55:20 He 1 attacks 2 his friends; 3
he breaks his solemn promises to them. 4
24:5 The earth is defiled by 5 its inhabitants, 6
for they have violated laws,
disregarded the regulation, 7
and broken the permanent treaty. 8
33:8 Highways are empty, 9
there are no travelers. 10
Treaties are broken, 11
witnesses are despised, 12
human life is treated with disrespect. 13
31:1 At that time I will be the God of all the clans of Israel 22
and they will be my people.
I, the Lord, affirm it!” 23
1 sn He. This must refer to the psalmist’s former friend, who was addressed previously in vv. 12-14.
2 tn Heb “stretches out his hand against.”
3 tc The form should probably be emended to an active participle (שֹׁלְמָיו, sholÿmayv) from the verbal root שָׁלַם (shalam, “be in a covenant of peace with”). Perhaps the translation “his friends” suggests too intimate a relationship. Another option is to translate, “he attacks those who made agreements with him.”
4 tn Heb “he violates his covenant.”
5 tn Heb “beneath”; cf. KJV, ASV, NRSV “under”; NAB “because of.”
6 sn Isa 26:21 suggests that the earth’s inhabitants defiled the earth by shedding the blood of their fellow human beings. See also Num 35:33-34, which assumes that bloodshed defiles a land.
7 tn Heb “moved past [the?] regulation.”
8 tn Or “everlasting covenant” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “the ancient covenant”; CEV “their agreement that was to last forever.”
9 tn Or “desolate” (NAB, NASB); NIV, NRSV, NLT “deserted.”
10 tn Heb “the one passing by on the road ceases.”
11 tn Heb “one breaks a treaty”; NAB “Covenants are broken.”
12 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “he despises cities.” The term עָרִים (’arim, “cities”) is probably a corruption of an original עֵדִים (’edim, “[legal] witnesses”), a reading that is preserved in the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa. Confusion of dalet (ד) and resh (ר) is a well-attested scribal error.
13 tn Heb “he does not regard human beings.”
14 tn Or “They have repeated the evil actions of….”
15 tn Heb “have walked/followed after.” See the translator’s note at 2:5 for the idiom.
16 tn Heb “house of Israel and house of Judah.”
17 tn The word “old” is not in the text but is implicit in the use of the word “new.” It is supplied in the translation for greater clarity.
18 tn Heb “fathers.”
19 tn Heb “when I took them by the hand and led them out.”
20 tn Or “I was their master.” See the study note on 3:14.
21 tn Heb “Oracle of the
22 sn This verse repeats v. 22 but with specific reference to all the clans of Israel, i.e., to all Israel and Judah. It functions here as a transition to the next section which will deal with the restoration of Israel (31:3-20) and Judah (31:21-25) and their reunification in the land (31:27-29) under a new covenant relation with God (31:31-37). See also the study note on 30:3 for further reference to this reunification in Jeremiah and the other prophets.
23 tn Heb “Oracle of the
24 tn The genitive noun τῆς δόξης (ths doxhs) is an attributive genitive and has therefore been translated as “glorious riches.”
25 tn The Greek phrase εἴς ὅ (eis Jo, “toward which”) implies “movement toward a goal” and has been rendered by the English phrase “Toward this goal.”
26 tn The prepositional phrase ἐν δυνάμει (en dunamei) seems to be functioning adverbially, related to the participle, and has therefore been translated “powerfully.”