Jeremiah 4:5-9

Warning of Coming Judgment

4:5 The Lord said, ¹ 

“Announce ²  this in Judah and proclaim it in Jerusalem: ³ 

‘Sound the trumpet ⁴  throughout the land!’

Shout out loudly,

‘Gather together! Let us flee into the fortified cities!’

4:6 Raise a signal flag that tells people to go to Zion. ⁵ 

Run for safety! Do not delay!

For I am about to bring disaster out of the north.

It will bring great destruction. ⁶ 

4:7 Like a lion that has come up from its lair ⁷ 

the one who destroys nations has set out from his home base. ⁸ 

He is coming out to lay your land waste.

Your cities will become ruins and lie uninhabited.

4:8 So put on sackcloth!

Mourn and wail, saying,

‘The fierce anger of the Lord

has not turned away from us!’” ⁹ 

4:9 “When this happens,” ¹⁰  says the Lord,

“the king and his officials will lose their courage.

The priests will be struck with horror,

and the prophets will be speechless in astonishment.”

Jeremiah 4:11-17

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

‘A scorching wind will sweep down

from the hilltops in the desert on ¹²  my dear people. ¹³ 

It will not be a gentle breeze

for winnowing the grain and blowing away the chaff. ¹⁴ 

4:12 No, ¹⁵  a wind too strong for that will come at my bidding.

Yes, even now I, myself, am calling down judgment on them.’ ¹⁶ 

4:13 Look! The enemy is approaching like gathering clouds. ¹⁷ 

The roar of his chariots is like that of a whirlwind. ¹⁸ 

His horses move more swiftly than eagles.”

I cry out, ¹⁹  “We are doomed, ²⁰  for we will be destroyed!”

4:14 “Oh people of Jerusalem, purify your hearts from evil ²¹ 

so that you may yet be delivered.

How long will you continue to harbor up

wicked schemes within you?

4:15 For messengers are coming, heralding disaster,

from the city of Dan and from the hills of Ephraim. ²² 

4:16 They are saying, ²³ 

‘Announce to the surrounding nations, ²⁴ 

“The enemy is coming!” ²⁵ 

Proclaim this message ²⁶  to Jerusalem:

“Those who besiege cities ²⁷  are coming from a distant land.

They are ready to raise the battle cry against ²⁸  the towns in Judah.”’

4:17 They will surround Jerusalem ²⁹ 

like men guarding a field ³⁰ 

because they have rebelled against me,”

says the Lord.

[4:5]  ¹ tn The words “The Lord said” are not in the text, but it is obvious from v. 6 and v. 9 that he is the speaker. These words are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[4:5]  ² tn It is unclear who the addressees of the masculine plural imperatives are here. They may be the citizens of Jerusalem and Judah who are sounding the alarm to others. However, the first person reference to the Lord in v. 6 and Jeremiah’s response in v. 10 suggest that this is a word from the Lord that he is commanded to pass on to the citizens of Jerusalem and Judah. If the imperatives are not merely rhetorical plurals they may reflect the practice referred to in Jer 23:18, 22; Amos 3:7. A similar phenomenon also occurs in Jer 5:1 and also in Isa 40:1-2. This may also be the explanation for the plural imperatives in Jer 31:6. For further discussion see the translator’s note on Jer 5:1.

[4:5]  ³ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[4:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “ram’s horn,” but the modern equivalent is “trumpet” and is more readily understandable.

[4:6]  ⁵ tn Heb “Raise up a signal toward Zion.”

[4:6]  ⁶ tn Heb “out of the north, even great destruction.”

[4:7]  ⁷ tn Heb “A lion has left its lair.” The metaphor is turned into a simile for clarification. The word translated “lair” has also been understood to refer to a hiding place. However, it appears to be cognate in meaning to the word translated “lair” in Ps 10:9; Jer 25:38, a word which also refers to the abode of the Lord in Ps 76:3.

[4:7]  ⁸ tn Heb “his place.”

[4:8]  ⁹ tn Or “wail because the fierce anger of the Lord has not turned away from us.” The translation does not need to assume a shift in speaker as the alternate reading does.

[4:9]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “In that day.”

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

[4:11]  ¹² tn Heb “A scorching wind from the hilltops in the desert toward…”

[4:11]  ¹³ 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]  ¹⁴ 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.

[4:12]  ¹⁵ tn The word “No” is not in the text but is carried over from the connection with the preceding line “not for…”

[4:12]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “will speak judgments against them.”

[4:13]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “he is coming up like clouds.” The words “The enemy” are supplied in the translation to identify the referent and the word “gathering” is supplied to try to convey the significance of the simile, i.e., that of quantity and of an approaching storm.

[4:13]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “his chariots [are] like a whirlwind.” The words “roar” and “sound” are supplied in the translation to clarify the significance of the simile.

[4:13]  ¹⁹ tn The words “I cry out” are not in the text, but the words that follow are obviously not the Lord’s. They are either those of the people or of Jeremiah. Taking them as Jeremiah’s parallels the interjection of Jeremiah’s response in 4:10 which is formally introduced.

[4:13]  ²⁰ tn Heb “Woe to us!” The words “woe to” are common in funeral laments and at the beginning of oracles of judgment. In many contexts they carry the connotation of hopelessness or apprehensiveness of inevitable doom.

[4:14]  ²¹ tn Heb “Oh, Jerusalem, wash your heart from evil.”

[4:15]  ²² tn Heb “For a voice declaring from Dan and making heard disaster from the hills of Ephraim.”

[4:16]  ²³ tn The words “They are saying” are not in the text but are implicit in the connection and are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[4:16]  ²⁴ tn The word “surrounding” is not in the text but is implicit and is supplied in the translation for clarification.

[4:16]  ²⁵ tc Or “Here they come!” Heb “Look!” or “Behold!” Or “Announce to the surrounding nations, indeed [or yes] proclaim to Jerusalem, ‘Besiegers…’” The text is very elliptical here. Some of the modern English versions appear to be emending the text from הִנֵּה (hinneh, “behold”) to either הֵנָּה (hennah, “these things”; so NEB), or הַזֶּה (hazzeh, “this”; so NIV). The solution proposed here is as old as the LXX which reads, “Behold, they have come.”

[4:16]  ²⁶ tn The words, “this message,” are not in the text but are supplied in the translation to make the introduction of the quote easier.

[4:16]  ²⁷ tn Heb “Besiegers.” For the use of this verb to refer to besieging a city compare Isa 1:8.

[4:16]  ²⁸ tn Heb “They have raised their voices against.” The verb here, a vav (ו) consecutive with an imperfect, continues the nuance of the preceding participle “are coming.”

[4:17]  ²⁹ tn Heb “will surround her.” The antecedent is Jerusalem in the preceding verse. The referent is again made explicit in the translation to avoid any possible lack of clarity. The verb form here is a form of the verb that emphasizes the fact as being as good as done (i.e., it is a prophetic perfect).

[4:17]  ³⁰ sn There is some irony involved in the choice of the simile since the men guarding a field were there to keep thieves from getting in and stealing the crops. Here the besiegers are guarding the city to keep people from getting out.