Jeremiah 4:21

4:21 “How long must I see the enemy’s battle flags

and hear the military signals of their bugles?” ¹ 

Jeremiah 12:4

12:4 How long must the land be parched ² 

and the grass in every field be withered?

How long ³  must the animals and the birds die

because of the wickedness of the people who live in this land? ⁴ 

For these people boast,

“God ⁵  will not see what happens to us.” ⁶ 

Jeremiah 12:2

12:2 You plant them like trees and they put down their roots. ⁷ 

They grow prosperous and are very fruitful. ⁸ 

They always talk about you,

but they really care nothing about you. ⁹ 

Jeremiah 2:26

2:26 Just as a thief has to suffer dishonor when he is caught,

so the people of Israel ¹⁰  will suffer dishonor for what they have done. ¹¹ 

So will their kings and officials,

their priests and their prophets.

[4:21]  ¹ tn Heb “the sound of ram’s horns,” but the modern equivalent is “bugles” and is more readily understandable.

[12:4]  ² tn The verb here is often translated “mourn.” However, this verb is from a homonymic root meaning “to be dry” (cf. HALOT 7 s.v. II אָבַל and compare Hos 4:3 for usage).

[12:4]  ³ tn The words “How long” are not in the text. They are carried over from the first line.

[12:4]  ⁴ tn Heb “because of the wickedness of those who live in it.”

[12:4]  ⁵ tn Heb “he.” The referent is usually identified as God and is supplied here for clarity. Some identify the referent with Jeremiah. If that is the case, then he returns to his complaint about the conspirators. It is more likely, however, that it refers to God and Jeremiah’s complaint that the people live their lives apart from concern about God.

[12:4]  ⁶ tc Or reading with the Greek version, “God does not see what we are doing.” In place of “what will happen to us (אַחֲרִיתֵנוּ, ’akharitenu, “our end”) the Greek version understands a Hebrew text which reads “our ways” (אָרְחוֹתֵנו, ’orkhotenu), which is graphically very close to the MT. The Masoretic is supported by the Latin and is retained here on the basis of external evidence. Either text makes good sense in the context. Some identify the “he” with Jeremiah and understand the text to be saying that the conspirators are certain that they will succeed and he will not live to see his prophecies fulfilled.

[12:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “You planted them and they took root.”

[12:2]  ⁸ tn Heb “they grow and produce fruit.” For the nuance “grow” for the verb which normally means “go, walk,” see BDB 232 s.v. חָלַךְ Qal.I.3 and compare Hos 14:7.

[12:2]  ⁹ tn Heb “You are near in their mouths, but far from their kidneys.” The figure of substitution is being used here, “mouth” for “words” and “kidneys” for passions and affections. A contemporary equivalent might be, “your name is always on their lips, but their hearts are far from you.”

[2:26]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “house of Israel.”

[2:26]  ¹¹ tn The words “for what they have done” are implicit in the comparison and are supplied in the translation for clarification.