Jeremiah 13:10

13:10 These wicked people refuse to obey what I have said. ¹  They follow the stubborn inclinations of their own hearts and pay allegiance ²  to other gods by worshiping and serving them. So ³  they will become just like these linen shorts which are good for nothing.

Jeremiah 40:9

40:9 Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam and grandson of Shaphan, took an oath so as to give them and their troops some assurance of safety. ⁴  “Do not be afraid to submit to the Babylonians. ⁵  Settle down in the land and submit to the king of Babylon. Then things will go well for you.

[13:10]  ¹ tn Heb “to listen to my words.”

[13:10]  ² tn Heb “and [they follow] after.” See the translator’s note at 2:5 for the idiom.

[13:10]  ³ tn The structure of this verse is a little unusual. It consists of a subject, “this wicked people” qualified by several “which” clauses preceding a conjunction and a form which would normally be taken as a third person imperative (a Hebrew jussive; וִיהִי, vihi). This construction, called casus pendens by Hebrew grammarians, lays focus on the subject, here calling attention to the nature of Israel’s corruption which makes it rotten and useless to God. See GKC 458 §143.d for other examples of this construction.

[40:9]  ⁴ tn The words “so as to give them some assurance of safety” are not in the text but are generally understood by all commentators. This would be a case of substitution of cause for effect, the oath, put for the effect, the assurance of safety (NJPS translates directly “reassured them”).

[40:9]  ⁵ tn Heb “Chaldeans.” See the study note on 21:4 for explanation.