1:20 But if you refuse and rebel,
you will be devoured 5 by the sword.”
Know for certain that the Lord has spoken. 6
2:30 “It did no good for me to punish your people.
They did not respond to such correction.
You slaughtered your prophets
like a voracious lion.” 7
12:12 A destructive army 8 will come marching
over the hilltops in the desert.
For the Lord will use them as his destructive weapon 9
against 10 everyone from one end of the land to the other.
No one will be safe. 11
46:10 But that day belongs to the Lord God who rules over all. 12
It is the day when he will pay back his enemies. 13
His sword will devour them until its appetite is satisfied!
It will drink their blood until it is full! 14
For the Lord God who rules over all 15 will offer them up as a sacrifice
in the land of the north by the Euphrates River.
46:14 “Make an announcement throughout Egypt.
Proclaim it in Migdol, Memphis, and Tahpanhes. 16
‘Take your positions and prepare to do battle.
For the enemy army is destroying all the nations around you.’ 17
11:6 A sword will flash in their cities,
it will destroy the bars of their city gates,
and will devour them in their fortresses.
1 tn Heb “let not this matter be evil in your eyes.”
2 tn Heb “according to this and according to this the sword devours.”
3 tn Heb “overthrow.”
4 tn The Hebrew text does not have “with these words.” They are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
5 sn The wordplay in the Hebrew draws attention to the options. The people can obey, in which case they will “eat” v. 19 (תֹּאכֵלוּ [to’khelu], Qal active participle of אָכַל) God’s blessing, or they can disobey, in which case they will be devoured (Heb “eaten,” תְּאֻכְּלוּ, [tÿ’ukkÿlu], Qal passive/Pual of אָכַל) by God’s judgment.
6 tn Heb “for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” The introductory כִּי (ki) may be asseverative (as reflected in the translation) or causal/explanatory, explaining why the option chosen by the people will become reality (it is guaranteed by the divine word).
7 tn Heb “Your sword devoured your prophets like a destroying lion.” However, the reference to the sword in this and many similar idioms is merely idiomatic for death by violent means.
8 tn Heb “destroyers.”
9 tn Heb “It is the
10 tn Heb “For a sword of the
11 tn Heb “There is no peace to all flesh.”
12 tn Heb “the Lord Yahweh of armies.” See the study note at 2:19 for the translation and significance of this title for God.
13 sn Most commentators think that this is a reference to the
14 tn Or more paraphrastically, “he will kill them/ until he has exacted full vengeance”; Heb “The sword will eat and be sated; it will drink its fill of their blood.”
15 tn Heb “the Lord Yahweh of armies.” See the study note at 2:19 for the translation and significance of this title for God.
16 tn Heb “Declare in Egypt and announce in Migdol and announce in Noph [= Memphis] and in Tahpanhes.” The sentence has been restructured to reflect the fact that the first command is a general one, followed by announcements in specific (representative?) cities.
17 tn Heb “For the sword devours those who surround you.” The “sword” is again figurative of destructive forces. Here it is a reference to the forces of Nebuchadnezzar which have already destroyed the Egyptian forces at Carchemish and have made victorious forays into the Philistine plain.