1:2 My brothers and sisters, 1 consider it nothing but joy 2 when you fall into all sorts of trials,
63:17 Why, Lord, do you make us stray 7 from your ways, 8
and make our minds stubborn so that we do not obey you? 9
Return for the sake of your servants,
the tribes of your inheritance!
2:12 The one who builds a city by bloodshed is as good as dead 10 –
he who starts 11 a town by unjust deeds.
2:13 Be sure of this! The Lord who commands armies has decreed:
The nations’ efforts will go up in smoke;
their exhausting work will be for nothing. 12
9:19 You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who has ever resisted his will?” 9:20 But who indeed are you – a mere human being 13 – to talk back to God? 14 Does what is molded say to the molder, “Why have you made me like this?” 15
1 tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” or “fellow Christians” as here (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelfoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited). Where the plural term is used in direct address, as here, “brothers and sisters” is used; where the term is singular and not direct address (as in v. 9), “believer” is preferred.
2 tn Grk “all joy,” “full joy,” or “greatest joy.”
3 tn The word for “man” or “individual” here is ἀνήρ (anhr), which often means “male” or “man (as opposed to woman).” However, as BDAG 79 s.v. 2 says, here it is “equivalent to τὶς someone, a person.”
4 tc Most
5 tn The Hebrew construction in this sentence uses an independent nominative absolute (formerly known as a casus pendens). “The woman” is the independent nominative absolute; it is picked up by the formal subject, the pronoun “she” written with the verb (“she gave”). The point of the construction is to throw the emphasis on “the woman.” But what makes this so striking is that a relative clause has been inserted to explain what is meant by the reference to the woman: “whom you gave me.” Ultimately, the man is blaming God for giving him the woman who (from the man’s viewpoint) caused him to sin.
6 tn The words “some fruit” here and the pronoun “it” at the end of the sentence are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied for stylistic reasons.
7 tn Some suggest a tolerative use of the Hiphil here, “[why do] you allow us to stray?” (cf. NLT). Though the Hiphil of תָעָה (ta’ah) appears to be tolerative in Jer 50:6, elsewhere it is preferable or necessary to take it as causative. See Isa 3:12; 9:15; and 30:28, as well as Gen 20:13; 2 Kgs 21:9; Job 12:24-25; Prov 12:26; Jer 23:13, 32; Hos 4:12; Amos 2:4; Mic 3:5.
8 tn This probably refers to God’s commands.
9 tn Heb “[Why do] you harden our heart[s] so as not to fear you.” The interrogative particle is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
10 tn On the term הוֹי (hoy) see the note on the word “dead” in v. 6.
11 tn Or “establishes”; or “founds.”
12 tn Heb “Is it not, look, from the
13 tn Grk “O man.”
14 tn Grk “On the contrary, O man, who are you to talk back to God?”
15 sn A quotation from Isa 29:16; 45:9.