Jeremiah 10:23-24

10:23 Lord, we know that people do not control their own destiny. ¹ 

It is not in their power to determine what will happen to them. ² 

10:24 Correct us, Lord, but only in due measure. ³ 

Do not punish us in anger or you will reduce us to nothing. ⁴ 

[10:23]  ¹ tn Heb “Not to the man his way.” For the nuance of “fate, destiny, or the way things turn out” for the Hebrew word “way” see Hag 1:5, Isa 40:27 and probably Ps 49:13 (cf. KBL 218 s.v. דֶּרֶךְ 5). For the idea of “control” or “hold in one’s power” for the preposition “to” see Ps 3:8 (cf. BDB 513 s.v. לְ 5.b[a]).

[10:23]  ² tn Heb “Not to a man the walking and the establishing his step.”

[10:24]  ³ tn Heb “with justice.”

[10:24]  ⁴ tn The words, “to almost nothing” are not in the text. They are implicit from the general context and are supplied by almost all English versions.