Yeremia 10:4

10:4 He decorates it with overlays of silver and gold.

He uses hammer and nails to fasten it ¹  together

so that it will not fall over.

Yeremia 7:26

7:26 But your ancestors ²  did not listen to me nor pay attention to me. They became obstinate ³  and were more wicked than even their own forefathers.’”

Yeremia 4:11

4:11 “At that time the people of Judah and Jerusalem ⁴  will be told,

‘A scorching wind will sweep down

from the hilltops in the desert on ⁵  my dear people. ⁶ 

It will not be a gentle breeze

for winnowing the grain and blowing away the chaff. ⁷ 

[10:4]  ¹ tn The pronoun is plural in Hebrew, referring to the parts.

[7:26]  ² tn Or “But your predecessors…”; Heb “But they….” There is a confusing interchange in the pronouns in vv. 25-26 which has led to some leveling in the ancient versions and the modern English versions. What is involved here are four levels of referents, the “you” of the present generation (vv. 21-22a), the ancestors who were delivered from Egypt (i.e., the “they” of vv. 22b-24), the “you” of v. 25 which involves all the Israelites from the Exodus to the time of speaking, and the “they” of v. 26 which cannot be the ancestors of vv. 22-24 (since they cannot be more wicked than themselves) but must be an indefinite entity which is a part of the “you” of v. 25, i.e., the more immediate ancestors of the present generation. If this is kept in mind, there is no need to level the pronouns to “they” and “them” or to “you” and “your” as some of the ancient versions and modern English versions have done.

[7:26]  ³ tn Heb “hardened [or made stiff] their neck.”

[4:11]  ⁴ tn Heb “this people and Jerusalem.”

[4:11]  ⁵ tn Heb “A scorching wind from the hilltops in the desert toward…”

[4:11]  sn The allusion is, of course, to the destructive forces of the enemy armies of Babylon compared above in 4:7 to a destructive lion and here to the destructive desert winds of the Near Eastern sirocco.

[4:11]  ⁶ tn Heb “daughter of my people.” The term “daughter of” is appositional to “my people” and is supplied in the translation as a term of sympathy and endearment. Compare the common expression “daughter of Zion.”

[4:11]  ⁷ tn Heb “not for winnowing and not for cleansing.” The words “It will not be a gentle breeze” are not in the text but are implicit in the connection. They are supplied in the translation here for clarification.