2 Kings 17:7-23

A Summary of Israel’s Sinful History

17:7 This happened because the Israelites sinned against the Lord their God, who brought them up from the land of Egypt and freed them from the power of ¹  Pharaoh king of Egypt. They worshiped ²  other gods; 17:8 they observed the practices ³  of the nations whom the Lord had driven out from before Israel, and followed the example of the kings of Israel. ⁴  17:9 The Israelites said things about the Lord their God that were not right. ⁵  They built high places in all their cities, from the watchtower to the fortress. ⁶  17:10 They set up sacred pillars and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree. 17:11 They burned incense on all the high places just like the nations whom the Lord had driven away from before them. Their evil practices made the Lord angry. ⁷  17:12 They worshiped ⁸  the disgusting idols ⁹  in blatant disregard of the Lord’s command. ¹⁰ 

17:13 The Lord solemnly warned Israel and Judah through all his prophets and all the seers, “Turn back from your evil ways; obey my commandments and rules that are recorded in the law. I ordered your ancestors to keep this law and sent my servants the prophets to remind you of its demands.” ¹¹  17:14 But they did not pay attention and were as stubborn as their ancestors, ¹²  who had not trusted the Lord their God. 17:15 They rejected his rules, the covenant he had made with their ancestors, and the laws he had commanded them to obey. ¹³  They paid allegiance to ¹⁴  worthless idols, and so became worthless to the Lord. ¹⁵  They copied the practices of the surrounding nations in blatant disregard of the Lord’s command. ¹⁶  17:16 They abandoned all the commandments of the Lord their God; they made two metal calves and an Asherah pole, bowed down to all the stars in the sky, ¹⁷  and worshiped ¹⁸  Baal. 17:17 They passed their sons and daughters through the fire, ¹⁹  and practiced divination and omen reading. They committed themselves to doing evil in the sight of the Lord and made him angry. ²⁰ 

17:18 So the Lord was furious ²¹  with Israel and rejected them; ²²  only the tribe of Judah was left. 17:19 Judah also failed to keep the commandments of the Lord their God; they followed Israel’s example. ²³  17:20 So the Lord rejected all of Israel’s descendants; he humiliated ²⁴  them and handed them over to robbers, until he had thrown them from his presence. 17:21 He tore Israel away from David’s dynasty, and Jeroboam son of Nebat became their king. ²⁵  Jeroboam drove Israel away ²⁶  from the Lord and encouraged them to commit a serious sin. ²⁷  17:22 The Israelites followed in the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat and did not repudiate ²⁸  them. 17:23 Finally ²⁹  the Lord rejected Israel ³⁰  just as he had warned he would do ³¹  through all his servants the prophets. Israel was deported from its land to Assyria and remains there to this very day.

2 Kings 17:2

17:2 He did evil in the sight of ³²  the Lord, but not to the same degree as the Israelite kings who preceded him.

2 Kings 1:14-16

1:14 Indeed, ³³  fire came down from the sky and consumed the two captains who came before me, along with their men. ³⁴  So now, please have respect for my life.” 1:15 The Lord’s angelic messenger said to Elijah, “Go down with him. Don’t be afraid of him.” So he got up and went down ³⁵  with him to the king.

1:16 Elijah ³⁶  said to the king, ³⁷  “This is what the Lord says, ‘You sent messengers to seek an oracle from Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron. You must think there is no God in Israel from whom you can seek an oracle! ³⁸  Therefore you will not leave the bed you lie on, for you will certainly die.’” ³⁹ 

Isaiah 50:1-2

50:1 This is what the Lord says:

“Where is your mother’s divorce certificate

by which I divorced her?

Or to which of my creditors did I sell you? ⁴⁰ 

Look, you were sold because of your sins; ⁴¹ 

because of your rebellious acts I divorced your mother. ⁴² 

50:2 Why does no one challenge me when I come?

Why does no one respond when I call? ⁴³ 

Is my hand too weak ⁴⁴  to deliver ⁴⁵  you?

Do I lack the power to rescue you?

Look, with a mere shout ⁴⁶  I can dry up the sea;

I can turn streams into a desert,

so the fish rot away and die

from lack of water. ⁴⁷ 

Isaiah 59:1-15

Injustice Brings Alienation from God

59:1 Look, the Lord’s hand is not too weak ⁴⁸  to deliver you;

his ear is not too deaf to hear you. ⁴⁹ 

59:2 But your sinful acts have alienated you from your God;

your sins have caused him to reject you and not listen to your prayers. ⁵⁰ 

59:3 For your hands are stained with blood

and your fingers with sin;

your lips speak lies,

your tongue utters malicious words.

59:4 No one is concerned about justice; ⁵¹ 

no one sets forth his case truthfully.

They depend on false words ⁵²  and tell lies;

they conceive of oppression ⁵³ 

and give birth to sin.

59:5 They hatch the eggs of a poisonous snake

and spin a spider’s web.

Whoever eats their eggs will die,

a poisonous snake is hatched. ⁵⁴ 

59:6 Their webs cannot be used for clothing;

they cannot cover themselves with what they make.

Their deeds are sinful;

they commit violent crimes. ⁵⁵ 

59:7 They are eager to do evil, ⁵⁶ 

quick to shed innocent blood. ⁵⁷ 

Their thoughts are sinful;

they crush and destroy. ⁵⁸ 

59:8 They are unfamiliar with peace;

their deeds are unjust. ⁵⁹ 

They use deceitful methods,

and whoever deals with them is unfamiliar with peace. ⁶⁰ 

Israel Confesses its Sin

59:9 For this reason deliverance ⁶¹  is far from us ⁶² 

and salvation does not reach us.

We wait for light, ⁶³  but see only darkness; ⁶⁴ 

we wait for ⁶⁵  a bright light, ⁶⁶  but live ⁶⁷  in deep darkness. ⁶⁸ 

59:10 We grope along the wall like the blind,

we grope like those who cannot see; ⁶⁹ 

we stumble at noontime as if it were evening.

Though others are strong, we are like dead men. ⁷⁰ 

59:11 We all growl like bears,

we coo mournfully like doves;

we wait for deliverance, ⁷¹  but there is none,

for salvation, but it is far from us.

59:12 For you are aware of our many rebellious deeds, ⁷² 

and our sins testify against us;

indeed, we are aware of our rebellious deeds;

we know our sins all too well. ⁷³ 

59:13 We have rebelled and tried to deceive the Lord;

we turned back from following our God.

We stir up ⁷⁴  oppression and rebellion;

we tell lies we concocted in our minds. ⁷⁵ 

59:14 Justice is driven back;

godliness ⁷⁶  stands far off.

Indeed, ⁷⁷  honesty stumbles in the city square

and morality is not even able to enter.

59:15 Honesty has disappeared;

the one who tries to avoid evil is robbed.

The Lord watches and is displeased, ⁷⁸ 

for there is no justice.

Jeremiah 2:17

2:17 You have brought all this on yourself, Israel, ⁷⁹ 

by deserting the Lord your God when he was leading you along the right path. ⁸⁰ 

Jeremiah 2:19

2:19 Your own wickedness will bring about your punishment.

Your unfaithful acts will bring down discipline on you. ⁸¹ 

Know, then, and realize how utterly harmful ⁸² 

it was for you to reject me, the Lord your God, ⁸³ 

to show no respect for me,” ⁸⁴ 

says the Lord God who rules over all. ⁸⁵ 

Jeremiah 4:18

4:18 “The way you have lived and the things you have done ⁸⁶ 

will bring this on you.

This is the punishment you deserve, and it will be painful indeed. ⁸⁷ 

The pain will be so bad it will pierce your heart.” ⁸⁸ 

Jeremiah 5:25

5:25 Your misdeeds have stopped these things from coming. ⁸⁹ 

Your sins have deprived you of my bounty.’ ⁹⁰ 

Jeremiah 6:19

6:19 Hear this, you peoples of the earth: ⁹¹ 

‘Take note! ⁹²  I am about to bring disaster on these people.

It will come as punishment for their scheming. ⁹³ 

For they have paid no attention to what I have said, ⁹⁴ 

and they have rejected my law.

Lamentations 5:16

5:16 The crown has fallen from our head;

woe to us, for we have sinned!

Lamentations 5:1

The People of Jerusalem Pray:

5:1 ⁹⁵ O Lord, reflect on ⁹⁶  what has happened to us;

consider ⁹⁷  and look at ⁹⁸  our disgrace.

Lamentations 2:15-16

ס (Samek)

2:15 All who passed by on the road

clapped their hands to mock you. ⁹⁹ 

They sneered and shook their heads

at Daughter Jerusalem.

“Ha! Is this the city they called ¹⁰⁰ 

‘The perfection of beauty, ¹⁰¹ 

the source of joy of the whole earth!’?” ¹⁰² 

פ (Pe)

2:16 All your enemies

gloated over you. ¹⁰³ 

They sneered and gnashed their teeth;

they said, “We have destroyed ¹⁰⁴  her!

Ha! We have waited a long time for this day.

We have lived to see it!” ¹⁰⁵ 

[17:7]  ¹ tn Heb “and from under the hand of.” The words “freed them” are added in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[17:7]  ² tn Heb “feared.”

[17:8]  ³ tn Heb “walked in the customs.”

[17:8]  ⁴ tn Heb “and [the practices of] the kings of Israel which they did.”

[17:9]  ⁵ tn The meaning of the verb וַיְחַפְּאוּ (vayÿkhappÿ’u), translated here “said,” is uncertain. Some relate it to the verbal root חָפַה (khafah), “to cover,” and translate “they did it in secret” (see BDB 341 s.v. חָפָא). However, the pagan practices specified in the following sentences were hardly done in secret. Others propose a meaning “ascribe, impute,” which makes good contextual sense but has little etymological support (see HALOT 339 s.v. חפא). In this case Israel claimed that the Lord authorized their pagan practices.

[17:9]  ⁶ sn That is, from the city’s perimeter to the central citadel.

[17:11]  ⁷ tn Heb “and they did evil things, angering the Lord.”

[17:12]  ⁸ tn Or “served.”

[17:12]  ⁹ sn See the note at 1 Kgs 15:12.

[17:12]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “about which the Lord had said to them, ‘You must not do this thing.’”

[17:13]  ¹¹ tn Heb “obey my commandments and rules according to all the law which I commanded your fathers and which I sent to you by the hand of my servants the prophets.”

[17:14]  ¹² tn Heb and they stiffened their neck like the neck of their fathers.”

[17:15]  ¹³ tn Or “and his warnings he had given them.”

[17:15]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “They went [or, ‘followed’] after.” This idiom probably does not mean much if translated literally. It is found most often in Deuteronomy or in literature related to the covenant. It refers in the first instance to loyalty to God and to His covenant or His commandments (1 Kgs 14:8; 2 Chr 34:31) with the metaphor of a path or way underlying it (Deut 11:28; 28:14). To “follow other gods” was to abandon this way and this loyalty (to “abandon” or “forget” God, Judg 2:12; Hos 2:13) and to follow the customs or religious traditions of the pagan nations (2 Kgs 17:15). The classic text on “following” God or another god is 1 Kgs 18:18, 21 where Elijah taunts the people with “halting between two opinions” whether the Lord was the true God or Baal was. The idiom is often found followed by “to serve and to worship” or “they served and worshiped” such and such a god or entity (Jer 8:2; 11:10; 13:10; 16:11; 25:6; 35:15).

[17:15]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “they followed after the worthless thing/things and became worthless.” The words “to the Lord” are not in the Hebrew text but are implicit from the context. There is an obvious wordplay on the verb “became worthless” and the noun “worthless thing”, which is probably to be understood collectively and to refer to idols as it does in Jer 8:19; 10:8; 14:22; Jonah 2:8.

[17:15]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “and [they walked] after the nations which were around them, concerning which the Lord commanded them not to do like them.”

[17:16]  ¹⁷ tn The phrase כָל צְבָא הַשָּׁמַיִם (khol tsÿva’ hashamayim), traditionally translated “all the host of heaven,” refers to the heavenly lights, including stars and planets. In 1 Kgs 22:19 these heavenly bodies are pictured as members of the Lord’s royal court or assembly, but many other texts view them as the illegitimate objects of pagan and Israelite worship.

[17:16]  ¹⁸ tn Or “served.”

[17:17]  ¹⁹ sn See the note at 2 Kgs 16:3.

[17:17]  ²⁰ tn Heb “they sold themselves to doing what was evil in the eyes of the Lord, angering him.”

[17:18]  ²¹ tn Heb “very angry.”

[17:18]  ²² tn Heb “turned them away from his face.”

[17:19]  ²³ tn Heb “they walked in the practices of Israel which they did.”

[17:20]  ²⁴ tn Or “afflicted.”

[17:21]  ²⁵ tn Heb “and they made Jeroboam son of Nebat king.”

[17:21]  ²⁶ tc The consonantal text (Kethib) assumes the verb is נָדָא (nada’), an alternate form of נָדָה (nadah), “push away.” The marginal reading (Qere) assumes the verb נָדָח (nadakh), “drive away.”

[17:21]  ²⁷ tn Heb “a great sin.”

[17:22]  ²⁸ tn Heb “turn away from.”

[17:23]  ²⁹ tn Heb “until.”

[17:23]  ³⁰ tn Heb “the Lord turned Israel away from his face.”

[17:23]  ³¹ tn Heb “just as he said.”

[17:2]  ³² tn Heb “in the eyes of.”

[1:14]  ³³ tn Heb “look.”

[1:14]  ³⁴ tn Heb “their fifty.”

[1:15]  ³⁵ sn In this third panel the verb “come down” (יָרַד, yarad) occurs again, this time describing Elijah’s descent from the hill at the Lord’s command. The moral of the story seems clear: Those who act as if they have authority over God and his servants just may pay for their arrogance with their lives; those who, like the third commander, humble themselves and show the proper respect for God’s authority and for his servants will be spared and find God quite cooperative.

[1:16]  ³⁶ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elijah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:16]  ³⁷ tn Heb “him”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:16]  ³⁸ tn Heb “Because you sent messengers to inquire of Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron, is there no God in Israel to inquire of his word?”

[1:16]  ³⁹ sn For the third time in this chapter we read the Lord’s sarcastic question to king and the accompanying announcement of judgment. The repetition emphasizes one of the chapter’s main themes. Israel’s leaders should seek guidance from their own God, not a pagan deity, for Israel’s sovereign God is the one who controls life and death.

[50:1]  ⁴⁰ sn The Lord challenges the exiles (Zion’s children) to bring incriminating evidence against him. The rhetorical questions imply that Israel accused the Lord of divorcing his wife (Zion) and selling his children (the Israelites) into slavery to pay off a debt.

[50:1]  ⁴¹ sn The Lord admits that he did sell the Israelites, but it was because of their sins, not because of some debt he owed. If he had sold them to a creditor, they ought to be able to point him out, but the preceding rhetorical question implies they would not be able to do so.

[50:1]  ⁴² sn The Lord admits he did divorce Zion, but that too was the result of the nation’s sins. The force of the earlier rhetorical question comes into clearer focus now. The question does not imply that a certificate does not exist and that no divorce occurred. Rather, the question asks for the certificate to be produced so the accuser can see the reason for the divorce in black and white. The Lord did not put Zion away arbitrarily.

[50:2]  ⁴³ sn The present tense translation of the verbs assumes that the Lord is questioning why Israel does not attempt to counter his arguments. Another possibility is to take the verbs as referring to past events: “Why did no one meet me when I came? Why did no one answer when I called?” In this case the Lord might be asking why Israel rejected his calls to repent and his offer to deliver them.

[50:2]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “short” (so NAB, NASB, NIV).

[50:2]  ⁴⁵ tn Or “ransom” (NAB, NASB, NIV).

[50:2]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “with my rebuke.”

[50:2]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “the fish stink from lack of water and die from thirst.”

[59:1]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “short” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[59:1]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “or his ear too heavy [i.e., “dull”] to hear.”

[59:2]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “and your sins have caused [his] face to be hidden from you so as not to hear.”

[59:4]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “no one pleads with justice.”

[59:4]  ⁵² tn Heb “nothing”; NAB “emptiness.”

[59:4]  ⁵³ tn Or “trouble” (NIV), or “harm.”

[59:5]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “that which is pressed in hatches [as] a snake.”

[59:6]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “their deeds are deeds of sin, and the work of violence [is] in their hands.”

[59:7]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “their feet run to evil.”

[59:7]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “they quickly pour out innocent blood.”

[59:7]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “their thoughts are thoughts of sin, destruction and crushing [are] in their roadways.”

[59:8]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “a way of peace they do not know, and there is no justice in their pathways.”

[59:8]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “their paths they make crooked, everyone who walks in it does not know peace.”

[59:9]  ⁶¹ tn מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat), which refers to “justice” in the earlier verses, here refers to “justice from God,” or “vindication.” Because the people are unjust, God refuses to vindicate them before their enemies. See v. 11.

[59:9]  ⁶² sn The prophet speaks on behalf of the sinful nation and confesses its sins.

[59:9]  ⁶³ sn Light here symbolizes prosperity and blessing.

[59:9]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “but, look, darkness”; NIV “but all is darkness.”

[59:9]  ⁶⁵ tn The words “we wait for” are supplied in the translation; the verb is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).

[59:9]  ⁶⁶ tn The plural noun form may indicate degree here.

[59:9]  ⁶⁷ tn Or “walk about”; NCV “all we have is darkness.”

[59:9]  ⁶⁸ tn The plural noun form may indicate degree here.

[59:10]  ⁶⁹ tn Heb “like there are no eyes.”

[59:10]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb among the strong, like dead men.”

[59:11]  ⁷¹ tn See the note at v. 9.

[59:12]  ⁷² tn Heb “for many are our rebellious deeds before you.”

[59:12]  ⁷³ tn Heb “indeed [or “for”] our rebellious deeds (are) with us, and our sins, we know them.”

[59:13]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “speaking.” A new sentence was started here in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[59:13]  ⁷⁵ tn Heb “conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood.”

[59:14]  ⁷⁶ tn Or “righteousness” (ASV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); KJV, NAB “justice.”

[59:14]  ⁷⁷ tn Or “for” (KJV, NRSV).

[59:15]  ⁷⁸ tn Heb “and it is displeasing in his eyes.”

[2:17]  ⁷⁹ tn Heb “Are you not bringing this on yourself.” The question is rhetorical and expects a positive answer.

[2:17]  ⁸⁰ tn Heb “at the time of leading you in the way.”

[2:19]  ⁸¹ tn Or “teach you a lesson”; Heb “rebuke/chide you.”

[2:19]  ⁸² tn Heb “how evil and bitter.” The reference is to the consequences of their acts. This is a figure of speech (hendiadys) where two nouns or adjectives joined by “and” introduce a main concept modified by the other noun or adjective.

[2:19]  ⁸³ tn Heb “to leave the Lord your God.” The change in person is intended to ease the problem of the rapid transition, which is common in Hebrew style but not in English, from third to first person between this line and the next.

[2:19]  ⁸⁴ tn Heb “and no fear of me was on you.”

[2:19]  ⁸⁵ tn Heb “the Lord Yahweh, [the God of] hosts.” For the title Lord God see the study note on 1:6. For the title “who rules over all” see the following study note. The title “the Lord who rules over all” is a way of rendering the title “Yahweh of armies.” It is an abbreviation of a longer title “Yahweh the God of armies” which occurs five times in Jeremiah (see, e.g., 44:7). The abbreviated title occurs seventy-seven times in the book of Jeremiah. On thirty-two occasions it is further qualified by the title “the God of Israel,” showing his special relation to Israel. On six occasions it is preceded by the title “Lord” (see, e.g., 46:10) and twice it is preceded by the title “the King” (see, e.g., 51:17). Both titles emphasize his sovereignty. Twice it is said that he is the maker of all things (10:16; 51:19), and once it is said that he made the earth and the people and animals on it and gives them into the control of whomever he wishes (27:4-5). On two occasions it is emphasized that he also made the heavenly elements and controls the natural elements of wind, rain, thunder, and hail (31:35; 51:14-16). All this is consistent with usage elsewhere where the “armies” over which he has charge are identified as (1) the angels which surround his throne (Isa 6:3, 5; 1 Kgs 22:19) and which he sends to protect his servants (2 Kgs 6:17), (2) the natural forces of thunder, rain, and hail (Isa 29:6; Josh 10:11; Judg 5:4, 5) through which he sends the enemy into panic and “gums” up their chariot wheels, (3) the armies of Israel (1 Sam 17:45) which he leads into battle (Num 10:34-35; Josh 5:14, 15) and for whom he fights as a mighty warrior (Exod 15:3; Isa 42:13; Ps 24:8), and even (4) the armies of the nations which he musters against his disobedient people (Isa 13:14). This title is most commonly found in the messenger formula “Thus says…” introducing both oracles of judgment (on Israel [e.g., 9:7, 15] and on the nations [e.g. 46:19; 50:18]; and see in general 25:29-32). It emphasizes his sovereignty as the king and creator, the lord of creation and of history, and the just judge who sees and knows all (11:20; 20:12) and judges each person and nation according to their actions (Jer 32:18-19). In the first instance (in the most dominant usage) this will involve the punishment of his own people through the agency of the Babylonians (cf., e.g., 25:8-9). But it will also include the punishment of all nations, including Babylon itself (cf. Jer 25:17-26, 32-38), and will ultimately result in the restoration of his people and a new relation with them (30:8; 31:35-37).

[4:18]  ⁸⁶ tn Heb “Your way and your deeds.”

[4:18]  ⁸⁷ tn Heb “How bitter!”

[4:18]  ⁸⁸ tn Heb “Indeed, it reaches to your heart.” The subject must be the pain alluded to in the last half of the preceding line; the verb is masculine, agreeing with the adjective translated “painful.” The only other possible antecedent “punishment” is feminine.

[5:25]  ⁸⁹ tn Heb “have turned these things away.”

[5:25]  ⁹⁰ tn Heb “have withheld the good from you.”

[6:19]  ⁹¹ tn Heb “earth.”

[6:19]  ⁹² tn Heb “Behold!”

[6:19]  ⁹³ tn Heb “disaster on these people, the fruit of their schemes.”

[6:19]  ⁹⁴ tn Heb “my word.”

[5:1]  ⁹⁵ sn The speaking voice is now that of a choir singing the community’s lament in the first person plural. The poem is not an alphabetic acrostic like the preceding chapters but has 22 verses, the same as the number of letters in the Hebrew alphabet.

[5:1]  ⁹⁶ tn The basic meaning of זָכַר (zakhar) is “to remember, call to mind” (HALOT 270 s.v. I זכר). Although often used of recollection of past events, זָכַר (zakhar, “to remember”) can also describe consideration of present situations: “to consider, think about” something present (BDB 270 s.v. 5), hence “reflect on,” the most appropriate nuance here. Verses 1-6 describe the present plight of Jerusalem. The parallel requests הַבֵּיט וּרְאֵה (habbet urÿ’eh, “Look and see!”) have a present-time orientation as well. See also 2:1; 3:19-20.

[5:1]  ⁹⁷ tn Heb “Look!” Although often used in reference to visual perception, נָבַט (navat, “to look”) can also refer to cognitive consideration and mental attention shown to a situation: “to regard” (e.g., 1 Sam 16:7; 2 Kgs 3:14), “to pay attention to, consider” (e.g., Isa 22:8; Isa 51:1, 2).

[5:1]  ⁹⁸ tn Although normally used in reference to visual sight, רָאָה (ra’ah) is often used in reference to cognitive processes and mental observation. See the note on “Consider” at 2:20.

[2:15]  ⁹⁹ tn Heb “clap their hands at you.” Clapping hands at someone was an expression of malicious glee, derision and mockery (Num 24:10; Job 27:23; Lam 2:15).

[2:15]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Heb “of which they said.”

[2:15]  ¹⁰¹ tn Heb “perfection of beauty.” The noun יֹפִי (yofi, “beauty”) functions as a genitive of respect in relation to the preceding construct noun: Jerusalem was perfect in respect to its physical beauty.

[2:15]  ¹⁰² tn Heb “the joy of all the earth.” This is similar to statements found in Pss 48:2 and 50:2.

[2:16]  ¹⁰³ tn Heb “they have opened wide their mouth against you.”

[2:16]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Heb “We have swallowed!”

[2:16]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Heb “We have attained, we have seen!” The verbs מָצָאנוּ רָאִינוּ (matsa’nu ra’inu) form a verbal hendiadys in which the first retains its full verbal sense and the second functions as an object complement. It forms a Hebrew idiom that means something like, “We have lived to see it!” The three asyndetic 1st person common plural statements in 2:16 (“We waited, we destroyed, we saw!”) are spoken in an impassioned, staccato style reflecting the delight of the conquerors.