Jeremiah 13:20

13:20 Then I said, ¹ 

“Look up, Jerusalem, ²  and see

the enemy ³  that is coming from the north.

Where now is the flock of people that were entrusted to your care? ⁴ 

Where now are the ‘sheep’ that you take such pride in? ⁵ 

Jeremiah 17:15

17:15 Listen to what they are saying to me. ⁶ 

They are saying, “Where are the things the Lord threatens us with?

Come on! Let’s see them happen!” ⁷ 

Jeremiah 2:28

2:28 But where are the gods you made for yourselves?

Let them save you when you are in trouble.

The sad fact is that ⁸  you have as many gods

as you have towns, Judah.

Jeremiah 37:19

37:19 Where now are the prophets who prophesied to you that ⁹  the king of Babylon would not attack you or this land?

Jeremiah 2:6

2:6 They did not ask:

‘Where is the Lord who delivered us out of Egypt,

who brought us through the wilderness,

through a land of desert sands and rift valleys,

through a land of drought and deep darkness, ¹⁰ 

through a land in which no one travels,

and where no one lives?’ ¹¹ 

Jeremiah 2:8

2:8 Your priests ¹²  did not ask, ‘Where is the Lord?’ ¹³ 

Those responsible for teaching my law ¹⁴  did not really know me. ¹⁵ 

Your rulers rebelled against me.

Your prophets prophesied in the name of the god Baal. ¹⁶ 

They all worshiped idols that could not help them. ¹⁷ 

[13:20]  ¹ tn The words “Then I said” are not in the text. They are supplied in the translation to show the shift in speaker from vv. 18-19 where the Lord is speaking to Jeremiah.

[13:20]  ² tn The word “Jerusalem” is not in the Hebrew text. It is added in the Greek text and is generally considered to be the object of address because of the second feminine singular verbs here and throughout the following verses. The translation follows the consonantal text (Kethib) and the Greek text in reading the second feminine singular here. The verbs and pronouns in vv. 20-22 are all second feminine singular with the exception of the suffix on the word “eyes” which is not reflected in the translation here (“Look up” = “Lift up your eyes”) and the verb and pronoun in v. 23. The text may reflect the same kind of alternation between singular and plural that takes place in Isa 7 where the pronouns refer to Ahaz as an individual and his entourage, the contemporary ruling class (cf., e.g., Isa 7:4-5 [singular], 9 [plural], 11 [singular], 13-14 [plural]). Here the connection with the preceding may suggest that it is initially the ruling house (the king and the queen mother), then Jerusalem personified as a woman in her role as a shepherdess (i.e., leader). However, from elsewhere in the book the leadership has included the kings, the priests, the prophets, and the citizens as well (cf., e.g., 13:13). In v. 27 Jerusalem is explicitly addressed. It may be asking too much of some readers who are not familiar with biblical metaphors to understand an extended metaphor like this. If it is helpful to them, they may substitute plural referents for “I” and “me.”

[13:20]  ³ tn The word “enemy” is not in the text but is implicit. It supplied in the translation for clarity.

[13:20]  ⁴ tn Heb “the flock that was given to you.”

[13:20]  ⁵ tn Heb “the sheep of your pride.” The word “of your people” and the quotes around “sheep” are intended to carry over the metaphor in such a way that readers unfamiliar with the metaphor will understand it.

[17:15]  ⁶ tn Heb “Behold, they are saying to me.”

[17:15]  ⁷ tn Heb “Where is the word of the Lord. Let it come [or come to pass] please.”

[2:28]  ¹¹ tn This is an attempt to render the Hebrew particle כִּי (ki, “for, indeed”) contextually.

[37:19]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “And where are your prophets who prophesied to you, saying, ‘The king of Babylon will not come against you or against this land?’” The indirect quote has been used in the translation because of its simpler, more direct style.

[2:6]  ²¹ tn This word is erroneously rendered “shadow of death” in most older English versions; that translation is based on a faulty etymology. Contextual studies and comparative Semitic linguistics have demonstrated that the word is merely another word for darkness. It is confined to poetic texts and often carries connotations of danger and distress. It is associated in poetic texts with the darkness of a prison (Ps 107:10, 14), a mine (Job 28:3), and a ravine (Ps 23:4). Here it is associated with the darkness of the wasteland and ravines of the Sinai desert.

[2:6]  ²² sn The context suggests that the question is related to a lament where the people turn to God in their troubles, asking him for help and reminding him of his past benefactions. See for example Isa 63:11-19 and Ps 44. It is an implicit prayer for his intervention, cf. 2 Kgs 2:14.

[2:8]  ²⁶ tn Heb “The priests…the ones who grasp my law…the shepherds…the prophets…they…”

[2:8]  ²⁷ sn See the study note on 2:6.

[2:8]  ²⁸ tn Heb “those who handle my law.”

[2:8]  ²⁹ tn Or “were not committed to me.” The Hebrew verb rendered “know” refers to more than mere intellectual knowledge. It carries also the ideas of emotional and volitional commitment as well intimacy. See for example its use in contexts like Hos 4:1; 6:6.

[2:8]  ³⁰ tn Heb “by Baal.”

[2:8]  ³¹ tn Heb “and they followed after those things [the word is plural] which do not profit.” The poetic structure of the verse, four lines in which a distinct subject appears at the beginning followed by a fifth line beginning with a prepositional phrase and no distinct subject, argues that this line is climactic and refers to all four classes enumerated in the preceding lines. See W. L. Holladay, Jeremiah (Hermeneia), 1:88-89. There may be a play or pun in the Hebrew text on the name for the god Baal (בַּעַל, ba’al) and the verb “cannot help you” (Heb “do not profit”) which is spelled יַעַל (ya’al).