Jeremiah 25:23

25:23 the people of Dedan, Tema, Buz, ¹  all the desert people who cut their hair short at the temples; ² 

Jeremiah 49:32

49:32 Their camels will be taken as plunder.

Their vast herds will be taken as spoil.

I will scatter to the four winds

those desert peoples who cut their hair short at the temples. ³ 

I will bring disaster against them

from every direction,” says the Lord. ⁴ 

Jeremiah 9:26

9:26 That is, I will punish the Egyptians, the Judeans, the Edomites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, and all the desert people who cut their hair short at the temples. ⁵  I will do so because none of the people of those nations are really circumcised in the Lord’s sight. ⁶  Moreover, none of the people of Israel ⁷  are circumcised when it comes to their hearts.” ⁸ 

¹ sn Dedan and Tema are mentioned together in Isa 21:13-14 and located in the desert. They were located in the northern part of the Arabian peninsula south and east of Ezion Geber. Buz is not mentioned anywhere else and its location is unknown. Judgment against Dedan and Tema is mentioned in conjunction with the judgment on Edom in Jer 47:7-8.

² tn For the discussion regarding the meaning of the terms here see the notes on 9:26.

³ tn See the translator’s note at Jer 9:26 and compare the usage in 9:26 and 25:23.

⁴ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

⁵ tn Heb “all those who are cut off on the side of the head who live in the desert.” KJV and some other English versions (e.g., NIV “who live in the desert in distant places”; NLT “who live in distant places”) have followed the interpretation that this is a biform of an expression meaning “end or remote parts of the [far] corners [of the earth].” This interpretation is generally abandoned by the more recent commentaries and lexicons (see, e.g. BDB 802 s.v. פֵּאָה 1 and HALOT 858 s.v. פֵּאָה 1.β). It occurs also in 25:33; 49:32.

⁶ tn Heb “For all of these nations are uncircumcised.” The words “I will do so” are supplied in the translation to indicate the connection with the preceding statement.

⁷ tn Heb “house of Israel.”

⁸ tn Heb “And all the house of Israel is uncircumcised of heart.”