26:8 O Lord, I love the temple where you live, 1
the place where your splendor is revealed. 2
78:61 He allowed the symbol of his strong presence to be captured; 3
he gave the symbol of his splendor 4 into the hand of the enemy. 5
78:64 Their 6 priests fell by the sword,
but their 7 widows did not weep. 8
106:20 They traded their majestic God 9
for the image of an ox that eats grass.
2:11 Has a nation ever changed its gods
(even though they are not really gods at all)?
But my people have exchanged me, their glorious God, 10
for a god that cannot help them at all! 11
9:12 Even if they raise their children,
I will take away every last one of them. 12
Woe to them!
For I will turn away from them.
1 tn Heb “the dwelling of your house.”
2 tn Heb “the place of the abode of your splendor.”
3 tn Heb “and he gave to captivity his strength.” The expression “his strength” refers metonymically to the ark of the covenant, which was housed in the tabernacle at Shiloh.
4 tn Heb “and his splendor into the hand of an enemy.” The expression “his splendor” also refers metonymically to the ark of the covenant.
5 sn Verses 60-61 refer to the Philistines’ capture of the ark in the days of Eli (1 Sam 4:1-11).
6 tn Heb “his.” The singular pronominal suffix is collective, referring back to God’s “people” (v. 62).
7 tn Heb “his.” The singular pronominal suffix is collective, referring back to God’s “people” (v. 62).
8 sn Because of the invading army and the ensuing panic, the priests’ widows had no time to carry out the normal mourning rites.
9 tn Heb “their glory.” According to an ancient Hebrew scribal tradition, the text originally read “his glory” or “my glory.” In Jer 2:11 the
10 tn Heb “have exchanged their glory [i.e., the God in whom they glory].” This is a case of a figure of speech where the attribute of a person or thing is put for the person or thing. Compare the common phrase in Isaiah, the Holy One of Israel, obviously referring to the
11 tn Heb “what cannot profit.” The verb is singular and the allusion is likely to Baal. See the translator’s note on 2:8 for the likely pun or wordplay.
12 tn Heb “I will bereave them from a man”; NRSV “I will bereave them until no one is left.”