Jeremiah 10:7

10:7 Everyone should revere you, O King of all nations, ¹ 

because you deserve to be revered. ² 

For there is no one like you

among any of the wise people of the nations nor among any of their kings. ³ 

Jeremiah 13:21

13:21 What will you say ⁴  when the Lord ⁵  appoints as rulers over you those allies

that you, yourself, had actually prepared as such? ⁶ 

Then anguish and agony will grip you

like that of a woman giving birth to a baby. ⁷ 

Jeremiah 15:18

15:18 Why must I continually suffer such painful anguish?

Why must I endure the sting of their insults like an incurable wound?

Will you let me down when I need you

like a brook one goes to for water, but that cannot be relied on?” ⁸ 

Jeremiah 30:7

30:7 Alas, what a terrible time of trouble it is! ⁹ 

There has never been any like it.

It is a time of trouble for the descendants of Jacob,

but some of them will be rescued out of it. ¹⁰ 

Jeremiah 50:26

50:26 Come from far away and attack Babylonia! ¹¹ 

Open up the places where she stores her grain!

Pile her up in ruins! ¹²  Destroy her completely! ¹³ 

Do not leave anyone alive! ¹⁴ 

[10:7]  ¹ tn Heb “Who should not revere you…?” The question is rhetorical and expects a negative answer.

[10:7]  ² tn Heb “For it is fitting to you.”

[10:7]  ³ tn Heb “their royalty/dominion.” This is a case of substitution of the abstract for the concrete “royalty, royal power” for “kings” who exercise it.

[13:21]  ⁴ tn Or perhaps more rhetorically equivalent, “Will you not be surprised?”

[13:21]  ⁵ tn The words “The Lord” are not in the text. Some commentators make the enemy the subject, but they are spoken of as “them.”

[13:21]  ⁶ tn Or “to be rulers.” The translation of these two lines is somewhat uncertain. The sentence structure of these two lines raises problems in translation. The Hebrew text reads: “What will you do when he appoints over you [or punishes you (see BDB 823 s.v. פָּקַד Qal.B.2 for the former, Qal.A.3 for the latter)] and you, yourself, taught them over you friends [or chiefs (see BDB 48 s.v. I אַלּוּף 2 and Ps 55:13 for the former and BDB 49 s.v. II אַלּוּף and Exod 15:15 for the latter)] for a head.” The translation assumes that the clause “and you, yourself, taught them [= made them accustomed, i.e., “prepared”] [to be] over you” is parenthetical coming between the verb “appoint” and its object and object modifier (i.e., “appointed over you allies for rulers”). A quick check of other English versions will show how varied the translation of these lines has been. Most English versions seem to ignore the second “over you” after “you taught them.” Some rearrange the text to get what they think is a sensible meaning. For a fairly thorough treatment see W. McKane, Jeremiah (ICC), 1:308-10.

[13:21]  ⁷ tn Heb “Will not pain [here = mental anguish] take hold of you like a woman giving birth.” The question is rhetorical expecting a positive answer.

[15:18]  ⁷ tn Heb “Will you be to me like a deceptive (brook), like waters which do not last [or are not reliable].”

[30:7]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “Alas [or Woe] for that day will be great.” For the use of the particle “Alas” to signal a time of terrible trouble, even to sound the death knell for someone, see the translator’s note on 22:13.

[30:7]  ¹¹ tn Heb “It is a time of trouble for Jacob but he will be saved out of it.”

[50:26]  ¹³ tn Heb “Come against her from the end.” There is a great deal of debate about the meaning of “from the end” (מִקֵּץ, miqqets). Some follow the suggestion of F. Giesebrecht in BDB 892 s.v. קָצֶה 3 and emend the text to מִקָּצֶה (miqqatseh) on the basis of the presumed parallel in Jer 51:31 which is interpreted as “on all sides,” i.e., “from every quarter/side.” However, the phrase does not mean that in Jer 51:31 but is used as it is elsewhere of “from one end to another,” i.e., in its entirety (so Gen 19:4). The only real parallel here is the use of the noun קֵץ (qets) with a suffix in Isa 37:24 referring to the remotest part, hence something like from the end (of the earth), i.e., from a far away place. The referent “her” has been clarified here to refer to Babylonia in case someone might not see the connection between v. 25d and v. 26.

[50:26]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “Pile her up like heaps.” Many commentators understand the comparison to be to heaps of grain (compare usage of עֲרֵמָה (’aremah) in Hag 2:16; Neh 13:15; Ruth 3:7). However, BDB 790 s.v. עֲרֵמָה is more likely correct that this refers to heaps of ruins (compare the usage in Neh 4:2 [3:34 HT]).

[50:26]  ¹⁵ sn Compare Jer 50:21 and see the study note on 25:9.

[50:26]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “Do not let there be to her a remnant.” According to BDB 984 s.v. שְׁאֵרִית this refers to the last remnant of people, i.e., there won’t be any survivors. Compare the usage in Jer 11:23.