4:20 I see 1 one destruction after another taking place,
so that the whole land lies in ruins.
I see our 2 tents suddenly destroyed,
their 3 curtains torn down in a mere instant. 4
8:21 My heart is crushed because my dear people 5 are being crushed. 6
I go about crying and grieving. I am overwhelmed with dismay. 7
6:14 They offer only superficial help
for the harm my people have suffered. 8
They say, ‘Everything will be all right!’
But everything is not all right! 9
8:11 They offer only superficial help
for the hurt my dear people 10 have suffered. 11
They say, “Everything will be all right!”
But everything is not all right! 12
49:35 The Lord who rules over all said,
“I will kill all the archers of Elam,
who are the chief source of her military might. 13
48:5 Indeed they will climb the slopes of Luhith,
weeping continually as they go. 14
For on the road down to Horonaim
they will hear the cries of distress over the destruction. 15
14:17 “Tell these people this, Jeremiah: 16
‘My eyes overflow with tears
day and night without ceasing. 17
For my people, my dear children, 18 have suffered a crushing blow.
They have suffered a serious wound. 19
1 tn The words, “I see” are not in the text here or at the beginning of the third line. They are supplied in the translation to show that this is Jeremiah’s vision of what will happen as a result of the invasion announced in 4:5-9, 11-17a.
2 tn Heb “my.” This is probably not a reference to Jeremiah’s own tents since he foresees the destruction of the whole land. Jeremiah so identifies with the plight of his people that he sees the destruction of their tents as though they were his very own. It would probably lead to confusion to translate literally and it is not uncommon in Hebrew laments for the community or its representative to speak of the community as an “I.” See for example the interchange between first singular and first plural pronouns in Ps 44:4-8.
3 tn Heb “my.”
4 tn It is not altogether clear what Jeremiah intends by the use of this metaphor. In all likelihood he means that the defenses of Israel’s cities and towns have offered no more resistance than nomads’ tents. However, in light of the fact that the word “tent” came to be used generically for a person’s home (cf. 1 Kgs 8:66; 12:16), it is possible that Jeremiah is here referring to the destruction of their homes and the resultant feeling of homelessness and loss of even elementary protection. Given the lack of certainty the present translation is rather literal here.
5 tn Heb “daughter of my people.” For the translation given here see 4:11 and the note on the phrase “dear people” there.
6 tn Heb “Because of the crushing of the daughter of my people I am crushed.”
7 tn Heb “I go about in black [i.e., mourning clothes]. Dismay has seized me.”
9 tn Heb “They heal [= bandage] the wound of my people lightly”; TEV “They act as if my people’s wounds were only scratches.”
10 tn Heb “They say, ‘Peace! Peace!’ and there is no peace!”
13 tn Heb “daughter of my people.” For the translation given here see 4:11 and the note on the phrase “dear people” there.
14 tn Heb “They heal the wound of my people lightly.”
15 tn Heb “They say, ‘Peace! Peace!’ and there is no peace!”
17 tn Heb “I will break the bow of Elam, the chief source of their might.” The phrase does not mean that God will break literal bows or that he will destroy their weapons (synecdoche of species for genus) or their military power (so Hos 1:5). Because of the parallelism, the “bow” here stands for the archers who wield the bow, and were the strongest force (or chief contingent) in their military.
21 tn Or “Indeed her fugitives will…” It is unclear what the subject of the verbs are in this verse. The verb in the first two lines “climb” (יַעֲלֶה, ya’aleh) is third masculine singular and the verb in the second two lines “will hear” (שָׁמֵעוּ, shame’u) is third common plural. The causal particles at the beginning of the two halves of the verse suggest some connection with the preceding, so the translation assumes that the children are still the subject. In this case the singular verb would be a case of the distributive singular already referred to in the translator’s note on 46:15. The parallel passage in Isa 15:5 refers to the “fugitives” (בְּרִיחֶהָ, bÿrikheha) with the same singular verb as here and that may be the implied subject here.
22 tn Heb “the distresses of the cry of destruction.” Many commentaries want to leave out the word “distresses” because it is missing from the Greek version and the parallel passage in Isa 15:5. However, it is in all the Hebrew
25 tn The word “Jeremiah” is not in the text but the address is to a second person singular and is a continuation of 14:14 where the quote starts. The word is supplied in the translation for clarity.
26 tn Many of the English versions and commentaries render this an indirect or third person imperative, “Let my eyes overflow…” because of the particle אַל (’al) which introduces the phrase translated “without ceasing” (אַל־תִּדְמֶינָה, ’al-tidmenah). However, this is undoubtedly an example where the particle introduces an affirmation that something cannot be done (cf. GKC 322 §109.e). Clear examples of this are found in Pss 41:2 (41:3 HT); 50:3; Job 40:32 (41:8). God here is describing again a lamentable situation and giving his response to it. See 14:1-6 above.
27 tn Heb “virgin daughter, my people.” The last noun here is appositional to the first two (genitive of apposition). Hence it is not ‘literally’ “virgin daughter of my people.”
28 tn This is a poetic personification. To translate with the plural “serious wounds” might mislead some into thinking of literal wounds.