7:8 “‘But just look at you! 24 You are putting your confidence in a false belief 25 that will not deliver you. 26 7:9 You steal. 27 You murder. You commit adultery. You lie when you swear on oath. You sacrifice to the god Baal. You pay allegiance to 28 other gods whom you have not previously known. 7:10 Then you come and stand in my presence in this temple I have claimed as my own 29 and say, “We are safe!” You think you are so safe that you go on doing all those hateful sins! 30 7:11 Do you think this temple I have claimed as my own 31 is to be a hideout for robbers? 32 You had better take note! 33 I have seen for myself what you have done! says the Lord. 7:12 So, go to the place in Shiloh where I allowed myself to be worshiped 34 in the early days. See what I did to it 35 because of the wicked things my people Israel did. 7:13 You also have done all these things, says the Lord, and I have spoken to you over and over again. 36 But you have not listened! You have refused to respond when I called you to repent! 37 7:14 So I will destroy this temple which I have claimed as my own, 38 this temple that you are trusting to protect you. I will destroy this place that I gave to you and your ancestors, 39 just like I destroyed Shiloh. 40
‘The Lord who rules over all 45 says,
“Zion 46 will become a plowed field.
Jerusalem 47 will become a pile of rubble.
The temple mount will become a mere wooded ridge.”’ 48
ו (Vav)
2:6 He destroyed his temple 49 as if it were a vineyard; 50
he destroyed his appointed meeting place.
The Lord has made those in Zion forget
both the festivals and the Sabbaths. 51
In his fierce anger 52 he has spurned 53
both king and priest.
ז (Zayin)
2:7 The Lord 54 rejected 55 his altar
and abhorred his temple. 56
He handed over to the enemy 57
her palace walls;
the enemy 58 shouted 59 in the Lord’s temple
as if it were a feast day. 60
3:12 Therefore, because of you, 65 Zion will be plowed up like 66 a field,
Jerusalem will become a heap of ruins,
and the Temple Mount 67 will become a hill overgrown with brush! 68
1 tn Heb “I have heard.”
2 tn Heb “by placing my name there perpetually” (or perhaps, “forever”).
3 tn Heb “and my eyes and my heart will be there all the days.”
4 sn In the same way he had appeared to him at Gibeon. See 1 Kgs 3:5.
5 tc The ancient Greek version omits this appositional phrase.
6 tn Heb “said to.”
7 tn Heb “let them seek for my master, the king, a young girl, a virgin.” The third person plural subject of the verb is indefinite (see GKC 460 §144.f). The appositional expression, “a young girl, a virgin,” is idiomatic; the second term specifically defines the more general first term (see IBHS 230 §12.3b).
8 tn Heb “and she will stand before the king.” The Hebrew phrase “stand before” can mean “to attend; to serve” (BDB 764 s.v. עָמַד).
9 tn Heb “and she will lie down in your bosom.” The expression might imply sexual intimacy (see 2 Sam 12:3 [where the lamb symbolizes Bathsheba] and Mic 7:5), though v. 4b indicates that David did not actually have sex with the young woman.
10 tn Heb “and my master, the king, will be warm.”
11 tn Heb “and the capitals on the two pillars, also above, close beside the bulge which was beside the latticework, two hundred pomegranates in rows around, on the second capital.” The precise meaning of the word translated “bulge” is uncertain.
12 tn Heb “Stop trusting in lying words which say.”
13 tn The words “We are safe!” are not in the text but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
14 tn Heb “The temple of the
15 tn The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verb for emphasis.
16 tn Heb “you must do justice between a person and his fellow/neighbor.” The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verb for emphasis.
17 tn Heb “Stop oppressing foreigner, orphan, and widow.”
18 tn Heb “Stop shedding innocent blood.”
19 tn Heb “going/following after.” See the translator’s note at 2:5 for an explanation of the idiom involved here.
20 tn Heb “going after other gods to your ruin.”
21 tn The translation uses imperatives in vv. 5-6 followed by the phrase, “If you do all this,” to avoid the long and complex sentence structure of the Hebrew sentence which has a series of conditional clauses in vv. 5-6 followed by a main clause in v. 7.
22 tn Heb “live in this place, in this land.”
23 tn Heb “gave to your fathers [with reference to] from ancient times even unto forever.”
24 tn Heb “Behold!”
25 tn Heb “You are trusting in lying words.” See the similar phrase in v. 4 and the note there.
26 tn Heb “not profit [you].”
27 tn Heb “Will you steal…then say, ‘We are safe’?” Verses 9-10 are one long sentence in the Hebrew text.
28 tn Heb “You go/follow after.” See the translator’s note at 2:5 for an explanation of the idiom involved here.
29 tn Heb “over which my name is called.” For this nuance of this idiom cf. BDB 896 s.v. קָרָא Niph.2.d(4) and see the usage in 2 Sam 12:28.
30 tn Or “‘We are safe!’ – safe, you think, to go on doing all those hateful things.” Verses 9-10 are all one long sentence in the Hebrew text. It has been broken up for English stylistic reasons. Somewhat literally it reads “Will you steal…then come and stand…and say, ‘We are safe’ so as to/in order to do…” The Hebrew of v. 9 has a series of infinitives which emphasize the bare action of the verb without the idea of time or agent. The effect is to place a kind of staccato like emphasis on the multitude of their sins all of which are violations of one of the Ten Commandments. The final clause in v. 8 expresses purpose or result (probably result) through another infinitive. This long sentence is introduced by a marker (ה interrogative in Hebrew) introducing a rhetorical question in which God expresses his incredulity that they could do these sins, come into the temple and claim the safety of his protection, and then go right back out and commit the same sins. J. Bright (Jeremiah [AB], 52) catches the force nicely: “What? You think you can steal, murder…and then come and stand…and say, ‘We are safe…’ just so that you can go right on…”
31 tn Heb “over which my name is called.” For this nuance of this idiom cf. BDB 896 s.v. קָרָא Niph.2.d(4) and see the usage in 2 Sam 12:28.
32 tn Heb “Is this house…a den/cave of robbers in your eyes?”
33 tn Heb “Behold!”
34 tn Heb “where I caused my name to dwell.” The translation does not adequately represent the theology of the
35 sn The place in Shiloh…see what I did to it. This refers to the destruction of Shiloh by the Philistines circa 1050
36 tn This reflects a Hebrew idiom (e.g., 7:25; 11:7; 25:3, 4), i.e., an infinitive of a verb meaning “to do something early [or eagerly]” followed by an infinitive of another verb of action. Cf. HALOT 1384 s.v. שָׁכַם Hiph.2.
37 tn Heb “I called to you and you did not answer.” The words “to repent” are not in the text but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
38 tn Heb “over which my name is called.” For this nuance of this idiom cf. BDB 896 s.v. קָרָא Niph.2.d(4) and see the usage in 2 Sam 12:28.
39 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 22, 25, 26).
40 tn Heb “I will do to this house which I…in which you put…and to this place which…as I did to Shiloh.”
41 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.
42 sn See the study note on Jer 7:13.
43 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.
44 sn Hezekiah was co-regent with his father Ahaz from 729-715
45 tn Heb “Yahweh of armies.”
46 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).
47 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
48 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!
49 tn Heb “His booth.” The noun שׂךְ (sokh, “booth,” BDB 968 s.v.) is a hapax legomenon (term that appears only once in the Hebrew OT), but it is probably an alternate spelling of the more common noun סֻכָּה (sukkah, “booth”) which is used frequently of temporary shelters and booths (e.g., Neh 8:15) (BDB 697 s.v. סֻכָּה). Related to the verb שָׂכַךְ (sakhakh, “to weave”), it refers to a temporary dwelling constructed of interwoven boughs. This is a figurative description of the temple, as the parallel term מוֹעֲדוֹ (mo’ado, “his tabernacle” or “his appointed meeting place”) makes clear. Jeremiah probably chose this term to emphasize the frailty of the temple, and its ease of destruction. Contrary to the expectation of Jerusalem, it was only a temporary dwelling of the
50 tc The MT reads כַּגַּן (kaggan, “like a garden”). The LXX reads ὡς ἄμπελον (Jw" ampelon) which reflects כְּגֶפֶן (kÿgefen, “like a vineyard”). Internal evidence favors כְּגֶפֶן (kÿgefen) because God’s judgment is often compared to the destruction of a vineyard (e.g., Job 15:33; Isa 34:4; Ezek 15:2, 6). The omission of פ (pe) is easily explained due to the similarity in spelling between כְּגֶפֶן (kÿgefen) and כַּגַּן (kaggan).
51 tn Heb “The
52 tn Heb “In the fury of his anger” (זַעַם־אפּוֹ, za’am-’appo). The genitive noun אפּוֹ (’appo, “his anger”) functions as an attributed genitive with the construct noun זַעַם (za’am, “fury, rage”): “his furious anger.”
53 tn The verb נָאַץ (na’ats, “to spurn, show contempt”) functions as a metonymy of cause (= to spurn king and priests) for effect (= to reject them; cf. CEV). Since spurning is the cause, this may be understood as “to reject with a negative attitude.” However, retaining “spurn” in the translation keeps the term emotionally loaded. The most frequent term for נָאַץ (na’ats) in the LXX (παροξύνω, paroxunw) also conveys emotion beyond a decision to reject.
54 tc The MT reads אֲדֹנָי (’adonay, “the Lord”) here rather than יהוה (YHWH, “the
55 tn The Heb verb זָנַח (zanakh) is a rejection term often used in military contexts. Emphasizing emotion, it may mean “to spurn.” In military contexts it may be rendered “to desert.”
56 tn Heb “His sanctuary.” The term מִקְדָּשׁוֹ (miqdasho, “His sanctuary”) refers to the temple (e.g., 1 Chr 22:19; 2 Chr 36:17; Ps 74:7; Isa 63:18; Ezek 48:21; Dan 8:11) (BDB 874 s.v. מִקְדָּשׁ).
57 tn Heb “He delivered into the hand of the enemy.” The verb הִסְגִּיר (hisgir), Hiphil perfect 3rd person masculine singular from סָגַר (sagar), means “to give into someone’s control: to deliver” (Deut 23:16; Josh 20:5; 1 Sam 23:11, 20; 30:15; Job 16:11; Pss 31:9; 78:48, 50, 62; Lam 2:7; Amos 1:6, 9; Obad 14).
58 tn Heb “they.”
59 tn Heb “they gave voice” (קוֹל נָתְנוּ, kol natno). The verb נָתַן (natan, “to give”) with the noun קוֹל (kol, “voice, sound”) is an idiom meaning: “to utter a sound, make a noise, raise the voice” (e.g., Gen 45:2; Prov 2:3; Jer 4:16; 22:20; 48:34) (HALOT 734 s.v. נתן 12; BDB 679 s.v. נָתַן 1.x). Contextually, this describes the shout of victory by the Babylonians celebrating their conquest of Jerusalem.
60 tn Heb “as on the day of an appointed time.” The term מוֹעֵד (mo’ed, “appointed time”) refers to the religious festivals that were celebrated at appointed times in the Hebrew calendar (BDB 417 s.v. 1.b). In contrast to making festivals neglected (forgotten) in v 6, the enemy had a celebration which was entirely out of place.
61 tn Heb “the pride of your strength” means “your strong pride.”
62 sn Heb “the delight of your eyes.” Just as Ezekiel was deprived of his beloved wife (v. 16, the “desire” of his “eyes”) so the Lord would be forced to remove the object of his devotion, the temple, which symbolized his close relationship to his covenant people.
63 tn Heb “the object of compassion of your soul.” The accentuation in the traditional Hebrew text indicates that the descriptive phrases (“the source of your confident pride, the object in which your eyes delight, and your life’s passion”) modify the preceding “my sanctuary.”
64 tn Heb “fall.”
65 tn The plural pronoun refers to the leaders, priests, and prophets mentioned in the preceding verse.
66 tn Or “into” (an adverbial accusative of result).
67 tn Heb “the mountain of the house” (so KJV, ASV, NRSV).
68 tn Heb “a high place of overgrowth.”
69 tn Grk “answering, he said to them.” The participle ἀποκριθείς (ajpokriqei") is redundant in English and has not been translated.
70 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
71 sn With the statement not one stone will be left on another Jesus predicted the total destruction of the temple, something that did occur in
72 tn Grk “not one stone will be left here on another which will not be thrown down.”
73 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
74 tn Grk “by the mouth of the sword” (an idiom for the edge of a sword).
75 sn Here is the predicted judgment against the nation until the time of Gentile rule has passed: Its people will be led away as captives.
76 tn Grk “And Jerusalem.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
77 sn Until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled implies a time when Israel again has a central role in God’s plan.