4:17 They will surround Jerusalem 1
like men guarding a field 2
because they have rebelled against me,”
says the Lord.
1 tn Heb “will surround her.” The antecedent is Jerusalem in the preceding verse. The referent is again made explicit in the translation to avoid any possible lack of clarity. The verb form here is a form of the verb that emphasizes the fact as being as good as done (i.e., it is a prophetic perfect).
2 sn There is some irony involved in the choice of the simile since the men guarding a field were there to keep thieves from getting in and stealing the crops. Here the besiegers are guarding the city to keep people from getting out.
3 map For location see Map1-A2; Map2-G2; Map4-A1; JP3-F3; JP4-F3.
4 sn Tyre and Sidon are mentioned within the judgment on the Philistines in Jer 47:4. They were Phoenician cities to the north and west of Judah on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in what is now Lebanon.
5 sn The connection with Tyre and Sidon suggests that these were Phoenician colonies. See also Isa 23:2.