Isaiah 32:13-14

Context

32:13 Mourn¹ over the land of my people,

which is overgrown with thorns and briers,

and over all the once-happy houses²

in the city filled with revelry.³

32:14 For the fortress is neglected;

the once-crowded⁴ city is abandoned.

Hill⁵ and watchtower

are permanently uninhabited.⁶

Wild donkeys love to go there,

and flocks graze there.⁷

Jeremiah 9:11

Context

9:11 The Lord said,⁸

“I will make Jerusalem⁹ a heap of ruins.

Jackals will make their home there.¹⁰

I will destroy the towns of Judah

so that no one will be able to live in them.”

[32:13] ¹tn “Mourn” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text vv. 12-13 are one long sentence.

[32:13] ²tn Heb “indeed, over all the houses of joy.” It is not certain if this refers to individual homes or to places where parties and celebrations were held.

[32:13] ³sn This same phrase is used in 22:2.

[32:14] ⁴tn Or “noisy” (NAB, NIV, NCV).

[32:14] ⁵tn Hebrew עֹפֶל (’ofel), probably refers here to a specific area within the city of Jerusalem. See HALOT 861 s.v. II עֹפֶל.

[32:14] ⁶tn The Hebrew text has בְעַד מְעָרוֹת (vÿ’ad mÿ’arot). The force of בְעַד, which usually means “behind, through, round about,” or “for the benefit of,” is uncertain here. HALOT 616 s.v. *מְעָרָה takes מְעָרוֹת (mÿ’arot) as a homonym of “cave” and define it here as “cleared field.” Despite these lexical problems, the general point of the statement seems clear – the city will be uninhabited.

[32:14] ⁷tn Heb “the joy of wild donkeys, a pasture for flocks.”

[9:11] ⁸tn The words “the Lord said” are not in the text, but it is obvious from the content that he is the speaker. These words are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[9:11] ⁹map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[9:11] ¹⁰tn Heb “a heap of ruins, a haunt for jackals.”