Jeremiah 22:5

22:5 But, if you do not obey these commands, I solemnly swear ¹  that this palace will become a pile of rubble. I, the Lord, affirm it!” ² 

Jeremiah 26:4

26:4 Tell them that the Lord says, ³  ‘You must obey me! You must live according to the way I have instructed you in my laws. ⁴ 

Jeremiah 27:14

27:14 Do not listen to the prophets who are telling you that you do not need to serve ⁵  the king of Babylon. For they are prophesying lies to you.

Jeremiah 27:17

27:17 Do not listen to them. Be subject to the king of Babylon. Then you ⁶  will continue to live. Why should this city be made a pile of rubble?’” ⁷ 

[22:5]  ¹ sn Heb “I swear by myself.” Oaths were guaranteed by invoking the name of a god or swearing by “his life.” See Jer 12:16; 44:26. Since the Lord is incomparably great, he could swear by no higher (see Heb 6:13-16) than to swear by himself or his own great name.

[22:5]  ² tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

[26:4]  ³ tn Heb “thus says the Lord, ‘…’.” The use of the indirect quotation in the translation eliminates one level of embedded quotation to avoid confusion.

[26:4]  ⁴ tn Heb “by walking in my law which I set before you.”

[27:14]  ⁵ tn The verb in this context is best taken as a negative obligatory imperfect. See IBHS 508 §31.4g for discussion and examples. See Exod 4:15 as an example of positive obligation.

[27:17]  ⁷ tn The imperative with vav (ו) here and in v. 12 after another imperative are a good example of the use of the imperative to introduce a consequence. (See GKC 324-25 §110.f and see Gen 42:18. This is a common verb in this idiom.)

[27:17]  ⁸ tn According to E. W. Bullinger (Figures of Speech, 954) both this question and the one in v. 13 are examples of rhetorical questions of prohibition / “don’t let this city be made a pile of rubble.”