Discovery BoxJeremiah 37:1
Context37:1 Zedekiah son of Josiah succeeded Jeconiah 1 son of Jehoiakim as king. He was elevated to the throne of the land of Judah by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. 2
Jeremiah 18:1-23
Context18:1 The Lord said to Jeremiah: 3 18:2 “Go down at once 4 to the potter’s house. I will speak to you further there.” 5 18:3 So I went down to the potter’s house and found him working 6 at his wheel. 7 18:4 Now and then 8 there would be something wrong 9 with the pot he was molding from the clay 10 with his hands. So he would rework 11 the clay into another kind of pot as he saw fit. 12
18:5 Then the Lord said to me, 13 18:6 “I, the Lord, say: 14 ‘O nation of Israel, can I not deal with you as this potter deals with the clay? 15 In my hands, you, O nation of Israel, are just like the clay in this potter’s hand.’ 18:7 There are times, Jeremiah, 16 when I threaten to uproot, tear down, and destroy a nation or kingdom. 17 18:8 But if that nation I threatened stops doing wrong, 18 I will cancel the destruction 19 I intended to do to it. 18:9 And there are times when I promise to build up and establish 20 a nation or kingdom. 18:10 But if that nation does what displeases me and does not obey me, then I will cancel the good I promised to do to it. 18:11 So now, tell the people of Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem 21 this: The Lord says, ‘I am preparing to bring disaster on you! I am making plans to punish you. 22 So, every one of you, stop the evil things you have been doing. 23 Correct the way you have been living and do what is right.’ 24 18:12 But they just keep saying, ‘We do not care what you say! 25 We will do whatever we want to do! We will continue to behave wickedly and stubbornly!’” 26
18:13 Therefore, the Lord says,
“Ask the people of other nations
whether they have heard of anything like this.
Israel should have been like a virgin.
But she has done something utterly revolting!
18:14 Does the snow ever completely vanish from the rocky slopes of Lebanon?
Do the cool waters from those distant mountains ever cease to flow? 27
18:15 Yet my people have forgotten me
and offered sacrifices to worthless idols!
This makes them stumble along in the way they live
and leave the old reliable path of their fathers. 28
They have left them to walk in bypaths,
in roads that are not smooth and level. 29
18:16 So their land will become an object of horror. 30
People will forever hiss out their scorn over it.
All who pass that way will be filled with horror
and will shake their heads in derision. 31
18:17 I will scatter them before their enemies
like dust blowing in front of a burning east wind.
I will turn my back on them and not look favorably on them 32
when disaster strikes them.”
18:18 Then some people 33 said, “Come on! Let us consider how to deal with Jeremiah! 34 There will still be priests to instruct us, wise men to give us advice, and prophets to declare God’s word. 35 Come on! Let’s bring charges against him and get rid of him! 36 Then we will not need to pay attention to anything he says.”
“Lord, pay attention to me.
Listen to what my enemies are saying. 38
18:20 Should good be paid back with evil?
Yet they are virtually digging a pit to kill me. 39
Just remember how I stood before you
pleading on their behalf 40
to keep you from venting your anger on them. 41
18:21 So let their children die of starvation.
Let them be cut down by the sword. 42
Let their wives lose their husbands and children.
Let the older men die of disease 43
and the younger men die by the sword in battle.
18:22 Let cries of terror be heard in their houses
when you send bands of raiders unexpectedly to plunder them. 44
For they have virtually dug a pit to capture me
and have hidden traps for me to step into.
18:23 But you, Lord, know
all their plots to kill me.
Do not pardon their crimes!
Do not ignore their sins as though you had erased them! 45
Let them be brought down in defeat before you!
Deal with them while you are still angry! 46
Jeremiah 23:1-40
Context23:1 The Lord says, 47 “The leaders of my people are sure to be judged. 48 They were supposed to watch over my people like shepherds watch over their sheep. But they are causing my people to be destroyed and scattered. 49 23:2 So the Lord God of Israel has this to say about the leaders who are ruling over his people: “You have caused my people 50 to be dispersed and driven into exile. You have not taken care of them. So I will punish you for the evil that you have done. 51 I, the Lord, affirm it! 52 23:3 Then I myself will regather those of my people 53 who are still alive from all the countries where I have driven them. I will bring them back to their homeland. 54 They will greatly increase in number. 23:4 I will install rulers 55 over them who will care for them. Then they will no longer need to fear or be terrified. None of them will turn up missing. 56 I, the Lord, promise it! 57
23:5 “I, the Lord, promise 58 that a new time will certainly come 59
when I will raise up for them a righteous branch, 60 a descendant of David.
He will rule over them with wisdom and understanding 61
and will do what is just and right in the land. 62
23:6 Under his rule 63 Judah will enjoy safety 64
and Israel will live in security. 65
This is the name he will go by:
‘The Lord has provided us with justice.’ 66
23:7 “So I, the Lord, say: 67 ‘A new time will certainly come. 68 People now affirm their oaths with “I swear as surely as the Lord lives who delivered the people of Israel out of Egypt.” 23:8 But at that time they will affirm them with “I swear as surely as the Lord lives who delivered the descendants of the former nation of Israel 69 from the land of the north and from all the other lands where he had banished 70 them.” 71 At that time they will live in their own land.’”
23:9 Here is what the Lord says concerning the false prophets: 73
My heart and my mind are deeply disturbed.
I tremble all over. 74
I am like a drunk person,
like a person who has had too much wine, 75
because of the way the Lord
and his holy word are being mistreated. 76
23:10 For the land is full of people unfaithful to him. 77
They live wicked lives and they misuse their power. 78
So the land is dried up 79 because it is under his curse. 80
The pastures in the wilderness are withered.
23:11 Moreover, 81 the Lord says, 82
“Both the prophets and priests are godless.
I have even found them doing evil in my temple!
23:12 So the paths they follow will be dark and slippery.
They will stumble and fall headlong.
For I will bring disaster on them.
A day of reckoning is coming for them.” 83
The Lord affirms it! 84
23:13 The Lord says, 85 “I saw the prophets of Samaria 86
doing something that was disgusting. 87
They prophesied in the name of the god Baal
and led my people Israel astray. 88
23:14 But I see the prophets of Jerusalem 89
doing something just as shocking.
They are unfaithful to me
and continually prophesy lies. 90
So they give encouragement to people who are doing evil,
with the result that they do not stop their evildoing. 91
I consider all of them as bad as the people of Sodom,
and the citizens of Jerusalem as bad as the people of Gomorrah. 92
23:15 So then I, the Lord who rules over all, 93
have something to say concerning the prophets of Jerusalem: 94
‘I will make these prophets eat the bitter food of suffering
and drink the poison water of judgment. 95
For the prophets of Jerusalem are the reason 96
that ungodliness 97 has spread throughout the land.’”
23:16 The Lord who rules over all 98 says to the people of Jerusalem: 99
“Do not listen to what
those prophets are saying to you.
They are filling you with false hopes.
They are reporting visions of their own imaginations,
not something the Lord has given them to say. 100
23:17 They continually say 101 to those who reject what the Lord has said, 102
‘Things will go well for you!’ 103
They say to all those who follow the stubborn inclinations of their own hearts,
‘Nothing bad will happen to you!’
23:18 Yet which of them has ever stood in the Lord’s inner circle 104
so they 105 could see and hear what he has to say? 106
Which of them have ever paid attention or listened to what he has said?
23:19 But just watch! 107 The wrath of the Lord
will come like a storm! 108
Like a raging storm it will rage down 109
on the heads of those who are wicked.
23:20 The anger of the Lord will not turn back
until he has fully carried out his intended purposes. 110
In days to come 111
you people will come to understand this clearly. 112
23:21 I did not send those prophets.
Yet they were in a hurry to give their message. 113
I did not tell them anything.
Yet they prophesied anyway.
23:22 But if they had stood in my inner circle, 114
they would have proclaimed my message to my people.
They would have caused my people to turn from their wicked ways
and stop doing the evil things they are doing.
23:23 Do you people think 115 that I am some local deity
and not the transcendent God?” 116 the Lord asks. 117
23:24 “Do you really think anyone can hide himself
where I cannot see him?” the Lord asks. 118
“Do you not know that I am everywhere?” 119
the Lord asks. 120
23:25 The Lord says, 121 “I have heard what those prophets who are prophesying lies in my name are saying. They are saying, ‘I have had a dream! I have had a dream!’ 122 23:26 Those prophets are just prophesying lies. They are prophesying the delusions of their own minds. 123 23:27 How long will they go on plotting 124 to make my people forget who I am 125 through the dreams they tell one another? That is just as bad as what their ancestors 126 did when they forgot who I am by worshiping the god Baal. 127 23:28 Let the prophet who has had a dream go ahead and tell his dream. Let the person who has received my message report that message faithfully. What is like straw cannot compare to what is like grain! 128 I, the Lord, affirm it! 129 23:29 My message is like a fire that purges dross! 130 It is like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces! 131 I, the Lord, so affirm it! 132 23:30 So I, the Lord, affirm 133 that I am opposed to those prophets who steal messages from one another that they claim are from me. 134 23:31 I, the Lord, affirm 135 that I am opposed to those prophets who are using their own tongues to declare, ‘The Lord declares….’ 136 23:32 I, the Lord, affirm 137 that I am opposed to those prophets who dream up lies and report them. They are misleading my people with their reckless lies. 138 I did not send them. I did not commission them. They are not helping these people at all. 139 I, the Lord, affirm it!” 140
23:33 The Lord said to me, “Jeremiah, 141 when one of these people, or a prophet, or a priest asks you, ‘What burdensome message 142 do you have from the Lord?’ Tell them, ‘You are the burden, 143 and I will cast you away. 144 I, the Lord, affirm it! 145 23:34 I will punish any prophet, priest, or other person who says “The Lord’s message is burdensome.” 146 I will punish both that person and his whole family.’” 147
23:35 So I, Jeremiah, tell you, 148 “Each of you people should say to his friend or his relative, ‘How did the Lord answer? Or what did the Lord say?’ 149 23:36 You must no longer say that the Lord’s message is burdensome. 150 For what is ‘burdensome’ 151 really pertains to what a person himself says. 152 You are misrepresenting 153 the words of our God, the living God, the Lord who rules over all. 154 23:37 Each of you should merely ask the prophet, ‘What answer did the Lord give you? Or what did the Lord say?’ 155 23:38 But just suppose you continue to say, ‘The message of the Lord is burdensome.’ Here is what the Lord says will happen: ‘I sent word to you that you must not say, “The Lord’s message is burdensome.” But you used the words “The Lord’s message is burdensome” anyway. 23:39 So 156 I will carry you far off 157 and throw you away. I will send both you and the city I gave to you and to your ancestors out of my sight. 158 23:40 I will bring on you lasting shame and lasting disgrace which will never be forgotten!’”
[37:1] 1 tn Heb “Coniah.” For explanation of the rendering here see the translator’s note on 22:4.
[37:1] 2 tn Heb “And Zedekiah son of Josiah whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made king in the land of Judah ruled as king instead of Coniah son of Jehoiakim.” The sentence has been restructured and simplified to better conform to contemporary English style.
[18:1] 3 tn Heb “The word which came to Jeremiah from the
[18:2] 5 tn Heb “Get up and go down.” The first verb is not literal but is idiomatic for the initiation of an action. See 13:4, 6 for other occurrences of this idiom.
[18:2] 6 tn Heb “And I will cause you to hear my word there.”
[18:3] 7 tn Heb “And behold he was working.”
[18:3] 8 sn At his wheel (Heb “at the two stones”). The Hebrew expression is very descriptive of the construction of a potter’s wheel which consisted of two stones joined by a horizontal shaft. The potter rotated the wheel with his feet on the lower wheel and worked the clay with his hands on the upper. For a picture of a potter working at his wheel see I. Ben-Dor, “Potter’s Wheel,” IDB 3:846. See also the discussion regarding the making of pottery in J. L. Kelso, “Pottery,” IDB 3:846-53.
[18:4] 9 tn The verbs here denote repeated action. They are the Hebrew perfect with the vav (ו) consecutive. The text then reads somewhat literally, “Whenever the vessel he was molding…was ruined, he would remold…” For this construction see Joüon 2:393-94 §118.n and 2:628-29 §167.b, and compare the usage in Amos 4:7-8.
[18:4] 10 sn Something was wrong with the clay – either there was a lump in it, or it was too moist or not moist enough, or it had some other imperfection. In any case the vessel was “ruined” or “spoiled” or defective in the eyes of the potter. This same verb has been used of the linen shorts that were “ruined” and hence were “good for nothing” in Jer 13:7. The nature of the clay and how it responded to the potter’s hand determined the kind of vessel that he made of it. He did not throw the clay away. This is the basis for the application in vv. 7-10 to any nation and to the nation of Israel in particular vv. 10-17.
[18:4] 11 tn The usage of the preposition בְּ (bet) to introduce the material from which something is made in Exod 38:8 and 1 Kgs 15:22 should lay to rest the rather forced construction that some (like J. Bright, Jeremiah [AB], 121) put on the variant כַּחֹמֶר (kakhomer) found in a few Hebrew
[18:4] 12 tn Heb “he would turn and work.” This is an example of hendiadys where one of the two verbs joined by “and” becomes the adverbial modifier of the other. The verb “turn” is very common in this construction (see BDB 998 s.v. שׁוּב Qal.8 for references).
[18:4] 13 tn Heb “as it was right in his eyes to do [or work it].” For this idiom see Judg 14:3, 7; 1 Sam 18:20, 26; 2 Sam 17:4.
[18:5] 11 tn Heb “Then the word of the
[18:6] 13 tn This phrase (literally “Oracle of the
[18:6] 14 tn The words “deals with the clay” are not in the text. They are part of an elliptical comparison and are supplied in the translation here for clarity.
[18:7] 15 tn The word “Jeremiah” is not in the text but it is implicit from the introduction in v. 5 that he is being addressed. It is important to see how the rhetoric of this passage is structured. The words of vv. 7-10 lead up to the conclusion “So now” in v. 11 which in turns leads to the conclusion “Therefore” in v. 13. The tense of the verb in v. 12 is very important. It is a vav consecutive perfect indicating the future (cf. GKC 333 §112.p, r); their response is predictable. The words of vv. 7-10 are addressed to Jeremiah (v. 5) in fulfillment of the
[18:7] 16 tn Heb “One moment I may speak about a nation or kingdom to…” So also in v. 9. The translation is structured this way to avoid an awkward English construction and to reflect the difference in disposition. The constructions are, however, the same.
[18:8] 17 tn Heb “turns from its wickedness.”
[18:8] 18 tn There is a good deal of debate about how the word translated here “revoke” should be translated. There is a good deal of reluctance to translate it “change my mind” because some see that as contradicting Num 23:19 and thus prefer “relent.” However, the English word “relent” suggests the softening of an attitude but not necessarily the change of course. It is clear that in many cases (including here) an actual change of course is in view (see, e.g., Amos 7:3, 6; Jonah 3:9; Jer 26:19; Exod 13:17; 32:14). Several of these passages deal with “conditional” prophecies where a change in behavior of the people or the mediation of a prophet involves the change in course of the threatened punishment (or the promised benefit). “Revoke” or “forgo” may be the best way to render this in contemporary English idiom.
[18:9] 19 sn Heb “plant.” The terms “uproot,” “tear down,” “destroy,” “build,” and “plant” are the two sides of the ministry Jeremiah was called to (cf. Jer 1:10).
[18:11] 21 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[18:11] 22 sn Heb “I am forming disaster and making plans against you.” The word translated “forming” is the same as that for “potter,” so there is a wordplay taking the reader back to v. 5. They are in his hands like the clay in the hands of the potter. Since they have not been pliable he forms new plans. He still offers them opportunity to repent; but their response is predictable.
[18:11] 23 tn Heb “Turn, each one from his wicked way.” See v. 8.
[18:11] 24 tn Or “Make good your ways and your actions.” See the same expression in 7:3, 5.
[18:12] 23 tn Heb “It is useless!” See the same expression in a similar context in Jer 2:25.
[18:12] 24 tn Heb “We will follow our own plans and do each one according to the stubbornness of his own wicked heart.”
[18:14] 25 tn The precise translation of this verse is somewhat uncertain. Two phrases in this verse are the primary cause of discussion and the source of numerous emendations, none of which has gained consensus. The phrase which is rendered here “rocky slopes” is in Hebrew צוּר שָׂדַי (tsur saday), which would normally mean something like “rocky crag of the field” (see BDB 961 s.v. שָׂדַי 1.g). Numerous emendations have been proposed, most of which are listed in the footnotes of J. A. Thompson, Jeremiah (NICOT), 436. The present translation has chosen to follow the proposal of several scholars that the word here is related to the Akkadian word shadu meaning mountain. The other difficulty is the word translated “cease” which in the MT is literally “be uprooted” (יִנָּתְשׁוּ, yinnatshu). The word is usually emended to read יִנָּשְׁתוּ (yinnashtu, “are dried up”) as a case of transposed letters (cf., e.g., BDB 684 s.v. נָתַשׁ Niph). This is probably a case of an error in hearing and the word נָטַשׁ (natash) which is often parallel to עָזַב (’azav), translated here “vanish,” should be read in the sense that it has in 1 Sam 10:2. Whether one reads “are plucked up” and understands it figuratively of ceasing (“are dried” or “cease”), the sense is the same. For the sense of “distant” for the word זָרִים (zarim) see 2 Kgs 19:24.
[18:15] 27 sn Heb “the ancient path.” This has already been referred to in Jer 6:16. There is another “old way” but it is the path trod by the wicked (cf. Job 22:15).
[18:15] 28 sn Heb “ways that are not built up.” This refers to the built-up highways. See Isa 40:4 for the figure. The terms “way,” “by-paths,” “roads” are, of course, being used here in the sense of moral behavior or action.
[18:16] 29 tn There may be a deliberate double meaning involved here. The word translated here “an object of horror” refers both to destruction (cf. 2:15; 4:17) and the horror or dismay that accompanies it (cf. 5:30; 8:21). The fact that there is no conjunction or preposition in front of the noun “hissing” that follows this suggests that the reaction is in view here, not the cause.
[18:16] 30 tn Heb “an object of lasting hissing. All who pass that way will be appalled and shake their head.”
[18:17] 31 tc Heb “I will show them [my] back and not [my] face.” This reading follows the suggestion of some of the versions and some of the Masoretes. The MT reads “I will look on their back and not on their faces.”
[18:18] 33 tn Heb “They.” The referent is unidentified; “some people” has been used in the translation.
[18:18] 34 tn Heb “Let us make plans against Jeremiah.” See 18:18 where this has sinister overtones as it does here.
[18:18] 35 tn Heb “Instruction will not perish from priest, counsel from the wise, word from the prophet.”
[18:18] 36 tn Heb “Let us smite him with our tongues.” It is clear from the context that this involved plots to kill him.
[18:19] 35 tn The words “Then I said” are not in the text. They are supplied in the translation for clarity to show that Jeremiah turns from description of the peoples’ plots to his address to God to deal with the plotters.
[18:19] 36 tn Heb “the voice of my adversaries.”
[18:20] 37 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] 38 tn Heb “to speak good concerning them” going back to the concept of “good” being paid back with evil.
[18:20] 39 tn Heb “to turn back your anger from them.”
[18:21] 39 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] 40 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.
[18:22] 41 tn Heb “when you bring marauders in against them.” For the use of the noun translated here “bands of raiders to plunder them” see 1 Sam 30:3, 15, 23 and BDB 151 s.v. גְּדוּד 1.
[18:23] 43 sn Heb “Do not blot out their sins from before you.” For this anthropomorphic figure which looks at God’s actions as though connected with record books, i.e., a book of wrongdoings to be punished, and a book of life for those who are to live, see e.g., Exod 32:32, 33, Ps 51:1 (51:3 HT); 69:28 (69:29 HT).
[18:23] 44 tn Heb “in the time of your anger.”
[23:1] 45 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[23:1] 46 sn Heb This particle once again introduces a judgment speech. The indictment is found in v. 1 and the announcement of judgment in v. 2. This leads into an oracle of deliverance in vv. 3-4. See also the note on the word “judged” in 22:13.
[23:1] 47 tn Heb “Woe to the shepherds who are killing and scattering the sheep of my pasture.” See the study note on 22:13 for the significance of “Sure to be judged” (Heb “Woe”) See the study note for the significance of the metaphor introduced here.
[23:2] 47 tn Heb “about the shepherds who are shepherding my people. ‘You have caused my sheep….’” For the metaphor see the study note on the previous verse.
[23:2] 48 tn Heb “Therefore, thus says the
[23:2] 49 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[23:3] 50 tn Heb “their fold.”
[23:4] 52 tn There are various nuances of the word פָּקַד (paqad) represented in vv. 2, 4. See Ps 8:4 (8:5 HT) and Zech 10:3 for “care for/take care of” (cf. BDB 823 s.v. פָּקַד Qal.A.1.a). See Exod 20:5; Amos 3:2; Jer 9:24; 11:22 for “punish” (cf. BDB 823 s.v. פָּקַד Qal.A.3). See 1 Kgs 20:39 and 2 Kgs 10:19 for “be missing” (cf. BDB 823 s.v. פָּקַד Niph.1).
[23:4] 53 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[23:5] 53 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[23:5] 54 tn Heb “Behold the days are coming.”
[23:5] 55 tn Heb “a righteous sprig to David” or “a righteous shoot” (NAB).
[23:5] 56 tn Heb “he will reign as king and act wisely.” This is another example of the use of two verbs joined by “and” where one becomes the adverbial modifier of the other (hendiadys). For the nuance of the verb “act wisely” rather than “prosper” see Amos 5:13; Ps 2:10 (cf. BDB 968 s.v. שָׂכַל Hiph.5).
[23:5] 57 sn This has been the constant emphasis in this section. See 22:3 for the demand, 22:15 for its fulfillment, and 22:13 for its abuse. The ideal king would follow in the footsteps of his illustrious ancestor David (2 Sam 8:15) who set this forth as an ideal for his dynasty (2 Sam 23:3) and prayed for it to be true of his son Solomon (Ps 72:1-2).
[23:6] 55 tn Heb “In his days [= during the time he rules].”
[23:6] 56 tn Parallelism and context (cf. v. 4) suggest this nuance for the word often translated “be saved.” For this nuance elsewhere see Ps 119:117; Prov 28:18 for the verb (יָשַׁע [yasha’] in the Niphal); and Ps 12:6; Job 5:4, 11 for the related noun (יֶשַׁע, yesha’).
[23:6] 57 sn It should be noted that this brief oracle of deliverance implies the reunification of Israel and Judah under the future Davidic ruler. Jeremiah has already spoken about this reunification earlier in 3:18 and will have more to say about it in 30:3; 31:27, 31. This same ideal was espoused in the prophecies of Hosea (1:10-11 [2:1-2 HT]), Isaiah (11:1-4, 10-12), and Ezekiel (37:15-28) all of which have messianic and eschatological significance.
[23:6] 58 tn Heb “his name will be called ‘The
[23:7] 57 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[23:7] 58 tn Heb “Behold the days are coming.”
[23:8] 59 tn Heb “descendants of the house of Israel.”
[23:8] 60 tc It is probably preferable to read the third masculine singular plus suffix (הִדִּיחָם, hiddikham) here with the Greek version and the parallel passage in 16:15 rather than the first singular plus suffix in the MT (הִדַּחְתִּים, hiddakhtim). If this is not a case of mere graphic confusion, the MT could have arisen under the influence of the first person in v. 3. Though sudden shifts in person have been common in the book of Jeremiah, that is unlikely in a context reporting an oath.
[23:8] 61 tn This passage is the same as 16:14-15 with a few minor variations in Hebrew wording. The notes on that passage should be consulted for the rendering here. This passage has the Niphal of the verb “to say” rather than the impersonal use of the Qal. It adds the idea of “bringing out” to the idea of “bringing up out” and (Heb “who brought up and who brought out,” probably a case of hendiadys) before “the people [here “seed” rather than “children”] of Israel [here “house of Israel”] from the land of the north.” These are minor variations and do not affect the sense in any way. So the passage is rendered in much the same way.
[23:9] 61 sn Jeremiah has already had a good deal to say about the false prophets and their fate. See 2:8, 26; 5:13, 31; 14:13-15. Here he parallels the condemnation of the wicked prophets and their fate (23:9-40) with that of the wicked kings (21:11-22:30).
[23:9] 62 tn The word “false” is not in the text, but it is clear from the context that these are whom the sayings are directed against. The words “Here is what the
[23:9] 63 tn Heb “My heart is crushed within me. My bones tremble.” It has already been noted several times that the “heart” in ancient Hebrew psychology was the intellectual and volitional center of the person, the kidneys were the emotional center, and the bones the locus of strength and also the subject of joy, distress, and sorrow. Here Jeremiah is speaking of his distress of heart and mind in modern psychology, a distress that leads him to trembling of body which he compares to that of a drunken person staggering around under the influence of wine.
[23:9] 64 tn Heb “wine has passed over him.”
[23:9] 65 tn Heb “wine because of the
[23:10] 63 tn Heb “adulterers.” But spiritual adultery is clearly meant as also in 3:8-9; 9:2, and probably also 5:7.
[23:10] 64 tn For the word translated “They live…lives” see usage in Jer 8:6. For the idea of “misusing” their power (Heb “their power is not right” i.e., used in the wrong way) see 2 Kgs 7:9; 17:9. In the original text this line (really two lines in the Hebrew poetry) are at the end of the verse. However, this places the antecedent too far away and could lead to confusion. The lines have been rearranged to avoid such confusion.
[23:10] 65 tn For the use of this verb see 12:4 and the note there.
[23:10] 66 tc The translation follows the majority of Hebrew
[23:11] 65 tn The particle כִּי (ki) which begins this verse is parallel to the one at the beginning of the preceding verse. However, the connection is too distant to render it “for.” “Moreover” is intended to draw the parallel. The words “the
[23:11] 66 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[23:12] 67 tn For the last two lines see 11:23 and the notes there.
[23:12] 68 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[23:13] 69 tn The words “The
[23:13] 70 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[23:13] 71 tn According to BDB 1074 s.v. תִּפְלָּה this word means “unseemly, unsavory.” The related adjective is used in Job 6:6 of the tastelessness of something that is unseasoned.
[23:14] 71 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[23:14] 72 tn Or “they commit adultery and deal falsely.” The word “shocking” only occurs here and in 5:30 where it is found in the context of prophesying lies. This almost assures that the reference to “walking in lies” (Heb “in the lie”) is referring to false prophesy. Moreover the references to the prophets in 5:13 and in 14:13-15 are all in the context of false prophesy as are the following references in this chapter in 23:24, 26, 32 and in 28:15. This appears to be the theme of this section. This also makes it likely that the reference to adultery is not literal adultery, though two of the false prophets in Babylon were guilty of this (29:23). The reference to “encouraging those who do evil” that follows also makes more sense if they were preaching messages of comfort rather than messages of doom. The verbs here are infinitive absolutes in place of the finite verb, probably used to place greater emphasis on the action (cf. Hos 4:2 in a comparable judgment speech.)
[23:14] 73 tn Heb “So they strengthen the hands of those doing evil so that they do not turn back from their evil.” For the use of the figure “strengthen the hands” meaning “encourage” see Judg 9:24; Ezek 13:22 (and cf. BDB 304 s.v. חָזַק Piel.2). The vav consecutive on the front of the form gives the logical consequence equivalent to “so” in the translation.
[23:14] 74 tn Heb “All of them are to me like Sodom and its [Jerusalem’s] inhabitants like Gomorrah.”
[23:15] 73 tn Heb “Yahweh of armies.”
[23:15] 74 tn Heb “Therefore, thus says the
[23:15] 75 tn Heb “I will feed this people wormwood and make them drink poison water.” For these same words of judgment on another group see 9:15 (9:14 HT). “Wormwood” and “poison water” are not to be understood literally here but are symbolic of judgment and suffering. See, e.g., BDB 542 s.v. לַעֲנָה.
[23:15] 76 tn The compound preposition מֵאֵת (me’et) expresses source or origin (see BDB 86 s.v. אֵת 4.c). Context shows that the origin is in their false prophesying which encourages people in their evil behavior.
[23:15] 77 sn A word that derives from this same Hebrew word is used in v. 11 at the beginning of the
[23:16] 75 tn Heb “Yahweh of armies.”
[23:16] 76 tn The words “to the people of Jerusalem” are not in the Hebrew text but are supplied in the translation to reflect the masculine plural form of the imperative and the second masculine plural form of the pronoun. These words have been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[23:16] 77 tn Heb “They tell of a vision of their own heart [= mind] not from the mouth of the
[23:17] 77 tn The translation reflects an emphatic construction where the infinitive absolute follows a participle (cf. GKC 343 §113.r).
[23:17] 78 tc The translation follows the Greek version. The Hebrew text reads, “who reject me, ‘The
[23:17] 79 tn Heb “You will have peace.” But see the note on 14:13. See also 6:14 and 8:11.
[23:18] 79 tn Or “has been the
[23:18] 80 tn The form here is a jussive with a vav of subordination introducing a purpose after a question (cf. GKC 322 §109.f).
[23:18] 81 tc Heb “his word.” In the second instance (“what he has said” at the end of the verse) the translation follows the suggestion of the Masoretes (Qere) and many Hebrew
[23:19] 82 tn The syntax of this line has generally been misunderstood, sometimes to the point that some want to delete the word wrath. Both here and in 30:23 where these same words occur the word “anger” stands not as an accusative of attendant circumstance but an apposition, giving the intended referent to the figure. Comparison should be made with Jer 25:15 where “this wrath” is appositional to “the cup of wine” (cf. GKC 425 §131.k).
[23:19] 83 tn The translation is deliberate, intending to reflect the repetition of the Hebrew root which is “swirl/swirling.”
[23:20] 83 tn Heb “until he has done and until he has carried out the purposes of his heart.”
[23:20] 84 tn Heb “in the latter days.” However, as BDB 31 s.v. אַחֲרִית b suggests, the meaning of this idiom must be determined from the context. Sometimes it has remote, even eschatological, reference and other times it has more immediate reference as it does here and in Jer 30:23 where it refers to the coming days of Babylonian conquest and exile.
[23:20] 85 tn The translation is intended to reflect a Hebrew construction where a noun functions as the object of a verb from the same root word (the Hebrew cognate accusative).
[23:21] 85 tn Heb “Yet they ran.”
[23:22] 87 tn Or “had been my confidant.” See the note on v. 18.
[23:23] 89 tn The words “Do you people think” at the beginning of this verse and “Do you really think” at the beginning of the next verse are not in the text but are a way of trying to convey the nature of the rhetorical questions which expect a negative answer. They are also a way of trying to show that the verses are still connected with the preceding discussion addressed to the people (cf. 23:16, 20).
[23:23] 90 tn Heb “Am I a god nearby and not a god far off?” The question is sometimes translated as though there is an alternative being given in v. 23, one that covers both the ideas of immanence and transcendence (i.e., “Am I only a god nearby and not also a god far off?”). However, the hey interrogative (הַ) at the beginning of this verse and the particle (אִם, ’im) at the beginning of the next show that the linkage is between the question in v. 23 and that in v. 24a. According to BDB 210 s.v. הֲ 1.d both questions in this case expect a negative answer.
[23:23] 91 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[23:24] 91 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[23:24] 92 tn The words “Don’t you know” are not in the text. They are a way of conveying the idea that the question which reads literally “Do I not fill heaven and earth?” expects a positive answer. They follow the pattern used at the beginning of the previous two questions and continue that thought. The words are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[23:24] 93 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[23:25] 93 tn The words, “The
[23:25] 94 sn To have had a dream was not an illegitimate means of receiving divine revelation. God had revealed himself in the past to his servants through dreams (e.g., Jacob [Gen 31:10-11] and Joseph [Gen 37:6, 7, 9]) and God promised to reveal himself through dreams (Num 12:6; Joel 2:28 [3:1 HT]). What was illegitimate was to use the dream to lead people away from the
[23:26] 95 sn See the parallel passage in Jer 14:13-15.
[23:27] 97 tn The relation of the words to one another in v. 26 and the beginning of v. 27 has created difficulties for translators and commentators. The proper solution is reflected in the NJPS. Verses 26-27 read somewhat literally, “How long is there in the hearts of the prophets who are prophesying the lie and [in the hearts of] the prophets of the delusions of their [own] heart the plotting to cause my people to forget my name…” Most commentaries complain that the text is corrupt, that there is no subject for “is there.” However, the long construct qualification “in the hearts of” has led to the lack of observation that the proper subject is “the plotting to make my people forget.” There are no exact parallels but Jer 14:22; Neh 5:5 follow the same structure. The “How long” precedes the other means of asking a question for the purpose of emphasis (cf. BDB 210 s.v. הֲ 1.b and compare for example the usage in 2 Sam 7:7). There has also been a failure to see that “the prophets of the delusion of…” is a parallel construct noun after “heart of.” Stripping the syntax down to its barest minimum and translating literally, the sentence would read “How long will the plotting…continue in the hearts of the prophets who…and [in hearts of] the prophets of…” The sentence has been restructured in the translation to conform to contemporary English style but attempt has been made to maintain the same subordinations.
[23:27] 99 tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 39).
[23:27] 100 tn Heb “through Baal.” This is an elliptical expression for the worship of Baal. See 11:17; 12:16; 19:5 for other references to their relation to Baal. There is a deliberate paralleling in the syntax here between “through their dreams” and “through Baal.”
[23:28] 99 tn Heb “What to the straw with [in comparison with] the grain?” This idiom represents an emphatic repudiation or denial of relationship. See, for example, the usage in 2 Sam 16:10 and note BDB 553 s.v. מָה 1.d(c).
[23:28] 100 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[23:29] 101 tn Heb “Is not my message like a fire?” The rhetorical question expects a positive answer that is made explicit in the translation. The words “that purges dross” are not in the text but are implicit to the metaphor. They are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[23:29] 102 tn Heb “Is it not like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?” See preceding note.
[23:29] 103 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[23:30] 103 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[23:30] 104 tn Heb “who are stealing my words from one another.” However, context shows that it is their own word which they claim is from the
[23:31] 105 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[23:31] 106 tn The word “The
[23:32] 107 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[23:32] 108 tn Heb “with their lies and their recklessness.” This is an example of hendiadys where two nouns (in this case a concrete and an abstract one) are joined by “and” but one is intended to be the adjectival modifier of the other.
[23:32] 109 sn In the light of what has been said this is a rhetorical understatement; they are not only “not helping,” they are leading them to their doom (cf. vv. 19-22). This figure of speech is known as litotes.
[23:32] 110 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[23:33] 109 tn The words “The
[23:33] 110 tn The meaning of vv. 33-40 is debated. The translation given here follows the general direction of NRSV and REB rather than that of NIV and the related direction taken by NCV and God’s Word. The meaning of vv. 33-40 are debated because of (1) the ambiguity involved in the word מָשָּׂא (masa’), which can mean either “burden” (as something carried or weighing heavily on a person; see, e.g., Exod 23:5; Num 4:27; 2 Sam 15:33; Ps 38:4) or “oracle” (of doom; see, e. g., Isa 13:1; Nah 1:1); (the translation is debated due to etymological concerns), (2) the ambiguity of the line in v. 36 which has been rendered “For what is ‘burdensome’ really pertains rather to what a person himself says” (Heb “the burden is to the man his word”), and (3) the text in v. 33 of “you are the burden.” Many commentaries see a wordplay on the two words “burden” and “oracle” which are homonyms. However, from the contrasts that are drawn in the passage, it is doubtful whether the nuance of “oracle” ever is in view. The word is always used in the prophets of an oracle of doom or judgment; it is not merely revelation of God which one of the common people would have been uttering (contra NIV). Jeremiah never uses the word in that sense nor does anyone else in the book of Jeremiah.
[23:33] 111 tc The translation follows the Latin and Greek versions. The Hebrew text reads “What burden [i.e., burdensome message]?” The syntax of “what message?” is not in itself objectionable; the interrogative can function as an adjective (cf. BDB 552 s.v. מָה 1.a[a]). What is objectionable to virtually all the commentaries and lexicons is the unparalleled use of the accusative particle in front of the interrogative and the noun (see, e.g., BDB 672 s.v. III מָשָּׂא and GKC 365-66 §117.m, n. 3). The emendation only involves the redivision and revocalization of the same consonants: אֶת־מַה־מַשָּׂא (’et-mah-masa’) becomes אַתֶּם הַמָּשָּׂא (’atem hammasa’). This also makes a much more natural connection for the vav consecutive perfect that follows (cf. GKC 334 §112.x and compare Isa 6:7; Judg 13:3).
[23:33] 112 tn The meaning “cast you away” is questioned by some because the word is regularly used of “forsaking” or “abandoning” (see, e.g., Jer 7:29; 12:7; 15:6). However, it is clearly use of “casting down” or “throwing away” in Ezek 29:5; 32:4 and that meaning is virtually assured in v. 39 where the verb is combined with the phrase “from my presence” which is elsewhere used in rejection contexts with verbs like “send away,” “throw out,” or “remove” (see BDB 819 s.v. פָּנֶה II.8.a). This is another example of the bracketing effect of a key word and should be rendered the same in the two passages. Moreover, it fits in nicely with the play on “burden” here.
[23:33] 113 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[23:34] 111 tn Heb “burden of the
[23:34] 112 tn Heb “And the prophet or the priest or the people [common person] who says, ‘The burden of the
[23:35] 113 tn The words “So, I, Jeremiah tell you” are not in the text. They are supplied in the translation for clarity to show that it is he who is addressing the people, not the
[23:35] 114 tn This line is sometimes rendered as a description of what the people are doing (cf. NIV). However, repetition with some slight modification referring to the prophet in v. 37 followed by the same kind of prohibition that follows here shows that what is being contrasted is two views toward the
[23:36] 115 tn Heb “burden of the
[23:36] 116 tn Heb “the burden.”
[23:36] 117 tn Heb “The burden is [or will be] to a man his word.” There is a good deal of ambiguity regarding how this line is to be rendered. For the major options and the issues involved W. L. Holladay, Jeremiah (Hermeneia), 1:651-52 should be consulted. Most of them are excluded by the observation that מַשָּׂא probably does not mean “oracle” anywhere in this passage (see note on v. 33 regarding the use of this word). Hence it does not mean “every man’s word becomes his oracle” as in NIV or “for that ‘burden’ [= oracle] is what he entrusts to the man of his word” (W. McKane, Jeremiah [ICC], 1:600-601). The latter is also ruled out by the fact that the antecedent of “his” on “his word” is clearly the word “man” in front of it. This would be the only case where the phrase “man of his word” occurs. There is also no textual reason for repointing the noun with the article as the noun with the interrogative to read “For how can his word become a burden to anyone?” There are, of course, other options but this is sufficient to show that the translation has been chosen after looking at other alternatives.
[23:36] 118 tn Heb “turning.” See BDB 245 s.v. הָפַךְ Qal.1.c and Lev 13:55; Jer 13:33 “changing, altering.”
[23:36] 119 tn Heb “Yahweh of armies.”
[23:37] 117 tn See the note on v. 35.
[23:39] 119 tn The translation of v. 38 and the first part of v. 39 represents the restructuring of a long and complex Hebrew sentence: Heb “But if you say, ‘The burden of the
[23:39] 120 tc The translation follows a few Hebrew
[23:39] 121 tn Heb “throw you and the city that I gave you and your fathers out of my presence.” The English sentences have been broken down to conform to contemporary English style.
