16:9 So I weep along with Jazer 1
over the vines of Sibmah.
I will saturate you 2 with my tears, Heshbon and Elealeh,
for the conquering invaders shout triumphantly
over your fruit and crops. 3
16:10 Joy and happiness disappear from the orchards,
and in the vineyards no one rejoices or shouts;
no one treads out juice in the wine vats 4 –
I have brought the joyful shouts to an end. 5
24:7 The new wine dries up,
the vines shrivel up,
all those who like to celebrate 6 groan.
24:8 The happy sound 7 of the tambourines stops,
the revelry of those who celebrate comes to a halt,
the happy sound of the harp ceases.
24:9 They no longer sing and drink wine; 8
the beer tastes bitter to those who drink it.
25:30 “Then, Jeremiah, 9 make the following prophecy 10 against them:
‘Like a lion about to attack, 11 the Lord will roar from the heights of heaven;
from his holy dwelling on high he will roar loudly.
He will roar mightily against his land. 12
He will shout in triumph like those stomping juice from the grapes 13
against all those who live on the earth.
6:3 You refuse to believe a day of disaster will come, 14
but you establish a reign of violence. 15
6:4 They lie around on beds decorated with ivory, 16
and sprawl out on their couches.
They eat lambs from the flock,
and calves from the middle of the pen.
6:5 They sing 17 to the tune of 18 stringed instruments; 19
like David they invent 20 musical instruments.
6:6 They drink wine from sacrificial bowls, 21
and pour the very best oils on themselves. 22
Yet they are not concerned over 23 the ruin 24 of Joseph.
1 tn Heb “So I weep with the weeping of Jazer.” Once more the speaker (the Lord? – see v. 10b) plays the role of a mourner (see 15:5).
2 tc The form אֲרַיָּוֶךְ (’arayyavekh) should be emended to אֲרַוָּיֶךְ (’aravvayekh; the vav [ו] and yod [י] have been accidentally transposed) from רָוָה (ravah, “be saturated”).
3 tn Heb “for over your fruit and over your harvest shouting has fallen.” The translation assumes that the shouting is that of the conqueror (Jer 51:14). Another possibility is that the shouting is that of the harvesters (see v. 10b, as well as Jer 25:30), in which case one might translate, “for the joyful shouting over the fruit and crops has fallen silent.”
4 tn Heb “wine in the vats the treader does not tread.”
5 sn The Lord appears to be the speaker here. See 15:9.
6 tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “all the joyful in heart,” but the context specifies the context as parties and drinking bouts.
7 tn Heb “the joy” (again later in this verse).
8 tn Heb “with a song they do not drink wine.”
9 tn The word “Jeremiah” is not in the text. It is supplied in the translation to make clear who is being addressed.
10 tn Heb “Prophesy against them all these words.”
11 tn The words “like a lion about to attack” are not in the text but are implicit in the metaphor. The explicit comparison of the
12 sn The word used here (Heb “his habitation”) refers to the land of Canaan which the
13 sn The metaphor shifts from God as a lion to God as a mighty warrior (Jer 20:11; Isa 42:13; Zeph 3:17) shouting in triumph over his foes. Within the metaphor is a simile where the warrior is compared to a person stomping on grapes to remove the juice from them in the making of wine. The figure will be invoked later in a battle scene where the sounds of joy in the grape harvest are replaced by the sounds of joy of the enemy soldiers (Jer 48:33). The picture is drawn in more gory detail in Isa 63:1-6.
14 tn Heb “those who push away a day of disaster.”
15 tn Heb “you bring near a seat of violence.” The precise meaning of the Hebrew term שֶׁבֶת (shevet, “seat, sitting”) is unclear in this context. The translation assumes that it refers to a throne from which violence (in the person of the oppressive leaders) reigns. Another option is that the expression refers not to the leaders’ oppressive rule, but to the coming judgment when violence will overtake the nation in the person of enemy invaders.
16 tn Heb “beds of ivory.”
17 tn The meaning of the Hebrew verb פָּרַט (parat), which occurs only here in the OT, is unclear. Some translate “strum,” “pluck,” or “improvise.”
18 tn Heb “upon the mouth of,” that is, “according to.”
19 sn The stringed instruments mentioned here are probably harps (cf. NIV, NRSV) or lutes (cf. NEB).
20 tn The meaning of the Hebrew phrase חָשְׁבוּ לָהֶם (khoshvu lahem) is uncertain. Various options include: (1) “they think their musical instruments are like David’s”; (2) “they consider themselves musicians like David”; (3) “they esteem musical instruments highly like David”; (4) “they improvise [new songs] for themselves [on] instruments like David”; (5) “they invent musical instruments like David.” However, the most commonly accepted interpretation is that given in the translation (see S. M. Paul, Amos [Hermeneia], 206-7).
21 sn Perhaps some religious rite is in view, or the size of the bowls is emphasized (i.e., bowls as large as sacrificial bowls).
22 tn Heb “with the best of oils they anoint [themselves].”
23 tn Or “not sickened by.”
24 sn The ruin of Joseph may refer to the societal disintegration in Israel, or to the effects of the impending judgment.