Yeremia 25:1--29:32
Konteks25:1 In the fourth year that Jehoiakim son of Josiah was king of Judah, the Lord spoke to Jeremiah 1 concerning all the people of Judah. (That was the same as the first year that Nebuchadnezzar was king of Babylon.) 2 25:2 So the prophet Jeremiah spoke to all the people of Judah and to all the people who were living in Jerusalem. 3 25:3 “For the last twenty-three years, from the thirteenth year that Josiah son of Amon was ruling in Judah 4 until now, the Lord has been speaking to me. I told you over and over again 5 what he said. 6 But you would not listen. 25:4 Over and over again 7 the Lord has sent 8 his servants the prophets to you. But you have not listened or paid attention. 9 25:5 He said through them, 10 ‘Each of you must turn from your wicked ways and stop doing the evil things you are doing. 11 If you do, I will allow you to continue to live here in the land that I gave to you and your ancestors as a lasting possession. 12 25:6 Do not pay allegiance to 13 other gods and worship and serve them. Do not make me angry by the things that you do. 14 Then I will not cause you any harm.’ 25:7 So, now the Lord says, 15 ‘You have not listened to me. But 16 you have made me angry by the things that you have done. 17 Thus you have brought harm on yourselves.’
25:8 “Therefore, the Lord who rules over all 18 says, ‘You have not listened to what I said. 19 25:9 So I, the Lord, affirm that 20 I will send for all the peoples of the north 21 and my servant, 22 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants and all the nations that surround it. I will utterly destroy 23 this land, its inhabitants, and all the nations that surround it 24 and make them everlasting ruins. 25 I will make them objects of horror and hissing scorn. 26 25:10 I will put an end to the sounds of joy and gladness, to the glad celebration of brides and grooms in these lands. 27 I will put an end to the sound of people grinding meal. I will put an end to lamps shining in their houses. 28 25:11 This whole area 29 will become a desolate wasteland. These nations will be subject to the king of Babylon for seventy years.’ 30
25:12 “‘But when the seventy years are over, I will punish the king of Babylon and his nation 31 for their sins. I will make the land of Babylon 32 an everlasting ruin. 33 I, the Lord, affirm it! 34 25:13 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. 35 25:14 For many nations and great kings will make slaves of the king of Babylon and his nation 36 too. I will repay them for all they have done!’” 37
25:15 So 38 the Lord, the God of Israel, spoke to me in a vision. 39 “Take this cup from my hand. It is filled with the wine of my wrath. 40 Take it and make the nations to whom I send you drink it. 25:16 When they have drunk it, they will stagger to and fro 41 and act insane. For I will send wars sweeping through them.” 42
25:17 So I took the cup from the Lord’s hand. I made all the nations to whom he sent me drink the wine of his wrath. 43 25:18 I made Jerusalem 44 and the cities of Judah, its kings and its officials drink it. 45 I did it so Judah would become a ruin. I did it so Judah, its kings, and its officials would become an object 46 of horror and of hissing scorn, an example used in curses. 47 Such is already becoming the case! 48 25:19 I made all of these other people drink it: Pharaoh, king of Egypt; 49 his attendants, his officials, his people, 25:20 the foreigners living in Egypt; 50 all the kings of the land of Uz; 51 all the kings of the land of the Philistines, 52 the people of Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, the people who had been left alive from Ashdod; 53 25:21 all the people of Edom, 54 Moab, 55 Ammon; 56 25:22 all the kings of Tyre, 57 all the kings of Sidon; 58 all the kings of the coastlands along the sea; 59 25:23 the people of Dedan, Tema, Buz, 60 all the desert people who cut their hair short at the temples; 61 25:24 all the kings of Arabia who 62 live in the desert; 25:25 all the kings of Zimri; 63 all the kings of Elam; 64 all the kings of Media; 65 25:26 all the kings of the north, whether near or far from one another; and all the other kingdoms which are on the face of the earth. After all of them have drunk the wine of the Lord’s wrath, 66 the king of Babylon 67 must drink it.
25:27 Then the Lord said to me, 68 “Tell them that the Lord God of Israel who rules over all 69 says, 70 ‘Drink this cup 71 until you get drunk and vomit. Drink until you fall down and can’t get up. 72 For I will send wars sweeping through you.’ 73 25:28 If they refuse to take the cup from your hand and drink it, tell them that the Lord who rules over all says 74 ‘You most certainly must drink it! 75 25:29 For take note, I am already beginning to bring disaster on the city that I call my own. 76 So how can you possibly avoid being punished? 77 You will not go unpunished! For I am proclaiming war against all who live on the earth. I, the Lord who rules over all, 78 affirm it!’ 79
25:30 “Then, Jeremiah, 80 make the following prophecy 81 against them:
‘Like a lion about to attack, 82 the Lord will roar from the heights of heaven;
from his holy dwelling on high he will roar loudly.
He will roar mightily against his land. 83
He will shout in triumph like those stomping juice from the grapes 84
against all those who live on the earth.
25:31 The sounds of battle 85 will resound to the ends of the earth.
For the Lord will bring charges against the nations. 86
He will pass judgment on all humankind
and will hand the wicked over to be killed in war.’ 87
The Lord so affirms it! 88
25:32 The Lord who rules over all 89 says,
‘Disaster will soon come on one nation after another. 90
A mighty storm of military destruction 91 is rising up
from the distant parts of the earth.’
25:33 Those who have been killed by the Lord at that time
will be scattered from one end of the earth to the other.
They will not be mourned over, gathered up, or buried. 92
Their dead bodies will lie scattered over the ground like manure.
25:34 Wail and cry out in anguish, you rulers!
Roll in the dust, you who shepherd flocks of people! 93
The time for you to be slaughtered has come.
You will lie scattered and fallen like broken pieces of fine pottery. 94
25:35 The leaders will not be able to run away and hide. 95
The shepherds of the flocks will not be able to escape.
25:36 Listen to the cries of anguish of the leaders.
Listen to the wails of the shepherds of the flocks.
They are wailing because the Lord
is about to destroy their lands. 96
25:37 Their peaceful dwelling places will be laid waste 97
by the fierce anger of the Lord. 98
25:38 The Lord is like a lion who has left his lair. 99
So their lands will certainly 100 be laid waste
by the warfare of the oppressive nation 101
and by the fierce anger of the Lord.”
26:1 The Lord spoke to Jeremiah 103 at the beginning of the reign 104 of Josiah’s son, King Jehoiakim of Judah. 26:2 The Lord said, “Go stand in the courtyard of the Lord’s temple. 105 Speak out to all the people who are coming from the towns of Judah to worship in the Lord’s temple. Tell them everything I command you to tell them. Do not leave out a single word! 26:3 Maybe they will pay attention and each of them will stop living the evil way they do. 106 If they do that, then I will forgo destroying them 107 as I had intended to do because of the wicked things they have been doing. 108 26:4 Tell them that the Lord says, 109 ‘You must obey me! You must live according to the way I have instructed you in my laws. 110 26:5 You must pay attention to the exhortations of my servants the prophets. I have sent them to you over and over again. 111 But you have not paid any attention to them. 26:6 If you do not obey me, 112 then I will do to this temple what I did to Shiloh. 113 And I will make this city an example to be used in curses by people from all the nations on the earth.’”
26:7 The priests, the prophets, and all the people heard Jeremiah say these things in the Lord’s temple. 26:8 Jeremiah had just barely finished saying all the Lord had commanded him to say to all the people. All at once some 114 of the priests, the prophets, and the people grabbed him and shouted, “You deserve to die! 115 26:9 How dare you claim the Lord’s authority to prophesy such things! How dare you claim his authority to prophesy that this temple will become like Shiloh and that this city will become an uninhabited ruin!” 116 Then all the people crowded around Jeremiah.
26:10 However, some of the officials 117 of Judah heard about what was happening 118 and they rushed up to the Lord’s temple from the royal palace. They set up court 119 at the entrance of the New Gate of the Lord’s temple. 120 26:11 Then the priests and the prophets made their charges before the officials and all the people. They said, 121 “This man should be condemned to die 122 because he prophesied against this city. You have heard him do so 123 with your own ears.”
26:12 Then Jeremiah made his defense before all the officials and all the people. 124 “The Lord sent me to prophesy everything you have heard me say against this temple and against this city. 26:13 But correct the way you have been living and do what is right. 125 Obey the Lord your God. If you do, the Lord will forgo destroying you as he threatened he would. 126 26:14 As to my case, I am in your power. 127 Do to me what you deem fair and proper. 26:15 But you should take careful note of this: If you put me to death, you will bring on yourselves and this city and those who live in it the guilt of murdering an innocent man. For the Lord has sent me to speak all this where you can hear it. That is the truth!” 128
26:16 Then the officials and all the people rendered their verdict to the priests and the prophets. They said, 129 “This man should not be condemned to die. 130 For he has spoken to us under the authority of the Lord our God.” 131 26:17 Then some of the elders of Judah 132 stepped forward and spoke to all the people gathered there. They said, 26:18 “Micah from Moresheth 133 prophesied during the time Hezekiah was king of Judah. 134 He told all the people of Judah,
‘The Lord who rules over all 135 says,
“Zion 136 will become a plowed field.
Jerusalem 137 will become a pile of rubble.
The temple mount will become a mere wooded ridge.”’ 138
26:19 King Hezekiah and all the people of Judah did not put him to death, did they? Did not Hezekiah show reverence for the Lord and seek the Lord’s favor? 139 Did not 140 the Lord forgo destroying them 141 as he threatened he would? But we are on the verge of bringing great disaster on ourselves.” 142
26:20 Now there was another man 143 who prophesied as the Lord’s representative 144 against this city and this land just as Jeremiah did. His name was Uriah son of Shemaiah from Kiriath Jearim. 145 26:21 When the king and all his bodyguards 146 and officials heard what he was prophesying, 147 the king sought to have him executed. But Uriah found out about it and fled to Egypt out of fear. 148 26:22 However, King Jehoiakim sent some men to Egypt, including Elnathan son of Achbor, 149 26:23 and they brought Uriah back from there. 150 They took him to King Jehoiakim, who had him executed and had his body thrown into the burial place of the common people. 151
26:24 However, Ahikam son of Shaphan 152 used his influence to keep Jeremiah from being handed over and executed by the people. 153
27:1 The Lord spoke to Jeremiah 154 early in the reign of Josiah’s son, King Zedekiah of Judah. 155 27:2 The Lord told me, 156 “Make a yoke 157 out of leather straps and wooden crossbars and put it on your neck. 27:3 Use it to send messages to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, 158 and Sidon. 159 Send them through 160 the envoys who have come to Jerusalem 161 to King Zedekiah of Judah. 27:4 Charge them to give their masters a message from me. Tell them, ‘The Lord God of Israel who rules over all 162 says to give your masters this message. 163 27:5 “I made the earth and the people and animals on it by my mighty power and great strength, 164 and I give it to whomever I see fit. 165 27:6 I have at this time placed all these nations of yours under the power 166 of my servant, 167 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. I have even made all the wild animals subject to him. 168 27:7 All nations must serve him and his son and grandson 169 until the time comes for his own nation to fall. 170 Then many nations and great kings will in turn subjugate Babylon. 171 27:8 But suppose a nation or a kingdom will not be subject to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. Suppose it will not submit to the yoke of servitude to 172 him. I, the Lord, affirm that 173 I will punish that nation. I will use the king of Babylon to punish it 174 with war, 175 starvation, and disease until I have destroyed it. 176 27:9 So do not listen to your prophets or to those who claim to predict the future by divination, 177 by dreams, by consulting the dead, 178 or by practicing magic. They keep telling you, ‘You do not need to be 179 subject to the king of Babylon.’ 27:10 Do not listen to them, 180 because their prophecies are lies. 181 Listening to them will only cause you 182 to be taken far away from your native land. I will drive you out of your country and you will die in exile. 183 27:11 Things will go better for the nation that submits to the yoke of servitude to 184 the king of Babylon and is subject to him. I will leave that nation 185 in its native land. Its people can continue to farm it and live in it. I, the Lord, affirm it!”’” 186
27:12 I told King Zedekiah of Judah the same thing. I said, 187 “Submit 188 to the yoke of servitude to 189 the king of Babylon. Be subject to him and his people. Then you will continue to live. 27:13 There is no reason why you and your people should die in war 190 or from starvation or disease! 191 That’s what the Lord says will happen to any nation 192 that will not be subject to the king of Babylon. 27:14 Do not listen to the prophets who are telling you that you do not need to serve 193 the king of Babylon. For they are prophesying lies to you. 27:15 For I, the Lord, affirm 194 that I did not send them. They are prophesying lies to you. If you 195 listen to them, I will drive you and the prophets who are prophesying lies out of the land and you will all die in exile.” 196
27:16 I also told the priests and all the people, “The Lord says, ‘Do not listen to what your prophets are saying. They are prophesying to you that 197 the valuable articles taken from the Lord’s temple will be brought back from Babylon very soon. 198 But they are prophesying a lie to you. 27:17 Do not listen to them. Be subject to the king of Babylon. Then you 199 will continue to live. Why should this city be made a pile of rubble?’” 200 27:18 I also told them, 201 “If they are really prophets and the Lord is speaking to them, 202 let them pray earnestly to the Lord who rules over all. 203 Let them plead with him not to let the valuable articles that are still left in the Lord’s temple, in the royal palace, and in Jerusalem be taken away 204 to Babylon. 27:19 For the Lord who rules over all 205 has already spoken about the two bronze pillars, 206 the large bronze basin called ‘The Sea,’ 207 and the movable bronze stands. 208 He has already spoken about the rest of the valuable articles that are left in this city. 27:20 He has already spoken about these things that King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon did not take away when he carried Jehoiakim’s son King Jeconiah of Judah and the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem away as captives. 209 27:21 Indeed, the Lord God of Israel who rules over all 210 has already spoken 211 about the valuable articles that are left in the Lord’s temple, in the royal palace of Judah, and in Jerusalem. 27:22 He has said, ‘They will be carried off to Babylon. They will remain there until it is time for me to show consideration for them again. 212 Then I will bring them back and restore them to this place.’ I, the Lord, affirm this!” 213
28:1 The following events occurred in that same year, early in the reign of King Zedekiah of Judah. To be more precise, it was the fifth month of the fourth year of his reign. 214 The prophet Hananiah son of Azzur, who was from Gibeon, spoke to Jeremiah 215 in the Lord’s temple in the presence of the priests and all the people. 216 28:2 “The Lord God of Israel who rules over all 217 says, ‘I will break the yoke of servitude 218 to the king of Babylon. 28:3 Before two years are over, I will bring back to this place everything that King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon took from it and carried away to Babylon. 28:4 I will also bring back to this place Jehoiakim’s son King Jeconiah of Judah and all the exiles who were taken to Babylon.’ Indeed, the Lord affirms, 219 ‘I will break the yoke of servitude to the king of Babylon.’”
28:5 Then the prophet Jeremiah responded to the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests and all the people who were standing in the Lord’s temple. 28:6 The prophet Jeremiah said, “Amen! May the Lord do all this! May the Lord make your prophecy come true! May he bring back to this place from Babylon all the valuable articles taken from the Lord’s temple and the people who were carried into exile. 28:7 But listen to what I say to you and to all these people. 220 28:8 From earliest times, the prophets who preceded you and me invariably 221 prophesied war, disaster, 222 and plagues against many countries and great kingdoms. 28:9 So if a prophet prophesied 223 peace and prosperity, it was only known that the Lord truly sent him when what he prophesied came true.”
28:10 The prophet Hananiah then took the yoke off the prophet Jeremiah’s neck and broke it. 28:11 Then he spoke up in the presence of all the people. “The Lord says, ‘In the same way I will break the yoke of servitude of all the nations to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon 224 before two years are over.’” After he heard this, the prophet Jeremiah departed and went on his way. 225
28:12 But shortly after the prophet Hananiah had broken the yoke off the prophet Jeremiah’s neck, the Lord spoke to Jeremiah. 28:13 “Go and tell Hananiah that the Lord says, 226 ‘You have indeed broken the wooden yoke. But you have 227 only succeeded in replacing it with an iron one! 228 28:14 For the Lord God of Israel who rules over all 229 says, “I have put an irresistible yoke of servitude on all these nations 230 so they will serve King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. And they will indeed serve him. I have even given him control over the wild animals.”’” 231 28:15 Then the prophet Jeremiah told the prophet Hananiah, “Listen, Hananiah! The Lord did not send you! You are making these people trust in a lie! 232 28:16 So the Lord says, ‘I will most assuredly remove 233 you from the face of the earth. You will die this very year because you have counseled rebellion against the Lord.’” 234
28:17 In the seventh month of that very same year 235 the prophet Hananiah died.
29:1 The prophet Jeremiah sent a letter to the exiles Nebuchadnezzar had carried off from Jerusalem 236 to Babylon. It was addressed to the elders who were left among the exiles, to the priests, to the prophets, and to all the other people who were exiled in Babylon. 237 29:2 He sent it after King Jeconiah, the queen mother, the palace officials, 238 the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the metal workers had been exiled from Jerusalem. 239 29:3 He sent it with Elasah son of Shaphan 240 and Gemariah son of Hilkiah. 241 King Zedekiah of Judah had sent these men to Babylon to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. 242 The letter said:
29:4 “The Lord God of Israel who rules over all 243 says to all those he sent 244 into exile to Babylon from Jerusalem, 245 29:5 ‘Build houses and settle down. Plant gardens and eat what they produce. 29:6 Marry and have sons and daughters. Find wives for your sons and allow your daughters get married so that they too can have sons and daughters. Grow in number; do not dwindle away. 29:7 Work to see that the city where I sent you as exiles enjoys peace and prosperity. Pray to the Lord for it. For as it prospers you will prosper.’
29:8 “For the Lord God of Israel who rules over all 246 says, ‘Do not let the prophets or those among you who claim to be able to predict the future by divination 247 deceive you. And do not pay any attention to the dreams that you are encouraging them to dream. 29:9 They are prophesying lies to you and claiming my authority to do so. 248 But I did not send them. I, the Lord, affirm it!’ 249
29:10 “For the Lord says, ‘Only when the seventy years of Babylonian rule 250 are over will I again take up consideration for you. 251 Then I will fulfill my gracious promise to you and restore 252 you to your homeland. 253 29:11 For I know what I have planned for you,’ says the Lord. 254 ‘I have plans to prosper you, not to harm you. I have plans to give you 255 a future filled with hope. 256 29:12 When you call out to me and come to me in prayer, 257 I will hear your prayers. 258 29:13 When you seek me in prayer and worship, you will find me available to you. If you seek me with all your heart and soul, 259 29:14 I will make myself available to you,’ 260 says the Lord. 261 ‘Then I will reverse your plight 262 and will regather you from all the nations and all the places where I have exiled you,’ says the Lord. 263 ‘I will bring you back to the place from which I exiled you.’
29:15 “You say, ‘The Lord has raised up prophets of good news 264 for us here in Babylon.’ 29:16 But just listen to what the Lord has to say about 265 the king who occupies David’s throne and all your fellow countrymen who are still living in this city of Jerusalem 266 and were not carried off into exile with you. 29:17 The Lord who rules over all 267 says, ‘I will bring war, 268 starvation, and disease on them. I will treat them like figs that are so rotten 269 they cannot be eaten. 29:18 I will chase after them with war, 270 starvation, and disease. I will make all the kingdoms of the earth horrified at what happens to them. I will make them examples of those who are cursed, objects of horror, hissing scorn, and ridicule among all the nations where I exile them. 29:19 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,’ 271 says the Lord. 272 ‘And you exiles 273 have not paid any attention to them either,’ says the Lord. 274 29:20 ‘So pay attention to what I, the Lord, have said, 275 all you exiles whom I have sent to Babylon from Jerusalem.’
29:21 “The Lord God of Israel who rules over all 276 also has something to say about Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, who are prophesying lies to you and claiming my authority to do so. 277 ‘I will hand them over to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and he will execute them before your very eyes. 29:22 And all the exiles of Judah who are in Babylon will use them as examples when they put a curse on anyone. They will say, “May the Lord treat you like Zedekiah and Ahab whom the king of Babylon roasted to death in the fire!” 278 29:23 This will happen to them because they have done what is shameful 279 in Israel. They have committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives and have spoken lies while claiming my authority. 280 They have spoken words that I did not command them to speak. I know what they have done. I have been a witness to it,’ says the Lord.” 281
29:24 The Lord told Jeremiah, “Tell 282 Shemaiah the Nehelamite 283 29:25 that the Lord God of Israel who rules over all 284 has a message for him. 285 Tell him, 286 ‘On your own initiative 287 you sent a letter 288 to the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah 289 and to all the other priests and to all the people in Jerusalem. 290 In your letter you said to Zephaniah, 291 29:26 “The Lord has made you priest in place of Jehoiada. 292 He has put you in charge in the Lord’s temple of controlling 293 any lunatic 294 who pretends to be a prophet. 295 And it is your duty to put any such person in the stocks 296 with an iron collar around his neck. 297 29:27 You should have reprimanded Jeremiah from Anathoth who is pretending to be a prophet among you! 298 29:28 For he has even sent a message to us here in Babylon. He wrote and told us, 299 “You will be there a long time. Build houses and settle down. Plant gardens and eat what they produce.”’” 300
29:29 Zephaniah the priest read that letter to the prophet Jeremiah. 301 29:30 Then the Lord spoke to Jeremiah. 29:31 “Send a message to all the exiles in Babylon. Tell them, ‘The Lord has spoken about Shemaiah the Nehelamite. “Shemaiah has spoken to you as a prophet even though I did not send him. He is making you trust in a lie. 302 29:32 Because he has done this,” 303 the Lord says, “I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his whole family. There will not be any of them left to experience the good things that I will do for my people. I, the Lord, affirm it! For he counseled rebellion against the Lord.”’” 304
[25:1] 1 tn Heb “The word was to Jeremiah.” It is implicit from the context that it was the
[25:1] 2 sn The year referred to would be 605
[25:2] 3 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[25:3] 4 sn The year referred to would be 627
[25:3] 5 tn For the idiom involved here see the notes at 7:13 and 11:7.
[25:3] 6 tn The words “what he said” are not in the text but are implicit. They are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[25:4] 7 tn For the idiom involved here see the notes at 7:13 and 11:7.
[25:4] 8 tn The vav consecutive with the perfect in a past narrative is a little unusual. Here it is probably indicating repeated action in past time in keeping with the idiom that precedes and follows it. See GKC 332 §112.f for other possible examples.
[25:4] 9 tn Heb “inclined your ear to hear.” This is idiomatic for “paying attention.” It is often parallel with “listen” as here or with “pay attention” (see, e.g., Prov 4:20; 51:1).
[25:5] 10 tn Heb “saying.” The infinitive goes back to “he sent”; i.e., “he sent, saying.”
[25:5] 11 tn Heb “Turn [masc. pl.] each person from his wicked way and from the evil of your [masc. pl.] doings.” See the same demand in 23:22.
[25:5] 12 tn Heb “gave to you and your fathers with reference to from ancient times even unto forever.” See the same idiom in 7:7.
[25:6] 13 tn Heb “follow after.” See the translator’s note on 2:5 for this idiom.
[25:6] 14 tn Heb “make me angry with the work of your hands.” The term “work of your own hands” is often interpreted as a reference to idolatry as is clearly the case in Isa 2:8; 37:19. However, the parallelism in 25:14 and the context in 32:30 show that it is more general and refers to what they have done. That is likely the meaning here as well.
[25:7] 15 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[25:7] 16 tn This is a rather clear case where the Hebrew particle לְמַעַן (lÿma’an) introduces a consequence and not a purpose, contrary to the dictum of BDB 775 s.v. מַעַן note 1. They have not listened to him in order to make him angry but with the result that they have made him angry by going their own way. Jeremiah appears to use this particle for result rather than purpose on several other occasions (see, e.g., 7:18, 19; 27:10, 15; 32:29).
[25:7] 17 tn Heb “make me angry with the work of your hands.” The term “work of your own hands” is often interpreted as a reference to idolatry as is clearly the case in Isa 2:8; 37:19. However, the parallelism in 25:14 and the context in 32:30 show that it is more general and refers to what they have done. That is likely the meaning here as well.
[25:8] 18 tn Heb “Yahweh of armies.”
[25:8] sn See the study note on 2:19 for an explanation of this title.
[25:8] 19 tn Heb “You have not listened to my words.”
[25:9] 20 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[25:9] 21 sn The many allusions to trouble coming from the north are now clarified: it is the armies of Babylon which included within it contingents from many nations. See 1:14, 15; 4:6; 6:1, 22; 10:22; 13:20 for earlier allusions.
[25:9] 22 sn Nebuchadnezzar is called the
[25:9] 23 tn The word used here was used in the early years of Israel’s conquest for the action of killing all the men, women, and children in the cities of Canaan, destroying all their livestock, and burning their cities down. This policy was intended to prevent Israel from being corrupted by paganism (Deut 7:2; 20:17-18; Josh 6:18, 21). It was to be extended to any city that led Israel away from worshiping God (Deut 13:15) and any Israelite who brought an idol into his house (Deut 7:26). Here the policy is being directed against Judah as well as against her neighbors because of her persistent failure to heed God’s warnings through the prophets. For further usage of this term in application to foreign nations in the book of Jeremiah see 50:21, 26; 51:3.
[25:9] 24 tn Heb “will utterly destroy them.” The referent (this land, its inhabitants, and the nations surrounding it) has been specified in the translation for clarity, since the previous “them” referred to Nebuchadnezzar and his armies.
[25:9] sn This is essentially the introduction to the “judgment on the nations” in vv. 15-29 which begins with Jerusalem and Judah (v. 18) and ultimately ends with Babylon itself (“Sheshach” in v. 26; see note there for explanation of the term).
[25:9] 25 sn The Hebrew word translated “everlasting” is the word often translated “eternal.” However, it sometimes has a more limited time reference. For example it refers to the lifetime of a person who became a “lasting slave” to another person (see Exod 21:6; Deut 15:17). It is also used to refer to the long life wished for a king (1 Kgs 1:31; Neh 2:3). The time frame here is to be qualified at least with reference to Judah and Jerusalem as seventy years (see 29:10-14 and compare v. 12).
[25:9] 26 tn Heb “I will make them an object of horror and a hissing and everlasting ruins.” The sentence has been broken up to separate the last object from the first two which are of slightly different connotation, i.e., they denote the reaction to the latter.
[25:9] sn Compare Jer 18:16 and 19:8 and the study note at 18:16.
[25:10] 27 sn Compare Jer 7:24 and 16:9 for this same dire prediction limited to Judah and Jerusalem.
[25:10] 28 sn The sound of people grinding meal and the presence of lamps shining in their houses were signs of everyday life. The
[25:11] 29 tn Heb “All this land.”
[25:11] 30 sn It should be noted that the text says that the nations will be subject to the king of Babylon for seventy years, not that they will lie desolate for seventy years. Though several proposals have been made for dating this period, many ignore this fact. This most likely refers to the period beginning with Nebuchadnezzar’s defeat of Pharaoh Necho at Carchemish in 605
[25:12] 31 tn Heb “that nation.”
[25:12] 32 tn Heb “the land of the Chaldeans.” See the study note on 21:4 for the use of the term “Chaldeans.”
[25:12] 33 tn Heb “I will visit upon the king of Babylon and upon that nation, oracle of the
[25:12] sn Compare Isa 13:19-22 and Jer 50:39-40.
[25:12] 34 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[25:13] 35 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
[25:14] 36 tn Heb “make slaves of them.” The verb form here indicates that the action is as good as done (the Hebrew prophetic perfect). For the use of the verb rendered “makes slaves” see parallel usage in Lev 25:39, 46 (cf. BDB 713 s.v. עָבַד 3).
[25:14] 37 tn Heb “according to their deeds and according to the work of their hands.” The two phrases are synonymous; it would be hard to represent them both in translation without being redundant. The translation attempts to represent them by the qualifier “all” before the first phrase.
[25:15] 38 tn This is an attempt to render the Hebrew particle כִּי (ki) which is probably being used in the sense that BDB 473-74 s.v. כִּי 3.c notes, i.e., the causal connection is somewhat loose, related here to the prophecies against the nations. “So” seems to be the most appropriate way to represent this.
[25:15] 39 tn Heb “Thus said the
[25:15] 40 sn “Drinking from the cup of wrath” is a common figure to represent being punished by God. Isaiah had used it earlier to refer to the punishment which Judah was to suffer and from which God would deliver her (Isa 51:17, 22) and Jeremiah’s contemporary Habakkuk uses it of Babylon “pouring out its wrath” on the nations and in turn being forced to drink the bitter cup herself (Hab 2:15-16). In Jer 51:7 the
[25:16] 41 tn There is some debate about the meaning of the verb here. Both BDB 172 s.v. גָּעַשׁ Hithpo and KBL 191 s.v. גָּעַשׁ Hitpol interpret this of the back and forth movement of staggering. HALOT 192 s.v. גָּעַשׁ Hitpo interprets it as vomiting. The word is used elsewhere of the up and down movement of the mountains (2 Sam 22:8) and the up and down movement of the rolling waves of the Nile (Jer 46:7, 8). The fact that a different verb is used in v. 27 for vomiting would appear to argue against it referring to vomiting (contra W. L. Holladay, Jeremiah [Hermeneia], 1:674; it is “they” that do this not their stomachs).
[25:16] 42 tn Heb “because of the sword that I will send among them.” Here, as often elsewhere in Jeremiah, the sword is figurative for warfare which brings death. See, e.g., 15:2. The causal particle here is found in verbal locutions where it is the cause of emotional states or action. Hence there are really two “agents” which produce the effects of “staggering” and “acting insane,” the cup filled with God’s wrath and the sword. The sword is the “more literal” and the actual agent by which the first agent’s action is carried out.
[25:17] 43 tn The words “the wine of his wrath” are not in the text but are implicit in the metaphor (see vv. 15-16). They are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[25:18] 44 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[25:18] 45 tn The words “I made” and “drink it” are not in the text. The text from v. 18 to v. 26 contains a list of the nations that Jeremiah “made drink it.” The words are supplied in the translation here and at the beginning of v. 19 for the sake of clarity. See also the note on v. 26.
[25:18] 46 tn Heb “in order to make them a ruin, an object of…” The sentence is broken up and the antecedents are made specific for the sake of clarity and English style.
[25:18] 47 tn See the study note on 24:9 for explanation.
[25:18] 48 tn Heb “as it is today.” This phrase would obviously be more appropriate after all these things had happened as is the case in 44:6, 23 where the verbs referring to these conditions are past. Some see this phrase as a marginal gloss added after the tragedies of 597
[25:19] 49 sn See further Jer 46:2-28 for the judgment against Egypt.
[25:20] 50 tn The meaning of this term and its connection with the preceding is somewhat uncertain. This word is used of the mixture of foreign people who accompanied Israel out of Egypt (Exod 12:38) and of the foreigners that the Israelites were to separate out of their midst in the time of Nehemiah (Neh 13:3). Most commentators interpret it here of the foreign people who were living in Egypt. (See BDB 786 s.v. I עֶרֶב and KBL 733 s.v. II עֶרֶב.)
[25:20] 51 sn The land of Uz was Job’s homeland (Job 1:1). The exact location is unknown but its position here between Egypt and the Philistine cities suggests it is south of Judah, probably in the Arabian peninsula. Lam 4:21 suggests that it was near Edom.
[25:20] 52 sn See further Jer 47:1-7 for the judgment against the Philistines. The Philistine cities were west of Judah.
[25:20] 53 sn The Greek historian Herodotus reports that Ashdod had been destroyed under the Pharaoh who preceded Necho, Psammetichus.
[25:21] 54 sn See further Jer 49:7-22 for the judgment against Edom. Edom, Moab, and Ammon were east of Judah.
[25:21] 55 sn See further Jer 48:1-47 for the judgment against Moab.
[25:21] 56 sn See further Jer 49:1-6 for the judgment against Ammon.
[25:22] 57 map For location see Map1 A2; Map2 G2; Map4 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.
[25:22] 58 sn Tyre and Sidon are mentioned within the judgment on the Philistines in Jer 47:4. They were Phoenician cities to the north and west of Judah on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in what is now Lebanon.
[25:22] map For location see Map1 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.
[25:22] 59 sn The connection with Tyre and Sidon suggests that these were Phoenician colonies. See also Isa 23:2.
[25:23] 60 sn Dedan and Tema are mentioned together in Isa 21:13-14 and located in the desert. They were located in the northern part of the Arabian peninsula south and east of Ezion Geber. Buz is not mentioned anywhere else and its location is unknown. Judgment against Dedan and Tema is mentioned in conjunction with the judgment on Edom in Jer 47:7-8.
[25:23] 61 tn For the discussion regarding the meaning of the terms here see the notes on 9:26.
[25:23] sn See Jer 9:26 where these are mentioned in connection with Moab, Edom, and Ammon.
[25:24] 62 tc Or “and all the kings of people of mixed origin who.” The Greek version gives evidence of having read the term only once; it refers to the “people of mixed origin” without reference to the kings of Arabia. While the term translated “people of mixed origin” seems appropriate in the context of a group of foreigners within a larger entity (e.g. Israel in Exod 12:38; Neh 13:3; Egypt in Jer 50:37), it seems odd to speak of them as a separate entity under their own kings. The presence of the phrase in the Hebrew text and the other versions dependent upon it can be explained as a case of dittography.
[25:24] sn See further Jer 49:28-33 for judgment against some of these Arabian peoples.
[25:25] 63 sn The kingdom of Zimri is mentioned nowhere else, so its location is unknown.
[25:25] 64 sn See further Jer 49:34-39 for judgment against Elam.
[25:25] 65 sn Elam and Media were east of Babylon; Elam in the south and Media in the north. They were in what is now western Iran.
[25:26] 66 tn The words “have drunk the wine of the
[25:26] 67 tn Heb “the king of Sheshach.” “Sheshach” is a code name for Babylon formed on the principle of substituting the last letter of the alphabet for the first, the next to the last for the second, and so on. On this principle Hebrew שׁ (shin) is substituted for Hebrew ב (bet) and Hebrew כ (kaf) is substituted for Hebrew ל (lamed). On the same principle “Leb Kamai” in Jer 51:1 is a code name for Chasdim or Chaldeans which is Jeremiah’s term for the Babylonians. No explanation is given for why the code names are used. The name “Sheshach” for Babylon also occurs in Jer 51:41 where the term Babylon is found in parallelism with it.
[25:27] 68 tn The words “Then the
[25:27] 69 tn Heb “Yahweh of armies, the God of Israel.”
[25:27] sn See the study notes on 2:19 and 7:3 for explanation of this extended title.
[25:27] 70 tn Heb “Tell them, ‘Thus says the
[25:27] 71 tn The words “this cup” are not in the text but are implicit to the metaphor and the context. They are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[25:27] 72 tn Heb “Drink, and get drunk, and vomit and fall down and don’t get up.” The imperatives following drink are not parallel actions but consequent actions. For the use of the imperative plus the conjunctive “and” to indicate consequent action, even intention see GKC 324-25 §110.f and compare usage in 1 Kgs 22:12; Prov 3:3b-4a.
[25:27] 73 tn Heb “because of the sword that I will send among you.” See the notes on 2:16 for explanation.
[25:28] 74 tn Heb “Tell them, ‘Thus says the
[25:28] 75 tn The translation attempts to reflect the emphatic construction of the infinitive absolute preceding the finite verb which is here an obligatory imperfect. (See Joüon 2:371-72 §113.m and 2:423 §123.h, and compare usage in Gen 15:13.)
[25:29] 76 tn Heb “which is called by my name.” See translator’s note on 7:10 for support.
[25:29] 77 tn This is an example of a question without the formal introductory particle following a conjunctive vav introducing an opposition. (See Joüon 2:609 §161.a.) It is also an example of the use of the infinitive before the finite verb in a rhetorical question involving doubt or denial. (See Joüon 2:422-23 §123.f, and compare usage in Gen 37:8.)
[25:29] 78 tn Heb “Yahweh of armies.”
[25:29] sn See the study notes on 2:19 and 7:3 for explanation of this extended title.
[25:29] 79 tn Heb “Oracle of Yahweh of armies.”
[25:30] 80 tn The word “Jeremiah” is not in the text. It is supplied in the translation to make clear who is being addressed.
[25:30] 81 tn Heb “Prophesy against them all these words.”
[25:30] 82 tn The words “like a lion about to attack” are not in the text but are implicit in the metaphor. The explicit comparison of the
[25:30] sn For the metaphor of the
[25:30] 83 sn The word used here (Heb “his habitation”) refers to the land of Canaan which the
[25:30] 84 sn The metaphor shifts from God as a lion to God as a mighty warrior (Jer 20:11; Isa 42:13; Zeph 3:17) shouting in triumph over his foes. Within the metaphor is a simile where the warrior is compared to a person stomping on grapes to remove the juice from them in the making of wine. The figure will be invoked later in a battle scene where the sounds of joy in the grape harvest are replaced by the sounds of joy of the enemy soldiers (Jer 48:33). The picture is drawn in more gory detail in Isa 63:1-6.
[25:31] 85 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] 86 tn Heb “the
[25:31] 87 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] 88 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[25:32] 89 tn Heb “Yahweh of armies.”
[25:32] sn See the study notes on 2:19 and 7:3 for explanation of this extended title.
[25:32] 90 tn Heb “will go forth from nation to nation.”
[25:32] 91 tn The words “of military destruction” have been supplied in the translation to make the metaphor clear. The metaphor has shifted from that of God as a lion, to God as a warrior, to God as a judge, to God as the author of the storm winds of destruction.
[25:32] sn For the use of this word in a literal sense see Jonah 1:4. For its use to refer to the wrath of the
[25:33] 92 sn The intent here is to emphasize the large quantity of those who are killed – there will be too many to insure proper mourning rites and proper burial.
[25:34] 93 tn Heb “Wail and cry out, you shepherds. Roll in the dust, you leaders of the flock.” The terms have been reversed to explain the figure.
[25:34] sn The term “shepherd” has been used several times in the book of Jeremiah to refer to the leaders of the people who were responsible for taking care of their people who are compared to a flock. (See Jer 23:1-4 and the notes there.) Here the figure has some irony involved in it. It is the shepherds who are to be slaughtered like sheep. They may have considered themselves “choice vessels” (the literal translation of “fine pottery”), but they would be slaughtered and lie scattered on the ground (v. 33) like broken pottery.
[25:34] 94 tn The meaning of this line is debated. The Greek version does not have the words “lie scattered” and it reads the words “like broken pieces of fine pottery” (Heb “like choice vessels”; כִּכְלִי חֶמְדָּה, kikhli khemdah) as “like choice rams” (כְּאֵילֵי חֶמְדָּה, kÿ’ele khemdah); i.e., “the days have been completed for you to be slaughtered and you will fall like choice rams.” The reading of the Greek version fits the context better, but is probably secondary for that very reason. The word translated “lie scattered” (תְּפוֹצָה, tÿfotsah) occurs nowhere else and the switch to the simile of “choice vessels” is rather abrupt. However, this section has been characterized by switching metaphors. The key to the interpretation and translation here is the consequential nature of the verbal actions involved. “Fall” does not merely refer to the action but the effect, i.e., “lie fallen” (cf. BDB 657 s.v. נָפַל 7 and compare Judg 3:25; 1 Sam 31:8). Though the noun translated “lie scattered” does not occur elsewhere, the verb does. It is quite commonly used of dispersing people and that has led many to see that as the reference here. The word, however, can be used of scattering other things like seed (Isa 28:25), arrows (2 Sam 22:15; metaphorical for lightning), etc. Here it follows “slaughtered” and refers to their dead bodies. The simile (Heb “ fallen like choice vessels”) is elliptical, referring to “broken pieces” of choice vessels. In this sense the simile fits in perfectly with v. 33.
[25:35] 95 tn Heb “Flight [or “place of escape”] will perish from the shepherds.”
[25:35] sn Judging from Gen 14:10 and Judg 8:12 (among many others), it was not uncommon for the leaders to try to save their own necks at the expense of their soldiers.
[25:36] 96 tn Heb “their pastures,” i.e., the place where they “shepherd” their “flocks.” The verb tenses in this section are not as clear as in the preceding. The participle in this verse is followed by a vav consecutive perfect like the imperatives in v. 34. The verbs in v. 38 are perfects but they can be and probably should be understood as prophetic like the perfect in v. 31 (נְתָנָם, nÿtanam) which is surrounded by imperfects, participles, and vav consecutive perfects.
[25:36] sn Jer 25:36-38 shifts to the future as though the action were already accomplished or going on. It is the sound that Jeremiah hears in his “prophetic ears” of something that has begun (v. 29) but will find its culmination in the future (vv. 13, 16, 27, 30-35).
[25:37] 97 tn For this meaning of the verb used here see HALOT 217 s.v. דָּמַם Nif. Elsewhere it refers to people dying (see, e.g., Jer 49:26; 50:30) hence some see a reference to “lifeless.”
[25:37] 98 tn Heb “because of the burning anger of the
[25:38] 99 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] 100 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] 101 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
[26:1] 102 sn Beginning with Jer 26 up to Jer 45 the book narrates in third person style incidents in the life of Jeremiah and prophecies (or sermons) he gave in obedience to the
[26:1] 103 tn The words “to Jeremiah” are not in the Hebrew text. They are added by the Old Latin (not the Vulgate) and the Syriac versions. They are implicit, however, to the narrative style which speaks of Jeremiah in the third person (cf. vv. 7, 12). They have been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[26:1] 104 tn It is often thought that the term here is equivalent to a technical term in Akkadian (reshsharruti) which refers to the part of the year remaining from the death or deposing of the previous king until the beginning of the calendar year when the new king officially ascended the throne. In this case it would refer to the part of the year between September, 609
[26:2] 105 sn It is generally agreed that the incident recorded in this chapter relates to the temple message that Jeremiah gave in 7:1-15. The message there is summarized here in vv. 3-6. The primary interest here is in the response to that message.
[26:3] 106 tn Heb “will turn from his wicked way.”
[26:3] 107 tn For the idiom and translation of terms involved here see 18:8 and the translator’s note there.
[26:3] sn The
[26:3] 108 tn Heb “because of the wickedness of their deeds.”
[26:4] 109 tn Heb “thus says the
[26:4] 110 tn Heb “by walking in my law which I set before you.”
[26:4] sn Examples of those laws are found in Jer 7:5-6, 9. The law was summarized or epitomized in the ten commandments which are called the “words of the covenant” in Exod 34:28, but it contained much more. However, when Israel is taken to task by God, it often relates to their failure to live up to the standards of the ten commandments (Heb “the ten words”; see Hos 4:1-3; Jer 7:9).
[26:5] 111 tn See the translator’s note on 7:13 for the idiom here.
[26:6] 112 tn 26:4-6 are all one long sentence containing a long condition with subordinate clauses (vv. 4-5) and a compound consequence in v. 6: Heb “If you will not obey me by walking in my law…by paying attention to the words of the prophets which…and you did not pay heed, then I will make…and I will make…” The sentence has been broken down in conformity to contemporary English style but an attempt has been made to reflect all the subordinations in the English translation.
[26:6] 113 sn See the study note on Jer 7:13.
[26:8] 114 tn The translation again represents an attempt to break up a long complex Hebrew sentence into equivalent English ones that conform more to contemporary English style: Heb “And as soon as Jeremiah finished saying all that…the priests…grabbed him and said…” The word “some” has been supplied in the translation, because obviously it was not all the priests, the prophets, and all the people, but only some of them. There is, of course, rhetorical intent here to show that all were implicated, although all may not have actually participated. (This is a common figure called synecdoche where all is put for a part – all for all kinds or representatives of all kinds. See E. W. Bullinger, Figures of Speech, 614-19, and compare usage in Acts 10:12; Matt 3:5.)
[26:8] 115 tn Or “You must certainly die!” The construction here is again emphatic with the infinitive preceding the finite verb (cf. Joüon 2:423 §123.h, and compare usage in Exod 21:28).
[26:9] 116 tn Heb “Why have you prophesied in the
[26:9] sn They are questioning his right to claim the
[26:10] 117 sn These officials of Judah were officials from the royal court. They may have included some of the officials mentioned in Jer 36:12-25. They would have been concerned about any possible “illegal” proceedings going on in the temple.
[26:10] 118 tn Heb “these things.”
[26:10] 119 tn Heb “they sat” or “they took their seats.” However, the context is one of judicial trial.
[26:10] sn The gateway or gate complex of an ancient Near Eastern city was often used for court assemblies (cf. Deut 21:19; 22:15; Ruth 4:1; Isa 29:21). Here the gate of the temple was used for the convening of a court to try Jeremiah for the charge of being a false prophet.
[26:10] 120 tn The translation follows many Hebrew
[26:10] sn The location of the New Gate is uncertain. It is mentioned again in Jer 36:10 where it is connected with the upper (i.e., inner) court of the temple. Some equate it with the Upper Gate that Jotham rebuilt during his reign (2 Kgs 15:35; Jotham reigned from 750-735
[26:11] 121 tn Heb “the priests and prophets said to the leaders and the people….” The long sentence has been broken up to conform better with contemporary English style and the situational context is reflected in “laid their charges.”
[26:11] 122 tn Heb “a sentence of death to this man.”
[26:12] 124 tn Heb “Jeremiah said to all the leaders and all the people….” See the note on the word “said” in the preceding verse.
[26:13] 125 tn Heb “Make good your ways and your actions.” For the same expression see 7:3, 5; 18:11.
[26:13] 126 tn For the idiom and translation of terms involved here see 18:8 and the translator’s note there.
[26:13] sn The
[26:14] 127 tn Heb “And I, behold I am in your hand.” Hand is quite commonly used for “power” or “control” in biblical contexts.
[26:15] 128 tn Heb “For in truth the
[26:16] 129 tn Heb “Then the officials and all the people said to the priests and the prophets…”
[26:16] 130 sn Contrast v. 11.
[26:16] 131 tn Heb “For in the name of the
[26:16] sn The priests and false prophets claimed that they were speaking in the
[26:17] 132 tn Heb “elders of the land.”
[26:17] sn The elders were important land-owning citizens, separate from the “heads” or leaders of the tribes, the officers and the judges. They were very influential in both the judicial, political, and religious proceedings of the cities and the state. (See, e.g., Josh 24:1; 2 Sam 19:11; 2 Kgs 23:1 for elders of Israel/Judah, and Deut 21:1-9; Ruth 4:1-2 for elders of the cities.)
[26:18] 133 sn Micah from Moresheth was a contemporary of Isaiah (compare Mic 1:1 with Isa 1:1) from the country town of Moresheth in the hill country southwest of Jerusalem. The prophecy referred to is found in Mic 3:12. This is the only time in the OT where an OT prophet is quoted verbatim and identified.
[26:18] 134 sn Hezekiah was co-regent with his father Ahaz from 729-715
[26:18] 135 tn Heb “Yahweh of armies.”
[26:18] sn For an explanation of this title for God see the study note on 2:19.
[26:18] 136 sn Zion was first of all the citadel that David captured (2 Sam 5:6-10), then the city of David and the enclosed temple area, then the whole city of Jerusalem. It is often in poetic parallelism with Jerusalem as it is here (see, e.g., Ps 76:2; Amos 1:2).
[26:18] 137 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[26:18] 138 sn There is irony involved in this statement. The text reads literally “high places of a forest/thicket.” The “high places” were the illicit places of worship that Jerusalem was supposed to replace. Because of their sin, Jerusalem would be like one of the pagan places of worship with no place left sacrosanct. It would even be overgrown with trees and bushes. So much for its inviolability!
[26:19] 139 tn This Hebrew idiom (חָלָה פָּנִים, khalah panim) is often explained in terms of “stroking” or “patting the face” of someone, seeking to gain his favor. It is never used in a literal sense and is found in contexts of prayer (Exod 32:11; Ps 119:158), worship (Zech 8:21-22), humble submission (2 Chr 3:12), or amendment of behavior (Dan 9:13). All were true to one extent or another of Hezekiah.
[26:19] 140 tn The he interrogative (הַ)with the negative governs all three of the verbs, the perfect and the two vav (ו) consecutive imperfects that follow it. The next clause has disjunctive word order and introduces a contrast. The question expects a positive answer.
[26:19] 141 tn For the translation of the terms involved here see the translator’s note on 18:8.
[26:19] 142 tn Or “great harm to ourselves.” The word “disaster” (or “harm”) is the same one that has been translated “destroying” in the preceding line and in vv. 3 and 13.
[26:20] 143 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] 144 tn Heb “in the name of the
[26:20] 145 tn Heb “Now also a man was prophesying in the name of the
[26:21] 146 tn Heb “all his mighty men/soldiers.” It is unlikely that this included all the army. It more likely was the palace guards or royal bodyguards (see 2 Sam 23 where the same word is used of David’s elite corps).
[26:21] 147 tn Heb “his words.”
[26:21] 148 tn Heb “But Uriah heard and feared and fled and entered Egypt.”
[26:22] 149 sn Elnathan son of Achbor was one of the officials who urged Jeremiah and Baruch to hide after they heard Jeremiah’s prophecies read before them (Jer 36:11-19). He was also one of the officials who urged Jehoiakim not to burn the scroll containing Jeremiah’s prophecies (Jer 36:25). He may have been Jehoiakim’s father-in-law (2 Kgs 24:6, 8).
[26:23] 150 tn Heb “from Egypt.”
[26:23] sn A standard part of international treaties at this time was a stipulation of mutual extradition of political prisoners. Jehoiakim was a vassal of Pharaoh Necho (see 2 Kgs 23:34-35) and undoubtedly had such a treaty with him.
[26:23] 151 sn The burial place of the common people was the public burial grounds, distinct from the family tombs, where poor people without any distinction were buried. It was in the Kidron Valley east of Jerusalem (2 Kgs 23:6). The intent of reporting this is to show the ruthlessness of Jehoiakim.
[26:24] 152 sn Ahikam son of Shaphan was an official during the reign of Jehoiakim’s father, Josiah (2 Kgs 22:12, 14). He was also the father of Gedaliah who became governor of Judah after the fall of Jerusalem (Jer 40:5). The particle at the beginning of the verse is meant to contrast the actions of this man with the actions of Jehoiakim. The impression created by this verse is that it took more than just the royal officials’ opinion and the elders’ warnings to keep the priests and prophets from swaying popular opinion to put Jeremiah to death.
[26:24] 153 tn Heb “Nevertheless, the hand of Ahikam son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah so that he would not be given (even more literally, ‘so as not to give him’) into the hand of the people to kill him.” “Hand” is often used for “aid,” “support,” “influence,” “power,” “control.”
[27:1] 154 sn The names of Jeremiah and of Nebuchadnezzar are spelled differently in the Hebrew of chapter 27-29. That and other literary features show that these three chapters are all closely related. The events of these three chapters all take place within the space of one year (cf. 28:1; 29:17).
[27:1] 155 tc The reading here is based on a few Hebrew
[27:1] sn If the text of 28:1 is correct, the date here would be sometime in the fourth year of Zedekiah which would be 594/3
[27:2] 156 tn There is some disjunction in the narrative of this chapter. The introduction in v. 1 presents this as a third person narrative. But the rest of the passage reports the narrative in first person. Thus the text reads here “Thus the
[27:2] 157 sn The yoke is a common biblical symbol of political servitude (see, e.g., Deut 28:48; 1 Kgs 12:4, 9, 10). From the context of 1 Kgs 12 it is clear that it applied to taxation and the provision of conscript labor. In international political contexts it involved the payment of heavy tribute which was often conscripted from the citizens (see, e.g., 2 Kgs 15:19-20; 23:34-35) and the furnishing of military contingents for the sovereign’s armies (see, e.g., 2 Kgs 24:2). Jeremiah’s message here combines both a symbolic action (the wearing of a yoke) and words of explanation as in Jer 19:1-13. (See Isa 20:1-6 for an example outside of Jeremiah.) The casting off of the yoke has been used earlier in Jer 2:20, 5:5 to refer to Israel’s failure to remain spiritually “subject” or faithful to God.
[27:3] 158 map For location see Map1 A2; Map2 G2; Map4 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.
[27:3] 159 sn The nations of Edom, Moab, and Ammon were east of Judah. They were sometimes allies and sometimes enemies. The nations of Tyre and Sidon were on the sea coast north and west of Judah. They are best known for their maritime trade during the reign of Solomon. They were more commonly allies of Israel and Judah than enemies.
[27:3] map For the location of Sidon see Map1 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.
[27:3] 160 tn Heb “send by means of them” [i.e., the straps and crossbars made into a yoke] to…through.” The text is broken up in conformity with contemporary English style. Many English versions ignore the suffix on the end of “send” and find some support for this on the basis of its absence in the Lucianic Greek text. However, it is probably functioning metonymically here for the message which they see symbolized before them and is now explained clearly to them.
[27:3] 161 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[27:4] 162 tn Heb “Yahweh of armies, the God of Israel.”
[27:4] sn See study notes on 2:19 and 7:3 for the significance of this title.
[27:4] 163 tn Heb “Give them a charge to their masters saying, ‘Thus says Yahweh of armies, the God of Israel, “Thus you shall say unto your masters…”’” The sentence is broken up in conformity with contemporary English style.
[27:5] 164 tn Heb “by my great power and my outstretched arm.” Again “arm” is symbolical for “strength.” Compare the similar expression in 21:5.
[27:5] 165 sn See Dan 4:17 for a similar statement.
[27:6] 166 tn Heb “have given…into the hand of.”
[27:6] 167 sn See the study note on 25:9 for the significance of the application of this term to Nebuchadnezzar.
[27:6] 168 tn Heb “I have given…to him to serve him.” The verb “give” in this syntactical situation is functioning like the Hiphil stem, i.e., as a causative. See Dan 1:9 for parallel usage. For the usage of “serve” meaning “be subject to” compare 2 Sam 22:44 and BDB 713 s.v. עָבַד 3.
[27:6] sn This statement is rhetorical, emphasizing the totality of Nebuchadnezzar’s dominion. Neither here nor in Dan 2:38 is it to be understood literally.
[27:7] 169 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] 170 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] 171 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.)
[27:8] 172 tn Heb “put their necks in the yoke of.” See the study note on v. 2 for the figure.
[27:8] 173 tn Heb “oracle of the
[27:8] 174 tn Heb “The nation and/or the kingdom which will not serve him, Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and which will not put its neck in the yoke of the king of Babylon, by sword, starvation, and disease I will punish [or more literally, “visit upon”] that nation, oracle of the
[27:8] 175 tn Heb “with/by the sword.”
[27:8] 176 tc The verb translated “destroy” (תָּמַם, tamam) is usually intransitive in the stem of the verb used here. It is found in a transitive sense elsewhere only in Ps 64:7. BDB 1070 s.v. תָּמַם 7 emends both texts. In this case they recommend תִּתִּי (titi): “until I give them into his hand.” That reading is suggested by the texts of the Syriac and Targumic translations (see BHS fn c). The Greek translation supports reading the verb “destroy” but treats it as though it were intransitive “until they are destroyed by his hand” (reading תֻּמָּם [tummam]). The MT here is accepted as the more difficult reading and support is seen in the transitive use of the verb in Ps 64:7.
[27:8] tn Heb “I will punish that nation until I have destroyed them [i.e., its people] by his hand.” “Hand” here refers to agency. Hence, “I will use him.”
[27:9] 177 sn Various means of divination are alluded to in the OT. For example, Ezek 21:26-27 alludes to throwing down arrows to see which way they fall and consulting the shape of the liver of slaughtered animals. Gen 44:5 alludes to reading the future through pouring liquid in a cup. The means alluded to in this verse were all classified as pagan and prohibited as illegitimate in Deut 18:10-14. The
[27:9] 178 sn An example of this is seen in 1 Sam 28.
[27:9] 179 tn The verb in this context is best taken as a negative obligatory imperfect. See IBHS 508-9 §31.4g for discussion and examples. See Exod 4:15 as an example of positive obligation.
[27:10] 180 tn The words “Don’t listen to them” have been repeated from v. 9a to pick up the causal connection between v. 9a and v. 10 that is formally introduced by a causal particle in v. 10 in the original text.
[27:10] 181 tn Heb “they are prophesying a lie.”
[27:10] 182 tn Heb “lies will result in your being taken far…” (לְמַעַן [lÿma’an] + infinitive). This is a rather clear case of the particle לְמַעַן introducing result (contra BDB 775 s.v. מַעַן note 1. There is no irony in this statement; it is a bold prediction).
[27:10] 183 tn The words “out of your country” are not in the text but are implicit in the meaning of the verb. The words “in exile” are also not in the text but are implicit in the context. These words have been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[27:11] 184 tn Heb “put their necks in the yoke of.” See the study note on v. 2 for the figure.
[27:11] 185 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] 186 tn Heb “oracle of the
[27:12] 187 tn Heb “I spoke to Zedekiah…according to all these words, saying.”
[27:12] 188 sn The verbs in this verse are all plural. They are addressed to Zedekiah and his royal advisers (compare 22:2).
[27:12] 189 tn Heb “put their necks in the yoke of.” See the study note on v. 2 for the figure.
[27:13] 190 tn Heb “with/by the sword.”
[27:13] 191 tn Heb “Why should you and your people die…?” The rhetorical question expects the answer made explicit in the translation, “There is no reason!”
[27:13] 192 tn Heb “…disease according to what the
[27:14] 193 tn The verb in this context is best taken as a negative obligatory imperfect. See IBHS 508 §31.4g for discussion and examples. See Exod 4:15 as an example of positive obligation.
[27:15] 194 tn Heb “oracle of the
[27:15] 195 sn The verbs are again plural referring to the king and his royal advisers.
[27:15] 196 tn Heb “…drive you out and you will perish, you and the prophets who are prophesying lies.”
[27:15] sn For the fulfillment of this prophecy see Jer 39:5-7; 52:7-11; 2 Kgs 25:4-7.
[27:16] 197 tn Heb “don’t listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you….” The sentence has been broken up for the sake of English style and one level of embedded quotes has been eliminated to ease complexity.
[27:16] 198 sn This refers to the valuable articles of the temple treasury which were carried off by Nebuchadnezzar four years earlier when he carried off Jeconiah, his family, some of his nobles, and some of the cream of Judean society (2 Kgs 24:10-16, especially v. 13 and see also vv. 19-20 in the verses following).
[27:17] 199 tn The imperative with vav (ו) here and in v. 12 after another imperative are a good example of the use of the imperative to introduce a consequence. (See GKC 324-25 §110.f and see Gen 42:18. This is a common verb in this idiom.)
[27:17] 200 tn According to E. W. Bullinger (Figures of Speech, 954) both this question and the one in v. 13 are examples of rhetorical questions of prohibition / “don’t let this city be made a pile of rubble.”
[27:18] 201 tn The words “I also told them” are not in the text, but it is obvious from the fact that the
[27:18] 202 tn Heb “the word of the
[27:18] 203 tn Heb “Yahweh of armies.”
[27:18] sn For the significance of this title see the study note on 2:19.
[27:18] 204 tn Heb “…speaking to them, let them entreat the
[27:19] 205 tn Heb “Yahweh of armies.” For the significance of this title see the note at 2:19.
[27:19] 206 tn The words “two bronze” are not in the text. They have been supplied in the translation to help identify the referent.
[27:19] sn The two bronze pillars are the two free-standing pillars at the entrance of the temple (Jakin and Boaz) described in 1 Kgs 7:15-22.
[27:19] 207 tn The words “the large bronze basin called” are not in the text. They have been supplied in the translation to help identify the referent.
[27:19] sn “The Sea” refers to the large basin that was mounted on twelve bronze bulls. It stood in front of the temple and contained water for the priests to bathe themselves (2 Chr 4:6; cf. Exod 30:17-21). It is described in 1 Kgs 7:23-26.
[27:19] 208 tn The words “movable bronze” are not in the text. They have been supplied in the translation to help identify the referent. See the study note for further reference.
[27:19] sn The bronze stands are the movable bronze stands described in 1 Kgs 7:27-37. They were the stands for the bronze basins described in 1 Kgs 7:38-39. According to 2 Chr 4:6 the latter were used to wash the burnt offerings. The priests would have been very concerned especially about the big bronze basin and the movable stands and their basins because they involved their ritual purification apart from which they would have had no sanctity. These articles (or furnishings in this case) were broken up and the bronze carried away to Babylon along with all the other bronze, silver, and gold furnishings when the temple and the city were destroyed in 587
[27:20] 209 tn 27:19-20 are all one long sentence in Hebrew. It has been broken up for the sake of English style. Some of the sentences still violate contemporary English style (e.g., v. 20) but breaking them down any further would lose the focus. For further discussion see the study note on v. 21.
[27:21] 210 tn Heb “Yahweh of armies, the God of Israel.” For the significance of this title see the note at 2:19.
[27:21] 211 sn Some of the flavor of the repetitive nature of Hebrew narrative is apparent in vv. 19-21. In the Hebrew original vv. 19-20 are all one long sentence with complex coordination and subordinations. I.e., all the objects in v. 19 are all objects of the one verb “has spoken about” and the description in v. 20 is one long relative or descriptive clause. The introductory “For the
[27:22] 212 tn This verb is a little difficult to render here. The word is used in the sense of taking note of something and acting according to what is noticed. It is the word that has been translated several times throughout Jeremiah as “punish [someone].” It is also used in the opposite of sense of taking note and “show consideration for” (or “care for;” see, e.g., Ruth 1:6). Here the nuance is positive and is further clarified by the actions that follow, bringing them back and restoring them.
[27:22] 213 tn Heb “oracle of the
[28:1] 214 tc The original text is unusually full here and deemed by many scholars to be corrupt: Heb “And it happened in that year in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fourth year, in the fifth month Hananiah…said to…” Many scholars see a contradiction between “in the fourth year” and “in the beginning of the reign.” These scholars point to the fact that the Greek version does not have “in that year” and “in the beginning of the reign of”; it merely reads “in the fourth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fifth month.” These scholars generally also regard the heading at 27:1 to be unoriginal and interpret the heading in the MT here as a faulty harmonization of the original (that in the Greek version) with the erroneous one in the Hebrew of 27:1. However, it is just as possible that the Greek version in both places is an attempt to harmonize the data of 27:1 and 28:1. I.e., it left out both the heading at 27:1, and “in that year” and “at the beginning of the reign of” in the heading here because it thought the data was contradictory. However, it is just as likely that there is really no contradiction here. I.e., the term “beginning of the reign” can include the fourth year. E. H. Merrill has argued that the term here refers not to the accession year (see the translator’s note on 26:1) but to the early years in general (“The ‘Accession Year’ and Davidic Chronology,” JANESCU 19 [1989]: 105-6, and cf. note 18 for bibliography on Akkadian parallels). Hence the phrase has been translated both here and in 27:1 “early in the reign of…” For other attempts at harmonization see the discussion in G. L. Keown, P. J. Scalise, T. G. Smothers, Jeremiah 26-52 (WBC), 41, n. 1a.
[28:1] sn The dating here is very full and precise. “In that same year” ties the events here in with the messages that Jeremiah delivered to the envoys, the king and his court, and the priests and people while wearing the yoke symbolizing servitude to Nebuchadnezzar. The text wants to show that the events here transpired shortly after those in Jer 27 and that Jeremiah is still wearing the yoke. The supplying of the precise month is important because the end of the chapter will show that Jeremiah’s prophecy regarding Hananiah was fulfilled two months later. Hence Jeremiah is the true prophet and Hananiah and the others (27:16) are false. The supplying of the year is perhaps significant because the author states in 51:59 that Zedekiah went to Babylon that same year, probably to pledge his loyalty. The suggestion lies ready to hand that the events of this chapter and the preceding one lead to his dismissal of the false prophet Hananiah’s advice and the acceptance of Jeremiah’s.
[28:1] 215 tn Heb “to me.” The rest of the chapter is all in third person narrative (see vv. 5, 6, 10, 11, 12, 15). Hence, many explain the first person here as a misunderstanding of the abbreviation “to Jeremiah” (אֶל יִרְמִיָּה [’el yirmiyyah] = אֵלַי, [’elay]). It is just as likely that there is a similar kind of disjunction here that was found in 27:1-2 only in the opposite direction. There what started out as a third person report was really a first person report. Here what starts out as a first person report is really a third person report. The text betrays both the hands of the narrator, probably Baruch, and the reportee, Jeremiah, who dictated a synopsis of his messages and his stories to Baruch to write down (Jer 36:4, 32).
[28:1] 216 tn Heb “And it happened in that year in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fourth year, in the fifth month, Hananiah son of Azzur the prophet who was from Gibeon said to me in…” The sentence has been broken up in conformity with contemporary English style and the flavor given in modern equivalent terms.
[28:2] 217 tn Heb “Yahweh of armies, the God of Israel.” See the study notes on 2:19 and 7:3 for the explanation of this title.
[28:2] 218 sn See the study note on 27:2 for this figure. Hananiah is given the same title “the prophet” as Jeremiah throughout the chapter and claims to speak with the same authority (compare v. 2a with 27:21a). He even speaks like the true prophet; the verb form “I will break” is in the “prophetic perfect” emphasizing certitude. His message here is a contradiction of Jeremiah’s message recorded in the preceding chapter (compare especially v. 3 with 27:16, 19-22 and v. 4 with 22:24-28). The people and the priests are thus confronted with a choice of whom to believe. Who is the “true” prophet and who is the “false” one? Only fulfillment of their prophecies will prove which is which (see Deut 18:21-22).
[28:4] 219 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[28:4] sn Notice again that the “false” prophet uses the same formula and claims the same source for his message as the true prophet has (cf. 27:22).
[28:7] 220 tn Heb “Listen to this word/message which I am about to speak in your ears and the ears of all these people.”
[28:8] 221 tn The word “invariably” is not in the text but is implicit in the context and in the tense of the Hebrew verb. It is supplied in the translation for clarity and to help bring out the contrast in the next verse.
[28:8] 222 tc Many Hebrew
[28:9] 223 tn The verbs in this verse are to be interpreted as iterative imperfects in past time rather than as futures because of the explicit contrast that is drawn in the two verses by the emphatic syntactical construction of the two verses. Both verses begin with a casus pendens construction to throw the two verses into contrast: Heb “The prophets who were before me and you from ancient times, they prophesied…The prophet who prophesied peace, when the word of that prophet came true, that prophet was known that the
[28:11] 224 tn Heb “I will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from upon the necks of all the nations.”
[28:11] 225 tn Heb “Then the prophet Jeremiah went his way.”
[28:13] 226 tn Heb “Hananiah, ‘Thus says the
[28:13] 227 tn The Greek version reads “I have made/put” rather than “you have made/put.” This is the easier reading and is therefore rejected.
[28:13] 228 tn Heb “the yoke bars of wood you have broken, but you have made in its stead yoke bars of iron.”
[28:13] sn This whole incident (and the preceding one in Jer 28) is symbolic. Jeremiah’s wearing of the yoke was symbolic of the
[28:14] 229 tn Heb “Yahweh of armies, the God of Israel.” See the study notes on 2:19 and 7:3 for this title.
[28:14] 230 tn Heb “An iron yoke I have put on the necks of all these nations.”
[28:14] 231 sn The emphasis is on the absoluteness of Nebuchadnezzar’s control. The statement is once again rhetorical and not to be taken literally. See the study note on 27:6.
[28:15] 232 tn Or “You are giving these people false assurances.”
[28:16] 233 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] 234 sn In giving people false assurances of restoration when the
[28:17] 235 sn Comparison with Jer 28:1 shows that this whole incident took place in the space of two months. Hananiah had prophesied that the captivity would be over before two years had past. However, before two months were past, Hananiah himself died in fulfillment of Jeremiah’s prophecy of his death. His death was a validation of Jeremiah as a true prophet. The subsequent events of 588
[29:1] 236 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[29:1] 237 tn Jer 29:1-3 are all one long sentence in Hebrew containing a parenthetical insertion. The text reads “These are the words of the letter which the prophet Jeremiah sent to the elders…people whom Nebuchadnezzar had exiled from Jerusalem to Babylon after King Jeconiah…had gone from Jerusalem by the hand of Elasah…whom Zedekiah sent…saying, ‘Thus says the
[29:2] 238 tn This term is often mistakenly understood to refer to a “eunuch.” It is clear, however, in Gen 39:1 that “eunuchs” could be married. On the other hand it is clear from Isa 59:3-5 that some who bore this title could not have children. In this period, it is possible that the persons who bore this title were high officials like the rab saris who was a high official in the Babylonian court (cf. Jer 39:3, 13; 52:25). For further references see HALOT 727 s.v. סָרִיס 1.c.
[29:2] 239 sn See 2 Kgs 24:14-16 and compare the study note on Jer 24:1.
[29:3] 240 sn Elasah son of Shaphan may have been the brother of Ahikam, who supported Jeremiah when the priests and the prophets in Jerusalem sought to kill Jeremiah for preaching that the temple and the city would be destroyed (cf. 26:24).
[29:3] 241 sn This individual is not the same as the Gemariah mentioned in 36:10, 11, 12, 25 who was one of the officials who sought to have the first scroll of Jeremiah’s prophecies preserved. He may, however, have been a son or grandson of the High Priest who discovered the book of the law during the reign of Josiah (cf., e.g., 2 Kgs 22:8, 10) which was so instrumental in Josiah’s reforms.
[29:3] 242 sn It is unclear whether this incident preceded or followed those in the preceding chapter. It is known from 52:59 that Zedekiah himself had made a trip to Babylon in the same year mentioned in 28:1 and that Jeremiah had used that occasion to address a prophecy of disaster to Babylon. It is not impossible that Jeremiah sent two such disparate messages at the same time (see Jer 25:8-11, 12-14, 17-18, 26).
[29:4] 243 tn Heb “Yahweh of armies, the God of Israel.”
[29:4] sn See study notes on 2:19 and 7:3 for the explanation of this title.
[29:4] 244 tn Heb “I sent.” This sentence exhibits a rapid switch in person, here from the third person to the first. Such switches are common to Hebrew poetry and prophecy (cf. GKC 462 §144.p). Contemporary English, however, does not exhibit such rapid switches and it creates confusion for the careful reader. Such switches have regularly been avoided in the translation.
[29:4] sn Elsewhere Nebuchadnezzar is seen as the one who carried them into exile (cf. 27:20; 29:1). Here and in v. 14 the
[29:4] 245 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[29:8] 246 tn Heb “Yahweh of armies, the God of Israel.”
[29:8] sn See study notes on 2:19 and 7:3 for the explanation of this title.
[29:8] 247 sn See the study notes on 27:9 for this term.
[29:9] 248 tn Heb “prophesying lies to you in my name.”
[29:9] sn For the significance of “in my name” see the study notes on 14:14 and 23:27.
[29:9] 249 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[29:10] 250 sn See the study note on Jer 25:11 for the reckoning of the seventy years.
[29:10] 251 tn See the translator’s note on Jer 27:22 for this term.
[29:10] 252 tn Verse 10 is all one long sentence in the Hebrew original: “According to the fullness of Babylon seventy years I will take thought of you and I will establish my gracious word to you by bringing you back to this place.” The sentence has been broken up to conform better to contemporary English style.
[29:10] 253 tn Heb “this place.” The text has probably been influenced by the parallel passage in 27:22. The term appears fifteen times in Jeremiah and is invariably a reference to Jerusalem or Judah.
[29:10] sn See Jer 27:22 for this promise.
[29:11] 254 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[29:11] 255 tn Heb “I know the plans that I am planning for you, oracle of the
[29:11] 256 tn Or “the future you hope for”; Heb “a future and a hope.” This is a good example of hendiadys where two formally coordinated nouns (adjectives, verbs) convey a single idea where one of the terms functions as a qualifier of the other. For this figure see E. W. Bullinger, Figures of Speech, 658-72. This example is discussed on p. 661.
[29:12] 257 tn Heb “come and pray to me.” This is an example of verbal hendiadys where two verb formally joined by “and” convey a main concept with the second verb functioning as an adverbial qualifier.
[29:12] 258 tn Or “You will call out to me and come to me in prayer and I will hear your prayers.” The verbs are vav consecutive perfects and can be taken either as unconditional futures or as contingent futures. See GKC 337 §112.kk and 494 §159.g and compare the usage in Gen 44:22 for the use of the vav consecutive perfects in contingent futures. The conditional clause in the middle of 29:13 and the deuteronomic theology reflected in both Deut 30:1-5 and 1 Kgs 8:46-48 suggest that the verbs are continent futures here. For the same demand for wholehearted seeking in these contexts which presuppose exile see especially Deut 30:2, 1 Kgs 8:48.
[29:13] 259 tn Or “If you wholeheartedly seek me”; Heb “You will seek me and find [me] because you will seek me with all your heart.” The translation attempts to reflect the theological nuances of “seeking” and “finding” and the psychological significance of “heart” which refers more to intellectual and volitional concerns in the OT than to emotional ones.
[29:14] 260 tn Heb “I will let myself be found by you.” For this nuance of the verb see BDB 594 s.v. מָצָא Niph.1.f and compare the usage in Isa 65:1; 2 Chr 15:2. The Greek version already noted that nuance when it translated the phrase “I will manifest myself to you.”
[29:14] 261 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[29:14] 262 tn Heb “restore your fortune.” Alternately, “I will bring you back from exile.” This idiom occurs twenty-six times in the OT and in several cases it is clearly not referring to return from exile but restoration of fortunes (e.g., Job 42:10; Hos 6:11–7:1; Jer 33:11). It is often followed as here by “regather” or “bring back” (e.g., Jer 30:3; Ezek 29:14) so it is often misunderstood as “bringing back the exiles.” The versions (LXX, Vulg., Tg., Pesh.) often translate the idiom as “to go away into captivity,” deriving the noun from שְׁבִי (shÿvi, “captivity”). However, the use of this expression in Old Aramaic documents of Sefire parallels the biblical idiom: “the gods restored the fortunes of the house of my father again” (J. A. Fitzmyer, The Aramaic Inscriptions of Sefire [BibOr], 100-101, 119-20). The idiom means “to turn someone's fortune, bring about change” or “to reestablish as it was” (HALOT 1386 s.v. 3.c). In Ezek 16:53 it is paralleled by the expression “to restore the situation which prevailed earlier.” This amounts to restitutio in integrum, which is applicable to the circumstances surrounding the return of the exiles.
[29:14] 263 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[29:15] 264 tn The words “of good news” are not in the text but are implicit from the context. They are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[29:16] 265 tn Heb “But thus says the
[29:16] sn Jeremiah answers their claims that the
[29:16] 266 tn The words “of Jerusalem” are not in the text but are supplied in the translation to identify the referent and avoid the possible confusion that “this city” refers to Babylon.
[29:17] 267 tn Heb “Yahweh of armies.” See the study note on 2:19 for explanation of this title.
[29:17] 268 tn Heb “the sword.”
[29:17] 269 tn The meaning of this word is somewhat uncertain. It occurs only here in the Hebrew Bible. BDB 1045 s.v. שֹׁעָר relates it to the noun “horrible thing” (translated “something shocking”) in Jer 5:30; 23:14 and defines it as “horrid, disgusting.” HALOT 1495 s.v. שֹׁעָר relates it to the same noun and define it as “rotten; corrupt.” That nuance is accepted here.
[29:17] sn Compare Jer 24:8-10 in its context for the figure here.
[29:18] 270 tn Heb “with the sword.”
[29:19] 271 tn See the translator’s note on 7:13 for an explanation of this idiom.
[29:19] 272 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[29:19] 273 tn The word “exiles” is not in the text. It is supplied in the translation to clarify the referent of “you.”
[29:19] 274 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[29:20] 275 tn Heb “pay attention to the word of the
[29:21] 276 tn Heb “Yahweh of armies, the God of Israel.”
[29:21] sn See study notes on 2:19 and 7:3 for the explanation of this title.
[29:21] 277 tn Heb “prophesying lies in my name.” For an explanation of this idiom see the study notes on 14:14 and 23:27.
[29:22] 278 sn Being roasted to death in the fire appears to have been a common method of execution in Babylon. See Dan 3:6, 19-21. The famous law code of the Babylonian king Hammurabi also mandated this method of execution for various crimes a thousand years earlier. There is a satirical play on words involving their fate, “roasted them to death” (קָלָם, qalam), and the fact that that fate would become a common topic of curse (קְלָלָה, qÿlalah) pronounced on others in Babylon.
[29:23] 279 tn It is commonly assumed that this word is explained by the two verbal actions that follow. The word (נְבָלָה, nÿvalah) is rather commonly used of sins of unchastity (cf., e.g., Gen 34:7; Judg 19:23; 2 Sam 13:12) which would fit the reference to adultery. However, the word is singular and not likely to cover both actions that follow. The word is also used of the greedy act of Achan (Josh 7:15) which threatened Israel with destruction and the churlish behavior of Nabal (1 Sam 25:25) which threatened him and his household with destruction. The word is also used of foolish talk in Isa 9:17 (9:16 HT) and Isa 32:6. It is possible that this refers to a separate act, one that would have brought the death penalty from Nebuchadnezzar, i.e., the preaching of rebellion in conformity with the message of the false prophets in Jerusalem and other nations (cf. 27:9, 13). Hence it is possible that the translation should read: “This will happen because of their vile conduct. They have propagated rebellion. They have committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives. They have spoken words that I did not command them to speak. They have spoken lies while claiming my authority.”
[29:23] 280 tn Heb “prophesying lies in my name.” For an explanation of this idiom see the study notes on 14:14 and 23:27.
[29:23] 281 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[29:24] 282 tn The words “The
[29:24] 283 tn It is unclear whether this is a family name or a place name. The word occurs nowhere else in the Hebrew Bible.
[29:25] 284 tn Heb “Yahweh of armies, the God of Israel.”
[29:25] sn See study notes on 2:19 and 7:3 for the explanation of this title.
[29:25] 285 tn Heb “Tell Shemaiah the Nehelamite, ‘Thus says Yahweh of armies the God of Israel….” The indirect quotation is used in the translation to avoid the complexity of embedding a quotation within a quotation.
[29:25] 286 sn Jer 29:24-32 are concerned with Jeremiah’s interaction with a false prophet named Shemaiah. The narrative in this section is not in strict chronological order and is somewhat elliptical. It begins with a report of a message that Jeremiah appears to have delivered directly to Shemaiah and refers to a letter that Shemaiah sent to the priest Zephaniah encouraging him to reprimand Jeremiah for what Shemaiah considered treasonous words in his letter to the exiles (vv. 24-28; compare v. 28 with v. 5). However, Jeremiah is in Jerusalem and Shemaiah is in Babylon. The address must then be part of a second letter Jeremiah sent to Babylon. Following this the narrative refers to Zephaniah reading Shemaiah’s letter to Jeremiah and Jeremiah sending a further letter to the captives in Babylon (vv. 29-32). This is probably not a third letter but part of the same letter in which Jeremiah reprimands Shemaiah for sending his letter to Zephaniah (vv. 25-28; the same letter referred to in v. 29). The order of events thus is: Jeremiah sent a letter to the captives counseling them to settle down in Babylon (vv. 1-23). Shemaiah sent a letter to Zephaniah asking him to reprimand Jeremiah (vv. 26-28). After Zephaniah read that letter to Jeremiah (v. 29), Jeremiah wrote a further letter to Babylon reprimanding him (vv. 25-28, 31) and pronouncing judgment on him (v. 32). The elliptical nature of the narrative is reflected in the fact that vv. 25-27 are part of a long causal sentence which sets forth an accusation but has no corresponding main clause or announcement of judgment. This kind of construction involves a rhetorical figure (called aposiopesis) where what is begun is not finished for various rhetorical reasons. Here the sentence that is broken off is part of an announcement of judgment which is not picked up until v. 32 after a further (though related) accusation (v. 31b).
[29:25] 287 tn Heb “In your [own] name.” See the study note on 23:27 for the significance of this idiom.
[29:25] 288 tn Heb “letters.” Though GKC 397 §124.b, n. 1 denies it, this is probably a case of the plural of extension. For a similar usage see Isa 37:14 where the plural “letters” is referred to later as an “it.” Even if there were other “letters,” the focus is on the letter to Zephaniah.
[29:25] 289 sn According to Jer 52:24 and 2 Kgs 25:18 Zephaniah son of Maaseiah was second in command to the high priest. He was the high ranking priest who was sent along with a civic official to inquire of the
[29:25] 290 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[29:25] 291 tn The words “In your letter you said to Zephaniah” are not in the text: Heb “you sent a letter to…, saying.” The sentence has been broken up to conform better to contemporary English style and these words have been supplied in the translation to make the transition to the address to Zephaniah in vv. 26-28.
[29:26] 292 tn Heb “in place of Jehoiada the priest.” The word “the priest” is unnecessary to the English sentence.
[29:26] 293 tc Heb “The
[29:26] 294 sn The Hebrew term translated lunatic applies to anyone who exhibits irrational behavior. It was used for example of David who drooled and scratched on the city gate to convince Achish not to arrest him as a politically dangerous threat (1 Sam 21:14). It was often used contemptuously of the prophets by those who wanted to play down the significance of their words (2 Kgs 9:11; Hos 9:7 and here).
[29:26] 295 tn The verb here is a good example of what IBHS 431 §26.2f calls the estimative-declarative reflexive where a person presents himself in a certain light. For examples of this usage see 2 Sam 13:5; Prov 13:7.
[29:26] 296 tn See the translator’s note on 20:2 for this word which only occurs here and in 20:2-3.
[29:26] 297 tn This word only occurs here in the Hebrew Bible. All the lexicons are agreed as seeing it referring to a collar placed around the neck. The basis for this definition are the cognate languages (see, e.g., HALOT 958-59 s.v. צִינֹק for the most complete discussion).
[29:27] 298 tn Heb “So why have you not reprimanded Jeremiah…?” The rhetorical question functions as an emphatic assertion made explicit in the translation.
[29:28] 299 tn Heb “For he has sent to us in Babylon, saying….” The quote, however, is part of the earlier letter.
[29:29] 301 tn Heb “in the ears of Jeremiah the prophet.”
[29:31] 302 tn Or “is giving you false assurances.”
[29:32] 303 tn Heb “Therefore.”
[29:32] 304 sn Compare the same charge against Hananiah in Jer 28:16 and see the note there. In this case, the false prophesy of Shemaiah is not given but it likely had the same tenor since he wants Jeremiah reprimanded for saying that the exile will be long and the people are to settle down in Babylon.
