Jeremiah 26:6-9

26:6 If you do not obey me, ¹  then I will do to this temple what I did to Shiloh. ²  And I will make this city an example to be used in curses by people from all the nations on the earth.’”

26:7 The priests, the prophets, and all the people heard Jeremiah say these things in the Lord’s temple. 26:8 Jeremiah had just barely finished saying all the Lord had commanded him to say to all the people. All at once some ³  of the priests, the prophets, and the people grabbed him and shouted, “You deserve to die! ⁴  26:9 How dare you claim the Lord’s authority to prophesy such things! How dare you claim his authority to prophesy that this temple will become like Shiloh and that this city will become an uninhabited ruin!” ⁵  Then all the people crowded around Jeremiah.

Jeremiah 26:18

26:18 “Micah from Moresheth ⁶  prophesied during the time Hezekiah was king of Judah. ⁷  He told all the people of Judah,

‘The Lord who rules over all ⁸  says,

“Zion ⁹  will become a plowed field.

Jerusalem ¹⁰  will become a pile of rubble.

The temple mount will become a mere wooded ridge.”’ ¹¹ 

Jeremiah 52:13-23

52:13 He burned down the Lord’s temple, the royal palace, and all the houses in Jerusalem, including every large house. 52:14 The whole Babylonian army that came with the captain of the royal guard tore down the walls that surrounded Jerusalem. 52:15 Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard, took into exile some of the poor, ¹²  the rest of the people who remained in the city, those who had deserted to him, and the rest of the craftsmen. 52:16 But he ¹³  left behind some of the poor ¹⁴  and gave them fields and vineyards.

52:17 The Babylonians broke the two bronze pillars in the temple of the Lord, as well as the movable stands and the large bronze basin called the “The Sea.” ¹⁵  They took all the bronze to Babylon. 52:18 They also took the pots, shovels, ¹⁶  trimming shears, ¹⁷  basins, pans, and all the bronze utensils used by the priests. ¹⁸  52:19 The captain of the royal guard took the gold and silver bowls, censers, ¹⁹  basins, pots, lampstands, pans, and vessels. ²⁰  52:20 The bronze of the items that King Solomon made for the Lord’s temple (including the two pillars, the large bronze basin called “The Sea,” the twelve bronze bulls under “The Sea,” and the movable stands ²¹ ) was too heavy to be weighed. 52:21 Each of the pillars was about 27 feet ²²  high, about 18 feet ²³  in circumference, three inches ²⁴  thick, and hollow. 52:22 The bronze top of one pillar was about seven and one-half feet ²⁵  high and had bronze latticework and pomegranate-shaped ornaments all around it. The second pillar with its pomegranate-shaped ornaments was like it. 52:23 There were ninety-six pomegranate-shaped ornaments on the sides; in all there were one hundred pomegranate-shaped ornaments over the latticework that went around it.

Jeremiah 52:1

The Fall of Jerusalem

52:1 ²⁶ Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he ruled in Jerusalem ²⁷  for eleven years. His mother’s name was Hamutal ²⁸  daughter of Jeremiah, from Libnah.

Jeremiah 4:10-11

4:10 In response to all this ²⁹  I said, “Ah, Lord God, ³⁰  you have surely allowed ³¹  the people of Judah and Jerusalem ³²  to be deceived by those who say, ‘You will be safe!’ ³³  But in fact a sword is already at our throats.” ³⁴ 

4:11 “At that time the people of Judah and Jerusalem ³⁵  will be told,

‘A scorching wind will sweep down

from the hilltops in the desert on ³⁶  my dear people. ³⁷ 

It will not be a gentle breeze

for winnowing the grain and blowing away the chaff. ³⁸ 

Jeremiah 4:1

4:1 “If you, Israel, want to come back,” says the Lord,

“if you want to come back to me ³⁹ 

you must get those disgusting idols ⁴⁰  out of my sight

and must no longer go astray. ⁴¹ 

Jeremiah 9:7-8

9:7 Therefore the Lord who rules over all says, ⁴² 

“I will now purify them in the fires of affliction ⁴³  and test them.

The wickedness of my dear people ⁴⁴  has left me no choice.

What else can I do? ⁴⁵ 

9:8 Their tongues are like deadly arrows. ⁴⁶ 

They are always telling lies. ⁴⁷ 

Friendly words for their neighbors come from their mouths.

But their minds are thinking up ways to trap them. ⁴⁸ 

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. ⁴⁹ 

Then I would desert my people

and walk away from them

because they are all unfaithful to God,

a congregation ⁵⁰  of people that has been disloyal to him. ⁵¹ 

Jeremiah 25:9

25:9 So I, the Lord, affirm that ⁵²  I will send for all the peoples of the north ⁵³  and my servant, ⁵⁴  King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants and all the nations that surround it. I will utterly destroy ⁵⁵  this land, its inhabitants, and all the nations that surround it ⁵⁶  and make them everlasting ruins. ⁵⁷  I will make them objects of horror and hissing scorn. ⁵⁸ 

Jeremiah 25:2

25:2 So the prophet Jeremiah spoke to all the people of Judah and to all the people who were living in Jerusalem. ⁵⁹ 

Jeremiah 7:21

7:21 The Lord said to the people of Judah, ⁶⁰  “The Lord God of Israel who rules over all ⁶¹  says: ‘You might as well go ahead and add the meat of your burnt offerings to that of the other sacrifices and eat it, too! ⁶² 

Jeremiah 7:2

7:2 “Stand in the gate of the Lord’s temple and proclaim ⁶³  this message: ‘Listen, all you people of Judah who have passed through these gates to worship the Lord. ⁶⁴  Hear what the Lord has to say.

Jeremiah 36:18-19

36:18 Baruch answered, “Yes, they came from his own mouth. He dictated all these words to me and I wrote them down in ink on this scroll.” ⁶⁵  36:19 Then the officials said to Baruch, “You and Jeremiah must go and hide. You must not let anyone know where you are.” ⁶⁶ 

Psalms 74:6-8

74:6 And now ⁶⁷  they are tearing down ⁶⁸  all its engravings ⁶⁹ 

with axes ⁷⁰  and crowbars. ⁷¹ 

74:7 They set your sanctuary on fire;

they desecrate your dwelling place by knocking it to the ground. ⁷² 

74:8 They say to themselves, ⁷³ 

“We will oppress all of them.” ⁷⁴ 

They burn down all the places where people worship God in the land. ⁷⁵ 

Psalms 78:60

78:60 He abandoned ⁷⁶  the sanctuary at Shiloh,

the tent where he lived among men.

Isaiah 64:11

64:11 Our holy temple, our pride and joy, ⁷⁷ 

the place where our ancestors praised you,

has been burned with fire;

all our prized possessions have been destroyed. ⁷⁸ 

Lamentations 2:7

ז (Zayin)

2:7 The Lord ⁷⁹  rejected ⁸⁰  his altar

and abhorred his temple. ⁸¹ 

He handed over to the enemy ⁸² 

her palace walls;

the enemy ⁸³  shouted ⁸⁴  in the Lord’s temple

as if it were a feast day. ⁸⁵ 

Lamentations 4:1

The Prophet Speaks:

א (Alef)

4:1 ⁸⁶ Alas! ⁸⁷  Gold has lost its luster; ⁸⁸ 

pure gold loses value. ⁸⁹ 

Jewels ⁹⁰  are scattered

on every street corner. ⁹¹ 

Ezekiel 7:20-22

7:20 They rendered the beauty of his ornaments into pride, ⁹²  and with it they made their abominable images – their detestable idols. Therefore I will render it filthy to them. 7:21 I will give it to foreigners as loot, to the world’s wicked ones as plunder, and they will desecrate it. 7:22 I will turn my face away from them and they will desecrate my treasured place. ⁹³  Vandals will enter it and desecrate it. ⁹⁴ 

Ezekiel 9:5-7

9:5 While I listened, he said to the others, ⁹⁵  “Go through the city after him and strike people down; do no let your eye pity nor spare ⁹⁶  anyone! 9:6 Old men, young men, young women, little children, and women – wipe them out! But do not touch anyone who has the mark. Begin at my sanctuary!” So they began with the elders who were at the front of the temple.

9:7 He said to them, “Defile the temple and fill the courtyards with corpses. Go!” So they went out and struck people down throughout the city.

Ezekiel 24:21

24:21 Say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: Realize I am about to desecrate my sanctuary – the source of your confident pride, ⁹⁷  the object in which your eyes delight, ⁹⁸  and your life’s passion. ⁹⁹  Your very own sons and daughters whom you have left behind will die ¹⁰⁰  by the sword.

Micah 3:12

3:12 Therefore, because of you, ¹⁰¹  Zion will be plowed up like ¹⁰²  a field,

Jerusalem will become a heap of ruins,

and the Temple Mount ¹⁰³  will become a hill overgrown with brush! ¹⁰⁴ 

Matthew 24:1-2

The Destruction of the Temple

24:1 Now ¹⁰⁵  as Jesus was going out of the temple courts and walking away, his disciples came to show him the temple buildings. ¹⁰⁶  24:2 And he said to them, ¹⁰⁷  “Do you see all these things? I tell you the truth, ¹⁰⁸  not one stone will be left on another. ¹⁰⁹  All will be torn down!” ¹¹⁰ 

[26:6]  ¹ 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]  ² sn See the study note on Jer 7:13.

[26:8]  ³ tn The translation again represents an attempt to break up a long complex Hebrew sentence into equivalent English ones that conform more to contemporary English style: Heb “And as soon as Jeremiah finished saying all that…the priests…grabbed him and said…” The word “some” has been supplied in the translation, because obviously it was not all the priests, the prophets, and all the people, but only some of them. There is, of course, rhetorical intent here to show that all were implicated, although all may not have actually participated. (This is a common figure called synecdoche where all is put for a part – all for all kinds or representatives of all kinds. See E. W. Bullinger, Figures of Speech, 614-19, and compare usage in Acts 10:12; Matt 3:5.)

[26:8]  ⁴ tn Or “You must certainly die!” The construction here is again emphatic with the infinitive preceding the finite verb (cf. Joüon 2:423 §123.h, and compare usage in Exod 21:28).

[26:9]  ⁵ tn Heb “Why have you prophesied in the Lord’s name, saying, ‘This house will become like Shiloh and this city will become a ruin without inhabitant?’” It is clear from the context here and in 7:1-15 that the emphasis is on “in the Lord’s name” and that the question is rhetorical. The question is not a quest for information but an accusation, a remonstrance. (For this figure see E. W. Bullinger, Figures of Speech, 953-54, who calls a question like this a rhetorical question of remonstrance or expostulation. For good examples see Pss 11:1; 50:16.) For the significance of “prophesying in the Lord’s name” see the study note on 14:14. The translation again utilizes the indirect quote to eliminate one level of embedded quotation.

[26:18]  ⁶ sn Micah from Moresheth was a contemporary of Isaiah (compare Mic 1:1 with Isa 1:1) from the country town of Moresheth in the hill country southwest of Jerusalem. The prophecy referred to is found in Mic 3:12. This is the only time in the OT where an OT prophet is quoted verbatim and identified.

[26:18]  ⁷ sn Hezekiah was co-regent with his father Ahaz from 729-715 b.c. and sole ruler from 715-686 b.c. His father was a wicked king who was responsible for the incursions of the Assyrians (2 Kgs 16; 2 Chr 28). Hezekiah was a godly king, noted for his religious reforms and for his faith in the Lord in the face of the Assyrian threat (2 Kgs 18–19; 2 Chr 32:1-23). The deliverance of Jerusalem in response to his prayers of faith (2 Kgs 19:14-19, 29-36) was undoubtedly well-known to the people of Jerusalem and Judah and may have been one of the prime reasons for their misplaced trust in the inviolability of Zion/Jerusalem (see Ps 46, 76) though the people of Micah’s day already believed it too (Mic 3:11).

[26:18]  ⁸ tn Heb “Yahweh of armies.”

[26:18]  ⁹ sn Zion was first of all the citadel that David captured (2 Sam 5:6-10), then the city of David and the enclosed temple area, then the whole city of Jerusalem. It is often in poetic parallelism with Jerusalem as it is here (see, e.g., Ps 76:2; Amos 1:2).

[26:18]  ¹⁰ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[26:18]  ¹¹ sn There is irony involved in this statement. The text reads literally “high places of a forest/thicket.” The “high places” were the illicit places of worship that Jerusalem was supposed to replace. Because of their sin, Jerusalem would be like one of the pagan places of worship with no place left sacrosanct. It would even be overgrown with trees and bushes. So much for its inviolability!

[52:15]  ¹² tn Heb “poor of the people.”

[52:16]  ¹³ tn Heb “Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard.” However, the subject is clear from the preceding and modern English style would normally avoid repeating the proper name and title.

[52:16]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “poor of the land.”

[52:17]  ¹⁵ sn For discussion of the items listed here, see the study notes at Jer 27:19.

[52:18]  ¹⁶ sn These shovels were used to clean the altar.

[52:18]  ¹⁷ sn These trimming shears were used to trim the wicks of the lamps.

[52:18]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “with which they served (or “fulfilled their duty”).”

[52:19]  ¹⁹ sn The censers held the embers used for the incense offerings.

[52:19]  ²⁰ sn These vessels were used for drink offerings.

[52:20]  ²¹ tc The translation follows the LXX (Greek version), which reflects the description in 1 Kgs 7:25-26. The Hebrew text reads, “the twelve bronze bulls under the movable stands.” הַיָּם (hayyam, “The Sea”) has been accidentally omitted by homoioarcton; note that the following form, הַמְּכֹנוֹת (hammÿkhonot, “the movable stands”), also begins with the article.

[52:21]  ²² tn Heb “eighteen cubits.” A “cubit” was a unit of measure, approximately equivalent to a foot and a half.

[52:21]  ²³ tn Heb “twelve cubits.” A “cubit” was a unit of measure, approximately equivalent to a foot and a half.

[52:21]  ²⁴ tn Heb “four fingers.”

[52:22]  ²⁵ tn Heb “five cubits.” A “cubit” was a unit of measure, approximately equivalent to a foot and a half.

[52:1]  ²⁶ sn This final chapter does not mention Jeremiah, but its description of the downfall of Jerusalem and exile of the people validates the prophet’s ministry.

[52:1]  ²⁷ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[52:1]  ²⁸ tn Some textual witnesses support the Kethib (consonantal text) in reading “Hamital.”

[4:10]  ²⁹ tn The words “In response to all this” are not in the text but are supplied in the translation to clarify the connection.

[4:10]  ³⁰ tn Heb “Lord Yahweh.” The translation follows the ancient Jewish tradition of substituting the Hebrew word for God for the proper name Yahweh.

[4:10]  ³¹ tn Or “You have deceived.” The Hiphil of נָשָׁא (nasha’, “to deceive”) is understood in a tolerative sense here: “to allow [someone] to be deceived.” IBHS 446 §27.5c notes that this function of the hiphil describes caused activity that is welcome to the undersubject, but unacceptable or disagreeable to a third party. Jerusalem and Judah welcomed the assurances of false prophets who deceived them. Although this was detestable to God, he allowed it.

[4:10]  ³² tn Heb “this people and Jerusalem.”

[4:10]  ³³ tn Heb “Jerusalem, saying, ‘You will have peace’”; or “You have deceived the people of Judah and Jerusalem, saying, ‘You will have peace.’” The words “you will be safe” are, of course, those of the false prophets (cf., Jer 6:14; 8:11; 14:13; 23:16-17). It is difficult to tell whether the charge here is meant literally as the emotional outburst of the prophet (compare for example, Jer 15:18) or whether it is to be understood as a figure of speech in which a verb of direct causation is to be understood as permissive or tolerative, i.e., God did not command the prophets to say this but allowed them to do so. While it is not beyond God to use false prophets to accomplish his will (cf., e.g., 1 Kgs 22:19-23), he elsewhere in the book of Jeremiah directly denies having sent the false prophets to say such things as this (cf., e.g., Jer 14:14-15; 23:21, 32). For examples of the use of this figure of speech, see E. W. Bullinger, Figures of Speech, 571, 823 and compare Ezek 20:25. The translation given attempts to resolve the issue.

[4:10]  ³⁴ tn Heb “touches the throat/soul.” For this use of the word usually translated “soul” or “life” cf. HALOT 672 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ 1, 2 and compare the use in Ps 105:18.

[4:11]  ³⁵ tn Heb “this people and Jerusalem.”

[4:11]  ³⁶ tn Heb “A scorching wind from the hilltops in the desert toward…”

[4:11]  ³⁷ tn Heb “daughter of my people.” The term “daughter of” is appositional to “my people” and is supplied in the translation as a term of sympathy and endearment. Compare the common expression “daughter of Zion.”

[4:11]  ³⁸ tn Heb “not for winnowing and not for cleansing.” The words “It will not be a gentle breeze” are not in the text but are implicit in the connection. They are supplied in the translation here for clarification.

[4:1]  ³⁹ tn Or “If you, Israel, want to turn [away from your shameful ways (those described in 3:23-25)]…then you must turn back to me.” Or perhaps, “Israel, you must turn back…Yes, you must turn back to me.”

[4:1]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “disgusting things.”

[4:1]  ⁴¹ tn Or possibly, “If you get those disgusting idols out of my sight, you will not need to flee.” This is less probable because the normal meaning of the last verb is “to wander,” “ to stray.”

[9:7]  ⁴² tn Heb “Yahweh of armies.”

[9:7]  ⁴³ 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]  ⁴⁴ 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]  ⁴⁵ 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.

[9:8]  ⁴⁶ tc This reading follows the Masoretic consonants (the Kethib, a Qal active participle from שָׁחַט, shakhat). The Masoretes preferred to read “a sharpened arrow” (the Qere, a Qal passive participle from the same root or a homonym, meaning “hammered, beaten”). See HALOT 1354 s.v. II שָׁחַט for discussion. The exact meaning of the word makes little difference to the meaning of the metaphor itself.

[9:8]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “They speak deceit.”

[9:8]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “With his mouth a person speaks peace to his neighbor, but in his heart he sets an ambush for him.”

[9:2]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “I wish I had in the desert a lodging place [inn, or place to spend the night] for travelers.”

[9:2]  ⁵⁰ tn Or “bunch,” but this loses the irony; the word is used for the solemn assemblies at the religious feasts.

[9:2]  ⁵¹ 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.

[25:9]  ⁵² tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

[25:9]  ⁵³ sn The many allusions to trouble coming from the north are now clarified: it is the armies of Babylon which included within it contingents from many nations. See 1:14, 15; 4:6; 6:1, 22; 10:22; 13:20 for earlier allusions.

[25:9]  ⁵⁴ sn Nebuchadnezzar is called the Lord’s servant also in Jer 27:6; 43:10. He was the Lord’s servant in that he was the agent used by the Lord to punish his disobedient people. Assyria was earlier referred to as the Lord’s “rod” (Isa 10:5-6) and Cyrus is called his “shepherd” and his “anointed” (Isa 44:28; 45:1). P. C. Craigie, P. H. Kelley, and J. F. Drinkard (Jeremiah 1-25 [WBC], 364) make the interesting observation that the terms here are very similar to the terms in v. 4. The people of Judah ignored the servants, the prophets, he sent to turn them away from evil. So he will send other servants whom they cannot ignore.

[25:9]  ⁵⁵ tn The word used here was used in the early years of Israel’s conquest for the action of killing all the men, women, and children in the cities of Canaan, destroying all their livestock, and burning their cities down. This policy was intended to prevent Israel from being corrupted by paganism (Deut 7:2; 20:17-18; Josh 6:18, 21). It was to be extended to any city that led Israel away from worshiping God (Deut 13:15) and any Israelite who brought an idol into his house (Deut 7:26). Here the policy is being directed against Judah as well as against her neighbors because of her persistent failure to heed God’s warnings through the prophets. For further usage of this term in application to foreign nations in the book of Jeremiah see 50:21, 26; 51:3.

[25:9]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “will utterly destroy them.” The referent (this land, its inhabitants, and the nations surrounding it) has been specified in the translation for clarity, since the previous “them” referred to Nebuchadnezzar and his armies.

[25:9]  ⁵⁷ sn The Hebrew word translated “everlasting” is the word often translated “eternal.” However, it sometimes has a more limited time reference. For example it refers to the lifetime of a person who became a “lasting slave” to another person (see Exod 21:6; Deut 15:17). It is also used to refer to the long life wished for a king (1 Kgs 1:31; Neh 2:3). The time frame here is to be qualified at least with reference to Judah and Jerusalem as seventy years (see 29:10-14 and compare v. 12).

[25:9]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “I will make them an object of horror and a hissing and everlasting ruins.” The sentence has been broken up to separate the last object from the first two which are of slightly different connotation, i.e., they denote the reaction to the latter.

[25:2]  ⁵⁹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[7:21]  ⁶⁰ tn The words “The Lord said to the people of Judah” are not in the text but are implicit in the shift in addressee between vv. 16-20 and vv. 21-26.

[7:21]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “Yahweh of armies, the God of Israel.”

[7:21]  ⁶² tn Heb “Add your burnt offerings to your [other] sacrifices and eat the meat!” See the following sn for explanation. This is an example of the rhetorical use of the imperative for a sarcastic challenge. Cf. GKC 324 §110.a; cf. Amos 4:4, “Go to Bethel and sin!”

[7:2]  ⁶³ tn Heb “Proclaim there…” The adverb is unnecessary in English style.

[7:2]  ⁶⁴ sn That is, all those who have passed through the gates of the outer court and are standing in the courtyard of the temple.

[36:18]  ⁶⁵ tn The verbal forms emphasize that each word came from his mouth. The first verb is an imperfect which emphasizes repeated action in past time and the second verb is a participle which emphasizes ongoing action. However, it is a little awkward to try to express this nuance in contemporary English. Even though it is not reflected in the translation, it is noted here for future reference.

[36:19]  ⁶⁶ tn The verbs here are both direct imperatives but it sounds awkward to say “You and Jeremiah, go and hide” in contemporary English. The same force is accomplished by phrasing the statement as strong advice.

[74:6]  ⁶⁷ tn This is the reading of the Qere (marginal reading). The Kethib (consonantal text) has “and a time.”

[74:6]  ⁶⁸ tn The imperfect verbal form vividly describes the act as underway.

[74:6]  ⁶⁹ tn Heb “its engravings together.”

[74:6]  ⁷⁰ tn This Hebrew noun occurs only here in the OT (see H. R. Cohen, Biblical Hapax Legomena [SBLDS], 49-50).

[74:6]  ⁷¹ tn This Hebrew noun occurs only here in the OT. An Akkadian cognate refers to a “pickaxe” (cf. NEB “hatchet and pick”; NIV “axes and hatchets”; NRSV “hatchets and hammers”).

[74:7]  ⁷² tn Heb “to the ground they desecrate the dwelling place of your name.”

[74:8]  ⁷³ tn Heb “in their heart.”

[74:8]  ⁷⁴ tc Heb “[?] altogether.” The Hebrew form נִינָם (ninam) is problematic. It could be understood as the noun נִין (nin, “offspring”) but the statement “their offspring altogether” would make no sense here. C. A. Briggs and E. G. Briggs (Psalms [ICC], 2:159) emends יָחַד (yakhad, “altogether”) to יָחִיד (yakhid, “alone”) and translate “let their offspring be solitary” (i.e., exiled). Another option is to understand the form as a Qal imperfect first common plural from יָנָה (yanah, “to oppress”) with a third masculine plural pronominal suffix, “we will oppress them.” However, this verb, when used in the finite form, always appears in the Hiphil. Therefore, it is preferable to emend the form to the Hiphil נוֹנֵם (nonem, “we will oppress them”).

[74:8]  ⁷⁵ tn Heb “they burn down all the meeting places of God in the land.”

[78:60]  ⁷⁶ tn Or “rejected.”

[64:11]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “our source of pride.”

[64:11]  ⁷⁸ tn Or “all that we valued has become a ruin.”

[2:7]  ⁷⁹ tc The MT reads אֲדֹנָי (’adonay, “the Lord”) here rather than יהוה (YHWH, “the Lord”), which occurs near the end of this verse. See the tc note at 1:14.

[2:7]  ⁸⁰ tn The Heb verb זָנַח (zanakh) is a rejection term often used in military contexts. Emphasizing emotion, it may mean “to spurn.” In military contexts it may be rendered “to desert.”

[2:7]  ⁸¹ tn Heb “His sanctuary.” The term מִקְדָּשׁוֹ (miqdasho, “His sanctuary”) refers to the temple (e.g., 1 Chr 22:19; 2 Chr 36:17; Ps 74:7; Isa 63:18; Ezek 48:21; Dan 8:11) (BDB 874 s.v. מִקְדָּשׁ).

[2:7]  ⁸² tn Heb “He delivered into the hand of the enemy.” The verb הִסְגִּיר (hisgir), Hiphil perfect 3rd person masculine singular from סָגַר (sagar), means “to give into someone’s control: to deliver” (Deut 23:16; Josh 20:5; 1 Sam 23:11, 20; 30:15; Job 16:11; Pss 31:9; 78:48, 50, 62; Lam 2:7; Amos 1:6, 9; Obad 14).

[2:7]  ⁸³ tn Heb “they.”

[2:7]  ⁸⁴ tn Heb “they gave voice” (קוֹל נָתְנוּ, kol natno). The verb נָתַן (natan, “to give”) with the noun קוֹל (kol, “voice, sound”) is an idiom meaning: “to utter a sound, make a noise, raise the voice” (e.g., Gen 45:2; Prov 2:3; Jer 4:16; 22:20; 48:34) (HALOT 734 s.v. נתן 12; BDB 679 s.v. נָתַן 1.x). Contextually, this describes the shout of victory by the Babylonians celebrating their conquest of Jerusalem.

[2:7]  ⁸⁵ tn Heb “as on the day of an appointed time.” The term מוֹעֵד (mo’ed, “appointed time”) refers to the religious festivals that were celebrated at appointed times in the Hebrew calendar (BDB 417 s.v. 1.b). In contrast to making festivals neglected (forgotten) in v 6, the enemy had a celebration which was entirely out of place.

[4:1]  ⁸⁶ sn According to W. F. Lanahan (“The Speaking Voice in the Book of Lamentations” JBL 93 [1974]: 48), the persona or speaking voice in chap. 4 is a bourgeois, the common man. This voice is somewhat akin to the Reporter in chs 1-2 in that much of the description is in the third person. However, “the bourgeois has some sense of identity with his fellow-citizens” seen in the shift to the first person plural. The alphabetic acrostic structure reduces to two bicola per letter. The first letter of only the first line in each stanza spells the acrostic.

[4:1]  ⁸⁷ tn See the note at 1:1

[4:1]  ⁸⁸ tn Heb “had grown dim.” The verb יוּעַם (yu’am), Hophal imperfect 3rd person masculine singular from עָמַם (’amam, “to conceal, darken”), literally means “to be dimmed” or “to be darkened.” Most English versions render this literally: the gold has “become dim” (KJV, NKJV), “grown dim” (RSV, NRSV), “is dulled” (NJPS), “grown dull” (TEV); however, but NIV has captured the sense well: “How the gold has lost its luster.”

[4:1]  ⁸⁹ tc The verb יִשְׁנֶא (yishne’, Qal imperfect 3rd person feminine singular) is typically taken to be the only Qal imperfect of I שָׁנָהּ (shanah). Such a spelling with א (aleph) instead of ה (he) is feasible. D. R. Hillers suggests the root שָׂנֵא (sane’, “to hate”): “Pure gold is hated”. This maintains the consonantal text and also makes sense in context. In either case the point is that gold no longer holds the same value, probably because there is nothing available to buy with it.

[4:1]  ⁹⁰ tn Heb “the stones of holiness/jewelry.” קֹדֶשׁ (qodesh) in most cases refers to holiness or sacredness. For the meaning “jewelry” see J. A. Emerton, “The Meaning of אַבְנֵי־קֹדֶשׁ in Lamentations 4:1” ZAW 79 (1967): 233-36.

[4:1]  ⁹¹ tn Heb “at the head of every street.”

[7:20]  ⁹² tc The MT reads “he set up the beauty of his ornament as pride.” The verb may be repointed as plural without changing the consonantal text. The Syriac reads “their ornaments” (plural), implying עֶדְיָם (’edyam) rather than עֶדְיוֹ (’edyo) and meaning “they were proud of their beautiful ornaments.” This understands “ornaments” in the common sense of women’s jewelry, which then were used to make idols. The singular suffix “his ornaments” would refer to using items from the temple treasury to make idols. D. I. Block points out the foreshadowing of Ezek 16:17 which, with Rashi and the Targum, supports the understanding that this is a reference to temple items. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 1:265.

[7:22]  ⁹³ sn My treasured place probably refers to the temple (however, cf. NLT “my treasured land”).

[7:22]  ⁹⁴ sn Since the pronouns “it” are both feminine, they do not refer to the masculine “my treasured place”; instead they probably refer to Jerusalem or the land, both of which are feminine in Hebrew.

[9:5]  ⁹⁵ tn Heb “to these he said in my ears.”

[9:5]  ⁹⁶ tn The meaning of the Hebrew term is primarily emotional: “to pity,” which in context implies an action, as in being moved by pity in order to spare them from the horror of their punishment.

[24:21]  ⁹⁷ tn Heb “the pride of your strength” means “your strong pride.”

[24:21]  ⁹⁸ sn Heb “the delight of your eyes.” Just as Ezekiel was deprived of his beloved wife (v. 16, the “desire” of his “eyes”) so the Lord would be forced to remove the object of his devotion, the temple, which symbolized his close relationship to his covenant people.

[24:21]  ⁹⁹ tn Heb “the object of compassion of your soul.” The accentuation in the traditional Hebrew text indicates that the descriptive phrases (“the source of your confident pride, the object in which your eyes delight, and your life’s passion”) modify the preceding “my sanctuary.”

[24:21]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Heb “fall.”

[3:12]  ¹⁰¹ tn The plural pronoun refers to the leaders, priests, and prophets mentioned in the preceding verse.

[3:12]  ¹⁰² tn Or “into” (an adverbial accusative of result).

[3:12]  ¹⁰³ tn Heb “the mountain of the house” (so KJV, ASV, NRSV).

[3:12]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Heb “a high place of overgrowth.”

[24:1]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[24:1]  ¹⁰⁶ sn The Jerusalem temple was widely admired around the world. See Josephus, Ant. 15.11 [15.380-425]; J. W. 5.5 [5.184-227] and Tacitus, History 5.8, who called it “immensely opulent.” Josephus compared it to a beautiful snowcapped mountain.

[24:2]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Grk “answering, he said to them.” The participle ἀποκριθείς (ajpokriqei") is redundant in English and has not been translated.

[24:2]  ¹⁰⁸ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[24:2]  ¹⁰⁹ sn With the statement not one stone will be left on another Jesus predicted the total destruction of the temple, something that did occur in a.d. 70.

[24:2]  ¹¹⁰ tn Grk “not one stone will be left here on another which will not be thrown down.”