49:10 The scepter will not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, 1
until he comes to whom it belongs; 2
the nations will obey him. 3
23:37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 12 you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! 13 How often I have longed 14 to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but 15 you would have none of it! 16
1 tn Or perhaps “from his descendants,” taking the expression “from between his feet” as a euphemism referring to the genitals. In this case the phrase refers by metonymy to those who come forth from his genitals, i.e., his descendants.
2 tn The Hebrew form שִׁילֹה (shiloh) is a major interpretive problem. There are at least four major options (with many variations and less likely alternatives): (1) Some prefer to leave the text as it is, reading “Shiloh” and understanding it as the place where the ark rested for a while in the time of the Judges. (2) By repointing the text others arrive at the translation “until the [or “his”] ruler comes,” a reference to a Davidic ruler or the Messiah. (3) Another possibility that does not require emendation of the consonantal text, but only repointing, is “until tribute is brought to him” (so NEB, JPS, NRSV), which has the advantage of providing good parallelism with the following line, “the nations will obey him.” (4) The interpretation followed in the present translation, “to whom it [belongs]” (so RSV, NIV, REB), is based on the ancient versions. Again, this would refer to the Davidic dynasty or, ultimately, to the Messiah.
3 tn “and to him [will be] the obedience of the nations.” For discussion of this verse see J. Blenkinsopp, “The Oracle of Judah and the Messianic Entry,” JBL 80 (1961): 55-64; and E. M. Good, “The ‘Blessing’ on Judah,” JBL 82 (1963): 427-32.
4 tc MT, 4QJera and LXX read “the sun and the moon and all the host of heaven,” but 4QJerc reads “the sun and all the stars.”
5 tn Heb “the sun, moon, and host of heaven which they…”
6 tn Heb “followed after.” See the translator’s note at 2:5 for the idiom.
7 tn Heb “they will not” but the referent is far enough removed that it might be ambiguous.
8 tn Heb “like dung/manure on the surface of the ground.”
9 sn A winnowing fork was a pitchfork-like tool used to toss threshed grain in the air so that the wind blew away the chaff, leaving the grain to fall to the ground. The note of purging is highlighted by the use of imagery involving sifting though threshed grain for the useful kernels.
10 tn Or “granary,” “barn” (referring to a building used to store a farm’s produce rather than a building to house livestock).
11 sn The image of fire that cannot be extinguished is from the OT: Job 20:26; Isa 34:8-10; 66:24.
12 sn The double use of the city’s name betrays intense emotion.
13 tn Although the opening address (“Jerusalem, Jerusalem”) is direct (second person), the remainder of this sentence in the Greek text is third person (“who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her”). The following sentences then revert to second person (“your… you”), so to keep all this consistent in English, the third person pronouns in the present verse were translated as second person (“you who kill… sent to you”).
14 sn How often I have longed to gather your children. Jesus, like a lamenting prophet, speaks for God here, who longed to care tenderly for Israel and protect her.
15 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
16 tn Grk “you were not willing.”