Jeremiah 9:3

The Lord Laments That He Has No Choice But to Judge Them

9:3 The Lord says, ¹ 

“These people are like soldiers who have readied their bows.

Their tongues are always ready to shoot out lies. ² 

They have become powerful in the land,

but they have not done so by honest means. ³ 

Indeed, they do one evil thing after another ⁴ 

and do not pay attention to me. ⁵ 

Jeremiah 9:16

9:16 I will scatter them among nations that neither they nor their ancestors ⁶  have known anything about. I will send people chasing after them with swords ⁷  until I have destroyed them.’” ⁸ 

Jeremiah 9:24

9:24 If people want to boast, they should boast about this:

They should boast that they understand and know me.

They should boast that they know and understand

that I, the Lord, act out of faithfulness, fairness, and justice in the earth

and that I desire people to do these things,” ⁹ 

says the Lord.

Jeremiah 31:33-34

31:33 “But I will make a new covenant with the whole nation of Israel ¹⁰  after I plant them back in the land,” ¹¹  says the Lord. ¹²  “I will ¹³  put my law within them ¹⁴  and write it on their hearts and minds. ¹⁵  I will be their God and they will be my people. ¹⁶ 

31:34 “People will no longer need to teach their neighbors and relatives to know me. ¹⁷  For all of them, from the least important to the most important, will know me,” ¹⁸  says the Lord. “For ¹⁹  I will forgive their sin and will no longer call to mind the wrong they have done.”

Jeremiah 31:1

31:1 At that time I will be the God of all the clans of Israel ²⁰ 

and they will be my people.

I, the Lord, affirm it!” ²¹ 

Jeremiah 2:2

2:2 “Go and declare in the hearing of the people of Jerusalem: ²²  ‘This is what the Lord says: “I have fond memories of you, ²³  how devoted you were to me in your early years. ²⁴  I remember how you loved me like a new bride; you followed me through the wilderness, through a land that had never been planted.

Jeremiah 2:1

The Lord Recalls Israel’s Earlier Faithfulness

2:1 The Lord spoke to me. He said:

Jeremiah 28:9

28:9 So if a prophet prophesied ²⁵  peace and prosperity, it was only known that the Lord truly sent him when what he prophesied came true.”

Psalms 9:10

9:10 Your loyal followers trust in you, ²⁶ 

for you, Lord, do not abandon those who seek your help. ²⁷ 

John 8:19

8:19 Then they began asking ²⁸  him, “Who is your father?” Jesus answered, “You do not know either me or my Father. If you knew me you would know my Father too.” ²⁹ 

John 8:54-55

8:54 Jesus replied, ³⁰  “If I glorify myself, my glory is worthless. ³¹  The one who glorifies me is my Father, about whom you people ³²  say, ‘He is our God.’ 8:55 Yet ³³  you do not know him, but I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, ³⁴  I would be a liar like you. But I do know him, and I obey ³⁵  his teaching. ³⁶ 

John 16:3

16:3 They ³⁷  will do these things because they have not known the Father or me. ³⁸ 

John 17:3

17:3 Now this ³⁹  is eternal life ⁴⁰  – that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, ⁴¹  whom you sent.

John 17:6

Jesus Prays for the Disciples

17:6 “I have revealed ⁴²  your name to the men ⁴³  you gave me out of the world. They belonged to you, ⁴⁴  and you gave them to me, and they have obeyed ⁴⁵  your word.

Titus 1:16

1:16 They profess to know God but with their deeds they deny him, since they are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for any good deed.

Titus 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From Paul, ⁴⁶  a slave ⁴⁷  of God and apostle of Jesus Christ, to further the faith ⁴⁸  of God’s chosen ones and the knowledge of the truth that is in keeping with godliness,

Titus 2:3-4

2:3 Older women likewise are to exhibit behavior fitting for those who are holy, not slandering, not slaves to excessive drinking, but teaching what is good. 2:4 In this way ⁴⁹  they will train ⁵⁰  the younger women to love their husbands, to love their children,

[9:3]  ¹ tn The words “The Lord says” have been moved up from the end of the verse to make clear that a change in speaker has occurred.

[9:3]  ² tn Heb “They have readied [or strung] their tongue as their bow for lies.”

[9:3]  ³ tn Heb “but not through honesty.”

[9:3]  ⁴ tn Heb “they go from evil to evil.”

[9:3]  ⁵ tn Or “do not acknowledge me”; Heb “do not know me.” But “knowing” in Hebrew thought often involves more than intellectual knowledge; it involves emotional and volitional commitment as well. For יָדַע meaning “acknowledge” see 1 Chr 28:9; Isa 29:21; Hos 2:20; Prov 3:6. This word is also found in ancient Near Eastern treaty contexts where it has the idea of a vassal king acknowledging the sovereignty of a greater king (cf. H. Huffmon, “The Treaty Background of Hebrew yada,” BASOR 181 [1966]: 31-37).

[9:16]  ⁶ tn Heb “fathers.”

[9:16]  ⁷ tn Heb “I will send the sword after them.” The sword here is probably not completely literal but refers to death by violent means, including death by the sword.

[9:16]  ⁸ sn He will destroy them but not completely. See Jer 5:18; 30:11; 46:28.

[9:24]  ⁹ tn Or “fairness and justice, because these things give me pleasure.” Verse 24 reads in Hebrew, “But let the one who brags brag in this: understanding and knowing me that I, the Lord, do faithfulness, justice, and righteousness in the earth for/that I delight in these.” It is uncertain whether the Hebrew particle כִּי (ki) before the clause “I delight in these things” is parallel to the כִּי introducing the clause “that I, the Lord, act…” or causal giving the grounds for the Lord acting the way he does. In the light of the contrasts in the passage and the emphasis that Jeremiah has placed on obedience to the covenant and ethical conduct in conjunction with real allegiance to the Lord not mere lip service, it is probable that the clauses are parallel. For the use of כִּי to introduce clauses of further definition after a direct object as here see GKC 365 §117.h and see BDB 393 s.v. יָדַע Qal.1.a. For parallels to the idea of Yahweh requiring these characteristics in people see Hos 6:6, Mic 6:8.

[31:33]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “with the house of Israel.” All commentators agree that the term here refers to both the whole nation which was divided into the house of Israel and the house of Judah in v. 30.

[31:33]  ¹¹ tn Heb “after those days.” Commentators are generally agreed that this refers to the return from exile and the repopulation of the land referred to in vv. 27-28 and not to something subsequent to the time mentioned in v. 30. This is the sequencing that is also presupposed in other new covenant passages such as Deut 30:1-6; Ezek 11:17-20; 36:24-28.

[31:33]  ¹² tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

[31:33]  ¹³ tn Heb “‘But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after these days:’ says the Lord, ‘I will….’” The sentence has been reworded and restructured to avoid the awkwardness of the original style.

[31:33]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “in their inward parts.” The Hebrew word here refers to the seat of the thoughts, emotions, and decisions (Jer 9:8 [9:7 HT]). It is essentially synonymous with “heart” in Hebrew psychological terms.

[31:33]  ¹⁵ tn The words “and minds” is not in the text but is supplied in the translation to bring the English psychology more into line with the Hebrew where the “heart” is the center both of knowing/thinking/reflecting and deciding/willing.

[31:33]  ¹⁶ sn Compare Jer 24:7; 30:22; 31:1 and see the study note on 30:2.

[31:34]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “teach…, saying, ‘Know the Lord.’” The indirect quote has been chosen for stylistic reasons, i.e., to better parallel the following line.

[31:34]  ¹⁸ sn This statement should be understood against the background of Jer 8:8-9 where class distinctions were drawn and certain people were considered to have more awareness and responsibility for knowing the law and also Jer 5:1-5 and 9:3-9 where the sinfulness of Israel was seen to be universal across these class distinctions and no trust was to be placed in friends, neighbors, or relatives because all without distinction had cast off God’s yoke (i.e., refused to submit themselves to his authority).

[31:34]  ¹⁹ tn The Hebrew particle כִּי (ki) that introduces this clause refers to more than just the preceding clause (i.e., that all will know the Lord) but to all of vv. 31-34a (See BDB 474 s.v. כִּי 3.c).

[31:1]  ²⁰ sn This verse repeats v. 22 but with specific reference to all the clans of Israel, i.e., to all Israel and Judah. It functions here as a transition to the next section which will deal with the restoration of Israel (31:3-20) and Judah (31:21-25) and their reunification in the land (31:27-29) under a new covenant relation with God (31:31-37). See also the study note on 30:3 for further reference to this reunification in Jeremiah and the other prophets.

[31:1]  ²¹ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

[2:2]  ²² map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[2:2]  ²³ tn Heb “I remember to/for you.”

[2:2]  ²⁴ tn Heb “the loyal love of your youth.”

[28:9]  ²⁵ 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 Lord truly sent him.”

[9:10]  ²⁶ tn Heb “and the ones who know your name trust in you.” The construction vav (ו) conjunctive + imperfect at the beginning of the verse expresses another consequence of the statement made in v. 8. “To know” the Lord’s “name” means to be his follower, recognizing his authority and maintaining loyalty to him. See Ps 91:14, where “knowing” the Lord’s “name” is associated with loving him.

[9:10]  ²⁷ tn Heb “the ones who seek you.”

[8:19]  ²⁸ tn Grk “Then they were saying to him.” The imperfect verb has been translated with ingressive force here because of the introduction of a new line of questioning by the Pharisees. Jesus had just claimed his Father as a second witness; now his opponents want to know who his father is.

[8:19]  ²⁹ sn If you knew me you would know my Father too. Jesus’ reply is based on his identity with the Father (see also John 1:18; 14:9).

[8:54]  ³⁰ tn Grk “Jesus answered.”

[8:54]  ³¹ tn Grk “is nothing.”

[8:54]  ³² tn The word “people” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied in English to clarify the plural Greek pronoun and verb.

[8:55]  ³³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “Yet” to indicate the contrast present in the context.

[8:55]  ³⁴ tn Grk “If I say, ‘I do not know him.’”

[8:55]  ³⁵ tn Grk “I keep.”

[8:55]  ³⁶ tn Grk “his word.”

[16:3]  ³⁷ tn Grk “And they.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[16:3]  ³⁸ sn Ignorance of Jesus and ignorance of the Father are also linked in 8:19; to know Jesus would be to know the Father also, but since the world does not know Jesus, neither does it know his Father. The world’s ignorance of the Father is also mentioned in 8:55, 15:21, and 17:25.

[17:3]  ³⁹ tn Using αὕτη δέ (Jauth de) to introduce an explanation is typical Johannine style; it was used before in John 1:19, 3:19, and 15:12.

[17:3]  ⁴⁰ sn This is eternal life. The author here defines eternal life for the readers, although it is worked into the prayer in such a way that many interpreters do not regard it as another of the author’s parenthetical comments. It is not just unending life in the sense of prolonged duration. Rather it is a quality of life, with its quality derived from a relationship with God. Having eternal life is here defined as being in relationship with the Father, the one true God, and Jesus Christ whom the Father sent. Christ (Χριστός, Cristos) is not characteristically attached to Jesus’ name in John’s Gospel; it occurs elsewhere primarily as a title and is used with Jesus’ name only in 1:17. But that is connected to its use here: The statement here in 17:3 enables us to correlate the statement made in 1:18 of the prologue, that Jesus has fully revealed what God is like, with Jesus’ statement in 10:10 that he has come that people might have life, and have it abundantly. These two purposes are really one, according to 17:3, because (abundant) eternal life is defined as knowing (being in relationship with) the Father and the Son. The only way to gain this eternal life, that is, to obtain this knowledge of the Father, is through the Son (cf. 14:6). Although some have pointed to the use of know (γινώσκω, ginwskw) here as evidence of Gnostic influence in the Fourth Gospel, there is a crucial difference: For John this knowledge is not intellectual, but relational. It involves being in relationship.

[17:3]  ⁴¹ tn Or “and Jesus the Messiah” (Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed”).

[17:6]  ⁴² tn Or “made known,” “disclosed.”

[17:6]  ⁴³ tn Here “men” is retained as a translation for ἀνθρώποις (anqrwpoi") rather than the more generic “people” because in context it specifically refers to the eleven men Jesus had chosen as apostles (Judas had already departed, John 13:30). If one understands the referent here to be the broader group of Jesus’ followers that included both men and women, a translation like “to the people” should be used here instead.

[17:6]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “Yours they were.”

[17:6]  ⁴⁵ tn Or “have kept.”

[1:1]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[1:1]  ⁴⁷ tn Traditionally, “servant” or “bondservant.” Though δοῦλος (doulos) is normally translated “servant,” the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. BDAG notes that “‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical transl. and early American times…in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” (BDAG 260 s.v.). The most accurate translation is “bondservant” (sometimes found in the ASV for δοῦλος), in that it often indicates one who sells himself into slavery to another. But as this is archaic, few today understand its force.

[1:1]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “for the faith,” possibly, “in accordance with the faith.”

[2:4]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “that they may train” (continuing the sentence of 2:3).

[2:4]  ⁵⁰ tn This verb, σωφρονίζω (swfronizw), denotes teaching in the sense of bringing people to their senses, showing what sound thinking is.