Genesis 38:25-26

38:25 While they were bringing her out, she sent word ¹  to her father-in-law: “I am pregnant by the man to whom these belong.” ²  Then she said, “Identify ³  the one to whom the seal, cord, and staff belong.” 38:26 Judah recognized them and said, “She is more upright ⁴  than I am, because I wouldn’t give her to Shelah my son.” He did not have sexual relations with her ⁵  again.

Jeremiah 22:24

Jeconiah Will Be Permanently Exiled

22:24 The Lord says, ⁶ 

“As surely as I am the living God, you, Jeconiah, ⁷  king of Judah, son of Jehoiakim, will not be the earthly representative of my authority. Indeed, I will take that right away from you. ⁸ 

Luke 15:22

15:22 But the father said to his slaves, ⁹  ‘Hurry! Bring the best robe, ¹⁰  and put it on him! Put a ring on his finger ¹¹  and sandals ¹²  on his feet!

¹ tn Heb “she was being brought out and she sent.” The juxtaposition of two clauses, both of which place the subject before the predicate, indicates synchronic action.

² tn Heb “who these to him.”

³ tn Or “ recognize; note.” This same Hebrew verb (נָכַר, nakhar) is used at the beginning of v. 26, where it is translated “recognized.”

⁴ tn Traditionally “more righteous”; cf. NCV, NRSV, NLT “more in the right.”

⁵ tn Heb “and he did not add again to know her.” Here “know” is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.

⁶ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

⁷ tn Heb “Coniah.” This is the spelling of this king’s name here and in v. 28 and 37:1. Elsewhere in Jeremiah he is called Jeconiah (24:1; 27:20; 28:4; 29:2 [see also 1 Chr 3:16, 17; Esth 2:6]) and Jehoiachin (52:31, 33 [see also 2 Kgs 24:6, 8, 12, 15; 25:27, 29; 2 Chr 36:8, 9; Ezek 1:2]). For the sake of consistency the present translation uses the name Jeconiah throughout.

⁸ tn Heb “As surely as I live, Jeconiah, King of Judah, son of Jehoiakim will not be a signet ring on my right hand. Indeed I will tear you off from it [i.e., pull you off of my finger as a signet ring].” The signet ring was the king’s seal by which he verified all his legal and political transactions. To have the signet ring was to exercise authority in the king’s name. For examples of this see Gen 41:42, 43; 1 Kgs 21:8; Esth 3:10; 8:2. The figure has been interpreted in the translation for the sake of clarity. The particles כִּי אִם (ki ’im) that stand after the oath formula “As I live” introduce a negative statement according to the usage of Hebrew grammar (cf. BDB 474 s.v. כִּי אִם 1.a and BDB 50 s.v. אִם 1.b[2] and compare 2 Sam 3:35). The particle כִּי that stands in front of “I will tear you off” introduces a positive affirmation according to the same rules of Hebrew grammar (cf. BDB 472 s.v. כִּי 1.c and compare 1 Sam 14:39, 44). The Lord is swearing emphatically that Jeconiah will not be the earthly representative of his rule; i.e., not carry the authority of the signet ring bearer. As in several other places in Jeremiah there is a sudden shift from the third person to the second person which runs throughout vv. 24-27. The pronouns are leveled in the translation to the second person to avoid confusion. The figures are interpreted in the translation to convey the proper significance. See the study note for explanation.

⁹ tn See the note on the word “slave” in 7:2.

¹⁰ sn With the instructions Hurry! Bring the best robe, there is a total acceptance of the younger son back into the home.

¹¹ tn Grk “hand”; but χείρ (ceir) can refer to either the whole hand or any relevant part of it (L&N 8.30).

¹² sn The need for sandals underlines the younger son’s previous destitution, because he was barefoot.