Discovery BoxJeremiah 47:1-7
Context47:1 The Lord spoke to the prophet Jeremiah 1 about the Philistines before Pharaoh attacked Gaza. 2
47:2 “Look! Enemies are gathering in the north like water rising in a river. 3
They will be like an overflowing stream.
They will overwhelm the whole country and everything in it like a flood.
They will overwhelm the cities and their inhabitants.
People will cry out in alarm.
Everyone living in the country will cry out in pain.
47:3 Fathers will hear the hoofbeats of the enemies’ horses,
the clatter of their chariots and the rumbling of their wheels.
They will not turn back to save their children
because they will be paralyzed with fear. 4
47:4 For the time has come
to destroy all the Philistines.
The time has come to destroy all the help
that remains for Tyre 5 and Sidon. 6
For I, the Lord, will 7 destroy the Philistines,
that remnant that came from the island of Crete. 8
47:5 The people of Gaza will shave their heads in mourning.
The people of Ashkelon will be struck dumb.
How long will you gash yourselves to show your sorrow, 9
you who remain of Philistia’s power? 10
47:6 How long will you cry out, 11 ‘Oh, sword of the Lord,
how long will it be before you stop killing? 12
Go back into your sheath!
Stay there and rest!’ 13
when I, the Lord, have 15 given it orders?
I have ordered it to attack
the people of Ashkelon and the seacoast. 16
Ezekiel 25:15-17
Context25:15 “This is what the sovereign Lord says: ‘The Philistines 17 have exacted merciless revenge, 18 showing intense scorn 19 in their effort to destroy Judah 20 with unrelenting hostility. 21 25:16 So this is what the sovereign Lord says: Take note, I am about to stretch out my hand against the Philistines. I will kill 22 the Cherethites 23 and destroy those who remain on the seacoast. 25:17 I will exact great vengeance upon them with angry rebukes. 24 Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I exact my vengeance upon them.’”
Amos 1:6-8
Context1:6 This is what the Lord says:
“Because Gaza 25 has committed three crimes 26 –
make that four! 27 – I will not revoke my decree of judgment. 28
They deported a whole community 29 and sold them 30 to Edom.
1:7 So I will set Gaza’s city wall 31 on fire;
fire 32 will consume her fortresses.
1:8 I will remove 33 the ruler 34 from Ashdod, 35
the one who holds the royal scepter from Ashkelon. 36
I will strike Ekron 37 with my hand; 38
the rest of the Philistines will also die.” 39
The sovereign Lord has spoken!
Zephaniah 2:4-7
Context2:4 Indeed, 40 Gaza will be deserted 41
and Ashkelon will become a heap of ruins. 42
Invaders will drive away the people of Ashdod by noon, 43
and Ekron will be overthrown. 44
2:5 Those who live by the sea, the people who came from Crete, 45 are as good as dead. 46
The Lord has decreed your downfall, 47 Canaan, land of the Philistines:
“I will destroy everyone who lives there!” 48
2:6 The seacoast 49 will be used as pasture lands 50 by the shepherds
and as pens for their flocks.
2:7 Those who are left from the kingdom of Judah 51 will take possession of it. 52
By the sea 53 they 54 will graze,
in the houses of Ashkelon they will lie down in the evening,
for the Lord their God will intervene for them 55 and restore their prosperity. 56
Zechariah 9:5-7
Context9:5 Ashkelon will see and be afraid; Gaza will be in great anguish, as will Ekron, for her hope will have been dried up. 57 Gaza will lose her king, and Ashkelon will no longer be inhabited. 9:6 A mongrel people will live in Ashdod, for I will greatly humiliate the Philistines. 9:7 I will take away their abominable religious practices; 58 then those who survive will become a community of believers in our God, 59 like a clan in Judah, and Ekron will be like the Jebusites.
[47:1] 1 tn Heb “That which came [as] the word of the
[47:1] 2 sn The precise dating of this prophecy is uncertain. Several proposals have been suggested, the most likely of which is that the prophecy was delivered in 609
[47:2] 3 tn Heb “Behold! Waters are rising from the north.” The metaphor of enemy armies compared to overflowing water is seen also in Isa 8:8-9 (Assyria) and 46:7-8 (Egypt). Here it refers to the foe from the north (Jer 1:14; 4:6; etc) which is specifically identified with Babylon in Jer 25. The metaphor has been turned into a simile in the translation to help the average reader identify that a figure is involved and to hint at the referent.
[47:3] 4 tn Heb “From the noise of the stamping of the hoofs of his stallions, from the rattling of his chariots at the rumbling of their wheels, fathers will not turn to their children from sinking of hands.” According to BDB 952 s.v. רִפָּיוֹן the “sinking of the hands” is figurative of helplessness caused by terror. A very similar figure is seen with a related expression in Isa 35:3-4. The sentence has been restructured to put the subject up front and to suggest through shorter sentences more in keeping with contemporary English style the same causal connections. The figures have been interpreted for the sake of clarity for the average reader.
[47:4] 5 map For location see Map1 A2; Map2 G2; Map4 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.
[47:4] 6 map For location see Map1 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.
[47:4] 7 tn Heb “For the
[47:4] 8 sn All the help that remains for Tyre and Sidon and that remnant that came from the island of Crete appear to be two qualifying phrases that refer to the Philistines, the last with regard to their origin and the first with regard to the fact that they were allies that Tyre and Sidon depended on. “Crete” is literally “Caphtor” which is generally identified with the island of Crete. The Philistines had come from there (Amos 9:7) in the wave of migration from the Aegean Islands during the twelfth and eleventh century and had settled on the Philistine plain after having been repulsed from trying to enter Egypt.
[47:5] 9 sn Shaving one’s head and gashing one’s body were customs to show mourning or sadness for the dead (cf. Deut 14:1; Mic 1:16; Ezek 27:31; Jer 16:6; 48:37).
[47:5] 10 tn Or “you who are left alive on the Philistine plain.” Or “you who remain of the Anakim.” The translation follows the suggestion of several of the modern commentaries that the word עֵמֶק (’emeq) means “strength” or “power” here (see J. A. Thompson, Jeremiah [NICOT], 698; J. Bright, Jeremiah [AB], 310; and see also HALOT 803 s.v. II עֵמֶק). It is a rare homonym of the word that normally means “valley” that seems to be an inappropriate designation of the Philistine plain. Many of the modern English versions and commentaries follow the Greek version which reads here “remnant of the Anakim” (עֲנָקִים [’anaqim] instead of עִמְקָם [’imqam], a confusion of basically one letter). This emendation is followed by both BDB 771 s.v. עֵמֶק and KBL 716 s.v. עֵמֶק. The Anakim were generally associated with the southern region around Hebron but an enclave of them was known to have settled in Gaza, Gath, and Ekron, three of the Philistine cities (cf. Josh 11:22). However, the fact that this judgment is directed against the Philistines not the Anakim and that this homonym apparently appears also in Jer 49:4 makes the reading of “power” more likely here.
[47:6] 11 tn The words “How long will you cry out” are not in the text but some such introduction seems necessary because the rest of the speech assumes a personal subject.
[47:6] 12 tn Heb “before you are quiet/at rest.”
[47:6] 13 sn The passage is highly figurative. The sword of the
[47:7] 14 tn The reading here follows the Greek, Syriac, and Latin versions. The Hebrew text reads “how can you rest” as a continuation of the second person in v. 6.
[47:7] 15 tn Heb “When the
[47:7] 16 tn Heb “Against Ashkelon and the sea coast, there he has appointed it.” For the switch to the first person see the preceding translator’s note. “There” is poetical and redundant and the idea of “attacking” is implicit in “against.”
[25:15] 17 sn The Philistines inhabited the coastal plain by the Mediterranean Sea, west of Judah.
[25:15] 18 tn Heb “have acted with vengeance and taken vengeance with vengeance.” The repetition emphasizes the degree of vengeance which they exhibited, presumably toward Judah.
[25:15] 19 tn Heb “with scorn in (the) soul.”
[25:15] 20 tn The object is not specified in the Hebrew text, but has been clarified as “Judah” in the translation.
[25:15] 21 tn Heb “to destroy (with) perpetual hostility.” Joel 3:4-8 also speaks of the Philistines taking advantage of the fall of Judah.
[25:16] 22 tn In Hebrew the verb “and I will cut off” sounds like its object, “the Cherethites,” and draws attention to the statement.
[25:16] 23 sn This is a name for the Philistines, many of whom migrated to Palestine from Crete.
[25:17] 24 tn Heb “with acts of punishment of anger.”
[1:6] 25 sn Gaza was one of the five major Philistine cities (along with Ashdod, Ashkelon, Ekron, and Gath). It was considered to mark the southern limit of Canaan at the point on the coast where it was located (Gen 10:19).
[1:6] 26 tn Traditionally, “transgressions” (KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV) or “sins” (NIV). For an explanation of the atrocities outlined in this oracle as treaty violations of God’s mandate to Noah in Gen 9:5-7, see the note on the word “violations” in 1:3.
[1:6] 27 tn Heb “Because of three violations of Gaza, even because of four.”
[1:6] 28 tn Heb “I will not bring it [or “him”] back.” The translation understands the pronominal object to refer to the decree of judgment that follows; the referent (the decree) has been specified in the translation for clarity. For another option see the note on the word “judgment” in 1:3.
[1:6] 29 tn Heb “[group of] exiles.” A number of English translations take this as a collective singular and translate it with a plural (e.g., NAB, NIV, NRSV).
[1:6] 30 tn Heb “in order to hand them over.”
[1:7] 31 sn The city wall symbolizes the city’s defenses and security.
[1:7] 32 tn Heb “it”; the referent (the fire mentioned in the previous line) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[1:8] 34 tn Heb “the one who sits.” Some translations take this expression as a collective singular referring to the inhabitants rather than the ruler (e.g., NAB, NRSV, NLT).
[1:8] 35 sn Ashdod was one of the five major Philistine cities (along with Ashkelon, Ekron, Gaza, and Gath).
[1:8] 36 sn Ashkelon was one of the five major Philistine cities (along with Ashdod, Ekron, Gaza, and Gath).
[1:8] 37 sn Ekron was one of the five major Philistine cities (along with Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gaza, and Gath).
[1:8] 38 tn Heb “I will turn my hand against Ekron.” For other uses of the idiom, “turn the hand against,” see Ps 81:14; Isa 1:25; Jer 6:9; Zech 13:7.
[1:8] 39 tn Heb “and the remnant of the Philistines will perish.” The translation above assumes that reference is made to other Philistines beside those living in the cities mentioned. Another option is to translate, “Every last Philistine will die.”
[2:4] 40 tn Or “for” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV).
[2:4] 41 tn There is a sound play here in the Hebrew text: the name Gaza (עַזָּה, ’azzah) sounds like the word translated “deserted” (עֲזוּבָה, ’azuvah).
[2:4] 42 tn Or “a desolate place.”
[2:4] 43 tn Heb “[As for] Ashdod, at noon they will drive her away.”
[2:4] 44 tn Heb “uprooted.” There is a sound play here in the Hebrew text: the name “Ekron” (עֶקְרוֹן, ’eqron) sounds like the word translated “uprooted” (תֵּעָקֵר, te’aqer).
[2:5] 45 tn Heb “Kerethites,” a people settled alongside the Philistines in the coastal areas of southern Palestine (cf. 1 Sam 30:14; Ezek 25:16). They originally came from the island of Crete.
[2:5] 46 tn Heb “Woe, inhabitants of the coast of the sea, nation of Kerethites.” The Hebrew term הוֹי (hoy, “ah, woe”), is used to mourn the dead and express outwardly one’s sorrow (see 1 Kgs 13:30; Jer 22:18; 34:5). By using it here the prophet mourns in advance the downfall of the Philistines, thereby emphasizing the certainty of their demise (“as good as dead”). Some argue the word does not have its earlier connotation here and is simply an attention-getting interjection, equivalent to “Hey!”
[2:5] 47 tn Heb “the word of the
[2:5] 48 tn Heb “I will destroy you so there is no inhabitant [remaining].”
[2:6] 49 tn The NIV here supplies the phrase “where the Kerethites dwell” (“Kerethites” is translated in v. 5 as “the people who came from Crete”) as an interpretive gloss, but this phrase is not in the MT. The NAB likewise reads “the coastland of the Cretans,” supplying “Cretans” here.
[2:6] 50 tn The Hebrew phrase here is נְוֹת כְּרֹת (nÿvot kÿrot). The first word is probably a plural form of נָוָה (navah, “pasture”). The meaning of the second word is unclear. It may be a synonym of the preceding word (cf. NRSV “pastures, meadows for shepherds”); there is a word כַּר (kar, “pasture”) in biblical Hebrew, but elsewhere it forms its plural with a masculine ending. Some have suggested the meaning “wells” or “caves” used as shelters (cf. NEB “shepherds’ huts”); in this case, one might translate, “The seacoast will be used for pasturelands; for shepherds’ wells/caves.”
[2:7] 51 tn Heb “the remnant of the house of Judah.”
[2:7] 52 tn Or “the coast will belong to the remnant of the house of Judah.”
[2:7] 53 tc Heb “on them,” but the antecedent of the masculine pronoun is unclear. It may refer back to the “pasture lands,” though that noun is feminine. It is preferable to emend the text from עֲלֵיהֶם (’alehem) to עַל־הַיָּם (’al-hayyam, “by the sea”) an emendation that assumes a misdivision and transposition of letters in the MT (cf. NEB “They shall pasture their flocks by the sea”). See J. J. M. Roberts, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah (OTL), 192.
[2:7] 54 tn The referent of the pronominal subject (“they”) is unclear. It may refer (1) to the shepherds (in which case the first verb should be translated, “pasture their sheep,” cf. NEB), or (2) to the Judahites occupying the area, who are being compared to sheep (cf. NIV, “there they will find pasture”).
[2:7] 55 tn Or “will care for them.”
[2:7] 56 tn Traditionally, “restore their captivity,” i.e., bring back their captives, but it is more likely the expression means “restore their fortunes” in a more general sense (cf. NEB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
[9:5] 57 tn The present translation presupposes a Hiphil perfect of יָבֵשׁ (yavesh, “be dry”; cf. NRSV “are withered”) rather than the usually accepted Hiphil of בּוֹשׁ (bosh, “be ashamed”; cf. KJV, ASV), a sense that is less suitable with the removal of hope.
[9:7] 58 tn Heb “and I will take away their blood from their mouth and their abominations from between their teeth.” These expressions refer to some type of abominable religious practices, perhaps eating meat with the blood still in it (less likely NCV “drinking blood”) or eating unclean or forbidden foods.
[9:7] 59 tn Heb “and they will be a remnant for our God”; cf. NIV “will belong to our God”; NLT “will worship our God.”
