Discovery BoxJeremiah 17:5
Context17:5 The Lord says,
“I will put a curse on people
who trust in mere human beings,
who depend on mere flesh and blood for their strength, 2
and whose hearts 3 have turned away from the Lord.
Jeremiah 20:15
Context20:15 Cursed be the man
who made my father very glad
when he brought him the news
that a baby boy had been born to him! 4
Jeremiah 25:31
Context25:31 The sounds of battle 5 will resound to the ends of the earth.
For the Lord will bring charges against the nations. 6
He will pass judgment on all humankind
and will hand the wicked over to be killed in war.’ 7
The Lord so affirms it! 8
[17:5] 1 sn Verses 5-11 are a collection of wisdom-like sayings (cf. Ps 1) which set forth the theme of the two ways and their consequences. It has as its background the blessings and the curses of Deut 28 and the challenge to faith in Deut 29-30 which climaxes in Deut 30:15-20. The nation is sinful and God is weary of showing them patience. However, there is hope for individuals within the nation if they will trust in him.
[17:5] 2 tn Heb “who make flesh their arm.” The “arm” is the symbol of strength and the flesh is the symbol of mortal man in relation to the omnipotent God. The translation “mere flesh and blood” reflects this.
[17:5] 3 sn In the psychology of ancient Hebrew thought the heart was the center not only of the emotions but of the thoughts and motivations. It was also the seat of moral conduct (cf. its placement in the middle of the discussion of moral conduct in Prov 4:20-27, i.e., in v. 23).
[20:15] 4 tn Heb “Cursed be the man who brought my father the news saying, ‘A son, a male, has been born to you,’ making glad his joy.” This verse has been restructured for English stylistic purposes.
[25:31] 7 tn For the use of this word see Amos 2:2; Hos 10:14; Ps 74:23. See also the usage in Isa 66:6 which is very similar to the metaphorical usage here.
[25:31] 8 tn Heb “the
