Discovery BoxJeremiah 4:5--6:30
Context“Announce 2 this in Judah and proclaim it in Jerusalem: 3
‘Sound the trumpet 4 throughout the land!’
Shout out loudly,
‘Gather together! Let us flee into the fortified cities!’
4:6 Raise a signal flag that tells people to go to Zion. 5
Run for safety! Do not delay!
For I am about to bring disaster out of the north.
It will bring great destruction. 6
4:7 Like a lion that has come up from its lair 7
the one who destroys nations has set out from his home base. 8
He is coming out to lay your land waste.
Your cities will become ruins and lie uninhabited.
4:8 So put on sackcloth!
Mourn and wail, saying,
‘The fierce anger of the Lord
has not turned away from us!’” 9
4:9 “When this happens,” 10 says the Lord,
“the king and his officials will lose their courage.
The priests will be struck with horror,
and the prophets will be speechless in astonishment.”
4:10 In response to all this 11 I said, “Ah, Lord God, 12 you have surely allowed 13 the people of Judah and Jerusalem 14 to be deceived by those who say, ‘You will be safe!’ 15 But in fact a sword is already at our throats.” 16
4:11 “At that time the people of Judah and Jerusalem 17 will be told,
‘A scorching wind will sweep down
from the hilltops in the desert on 18 my dear people. 19
It will not be a gentle breeze
for winnowing the grain and blowing away the chaff. 20
4:12 No, 21 a wind too strong for that will come at my bidding.
Yes, even now I, myself, am calling down judgment on them.’ 22
4:13 Look! The enemy is approaching like gathering clouds. 23
The roar of his chariots is like that of a whirlwind. 24
His horses move more swiftly than eagles.”
I cry out, 25 “We are doomed, 26 for we will be destroyed!”
4:14 “Oh people of Jerusalem, purify your hearts from evil 27
so that you may yet be delivered.
How long will you continue to harbor up
wicked schemes within you?
4:15 For messengers are coming, heralding disaster,
from the city of Dan and from the hills of Ephraim. 28
‘Announce to the surrounding nations, 30
“The enemy is coming!” 31
Proclaim this message 32 to Jerusalem:
“Those who besiege cities 33 are coming from a distant land.
They are ready to raise the battle cry against 34 the towns in Judah.”’
4:17 They will surround Jerusalem 35
like men guarding a field 36
because they have rebelled against me,”
says the Lord.
4:18 “The way you have lived and the things you have done 37
will bring this on you.
This is the punishment you deserve, and it will be painful indeed. 38
The pain will be so bad it will pierce your heart.” 39
“Oh, the feeling in the pit of my stomach! 41
I writhe in anguish.
Oh, the pain in my heart! 42
My heart pounds within me.
I cannot keep silent.
For I hear the sound of the trumpet; 43
the sound of the battle cry pierces my soul! 44
4:20 I see 45 one destruction after another taking place,
so that the whole land lies in ruins.
I see our 46 tents suddenly destroyed,
their 47 curtains torn down in a mere instant. 48
4:21 “How long must I see the enemy’s battle flags
and hear the military signals of their bugles?” 49
“This will happen 51 because my people are foolish.
They do not know me.
They are like children who have no sense. 52
They have no understanding.
They are skilled at doing evil.
They do not know how to do good.”
4:23 “I looked at the land and saw 53 that it was an empty wasteland. 54
I looked up at the sky, and its light had vanished.
4:24 I looked at the mountains and saw that they were shaking.
All the hills were swaying back and forth!
4:25 I looked and saw that there were no more people, 55
and that all the birds in the sky had flown away.
4:26 I looked and saw that the fruitful land had become a desert
and that all of the cities had been laid in ruins.
The Lord had brought this all about
because of his blazing anger. 56
4:27 All this will happen because the Lord said, 57
“The whole land will be desolate;
however, I will not completely destroy it.
4:28 Because of this the land will mourn
and the sky above will grow black. 58
For I have made my purpose known 59
and I will not relent or turn back from carrying it out.” 60
4:29 At the sound of the approaching horsemen and archers
the people of every town will flee.
Some of them will hide in the thickets.
Others will climb up among the rocks.
All the cities will be deserted.
No one will remain in them.
4:30 And you, Zion, city doomed to destruction, 61
you accomplish nothing 62 by wearing a beautiful dress, 63
decking yourself out in jewels of gold,
and putting on eye shadow! 64
You are making yourself beautiful for nothing.
Your lovers spurn you.
They want to kill you. 65
4:31 In fact, 66 I hear a cry like that of a woman in labor,
a cry of anguish like that of a woman giving birth to her first baby.
It is the cry of Daughter Zion 67 gasping for breath,
reaching out for help, 68 saying, “I am done in! 69
My life is ebbing away before these murderers!”
“Go up and down 71 through the streets of Jerusalem. 72
Look around and see for yourselves.
Search through its public squares.
See if any of you can find a single person
who deals honestly and tries to be truthful. 73
If you can, 74 then I will not punish this city. 75
5:2 These people make promises in the name of the Lord. 76
But the fact is, 77 what they swear to is really a lie.” 78
5:3 Lord, I know you look for faithfulness. 79
But even when you punish these people, they feel no remorse. 80
Even when you nearly destroy them, they refuse to be corrected.
They have become as hardheaded as a rock. 81
They refuse to change their ways. 82
5:4 I thought, “Surely it is only the ignorant poor who act this way. 83
They act like fools because they do not know what the Lord demands. 84
They do not know what their God requires of them. 85
5:5 I will go to the leaders 86
and speak with them.
Surely they know what the Lord demands. 87
Surely they know what their God requires of them.” 88
Yet all of them, too, have rejected his authority
and refuse to submit to him. 89
5:6 So like a lion from the thicket their enemies will kill them.
Like a wolf from the desert they will destroy them.
Like a leopard they will lie in wait outside their cities
and totally destroy anyone who ventures out. 90
For they have rebelled so much
and done so many unfaithful things. 91
“How can I leave you unpunished, Jerusalem? 93
Your people 94 have rejected me
and have worshiped gods that are not gods at all. 95
Even though I supplied all their needs, 96 they were like an unfaithful wife to me. 97
They went flocking 98 to the houses of prostitutes. 99
5:8 They are like lusty, well-fed 100 stallions.
Each of them lusts after 101 his neighbor’s wife.
5:9 I will surely punish them for doing such things!” says the Lord.
“I will surely bring retribution on such a nation as this!” 102
5:10 The Lord commanded the enemy, 103
“March through the vineyards of Israel and Judah and ruin them. 104
But do not destroy them completely.
Strip off their branches
for these people do not belong to the Lord. 105
5:11 For the nations of Israel and Judah 106
have been very unfaithful to me,”
says the Lord.
5:12 “These people have denied what the Lord says. 107
They have said, ‘That is not so! 108
No harm will come to us.
We will not experience war and famine. 109
5:13 The prophets will prove to be full of wind. 110
The Lord has not spoken through them. 111
So, let what they say happen to them.’”
5:14 Because of that, 112 the Lord, the God who rules over all, 113 said to me, 114
“Because these people have spoken 115 like this, 116
I will make the words that I put in your mouth like fire.
And I will make this people like wood
which the fiery judgments you speak will burn up.” 117
5:15 The Lord says, 118 “Listen, 119 nation of Israel! 120
I am about to bring a nation from far away to attack you.
It will be a nation that was founded long ago
and has lasted for a long time.
It will be a nation whose language you will not know.
Its people will speak words that you will not be able to understand.
5:16 All of its soldiers are strong and mighty. 121
Their arrows will send you to your grave. 122
5:17 They will eat up your crops and your food.
They will kill off 123 your sons and your daughters.
They will eat up your sheep and your cattle.
They will destroy your vines and your fig trees. 124
Their weapons will batter down 125
the fortified cities you trust in.
5:18 Yet even then 126 I will not completely destroy you,” says the Lord. 5:19 “So then, Jeremiah, 127 when your people 128 ask, ‘Why has the Lord our God done all this to us?’ tell them, ‘It is because you rejected me and served foreign gods in your own land. So 129 you must serve foreigners 130 in a land that does not belong to you.’
5:20 “Proclaim 131 this message among the descendants of Jacob. 132
Make it known throughout Judah.
5:21 Tell them: ‘Hear this,
you foolish people who have no understanding,
who have eyes but do not discern,
who have ears but do not perceive: 133
5:22 “You should fear me!” says the Lord.
“You should tremble in awe before me! 134
I made the sand to be a boundary for the sea,
a permanent barrier that it can never cross.
Its waves may roll, but they can never prevail.
They may roar, but they can never cross beyond that boundary.” 135
5:23 But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts.
They have turned aside and gone their own way. 136
5:24 They do not say to themselves, 137
“Let us revere the Lord our God.
It is he who gives us the autumn rains and the spring rains at the proper time.
It is he who assures us of the regular weeks of harvest.” 138
5:25 Your misdeeds have stopped these things from coming. 139
Your sins have deprived you of my bounty.’ 140
5:26 “Indeed, there are wicked scoundrels among my people.
They lie in wait like bird catchers hiding in ambush. 141
They set deadly traps 142 to catch people.
5:27 Like a cage filled with the birds that have been caught, 143
their houses are filled with the gains of their fraud and deceit. 144
That is how they have gotten so rich and powerful. 145
5:28 That is how 146 they have grown fat and sleek. 147
There is no limit to the evil things they do. 148
They do not plead the cause of the fatherless in such a way as to win it.
They do not defend the rights of the poor.
5:29 I will certainly punish them for doing such things!” says the Lord.
“I will certainly bring retribution on such a nation as this! 149
5:30 “Something horrible and shocking
is going on in the land of Judah:
5:31 The prophets prophesy lies.
The priests exercise power by their own authority. 150
And my people love to have it this way.
But they will not be able to help you when the time of judgment comes! 151
6:1 “Run for safety, people of Benjamin!
Get out of Jerusalem! 152
Sound the trumpet 153 in Tekoa!
Light the signal fires at Beth Hakkerem!
For disaster lurks 154 out of the north;
it will bring great destruction. 155
6:2 I will destroy 156 Daughter Zion, 157
who is as delicate and defenseless as a young maiden. 158
6:3 Kings will come against it with their armies. 159
They will encamp in siege all around it. 160
Each of them will devastate the portion assigned to him. 161
6:4 They will say, 162 ‘Prepare to do battle 163 against it!
Come on! Let’s attack it at noon!’
But later they will say, 164 ‘Oh, oh! Too bad! 165
The day is almost over
and the shadows of evening are getting long.
6:5 So come on, let’s go ahead and attack it by night
and destroy all its fortified buildings.’
6:6 All of this is because 166 the Lord who rules over all 167 has said:
‘Cut down the trees around Jerusalem
and build up a siege ramp against its walls. 168
This is the city which is to be punished. 169
Nothing but oppression happens in it. 170
6:7 As a well continually pours out fresh water
so it continually pours out wicked deeds. 171
Sounds of violence and destruction echo throughout it. 172
All I see are sick and wounded people.’ 173
6:8 So 174 take warning, Jerusalem,
or I will abandon you in disgust 175
and make you desolate,
a place where no one can live.”
6:9 This is what the Lord who rules over all 176 said to me: 177
“Those who remain in Israel will be
like the grapes thoroughly gleaned 178 from a vine.
So go over them again, as though you were a grape harvester
passing your hand over the branches one last time.” 179
“Who would listen
if I spoke to them and warned them? 181
Their ears are so closed 182
that they cannot hear!
Indeed, 183 what the Lord says is offensive to them.
They do not like it at all. 184
6:11 I am as full of anger as you are, Lord, 185
I am tired of trying to hold it in.”
The Lord answered, 186
“Vent it, then, 187 on the children who play in the street
and on the young men who are gathered together.
Husbands and wives are to be included, 188
as well as the old and those who are advanced in years.
6:12 Their houses will be turned over to others
as will their fields and their wives.
For I will unleash my power 189
against those who live in this land,”
says the Lord.
6:13 “That is because, from the least important to the most important of them,
all of them are greedy for dishonest gain.
Prophets and priests alike,
all of them practice deceit.
6:14 They offer only superficial help
for the harm my people have suffered. 190
They say, ‘Everything will be all right!’
But everything is not all right! 191
6:15 Are they ashamed because they have done such shameful things?
No, they are not at all ashamed.
They do not even know how to blush!
So they will die, just like others have died. 192
They will be brought to ruin when I punish them,”
says the Lord.
6:16 The Lord said to his people: 193
“You are standing at the crossroads. So consider your path. 194
Ask where the old, reliable paths 195 are.
Ask where the path is that leads to blessing 196 and follow it.
If you do, you will find rest for your souls.”
But they said, “We will not follow it!”
“I appointed prophets as watchmen to warn you, 198 saying:
‘Pay attention to the warning sound of the trumpet!’” 199
But they said, “We will not pay attention!”
“Hear, you nations!
Be witnesses and take note of what will happen to these people. 201
6:19 Hear this, you peoples of the earth: 202
‘Take note! 203 I am about to bring disaster on these people.
It will come as punishment for their scheming. 204
For they have paid no attention to what I have said, 205
and they have rejected my law.
6:20 I take no delight 206 when they offer up to me 207
frankincense that comes from Sheba
or sweet-smelling cane imported from a faraway land.
I cannot accept the burnt offerings they bring me.
I get no pleasure from the sacrifices they offer to me.’ 208
6:21 So, this is what the Lord says:
‘I will assuredly 209 make these people stumble to their doom. 210
Parents and children will stumble and fall to their destruction. 211
Friends and neighbors will die.’
6:22 “This is what the Lord says:
‘Beware! An army 212 is coming from a land in the north.
A mighty nation is stirring into action in faraway parts of the earth.
6:23 Its soldiers are armed with bows and spears.
They are cruel and show no mercy.
They sound like the roaring sea
as they ride forth on their horses.
Lined up in formation like men going into battle
to attack you, Daughter Zion.’” 213
6:24 The people cry out, 214 “We have heard reports about them!
We have become helpless with fear! 215
Anguish grips us,
agony like that of a woman giving birth to a baby!
6:25 Do not go out into the countryside.
Do not travel on the roads.
For the enemy is there with sword in hand. 216
They are spreading terror everywhere.” 217
6:26 So I said, 218 “Oh, my dear people, 219 put on sackcloth
and roll in ashes.
Mourn with painful sobs
as though you had lost your only child.
For any moment now 220 that destructive army 221
will come against us.”
“I have made you like a metal assayer
to test my people like ore. 223
You are to observe them
and evaluate how they behave.” 224
“All of them are the most stubborn of rebels! 226
They are as hard as bronze or iron.
They go about telling lies.
They all deal corruptly.
6:29 The fiery bellows of judgment burn fiercely.
But there is too much dross to be removed. 227
The process of refining them has proved useless. 228
The wicked have not been purged.
6:30 They are regarded as ‘rejected silver’ 229
because the Lord rejects them.”
[4:5] 1 tn The words “The
[4:5] 2 tn It is unclear who the addressees of the masculine plural imperatives are here. They may be the citizens of Jerusalem and Judah who are sounding the alarm to others. However, the first person reference to the
[4:5] 3 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[4:5] 4 tn Heb “ram’s horn,” but the modern equivalent is “trumpet” and is more readily understandable.
[4:6] 5 tn Heb “Raise up a signal toward Zion.”
[4:6] 6 tn Heb “out of the north, even great destruction.”
[4:7] 7 tn Heb “A lion has left its lair.” The metaphor is turned into a simile for clarification. The word translated “lair” has also been understood to refer to a hiding place. However, it appears to be cognate in meaning to the word translated “lair” in Ps 10:9; Jer 25:38, a word which also refers to the abode of the
[4:8] 9 tn Or “wail because the fierce anger of the
[4:9] 10 tn Heb “In that day.”
[4:10] 11 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] 12 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] 13 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] 14 tn Heb “this people and Jerusalem.”
[4:10] 15 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] 16 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] 17 tn Heb “this people and Jerusalem.”
[4:11] 18 tn Heb “A scorching wind from the hilltops in the desert toward…”
[4:11] 19 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] 20 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.
[4:12] 21 tn The word “No” is not in the text but is carried over from the connection with the preceding line “not for…”
[4:12] 22 tn Heb “will speak judgments against them.”
[4:13] 23 tn Heb “he is coming up like clouds.” The words “The enemy” are supplied in the translation to identify the referent and the word “gathering” is supplied to try to convey the significance of the simile, i.e., that of quantity and of an approaching storm.
[4:13] 24 tn Heb “his chariots [are] like a whirlwind.” The words “roar” and “sound” are supplied in the translation to clarify the significance of the simile.
[4:13] 25 tn The words “I cry out” are not in the text, but the words that follow are obviously not the
[4:13] 26 tn Heb “Woe to us!” The words “woe to” are common in funeral laments and at the beginning of oracles of judgment. In many contexts they carry the connotation of hopelessness or apprehensiveness of inevitable doom.
[4:14] 27 tn Heb “Oh, Jerusalem, wash your heart from evil.”
[4:15] 28 tn Heb “For a voice declaring from Dan and making heard disaster from the hills of Ephraim.”
[4:16] 29 tn The words “They are saying” are not in the text but are implicit in the connection and are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[4:16] 30 tn The word “surrounding” is not in the text but is implicit and is supplied in the translation for clarification.
[4:16] 31 tc Or “Here they come!” Heb “Look!” or “Behold!” Or “Announce to the surrounding nations, indeed [or yes] proclaim to Jerusalem, ‘Besiegers…’” The text is very elliptical here. Some of the modern English versions appear to be emending the text from הִנֵּה (hinneh, “behold”) to either הֵנָּה (hennah, “these things”; so NEB), or הַזֶּה (hazzeh, “this”; so NIV). The solution proposed here is as old as the LXX which reads, “Behold, they have come.”
[4:16] 32 tn The words, “this message,” are not in the text but are supplied in the translation to make the introduction of the quote easier.
[4:16] 33 tn Heb “Besiegers.” For the use of this verb to refer to besieging a city compare Isa 1:8.
[4:16] 34 tn Heb “They have raised their voices against.” The verb here, a vav (ו) consecutive with an imperfect, continues the nuance of the preceding participle “are coming.”
[4:17] 35 tn Heb “will surround her.” The antecedent is Jerusalem in the preceding verse. The referent is again made explicit in the translation to avoid any possible lack of clarity. The verb form here is a form of the verb that emphasizes the fact as being as good as done (i.e., it is a prophetic perfect).
[4:17] 36 sn There is some irony involved in the choice of the simile since the men guarding a field were there to keep thieves from getting in and stealing the crops. Here the besiegers are guarding the city to keep people from getting out.
[4:18] 37 tn Heb “Your way and your deeds.”
[4:18] 38 tn Heb “How bitter!”
[4:18] 39 tn Heb “Indeed, it reaches to your heart.” The subject must be the pain alluded to in the last half of the preceding line; the verb is masculine, agreeing with the adjective translated “painful.” The only other possible antecedent “punishment” is feminine.
[4:19] 40 tn The words “I said” are not in the text. They are used to mark the shift from the
[4:19] 41 tn Heb “My bowels! My bowels!”
[4:19] 42 tn Heb “the walls of my heart!”
[4:19] 43 tn Heb “ram’s horn,” but the modern equivalent is “trumpet” and is more readily understandable.
[4:19] 44 tc The translation reflects a different division of the last two lines than that suggested by the Masoretes. The written text (the Kethib) reads “for the sound of the ram’s horn I have heard [or “you have heard,” if the form is understood as the old second feminine singular perfect] my soul” followed by “the battle cry” in the last line. The translation is based on taking “my soul” with the last line and understanding an elliptical expression “the battle cry [to] my soul.” Such an elliptical expression is in keeping with the elliptical nature of the exclamations at the beginning of the verse (cf. the literal translations of the first two lines of the verse in the notes on the words “stomach” and “heart”).
[4:20] 45 tn The words, “I see” are not in the text here or at the beginning of the third line. They are supplied in the translation to show that this is Jeremiah’s vision of what will happen as a result of the invasion announced in 4:5-9, 11-17a.
[4:20] 46 tn Heb “my.” This is probably not a reference to Jeremiah’s own tents since he foresees the destruction of the whole land. Jeremiah so identifies with the plight of his people that he sees the destruction of their tents as though they were his very own. It would probably lead to confusion to translate literally and it is not uncommon in Hebrew laments for the community or its representative to speak of the community as an “I.” See for example the interchange between first singular and first plural pronouns in Ps 44:4-8.
[4:20] 48 tn It is not altogether clear what Jeremiah intends by the use of this metaphor. In all likelihood he means that the defenses of Israel’s cities and towns have offered no more resistance than nomads’ tents. However, in light of the fact that the word “tent” came to be used generically for a person’s home (cf. 1 Kgs 8:66; 12:16), it is possible that Jeremiah is here referring to the destruction of their homes and the resultant feeling of homelessness and loss of even elementary protection. Given the lack of certainty the present translation is rather literal here.
[4:21] 49 tn Heb “the sound of ram’s horns,” but the modern equivalent is “bugles” and is more readily understandable.
[4:22] 50 tn These words are not in the text but are supplied in the translation to show clearly the shift in speaker. Jeremiah has been speaking; now the
[4:22] 51 tn Heb “For….” This gives the explanation for the destruction envisaged in 4:20 to which Jeremiah responds in 4:19, 21.
[4:22] 52 tn Heb “They are senseless children.”
[4:23] 53 tn Heb “I looked at the land and behold...” This indicates the visionary character of Jeremiah’s description of the future condition of the land of Israel.
[4:23] 54 tn Heb “formless and empty.” This is a case of hendiadys (two nouns joined by “and” both describe the same thing): one noun retains its full nominal force, the other functions as an adjective. The words תֹהוּ וָבֹהוּ (tohu vavohu) allude to Gen 1:2, hyperbolically picturing a reversal of creation and return to the original precreation chaos.
[4:25] 55 tn Heb “there was no man/human being.”
[4:26] 56 tn Heb “because of the
[4:27] 57 tn Heb “For this is what the
[4:28] 58 sn The earth and the heavens are personified here and depicted in the act of mourning and wearing black clothes because of the destruction of the land of Israel.
[4:28] 59 tn Heb “has spoken and purposed.” This is an example of hendiadys where two verbs are joined by “and” but one is meant to serve as a modifier of the other.
[4:28] 60 tn Heb “will not turn back from it.”
[4:30] 61 tn Heb “And you that are doomed to destruction.” The referent is supplied from the following context and the fact that Zion/Jerusalem represents the leadership which was continually making overtures to foreign nations for help.
[4:30] 62 tn Heb “What are you accomplishing…?” The rhetorical question assumes a negative answer, made clear by the translation in the indicative.
[4:30] 63 tn Heb “clothing yourself in scarlet.”
[4:30] 64 tn Heb “enlarging your eyes with antimony.” Antimony was a black powder used by women as eyeliner to make their eyes look larger.
[4:30] 65 tn Heb “they seek your life.”
[4:31] 66 tn The particle כִּי (ki) is more likely asseverative here than causal.
[4:31] 67 sn Jerusalem is personified as a helpless maiden.
[4:31] 68 tn Heb “spreading out her hands.” The idea of asking or pleading for help is implicit in the figure.
[4:31] 69 tn Heb “Woe, now to me!” See the translator’s note on 4:13 for the usage of “Woe to…”
[5:1] 70 tn These words are not in the text, but since the words at the end are obviously those of the
[5:1] 71 tn It is not clear who is being addressed here. The verbs are plural so they are not addressed to Jeremiah per se. Since the passage is talking about the people of Jerusalem, it is unlikely they are addressed here except perhaps rhetorically. Some have suggested that the heavenly court is being addressed here as in Job 1:6-8; 2:1-3. It is clear from Jer 23:18, 22; Amos 3:7 that the prophets had access to this heavenly counsel through visions (cf. 1 Kgs 22:19-23), so Jeremiah could have been privy to this speech through that means. Though these are the most likely addressee, it is too presumptuous to supply such an explicit addressee without clearer indication in the text. The translation will just have to run the risk of the probable erroneous assumption by most English readers that the addressee is Jeremiah.
[5:1] 72 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[5:1] 73 tn Heb “who does justice and seeks faithfulness.”
[5:1] 74 tn Heb “squares. If you can find…if there is one person…then I will…”
[5:1] 75 tn Heb “forgive [or pardon] it.”
[5:2] 76 tn Heb “Though they say, ‘As surely as the
[5:2] 77 tc The translation follows many Hebrew
[5:2] 78 tn Heb “they swear falsely.”
[5:3] 79 tn Heb “O
[5:3] 80 tn Commentaries and lexicons debate the meaning of the verb here. The MT is pointed as though from a verb meaning “to writhe in anguish or contrition” (חוּל [khul]; see, e.g., BDB 297 s.v. חוּל 2.c), but some commentaries and lexicons repoint the text as though from a verb meaning “to be sick,” thus “to feel pain” (חָלָה [khalah]; see, e.g., HALOT 304 s.v. חָלָה 3). The former appears more appropriate to the context.
[5:3] 81 tn Heb “They made their faces as hard as a rock.”
[5:3] 82 tn Or “to repent”; Heb “to turn back.”
[5:4] 83 tn Heb “Surely they are poor.” The translation is intended to make clear the explicit contrasts and qualifications drawn in this verse and the next.
[5:4] 84 tn Heb “the way of the
[5:4] 85 tn Heb “the judgment [or ordinance] of their God.”
[5:5] 86 tn Or “people in power”; Heb “the great ones.”
[5:5] 87 tn Heb “the way of the
[5:5] 88 tn Heb “the judgment [or ordinance] of their God.”
[5:5] 89 tn Heb “have broken the yoke and torn off the yoke ropes.” Compare Jer 2:20 and the note there.
[5:6] 90 tn Heb “So a lion from the thicket will kill them. A wolf from the desert will destroy them. A leopard will watch outside their cities. Anyone who goes out from them will be torn in pieces.” However, it is unlikely that, in the context of judgment that Jeremiah has previously been describing, literal lions are meant. The animals are metaphorical for their enemies. Compare Jer 4:7.
[5:6] 91 tn Heb “their rebellions are so many and their unfaithful acts so numerous.”
[5:7] 92 tn These words are not in the text, but are supplied in the translation to make clear who is speaking.
[5:7] 93 tn Heb “How can I forgive [or pardon] you.” The pronoun “you” is second feminine singular, referring to the city. See v. 1.
[5:7] 94 tn Heb “your children.”
[5:7] 95 tn Heb “and they have sworn [oaths] by not-gods.”
[5:7] 96 tn Heb “I satisfied them to the full.”
[5:7] 97 tn Heb “they committed adultery.” It is difficult to decide whether literal adultery with other women or spiritual adultery with other gods is meant. The word for adultery is used for both in the book of Jeremiah. For examples of its use for spiritual adultery see 3:8, 9; 9:2. For examples of its use for literal adultery see 7:9; 23:14. The context here could argue for either. The swearing by other gods and the implicit contradiction in their actions in contrast to the expected gratitude for supplying their needs argues for spiritual adultery. However, the reference to prostitution in the next line and the reference to chasing after their neighbor’s wives argues for literal adultery. The translation opts for spiritual adultery because of the contrast implicit in the concessive clause.
[5:7] 98 tn There is a great deal of debate about the meaning of this word. Most of the modern English versions follow the lead of lexicographers who relate this word to a noun meaning “troop” and understand it to mean “they trooped together” (cf. BDB 151 s.v. גָּדַד Hithpo.2 and compare the usage in Mic 5:1 [4:14 HT]). A few of the modern English versions and commentaries follow the reading of the Greek and read a word meaning “they lodged” (reading ִיתְגּוֹרְרוּ [yitggorÿru] from I גּוּר [gur; cf. HALOT 177 s.v. Hithpo. and compare the usage in 1 Kgs 17:20] instead of יִתְגֹּדָדוּ [yitggodadu]). W. L. Holladay (Jeremiah [Hermeneia], 1:180) sees a reference here to the cultic practice of cutting oneself in supplication to pagan gods (cf. BDB 151 s.v. גָּדַד Hithpo.1 and compare the usage in 1 Kgs 18:28). The houses of prostitutes would then be a reference to ritual prostitutes at the pagan shrines. The translation follows BDB and the majority of modern English versions.
[5:7] 99 tn Heb “to a house of a prostitute.”
[5:8] 100 tn The meanings of these two adjectives are uncertain. The translation of the first adjective is based on assuming that the word is a defectively written participle related to the noun “testicle” (a Hiphil participle מַאֲשִׁכִים [ma’ashikhim] from a verb related to אֶשֶׁךְ [’eshekh, “testicle”]; cf. Lev 21:20) and hence “having testicles” (cf. HALOT 1379 s.v. שָׁכָה) instead of the Masoretic form מַשְׁכִּים (mashkim) from a root שָׁכָה (shakhah), which is otherwise unattested in either verbal or nominal forms. The second adjective is best derived from a verb root meaning “to feed” (a Hophal participle מוּזָנִים [muzanim, the Kethib] from a root זוּן [zun; cf. BDB 266 s.v. זוּן] for which there is the cognate noun מָזוֹן [mazon; cf. 2 Chr 11:23]). This is more likely than the derivation from a root יָזַן ([yazan]reading מְיֻזָּנִים [mÿyuzzanim], a Pual participle with the Qere) which is otherwise unattested in verbal or nominal forms and whose meaning is dependent only on a supposed Arabic cognate (cf. HALOT 387 s.v. יָזַן).
[5:8] 101 tn Heb “neighs after.”
[5:9] 102 tn Heb “Should I not punish them…? Should I not bring retribution…?” The rhetorical questions have the force of strong declarations.
[5:10] 103 tn These words to not appear in the Hebrew text but have been added in the translation for the sake of clarity to identify the implied addressee.
[5:10] 104 tn Heb “through her vine rows and destroy.” No object is given but “vines” must be implicit. The word for “vineyards” (or “vine rows”) is a hapax legomenon and its derivation is debated. BDB 1004 s.v. שּׁוּרָה repoints שָׁרוֹתֶיהָ (sharoteha) to שֻׁרוֹתֶיהָ (shuroteha) and relates it to a Mishnaic Hebrew and Palestinian Aramaic word meaning “row.” HALOT 1348 s.v. שּׁוּרָה also repoints to שֻׁרוֹתֶיהָ and relates it to a noun meaning “wall,” preferring to see the reference here to the walled terraces on which the vineyards were planted. The difference in meaning is minimal.
[5:10] 105 tn Heb “for they do not belong to the
[5:11] 106 tn Heb “the house of Israel and the house of Judah.”
[5:12] 107 tn Heb “have denied the
[5:12] 108 tn Or “he will do nothing”; Heb “Not he [or it]!”
[5:12] 109 tn Heb “we will not see the sword and famine.”
[5:13] 110 tn Heb “will be wind.”
[5:13] 111 tc Heb “the word is not in them.” The MT has a highly unusual form here, the Piel perfect with the definite article (הַדִּבֵּר, haddibber). It is undoubtedly best to read with the LXX (Greek version) and one Hebrew
[5:14] 112 tn Heb “Therefore.”
[5:14] 113 tn Heb “The
[5:14] 114 tn The words, “to me” are not in the text but are implicit in the connection. They are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[5:14] 115 tn Heb “you have spoken.” The text here דַּבֶּרְכֶם (dabberkhem, “you have spoken”) is either a case of a scribal error for דַּבֶּרָם (dabberam, “they have spoken”) or an example of the rapid shift in addressee which is common in Jeremiah.
[5:14] 116 tn Heb “this word.”
[5:14] 117 tn Heb “like wood and it [i.e., the fire I put in your mouth] will consume them.”
[5:15] 118 tn Heb “oracle of the
[5:15] 120 tn Heb “house of Israel.”
[5:16] 121 tn Heb “All of them are mighty warriors.”
[5:16] 122 tn Heb “his quiver [is] an open grave.” The order of the lines has been reversed to make the transition from “nation” to “their arrows” easier.
[5:17] 124 tn Or “eat up your grapes and figs”; Heb “eat up your vines and your fig trees.”
[5:17] 125 tn Heb “They will beat down with the sword.” The term “sword” is a figure of speech (synecdoche) for military weapons in general. Siege ramps, not swords, beat down city walls; swords kill people, not city walls.
[5:18] 126 tn Heb “in those days.”
[5:19] 127 tn The word, “Jeremiah,” is not in the text but the second person address in the second half of the verse is obviously to him. The word is supplied in the translation here for clarity.
[5:19] 128 tn The MT reads the second masculine plural; this is probably a case of attraction to the second masculine plural pronoun in the preceding line. An alternative would be to understand a shift from speaking first to the people in the first half of the verse and then speaking to Jeremiah in the second half where the verb is second masculine singular. E.g., “When you [people] say, “Why…?” then you, Jeremiah, tell them…”
[5:19] 129 tn Heb “As you left me and…, so you will….” The translation was chosen so as to break up a rather long and complex sentence.
[5:19] 130 sn This is probably a case of deliberate ambiguity (double entendre). The adjective “foreigners” is used for both foreign people (so Jer 30:8; 51:51) and foreign gods (so Jer 2:25; 3:13). See also Jer 16:13 for the idea of having to serve other gods in the lands of exile.
[5:20] 131 sn The verbs are second plural here. Jeremiah, speaking for the
[5:20] 132 tn Heb “in the house of Jacob.”
[5:21] 133 tn Heb “they have eyes but they do not see, they have ears but they do not hear.”
[5:22] 134 tn Heb “Should you not fear me? Should you not tremble in awe before me?” The rhetorical questions expect the answer explicit in the translation.
[5:22] 135 tn Heb “it.” The referent is made explicit to avoid any possible confusion.
[5:23] 136 tn The words, “their own way” are not in the text but are implicit and are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[5:24] 137 tn Heb “say in their hearts.”
[5:24] 138 tn Heb “who keeps for us the weeks appointed for harvest.”
[5:25] 139 tn Heb “have turned these things away.”
[5:25] 140 tn Heb “have withheld the good from you.”
[5:26] 141 tn The meaning of the last three words is uncertain. The pointing and meaning of the Hebrew word rendered “hiding in ambush” is debated. BDB relates the form (כְּשַׁךְ, kÿshakh) to a root שָׁכַךְ (shakhakh), which elsewhere means “decrease, abate” (cf. BDB 1013 s.v. שָׁכַךְ), and notes that this is usually understood as “like the crouching of fowlers,” but they say this meaning is dubious. HALOT 1345 s.v. I שׁוֹר questions the validity of the text and offers three proposals; the second appears to create the least textual modification, i.e., reading כְּשַׂךְ (kesakh, “as in the hiding place of (bird catchers)”; for the word שַׂךְ (sakh) see HALOT 1236 s.v. שׂךְ 4 and compare Lam 2:6 for usage. The versions do not help. The Greek does not translate the first two words of the line. The proposal given in HALOT is accepted with some hesitancy.
[5:26] 142 tn Heb “a destroying thing.”
[5:27] 143 tn The words, “that have been caught” are not in the text but are implicit in the comparison.
[5:27] 144 tn Heb “are filled with deceit.” The translation assumes a figure of speech of cause for effect (metonymy). Compare the same word in the same figure in Zeph 1:9.
[5:27] 145 tn Heb “therefore they have gotten great and rich.”
[5:28] 146 tn These words are not in the text but are supplied in the translation to show that this line is parallel with the preceding.
[5:28] 147 tn The meaning of this word is uncertain. This verb occurs only here. The lexicons generally relate it to the word translated “plate” in Song 5:14 and understand it to mean “smooth, shiny” (so BDB 799 s.v. I עֶשֶׁת) or “fat” (so HALOT 850 s.v. II עֶשֶׁת). The word in Song 5:14 more likely means “smooth” than “plate” (so TEV). So “sleek” is most likely here.
[5:28] 148 tn Heb “they cross over/transgress with respect to matters of evil.”
[5:29] 149 tn Heb “Should I not punish…? Should I not bring retribution…?” The rhetorical questions function as emphatic declarations.
[5:31] 150 tn Heb “they shall rule at their hands.” Since the word “hand” can be used figuratively for authority or mean “side” and the pronoun “them” can refer to the priests themselves or the prophets, the following translations have also been suggested: “the priests rule under their [the prophets’] directions,” or “the priests rule in league with them [the prophets].” From the rest of the book it would appear that the prophets did not exercise authority over the priests nor did they exercise the same authority over the people that the priests did. Hence it probably mean “by their own hand/power/authority.”
[5:31] 151 tn Heb “But what will you do at its end?” The rhetorical question implies a negative answer: “Nothing!”
[6:1] 152 tn Heb “Flee for safety, people of Benjamin, out of the midst of Jerusalem.”
[6:1] 153 tn Heb “ram’s horn,” but the modern equivalent is “trumpet” and is more readily understandable.
[6:1] 154 tn Heb “leans down” or “looks down.” This verb personifies destruction leaning/looking down from its window in the sky, ready to attack.
[6:1] 155 tn Heb “[It will be] a severe fracture.” The nation is pictured as a limb being fractured.
[6:2] 156 tn The verb here is another example of the Hebrew verb form that indicates the action is as good as done (a Hebrew prophetic perfect).
[6:2] 157 sn Jerusalem is personified as a young maiden who is helpless in the hands of her enemies.
[6:2] 158 tn Heb “The beautiful and delicate one I will destroy, the daughter of Zion. The English versions and commentaries are divided over the rendering of this verse because (1) there are two verbs with these same consonants, one meaning “to be like” and the other meaning “to be destroyed” (intransitive) or “to destroy” (transitive), and (2) the word rendered “beautiful” (נָוָה, navah) can be understood as a noun meaning “pasture” or as a defective writing of an adjective meaning “beautiful, comely” (נָאוָה, na’vah). Hence some render “Fair Zion, you are like a lovely pasture,” reading the verb form as an example of the old second feminine singular perfect. Although this may fit the imagery of the next verse, that rendering ignores the absence of a preposition (לְ or אֶל, lÿ or ’el, both of which can be translated “to”) that normally goes with the verb “be like” and drops the conjunction in front of the adjective “delicate.” The parallel usage of the verb in Hos 4:5 argues for the meaning “destroy.”
[6:3] 159 tn Heb “Shepherds and their flocks will come against it.” Rulers are often depicted as shepherds; see BDB 945 s.v. רָעָה 1.d(2) (cf. Jer 12:10). The translation of this verse attempts to clarify the point of this extended metaphor.
[6:3] 160 tn Heb “They will thrust [= pitch] tents around it.” The shepherd imagery has a surprisingly ominous tone. The beautiful pasture filled with shepherds grazing their sheep is in reality a city under siege from an attacking enemy.
[6:3] 161 tn Heb “They will graze each one his portion.” For the use of the verb “graze” to mean “strip” or “devastate” see BDB 945 s.v. רָעָה 2.c. For a similar use of the word normally meaning “hand” to mean portion compare 2 Sam 19:43 (19:44 HT).
[6:4] 162 tn These words are not in the text but are implicit in the connection. They are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[6:4] 163 tn Heb “Sanctify war.” This is probably an idiom from early Israel’s holy wars in which religious rites were to precede the battle.
[6:4] 164 tn These words are not in the text but are supplied in the translation for clarity. Some commentaries and English versions see these not as the words of the enemy but as those of the Israelites expressing their fear that the enemy will launch a night attack against them and further destroy them. The connection with the next verse, however, fits better with them if they are the words of the enemy.
[6:4] 165 tn Heb “Woe to us!” For the usage of this phrase see the translator’s note on 4:13. The usage of this particle here is a little exaggerated. They have lost the most advantageous time for attack but they are scarcely in a hopeless or doomed situation. The equivalent in English slang is “Bad news!”
[6:6] 166 tn Heb “For.” The translation attempts to make the connection clearer.
[6:6] 167 tn Heb “Yahweh of armies.”
[6:6] 168 tn Heb “Cut down its trees and build up a siege ramp against Jerusalem.” The referent has been moved forward from the second line for clarity.
[6:6] 169 tn Or “must be punished.” The meaning of this line is uncertain. The LXX reads, “Woe, city of falsehood!” The MT presents two anomalies: a masculine singular verb with a feminine singular subject in a verbal stem (Hophal) that elsewhere does not have the meaning “is to be punished.” Hence many follow the Greek which presupposes הוֹי עִיר הַשֶּׁקֶר (hoy ’ir hasheqer) instead of הִיא הָעִיר הָפְקַד (hi’ ha’ir hofqad). The Greek is the easier reading in light of the parallelism, and it would be hard to explain how the MT arose from it. KBL suggests reading a noun meaning “licentiousness” which occurs elsewhere only in Mishnaic Hebrew, hence “this is the city, the licentious one” (attributive apposition; cf. KBL 775 s.v. פֶּקֶר). Perhaps the Hophal perfect (הָפְקַד, hofÿqad) should be revocalized as a Niphal infinitive absolute (הִפָּקֹד, hippaqod); this would solve both anomalies in the MT since the Niphal is used in this nuance and the infinitive absolute can function in place of a finite verb (cf. GKC 346 §113.ee and ff). This, however, is mere speculation and is supported by no Hebrew
[6:6] 170 tn Heb “All of it oppression in its midst.”
[6:7] 171 tc Heb “As a well makes cool/fresh its water, she makes cool/fresh her wickedness.” The translation follows the reading proposed by the Masoretes (Qere) which reads a rare form of the word “well” (בַּיִר [bayir] for בְּאֵר [bÿ’er]) in place of the form written in the text (Kethib, בּוֹר [bor]), which means “cistern.” The latter noun is masculine and the pronoun “its” is feminine. If indeed בַּיִר (bayir) is a byform of בְּאֵר (be’er), which is feminine, it would agree in gender with the pronoun. It also forms a more appropriate comparison since cisterns do not hold fresh water.
[6:7] 172 tn Heb “Violence and destruction are heard in it.”
[6:7] 173 tn Heb “Sickness and wound are continually before my face.”
[6:8] 174 tn This word is not in the text but is supplied in the translation. Jeremiah uses a figure of speech (enallage) where the speaker turns from talking about someone to address him/her directly.
[6:8] 175 tn Heb “lest my soul [= I] becomes disgusted with you.”
[6:9] 176 tn Heb “Yahweh of armies.”
[6:9] 177 tn The words “to me” are not in the text but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[6:9] 178 tn Heb “They will thoroughly glean those who are left in Israel like a vine.” That is, they will be carried off by judgment. It is not necessary to read the verb forms here as two imperatives or an infinitive absolute followed by an imperative as some English versions and commentaries do. This is an example of a third plural verb used impersonally and translated as a passive (cf. GKC 460 §144.g).
[6:9] 179 tn Heb “Pass your hand back over the branches like a grape harvester.” The translation is intended to clarify the metaphor that Jeremiah should try to rescue some from the coming destruction.
[6:10] 180 tn These words are not in the text but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[6:10] 181 tn Or “To whom shall I speak? To whom shall I give warning? Who will listen?” Heb “Unto whom shall I speak and give warning that they may listen?”
[6:10] 182 tn Heb “are uncircumcised.”
[6:10] 184 tn Heb “They do not take pleasure in it.”
[6:11] 185 tn Heb “I am full of the wrath of the
[6:11] 186 tn These words are not in the text but are implicit from the words that follow. They are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[6:11] 187 tn Heb “Pour it out.”
[6:11] 188 tn Heb “are to be captured.”
[6:12] 189 tn Heb “I will reach out my hand.” This figure involves both comparing God to a person (anthropomorphism) and substitution (metonymy) where hand is put for the actions or exertions of the hand. A common use of “hand” is for the exertion of power or strength (cf. BDB 290 s.v. יָד 2 and 289-90 s.v. יָד 1.e(2); cf. Deut 34:12; Ps 78:42; Jer 16:21).
[6:14] 190 tn Heb “They heal [= bandage] the wound of my people lightly”; TEV “They act as if my people’s wounds were only scratches.”
[6:14] 191 tn Heb “They say, ‘Peace! Peace!’ and there is no peace!”
[6:15] 192 tn Heb “They will fall among the fallen.”
[6:16] 193 tn The words, “to his people” are not in the text but are implicit in the interchange of pronouns in the Hebrew of vv. 16-17. They are supplied in the translation here for clarity.
[6:16] 194 tn Heb “Stand at the crossroads and look.”
[6:16] 195 tn Heb “the ancient path,” i.e., the path the
[6:16] 196 tn Heb “the way of/to the good.”
[6:17] 197 tn These words are not in the text but are implicit in the interchange of pronouns in the Hebrew of vv. 16-17. They are supplied in the translation here for clarity.
[6:17] 198 tn Heb “I appointed watchmen over you.”
[6:17] 199 tn Heb “Pay attention to the sound of the trumpet.” The word “warning” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied.
[6:18] 200 tn These words are not in the text but are implicit from the flow of the context. They are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[6:18] 201 tn Heb “Know, congregation [or witness], what in [or against] them.” The meaning of this line is somewhat uncertain. The meaning of the noun of address in the second line (“witness,” rendered as an imperative in the translation, “Be witnesses”) is greatly debated. It is often taken as “congregation” but the lexicons and commentaries generally question the validity of reading that word since it is nowhere else applied to the nations. BDB 417 s.v. עֵדָה 3 says that the text is dubious. HALOT 747 s.v. I עֵדָה, 4 emends the text to דֵּעָה (de’ah). Several modern English versions (e.g., NIV, NCV, God’s Word) take it as the feminine singular noun “witness” (cf. BDB 729 s.v. II עֵדָה) and understand it as a collective. This solution is also proposed by J. A. Thompson (Jeremiah [NICOT], 259, n. 3) and appears to make the best sense in the context. The end of the line is very elliptical but is generally taken as either, “what I will do with/to them,” or “what is coming against them” (= “what will happen to them”) on the basis of the following context.
[6:19] 204 tn Heb “disaster on these people, the fruit of their schemes.”
[6:20] 206 tn Heb “To what purpose is it to me?” The question is rhetorical and expects a negative answer.
[6:20] 207 tn The words “when they offer up to me” are not in the text but are implicit from the following context. They are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[6:20] 208 tn Heb “Your burnt offerings are not acceptable and your sacrifices are not pleasing to me.” “The shift from “your” to “their” is an example of the figure of speech (apostrophe) where the speaker turns from talking about someone to addressing him/her directly. Though common in Hebrew style, it is not common in English. The shift to the third person in the translation is an accommodation to English style.
[6:21] 209 tn This is an attempt to render the Hebrew particle rendered “behold” joined to the first person pronoun.
[6:21] 210 tn Heb “I will put stumbling blocks in front of these people.” In this context the stumbling blocks are the invading armies.
[6:21] 211 tn The words “and fall to their destruction” are implicit in the metaphor and are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[6:23] 213 sn Jerualem is personified as a young maiden helpless before enemy attackers.
[6:24] 214 tn These words are not in the text, but, from the context, someone other than God is speaking and is speaking for and to the people (either Jeremiah or the people themselves). These words are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[6:24] 215 tn Or “We have lost our strength to do battle”; Heb “Our hands hang limp [or helpless at our sides].” According to BDB 951 s.v. רָפָה Qal.2, this idiom is used figuratively for losing heart or energy. The best example of its figurative use of loss of strength or the feeling of helplessness is in Ezek 21:12 where it appears in the context of the heart (courage) melting, the spirit sinking, and the knees becoming like water. For other examples compare 2 Sam 4:1; Zeph 3:16. In Neh 6:9 it is used literally of the builders “dropping their hands from the work” out of fear. The words “with fear” are supplied in the translation because they are implicit in the context.
[6:25] 216 tn Heb “For the enemy has a sword.”
[6:25] 217 tn Heb “Terror is all around!”
[6:26] 218 tn These words are not in the text but are implicit from the context.
[6:26] 219 tn Heb “daughter of my people.” For the translation given here see 4:11 and the translator’s note there.
[6:26] 221 tn Heb “the destroyer.”
[6:27] 222 tn These words are not in the text but are supplied in the translation for clarity. Note “I have appointed you.” Compare Jer 1:18.
[6:27] 223 tn Heb “I have made you an assayer of my people, a tester [?].” The meaning of the words translated “assayer” (בָּחוֹן, bakhon) and “tester” (מִבְצָר, mivtsar) is uncertain. The word בָּחוֹן (bakhon) can mean “tower” (cf. BDB 103 s.v. בָּחוֹן; cf. Isa 23:13 for the only other use) or “assayer” (cf. BDB 103 s.v. בָּחוֹן). The latter would be the more expected nuance because of the other uses of nouns and verbs from this root. The word מִבְצָר (mivtsar) normally means “fortress” (cf. BDB 131 s.v. מִבְצָר), but most modern commentaries and lexicons deem that nuance inappropriate here. HALOT follows a proposal that the word is to be repointed to מְבַצֵּר (mÿvatser) and derived from a root בָּצַר (batsar) meaning “to test” (cf. HALOT 143 s.v. IV בָּצַר). That proposal makes the most sense in the context, but the root appears nowhere else in the OT.
[6:27] 224 tn Heb “test their way.”
[6:28] 225 tn These words are not in the text but are supplied in the translation for clarity. Some takes these words to be the continuation of the
[6:28] 226 tn Or “arch rebels,” or “hardened rebels.” Literally “rebels of rebels.”
[6:29] 227 tn Heb “The bellows blow fiercely; the lead is consumed by the fire.” The translation tries to clarify a metaphor involving ancient metallurgy. In the ancient refining process lead was added as a flux to remove impurities from silver ore in the process of oxidizing the lead. Jeremiah says that the lead has been used up and the impurities have not been removed. The translation is based on the recognition of an otherwise unused verb root meaning “blow” (נָחַר [nakhar]; cf. BDB 1123 s.v. I חָרַר and HALOT 651 s.v. נָחַר) and the Masoretes’ suggestion that the consonants מאשׁתם be read מֵאֵשׁ תַּם (me’esh tam) rather than as מֵאֶשָּׁתָם (me’eshatam, “from their fire”) from an otherwise unattested noun אֶשָּׁה (’eshah).
[6:29] 228 tn Heb “The refiner refines them in vain.”
[6:30] 229 tn This translation is intended to reflect the wordplay in the Hebrew text where the same root word is repeated in the two lines.
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