7:27 1 Blessed be the Lord God of our fathers, who so moved in the heart of the king to so honor the temple of the Lord which is in Jerusalem!
51:18 Because you favor Zion, do what is good for her! 2
Fortify 3 the walls of Jerusalem! 4
122:6 Pray 5 for the peace of Jerusalem!
May those who love her prosper! 6
32:2 Now at that time, 18 the armies of the king of Babylon were besieging Jerusalem. 19 The prophet Jeremiah was confined in the courtyard of the guardhouse 20 attached to the royal palace of Judah.
1:16 for all things in heaven and on earth were created by him – all things, whether visible or invisible, whether thrones or dominions, 21 whether principalities or powers – all things were created through him and for him.
1 sn At this point the language of the book reverts from Aramaic (7:12-26) back to Hebrew.
2 tn Heb “do what is good for Zion in your favor.”
3 tn Or “Build.” The imperfect verbal form is used here to express the psalmist’s wish or request.
4 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
5 tn Heb “ask [for].”
6 tn Or “be secure.”
7 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.
8 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.
9 tn Heb “Oracle of the
10 tn Heb “‘But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after these days:’ says the
11 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.
12 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.
13 sn Compare Jer 24:7; 30:22; 31:1 and see the study note on 30:2.
14 tn Heb “an everlasting covenant.” For the rationale for the rendering “agreement” and the nature of the biblical covenants see the study note on 11:2.
15 tn Or “stop being gracious to them” or “stop blessing them with good”; Heb “turn back from them to do good to them.”
16 tn Or “I will make them want to fear and respect me so much that”; Heb “I will put the fear of me in their hearts.” However, as has been noted several times, “heart” in Hebrew is more the center of the volition (and intellect) than the center of emotions as it is in English. Both translations are intended to reflect the difference in psychology.
17 tn The words “never again” are not in the text but are implicit from the context and are supplied not only by this translation but by a number of others.
18 sn Jer 32:2-5 are parenthetical, giving the background for the actual report of what the
19 sn According to Jer 39:1 the siege began in Zedekiah’s ninth year (i.e., in 589/88
20 tn Heb “the courtyard of the guarding” or “place of guarding.” This expression occurs only in the book of Jeremiah (32:2, 8, 12; 33:1; 37:21; 38:6, 12, 28; 39:14, 15) and in Neh 3:25. It is not the same as an enclosed prison which is where Jeremiah was initially confined (37:15-16; literally a “house of imprisoning” [בֵּית הָאֵסוּר, bet ha’esur] or “house of confining” [בֵּית הַכֶּלֶא, bet hakkele’]). It is said to have been in the palace compound (32:2) near the citadel or upper palace (Neh 3:25). Though it was a place of confinement (32:2; 33:1; 39:15) Jeremiah was able to receive visitors, e.g., his cousin Hanamel (32:8) and the scribe Baruch (32:12), and conduct business there (32:12). According to 32:12 other Judeans were also housed there. A cistern of one of the royal princes, Malkijah, was located in this courtyard, so this is probably not a “prison compound” as NJPS interpret but a courtyard adjacent to a guardhouse or guard post (so G. L. Keown, P. J. Scalise, T. G. Smothers, Jeremiah 26-52 [WBC], 151, and compare Neh 12:39 where reference is made to a Gate of the Guard/Guardhouse) used here for housing political prisoners who did not deserve death or solitary confinement as some of the officials though Jeremiah did.
21 tn BDAG 579 s.v. κυριότης 3 suggests “bearers of the ruling powers, dominions” here.
22 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.
23 tn The first phrase refers to the action of giving and the second to what is given.
24 tn Or “All generous giving and every perfect gift from above is coming down.”
25 tn Grk “variation or shadow of turning” (referring to the motions of heavenly bodies causing variations of light and darkness).
26 tn Grk “hearts.”
27 tn Or “his intent.”
28 tn The infinitive ποιῆσαι (poihsai) was translated here as giving the logical means by which God’s purpose was carried out.
29 tn On this term BDAG 203 s.v. γνώμη 4 states, “declaration, decision, resolution…of God Rv 17:17.”
30 tn For this translation see BDAG 168 s.v. βασιλεία 1.a, “kingship, royal power, royal rule.”
31 tn Or “completed.”