Jeremiah 1:8

1:8 Do not be afraid of those to whom I send you, ¹  for I will be with you to protect ²  you,” says the Lord.

Jeremiah 2:12

2:12 Be amazed at this, O heavens! ³ 

Be shocked and utterly dumbfounded,”

says the Lord.

Jeremiah 8:15

8:15 We hoped for good fortune, but nothing good has come of it.

We hoped for a time of relief, but instead we experience terror. ⁴ 

Jeremiah 8:21

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 

Jeremiah 14:4

14:4 They are dismayed because the ground is cracked ⁸ 

because there has been no rain in the land.

The farmers, too, are dismayed

and bury their faces in their hands.

Jeremiah 17:17

17:17 Do not cause me dismay! ⁹ 

You are my source of safety in times of trouble.

Jeremiah 49:17

49:17 “Edom will become an object of horror.

All who pass by it will be filled with horror;

they will hiss out their scorn

because of all the disasters that have happened to it. ¹⁰ 

Jeremiah 51:32

51:32 They will report that the fords have been captured,

the reed marshes have been burned,

the soldiers are terrified. ¹¹ 

[1:8]  ¹ tn Heb “be afraid of them.” The antecedent is the “whomever” in v. 7.

[1:8]  ² tn Heb “rescue.”

[2:12]  ³ sn In earlier literature the heavens (and the earth) were called on to witness Israel’s commitment to the covenant (Deut 30:12) and were called to serve as witnesses to Israel’s fidelity or infidelity to it (Isa 1:2; Mic 6:1).

[8:15]  ⁵ tn Heb “[We hoped] for a time of healing but behold terror.”

[8:21]  ⁷ tn Heb “daughter of my people.” For the translation given here see 4:11 and the note on the phrase “dear people” there.

[8:21]  ⁸ tn Heb “Because of the crushing of the daughter of my people I am crushed.”

[8:21]  ⁹ tn Heb “I go about in black [i.e., mourning clothes]. Dismay has seized me.”

[14:4]  ⁹ tn For the use of the verb “is cracked” here see BDB 369 s.v. חָתַת Qal.1 and compare the usage in Jer 51:56 where it refers to broken bows. The form is a relative clause without relative pronoun (cf., GKC 486-87 §155.f). The sentence as a whole is related to the preceding through a particle meaning “because of” or “on account of.” Hence the subject and verb have been repeated to make the connection.

[17:17]  ¹¹ tn Heb “do not be a source of dismay for me.” For this nuance of מְחִתָּה (mÿkhittah) rather than “terror” as many of the English versions have it see BDB 370 s.v. מְחִתָּה 1.b and the usage in Prov 21:15. Compare also the usage of the related verb which occurs in the next verse (see also BDB 369 s.v. חָתַת Qal.2).

[49:17]  ¹³ sn This verse is very similar to Jer 19:8 where the same judgment is pronounced on Jerusalem. For the meaning of some of the terms here (“hiss out their scorn” and “all the disasters that have happened to it”) see the notes on that verse.

[51:32]  ¹⁵ tn The words “They will report that” have been supplied in the translation to show the linkage between this verse and the previous one. This is still a part of the report of the messengers. The meaning of the word translated “reed marshes” has seemed inappropriate to some commentators because it elsewhere refers to “pools.” However, all the commentaries consulted agree that the word here refers to the reedy marshes that surrounded Babylon. (For a fuller discussion regarding the meaning of this word and attempts to connect it with a word meaning “fortress” see W. L. Holladay, Jeremiah [Hermeneia], 2:427.)