Jeremiah 19:8

19:8 I will make this city an object of horror, a thing to be hissed at. All who pass by it will be filled with horror and will hiss out their scorn ¹  because of all the disasters that have happened to it. ² 

Jeremiah 25:18

25:18 I made Jerusalem ³  and the cities of Judah, its kings and its officials drink it. ⁴  I did it so Judah would become a ruin. I did it so Judah, its kings, and its officials would become an object ⁵  of horror and of hissing scorn, an example used in curses. ⁶  Such is already becoming the case! ⁷ 

Jeremiah 26:6

26:6 If you do not obey me, ⁸  then I will do to this temple what I did to Shiloh. ⁹  And I will make this city an example to be used in curses by people from all the nations on the earth.’”

Jeremiah 42:18

42:18 For ¹⁰  the Lord God of Israel who rules over all ¹¹  says, ‘If you go to Egypt, I will pour out my wrath on you just as I poured out my anger and wrath on the citizens of Jerusalem. ¹²  You will become an object of horror and ridicule, an example of those who have been cursed and that people use in pronouncing a curse. ¹³  You will never see this place again.’ ¹⁴ 

Jeremiah 44:12

44:12 I will see to it that all the Judean remnant that was determined to go ¹⁵  and live in the land of Egypt will be destroyed. Here in the land of Egypt they will fall in battle ¹⁶  or perish from starvation. People of every class ¹⁷  will die in war or from starvation. They will become an object of horror and ridicule, an example of those who have been cursed and that people use in pronouncing a curse. ¹⁸ 

Jeremiah 44:22

44:22 Finally the Lord could no longer endure your wicked deeds and the disgusting things you did. That is why your land has become the desolate, uninhabited ruin that it is today. That is why it has become a proverbial example used in curses. ¹⁹ 

Jeremiah 44:1

The Lord Will Punish the Judean Exiles in Egypt for Their Idolatry

44:1 The Lord spoke to Jeremiah concerning ²⁰  all the Judeans who were living in the land of Egypt, those in Migdol, Tahpanhes, Memphis, and in the region of southern Egypt. ²¹ 

Jeremiah 9:7

9:7 Therefore the Lord who rules over all says, ²² 

“I will now purify them in the fires of affliction ²³  and test them.

The wickedness of my dear people ²⁴  has left me no choice.

What else can I do? ²⁵ 

Jeremiah 9:2

9:2 (9:1) I wish I had a lodging place in the desert

where I could spend some time like a weary traveler. ²⁶ 

Then I would desert my people

and walk away from them

because they are all unfaithful to God,

a congregation ²⁷  of people that has been disloyal to him. ²⁸ 

Jeremiah 7:20

7:20 So,” the Lord God ²⁹  says, “my raging fury will be poured out on this land. ³⁰  It will be poured out on human beings and animals, on trees and crops. ³¹  And it will burn like a fire which cannot be extinguished.”

Psalms 44:13-14

44:13 You made us ³²  an object of disdain to our neighbors;

those who live on our borders taunt and insult us. ³³ 

44:14 You made us ³⁴  an object of ridicule ³⁵  among the nations;

foreigners treat us with contempt. ³⁶ 

Lamentations 2:15-17

ס (Samek)

2:15 All who passed by on the road

clapped their hands to mock you. ³⁷ 

They sneered and shook their heads

at Daughter Jerusalem.

“Ha! Is this the city they called ³⁸ 

‘The perfection of beauty, ³⁹ 

the source of joy of the whole earth!’?” ⁴⁰ 

פ (Pe)

2:16 All your enemies

gloated over you. ⁴¹ 

They sneered and gnashed their teeth;

they said, “We have destroyed ⁴²  her!

Ha! We have waited a long time for this day.

We have lived to see it!” ⁴³ 

ע (Ayin)

2:17 The Lord has done what he planned;

he has fulfilled ⁴⁴  his promise ⁴⁵ 

that he threatened ⁴⁶  long ago: ⁴⁷ 

He has overthrown you without mercy ⁴⁸ 

and has enabled the enemy to gloat over you;

he has exalted your adversaries’ power. ⁴⁹ 

Ezekiel 25:3

25:3 Say to the Ammonites, ‘Hear the word of the sovereign Lord: This is what the sovereign Lord says: You said “Aha!” about my sanctuary when it was desecrated, about the land of Israel when it was made desolate, and about the house of Judah when they went into exile.

Ezekiel 26:2

26:2 “Son of man, because Tyre ⁵⁰  has said about Jerusalem, ⁵¹  ‘Aha, the gateway of the peoples is broken; it has swung open to me. I will become rich, ⁵²  now that she ⁵³  has been destroyed,’

Ezekiel 36:2-3

36:2 This is what the sovereign Lord says: The enemy has spoken against you, saying “Aha!” and, “The ancient heights ⁵⁴  have become our property!”’ 36:3 So prophesy and say: ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: Surely because they have made you desolate and crushed you from all directions, so that you have become the property of the rest of the nations, and have become the subject of gossip ⁵⁵  and slander among the people,

[19:8]  ¹ sn See 18:16 and the study note there.

[19:8]  ² tn Heb “all its smitings.” This word has been used several times for the metaphorical “wounds” that Israel has suffered as a result of the blows from its enemies. See, e.g., 14:17. It is used in the Hebrew Bible of scourging, both literally and metaphorically (cf. Deut 25:3; Isa 10:26), and of slaughter and defeat (1 Sam 4:10; Josh 10:20). Here it refers to the results of the crushing blows at the hands of her enemies which has made her the object of scorn.

[25:18]  ³ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[25:18]  ⁴ tn The words “I made” and “drink it” are not in the text. The text from v. 18 to v. 26 contains a list of the nations that Jeremiah “made drink it.” The words are supplied in the translation here and at the beginning of v. 19 for the sake of clarity. See also the note on v. 26.

[25:18]  ⁵ tn Heb “in order to make them a ruin, an object of…” The sentence is broken up and the antecedents are made specific for the sake of clarity and English style.

[25:18]  ⁶ tn See the study note on 24:9 for explanation.

[25:18]  ⁷ tn Heb “as it is today.” This phrase would obviously be more appropriate after all these things had happened as is the case in 44:6, 23 where the verbs referring to these conditions are past. Some see this phrase as a marginal gloss added after the tragedies of 597 b.c. or 586 b.c. However, it may refer here to the beginning stages where Judah has already suffered the loss of Josiah, of its freedom, of some of its temple treasures, and of some of its leaders (Dan 1:1-3. The different date for Jehoiakim there is due to the different method of counting the king’s first year; the third year there is the same as the fourth year in 25:1).

[26:6]  ⁸ tn 26:4-6 are all one long sentence containing a long condition with subordinate clauses (vv. 4-5) and a compound consequence in v. 6: Heb “If you will not obey me by walking in my law…by paying attention to the words of the prophets which…and you did not pay heed, then I will make…and I will make…” The sentence has been broken down in conformity to contemporary English style but an attempt has been made to reflect all the subordinations in the English translation.

[26:6]  ⁹ sn See the study note on Jer 7:13.

[42:18]  ¹⁰ tn Or “Indeed.”

[42:18]  ¹¹ tn Heb “Yahweh of armies, the God of Israel.” See the study note on 2:19 for the translation and significance of this title.

[42:18]  ¹² map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[42:18]  ¹³ tn See the study note on 24:9 and the usage in 29:22 for the meaning and significance of this last phrase.

[42:18]  ¹⁴ tn Or “land.” The reference is, of course, to the land of Judah.

[44:12]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “they set their face to go.” Compare 44:11 and 42:14 and see the translator’s note at 42:15.

[44:12]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “fall by the sword.”

[44:12]  ¹⁷ tn Or “All of them without distinction,” or “All of them from the least important to the most important”; Heb “From the least to the greatest.” See the translator’s note on 42:1 for the meaning of this idiom.

[44:12]  ¹⁸ tn See the study note on 24:9 and the usage in 29:22 for the meaning and significance of this last phrase.

[44:22]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “And/Then the Lord could no longer endure because of the evil of your deeds [and] because of the detestable things that you did and [or so] your land became a desolation and a waste and an occasion of a curse without inhabitant as this day.” The sentence has been broken up and restructured to better conform with contemporary English style, but an attempt has been made to preserve the causal and consequential connections.

[44:1]  ²⁰ tn Heb “The word came to Jeremiah concerning.” Though the phrase “from the Lord” is missing from this formula which occurs elsewhere at 7:1; 11:1; 18:1; 21:1; 30:1; 32:1; 34:1, 8; 35:1; 40:1, it is clearly implied from the words that follow. As in these other passages, the more active form has been chosen for the translation to better conform with contemporary English style.

[44:1]  ²¹ sn The first three cities, Migdol, Tahpanhes, and Memphis, are located in Northern or Lower Egypt. Memphis (Heb “Noph”) was located south of Heliopolis (which was referred to earlier as “the temple of the sun”) and was about fourteen miles (23 km) south of Cairo. For the identification and location of Tahpanhes see the study note on Jer 43:7. The location of Migdol has been debated but is tentatively identified with a border fortress about twenty-five miles (42 km) east-northeast of Tahpanhes. The “region of southern Egypt” is literally “the land of Pathros,” the long Nile valley extending north and south between Cairo and Aswan (biblical Syene). For further information see the discussion in G. L. Keown, P. J. Scalise, T. G. Smothers, Jeremiah 26-52 (WBC), 262-63. Reference here is to Judean exiles who had fled earlier as well as to those from Mizpah who were led into Egypt by Johanan and the other arrogant men (43:3, 5).

[9:7]  ²² tn Heb “Yahweh of armies.”

[9:7]  ²³ tn Heb “I will refine/purify them.” The words “in the fires of affliction” are supplied in the translation to give clarity to the metaphor.

[9:7]  ²⁴ tn Heb “daughter of my people.” For the translation given here see 4:11 and the note on the phrase “dear people” there.

[9:7]  ²⁵ tc Heb “For how else shall I deal because of the wickedness of the daughter of my people.” The MT does not have the word “wickedness.” The word, however, is read in the Greek version. This is probably a case of a word dropping out because of its similarities to the consonants preceding or following it (i.e., haplography). The word “wickedness” (רַעַת, ra’at) has dropped out before the words “my dear people” (בַּת־עַמִּי, bat-’ammi). The causal nuance which is normal for מִפְּנֵי (mippÿne) does not make sense without some word like this, and the combination of רַעַת מִפְּנֵי (mippÿne ra’at) does occur in Jer 7:12 and one very like it occurs in Jer 26:3.

[9:2]  ²⁶ tn Heb “I wish I had in the desert a lodging place [inn, or place to spend the night] for travelers.”

[9:2]  ²⁷ tn Or “bunch,” but this loses the irony; the word is used for the solemn assemblies at the religious feasts.

[9:2]  ²⁸ tn Heb “they are all adulterers, a congregation of unfaithful people.” However, spiritual adultery is, of course, meant, not literal adultery. So the literal translation would be misleading.

[7:20]  ²⁹ tn Heb “Lord Yahweh.” The translation follows the ancient Jewish tradition of substituting the Hebrew word for God for the proper name Yahweh.

[7:20]  ³⁰ tn Heb “this place.” Some see this as a reference to the temple but the context has been talking about what goes on in the towns of Judah and Jerusalem and the words that follow, meant as a further explanation, are applied to the whole land.

[7:20]  ³¹ tn Heb “the trees of/in the field and the fruit of/in the ground.”

[44:13]  ³² tn The prefixed verbal form is a preterite (without vav [ו] consecutive).

[44:13]  ³³ tn Heb “an [object of] taunting and [of] mockery to those around us.”

[44:14]  ³⁴ tn The prefixed verbal form is a preterite (without vav [ו] consecutive).

[44:14]  ³⁵ tn Heb “a proverb,” or “[the subject of] a mocking song.”

[44:14]  ³⁶ tn Heb “a shaking of the head among the peoples.” Shaking the head was a derisive gesture (see Jer 18:16; Lam 2:15).

[2:15]  ³⁷ tn Heb “clap their hands at you.” Clapping hands at someone was an expression of malicious glee, derision and mockery (Num 24:10; Job 27:23; Lam 2:15).

[2:15]  ³⁸ tn Heb “of which they said.”

[2:15]  ³⁹ tn Heb “perfection of beauty.” The noun יֹפִי (yofi, “beauty”) functions as a genitive of respect in relation to the preceding construct noun: Jerusalem was perfect in respect to its physical beauty.

[2:15]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “the joy of all the earth.” This is similar to statements found in Pss 48:2 and 50:2.

[2:16]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “they have opened wide their mouth against you.”

[2:16]  ⁴² tn Heb “We have swallowed!”

[2:16]  ⁴³ tn Heb “We have attained, we have seen!” The verbs מָצָאנוּ רָאִינוּ (matsa’nu ra’inu) form a verbal hendiadys in which the first retains its full verbal sense and the second functions as an object complement. It forms a Hebrew idiom that means something like, “We have lived to see it!” The three asyndetic 1st person common plural statements in 2:16 (“We waited, we destroyed, we saw!”) are spoken in an impassioned, staccato style reflecting the delight of the conquerors.

[2:17]  ⁴⁴ tn The verb בָּצַע (batsa’) has a broad range of meanings: (1) “to cut off, break off,” (2) “to injure” a person, (3) “to gain by violence,” (4) “to finish, complete” and (5) “to accomplish, fulfill” a promise.

[2:17]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “His word.” When used in collocation with the verb בָּצַע (batsa’, “to fulfill,” see previous tn), the accusative noun אִמְרָה (’imrah) means “promise.”

[2:17]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “commanded” or “decreed.” If a reference to prophetic oracles is understood, then “decreed” is preferable. If understood as a reference to the warnings in the covenant, then “threatened” is a preferable rendering.

[2:17]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “from days of old.”

[2:17]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “He has overthrown and has not shown mercy.” The two verbs חָרַס וְלֹא חָמָל (kharas vÿlo’ khamal) form a verbal hendiadys in which the first retains its verbal sense and the second functions adverbially: “He has overthrown you without mercy.” וְלֹא חָמָל (vÿlo’ khamal) alludes to 2:2.

[2:17]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “He has exalted the horn of your adversaries.” The term “horn” (קֶרֶן, qeren) normally refers to the horn of a bull, one of the most powerful animals in ancient Israel. This term is often used figuratively as a symbol of strength, usually in reference to the military might of an army (Deut 33:17; 1 Sam 2:1, 10; 2 Sam 22:3; Pss 18:3; 75:11; 89:18, 25; 92:11; 112:9; 1 Chr 25:5; Jer 48:25; Lam 2:3; Ezek 29:21), just as warriors are sometimes figuratively described as “bulls.” To lift up the horn often means to boast and to lift up someone else’s horn is to give victory or cause to boast.

[26:2]  ⁵⁰ sn Tyre was located on the Mediterranean coast north of Israel.

[26:2]  ⁵¹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[26:2]  ⁵² tn Heb “I will be filled.”

[26:2]  ⁵³ sn That is, Jerusalem.

[36:2]  ⁵⁴ tn Or “high places.”

[36:3]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “lip of the tongue.”