3:1 Then Eliashib the high priest and his priestly colleagues 2 arose and built the Sheep Gate. They dedicated 3 it and erected its doors, working as far as the Tower of the Hundred 4 and 5 the Tower of Hananel.
31:38 “Indeed a time is coming,” 8 says the Lord, 9 “when the city of Jerusalem 10 will be rebuilt as my special city. 11 It will be built from the Tower of Hananel westward to the Corner Gate. 12 31:39 The boundary line will extend beyond that, straight west from there to the Hill of Gareb and then turn southward to Goah. 13 31:40 The whole valley where dead bodies and sacrificial ashes are thrown 14 and all the terraced fields 15 out to the Kidron Valley 16 on the east as far north 17 as the Horse Gate 18 will be included within this city that is sacred to the Lord. 19 The city will never again be torn down or destroyed.”
38:7 An Ethiopian, Ebed Melech, 24 a court official in the royal palace, heard that Jeremiah had been put 25 in the cistern. While the king was holding court 26 at the Benjamin Gate,
1 tn Heb “400 cubits.” Assuming a cubit of 18 inches (45 cm), the distance would have been about 600 feet (180 m).
2 tn Heb “his brothers the priests.”
3 tn Or “consecrated” (so NASB, NRSV); KJV, ASV “sanctified”; NCV “gave it to the Lord’s service.”
4 tc The MT adds קִדְּשׁוּהוּ (qidshuhu, “they sanctified it”). This term is repeated from the first part of the verse, probably as an intentional scribal addition to harmonize this statement with the preceding parallel statement.
5 tc The translation reads וְעַד (vÿ’ad, “and unto”) rather than the MT reading עַד (ad, “unto”). The original vav (ו) was probably dropped accidentally due to haplography with the final vav on the immediately preceding word in the MT.
6 tn Or “the Old Gate” (so KJV, NASB, NCV, NRSV).
7 tn Heb “they stood.”
8 tc The words “is coming” (בָּאִים, ba’im) are not in the written text (Kethib) but are supplied in the margin (Qere), in several Hebrew
9 tn Heb “Oracle of the
10 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
11 tn Heb “the city will be built to [or for] the
12 tn The word “westward” is not in the text but is supplied in the translation to give some orientation.
13 tn The words “west” and “southward” are not in the text but are supplied in the translation to give some orientation.
14 sn It is generally agreed that this refers to the Hinnom Valley which was on the southwestern and southern side of the city. It was here where the people of Jerusalem had burned their children as sacrifices and where the
15 tc The translation here follows the Qere and a number of Hebrew
16 sn The Kidron Valley is the valley that joins the Hinnom Valley in the southeastern corner of the city and runs northward on the east side of the city.
17 tn The words “on the east” and “north” are not in the text but are supplied in the translation to give orientation.
18 sn The Horse Gate is mentioned in Neh 3:28 and is generally considered to have been located midway along the eastern wall just south of the temple area.
19 tn The words “will be included within this city that is” are not in the text. The text merely says that “The whole valley…will be sacred to the
20 sn The Benjamin Gate would have been a gate in the northern wall leading out toward the territory of Benjamin. It is mentioned only here and in Jer 38:7 and Zech 14:10.
21 sn Nothing further is known about Irijah. It is generally agreed that the Hananiah mentioned here is not the same as the false prophet of the same name whom Jeremiah confronted approximately six years earlier (28:1, 5, 10, 15).
22 tn Heb “And he was in the gate of Benjamin and there was an officer of the guard whose name [more literally, and his name] was Irijah…and he seized the prophet Jeremiah, saying.” The sentence has been broken down and simplified to better conform with contemporary English style.
23 tn Heb “the Chaldeans.” See the study note on 21:4 for explanation.
24 sn This individual, Ebed Melech, is mentioned only here. Later he will be promised deliverance from destruction when the city falls because he had shown trust in God (see Jer 39:16-18).
25 tn Heb “Ebed Melech, the Cushite, a man, an eunuch/official, and he was [= who was; a circumstantial clause] in the house of the king, heard that they had put Jeremiah…” The passive construction “Jeremiah had been put” has been used to avoid the indefinite subject “they” or the addition of “the officials.” For the translation of סָרִיס (saris) as “official” here rather than “eunuch” see the translator’s note on 29:2 and see also the usage in 34:19. For the translation of “Cushite” as Ethiopian see the study note on 13:23.
26 tn Heb “And the king was sitting in the Benjamin Gate.” This clause is circumstantial to the following clause; thus “while the king was…” Most commentators agree that the reference to sitting in the gate here likely refers to the same kind of judicial context that has been posited for 26:10 (see the translator’s note there for further references). Hence the translation uses “sitting” with the more technical “holding court” to better reflect the probable situation.