Jeremiah 18:20-21

18:20 Should good be paid back with evil?

Yet they are virtually digging a pit to kill me. ¹ 

Just remember how I stood before you

pleading on their behalf ² 

to keep you from venting your anger on them. ³ 

18:21 So let their children die of starvation.

Let them be cut down by the sword. ⁴ 

Let their wives lose their husbands and children.

Let the older men die of disease ⁵ 

and the younger men die by the sword in battle.

[18:20]  ¹ tn Or “They are plotting to kill me”; Heb “They have dug a pit for my soul.” This is a common metaphor for plotting against someone. See BDB 500 s.v. כָּרָה Qal and for an example see Pss 7:16 (7:15 HT) in its context.

[18:20]  ² tn Heb “to speak good concerning them” going back to the concept of “good” being paid back with evil.

[18:20]  ³ tn Heb “to turn back your anger from them.”

[18:21]  ⁴ tn Heb “be poured out to the hand [= power] of the sword.” For this same expression see Ezek 35:5; Ps 63:10 (63:11 HT). Comparison with those two passages show that it involved death by violent means, perhaps death in battle.

[18:21]  ⁵ tn Heb “be slain by death.” The commentaries are generally agreed that this refers to death by disease or plague as in 15:2. Hence, the reference is to the deadly trio of sword, starvation, and disease which were often connected with war. See the notes on 15:2.