196 sn The central figure here is the figure of the cup of the
[51:39] 197 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[51:52] 198 tn Heb “that being so, look, days are approaching.” Here לָכֵן (lakhen) introduces the Lord’s response to the people’s lament (v. 51). It has the force of “yes, but” or “that may be true.” See Judg 11:8 and BDB 486-87 s.v. כֵּן 3.d.
[51:52] 199 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[51:64] 200 tn Or “disaster”; or “calamity.”
[51:64] 201 sn The final chapter of the book of Jeremiah does not mention Jeremiah or record any of his prophecies.
[52:6] 202 sn According to modern reckoning that would have been July 18, 586
[52:6] 203 tn Heb “the people of the land.”
[52:22] 204 tn Heb “five cubits.” A “cubit” was a unit of measure, approximately equivalent to a foot and a half.
