Jeremiah 32:22

32:22 You kept the promise that you swore on oath to their ancestors. ¹  You gave them a land flowing with milk and honey. ² 

Jeremiah 11:5

11:5 Then I will keep the promise I swore on oath to your ancestors to give them a land flowing with milk and honey.” ³  That is the very land that you still live in today.’” ⁴  And I responded, “Amen! Let it be so, ⁵  Lord!”

Jeremiah 41:8

41:8 But there were ten men among them who said ⁶  to Ishmael, “Do not kill us. For we will give you the stores of wheat, barley, olive oil, and honey we have hidden in a field. ⁷  So he spared their lives and did not kill ⁸  them along with the rest. ⁹ 

[32:22]  ¹ tn Heb “fathers.”

[32:22]  ² tn For an alternative translation of the expression “a land flowing with milk and honey” see the translator’s note on 11:5.

[11:5]  ³ tn The phrase “a land flowing with milk and honey” is very familiar to readers in the Jewish and Christian traditions as a proverbial description of the agricultural and pastoral abundance of the land of Israel. However, it may not mean too much to readers outside those traditions; an equivalent expression would be “a land of fertile fields and fine pastures.” E. W. Bullinger (Figures of Speech, 626) identifies this as a figure of speech called synecdoche where the species is put for the genus, “a region…abounding with pasture and fruits of all kinds.”

[11:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “‘a land flowing with milk and honey,’ as at this day.” However, the literal reading is too elliptical and would lead to confusion.

[11:5]  ⁵ tn The words “Let it be so” are not in the text; they are an explanation of the significance of the term “Amen” for those who may not be part of the Christian or Jewish tradition.

[41:8]  ⁵ tn Heb “But there were ten men found among them and they said.” However, for the use of “were found” = “be, happened to be” see BDB 594 s.v. מָצָא 2.c and compare the usage in 41:3.

[41:8]  ⁶ tn This sentence is a good example of the elliptical nature of some of the causal connections in the Hebrew Bible. All the Hebrew says literally is “For we have hidden stores of wheat, barley, olive oil, and honey in a field.” However, it is obvious that they are using this as their bargaining chip to prevent Ishmael and his men from killing them. For the use of “for” (כִּי, ki) for such elliptical thoughts see BDB 473-74 s.v. כִּי 3.c.

[41:8]  ⁷ tn Or “So he refrained from killing them”; Heb “he refrained and did not kill them.”

[41:8]  ⁸ tn Heb “in the midst of their brothers/fellow countrymen.”