Discovery BoxJeremiah 50:24
Context50:24 I set a trap for you, Babylon;
you were caught before you knew it.
You fought against me.
So you were found and captured. 1
Jeremiah 50:1
Context50:1 The Lord spoke concerning Babylon and the land of Babylonia 2 through the prophet Jeremiah. 3
Jeremiah 13:1--14:22
Context13:1 The Lord said to me, “Go and buy some linen shorts 4 and put them on. 5 Do not put them in water.” 6 13:2 So I bought the shorts as the Lord had told me to do 7 and put them on. 8 13:3 Then the Lord spoke to me again and said, 9 13:4 “Take the shorts that you bought and are wearing 10 and go at once 11 to Perath. 12 Bury the shorts there 13 in a crack in the rocks.” 13:5 So I went and buried them at Perath 14 as the Lord had ordered me to do. 13:6 Many days later the Lord said to me, “Go at once to Perath and get 15 the shorts I ordered you to bury there.” 13:7 So I went to Perath and dug up 16 the shorts from the place where I had buried them. I found 17 that they were ruined; they were good for nothing.
13:8 Then the Lord said to me, 18 13:9 “I, the Lord, say: 19 ‘This shows how 20 I will ruin the highly exalted position 21 in which Judah and Jerusalem 22 take pride. 13:10 These wicked people refuse to obey what I have said. 23 They follow the stubborn inclinations of their own hearts and pay allegiance 24 to other gods by worshiping and serving them. So 25 they will become just like these linen shorts which are good for nothing. 13:11 For,’ I say, 26 ‘just as shorts cling tightly to a person’s body, so I bound the whole nation of Israel and the whole nation of Judah 27 tightly 28 to me.’ I intended for them to be my special people and to bring me fame, honor, and praise. 29 But they would not obey me.
13:12 “So tell them, 30 ‘The Lord, the God of Israel, says, “Every wine jar is made to be filled with wine.”’ 31 And they will probably say to you, ‘Do you not think we know 32 that every wine jar is supposed to be filled with wine?’ 13:13 Then 33 tell them, ‘The Lord says, “I will soon fill all the people who live in this land with stupor. 34 I will also fill the kings from David’s dynasty, 35 the priests, the prophets, and the citizens of Jerusalem with stupor. 36 13:14 And I will smash them like wine bottles against one another, children and parents alike. 37 I will not show any pity, mercy, or compassion. Nothing will keep me from destroying them,’ 38 says the Lord.”
13:15 Then I said to the people of Judah, 39
“Listen and pay attention! Do not be arrogant!
For the Lord has spoken.
13:16 Show the Lord your God the respect that is due him. 40
Do it before he brings the darkness of disaster. 41
Do it before you stumble 42 into distress
like a traveler on the mountains at twilight. 43
Do it before he turns the light of deliverance you hope for
into the darkness and gloom of exile. 44
13:17 But if you will not pay attention to this warning, 45
I will weep alone because of your arrogant pride.
I will weep bitterly and my eyes will overflow with tears 46
because you, the Lord’s flock, 47 will be carried 48 into exile.”
“Tell the king and the queen mother,
‘Surrender your thrones, 50
for your glorious crowns
will be removed 51 from your heads. 52
13:19 The gates of the towns in southern Judah will be shut tight. 53
No one will be able to go in or out of them. 54
All Judah will be carried off into exile.
They will be completely carried off into exile.’” 55
“Look up, Jerusalem, 57 and see
the enemy 58 that is coming from the north.
Where now is the flock of people that were entrusted to your care? 59
Where now are the ‘sheep’ that you take such pride in? 60
13:21 What will you say 61 when the Lord 62 appoints as rulers over you those allies
that you, yourself, had actually prepared as such? 63
Then anguish and agony will grip you
like that of a woman giving birth to a baby. 64
13:22 You will probably ask yourself, 65
‘Why have these things happened to me?
Why have I been treated like a disgraced adulteress
whose skirt has been torn off and her limbs exposed?’ 66
It is because you have sinned so much. 67
13:23 But there is little hope for you ever doing good,
you who are so accustomed to doing evil.
Can an Ethiopian 68 change the color of his skin?
Can a leopard remove its spots? 69
‘That is why I will scatter your people 71 like chaff
that is blown away by a desert wind. 72
13:25 This is your fate,
the destiny to which I have appointed you,
because you have forgotten me
and have trusted in false gods.
13:26 So I will pull your skirt up over your face
and expose you to shame like a disgraced adulteress! 73
13:27 People of Jerusalem, 74 I have seen your adulterous worship,
your shameless prostitution to, and your lustful pursuit of, other gods. 75
I have seen your disgusting acts of worship 76
on the hills throughout the countryside.
You are doomed to destruction! 77
How long will you continue to be unclean?’”
14:1 The Lord spoke to Jeremiah 79 about the drought. 80
14:2 “The people of Judah are in mourning.
The people in her cities are pining away.
They lie on the ground expressing their sorrow. 81
Cries of distress come up to me 82 from Jerusalem. 83
14:3 The leading men of the cities send their servants for water.
They go to the cisterns, 84 but they do not find any water there.
They return with their containers 85 empty.
Disappointed and dismayed, they bury their faces in their hands. 86
14:4 They are dismayed because the ground is cracked 87
because there has been no rain in the land.
The farmers, too, are dismayed
and bury their faces in their hands.
14:5 Even the doe abandons her newborn fawn 88 in the field
because there is no grass.
14:6 Wild donkeys stand on the hilltops
and pant for breath like jackals.
Their eyes are strained looking for food,
because there is none to be found.” 89
“O Lord, intervene for the honor of your name 91
even though our sins speak out against us. 92
Indeed, 93 we have turned away from you many times.
We have sinned against you.
14:8 You have been the object of Israel’s hopes.
You have saved them when they were in trouble.
Why have you become like a resident foreigner 94 in the land?
Why have you become like a traveler who only stops in to spend the night?
14:9 Why should you be like someone who is helpless, 95
like a champion 96 who cannot save anyone?
You are indeed with us, 97
and we belong to you. 98
Do not abandon us!”
14:10 Then the Lord spoke about these people. 99
“They truly 100 love to go astray.
They cannot keep from running away from me. 101
So I am not pleased with them.
I will now call to mind 102 the wrongs they have done 103
and punish them for their sins.”
14:11 Then the Lord said to me, “Do not pray for good to come to these people! 104 14:12 Even if they fast, I will not hear their cries for help. Even if they offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. 105 Instead, I will kill them through wars, famines, and plagues.” 106
14:13 Then I said, “Oh, Lord God, 107 look! 108 The prophets are telling them that you said, 109 ‘You will not experience war or suffer famine. 110 I will give you lasting peace and prosperity in this land.’” 111
14:14 Then the Lord said to me, “Those prophets are prophesying lies while claiming my authority! 112 I did not send them. I did not commission them. 113 I did not speak to them. They are prophesying to these people false visions, worthless predictions, 114 and the delusions of their own mind. 14:15 I did not send those prophets, though they claim to be prophesying in my name. They may be saying, ‘No war or famine will happen in this land.’ But I, the Lord, say this about 115 them: ‘War and starvation will kill those prophets.’ 116 14:16 The people to whom they are prophesying will die through war and famine. Their bodies will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem 117 and there will be no one to bury them. This will happen to the men and their wives, their sons, and their daughters. 118 For I will pour out on them the destruction they deserve.” 119
14:17 “Tell these people this, Jeremiah: 120
‘My eyes overflow with tears
day and night without ceasing. 121
For my people, my dear children, 122 have suffered a crushing blow.
They have suffered a serious wound. 123
14:18 If I go out into the countryside,
I see those who have been killed in battle.
If I go into the city,
I see those who are sick because of starvation. 124
For both prophet and priest go about their own business
in the land without having any real understanding.’” 125
14:19 Then I said,
“Lord, 126 have you completely rejected the nation of Judah?
Do you despise 127 the city of Zion?
Why have you struck us with such force
that we are beyond recovery? 128
We hope for peace, but nothing good has come of it.
We hope for a time of relief from our troubles, but experience terror. 129
14:20 Lord, we confess that we have been wicked.
We confess that our ancestors have done wrong. 130
We have indeed 131 sinned against you.
14:21 For the honor of your name, 132 do not treat Jerusalem 133 with contempt.
Do not treat with disdain the place where your glorious throne sits. 134
Be mindful of your covenant with us. Do not break it! 135
14:22 Do any of the worthless idols 136 of the nations cause rain to fall?
Do the skies themselves send showers?
Is it not you, O Lord our God, who does this? 137
So we put our hopes in you 138
because you alone do all this.”
Jeremiah 25:1--26:24
Context25:1 In the fourth year that Jehoiakim son of Josiah was king of Judah, the Lord spoke to Jeremiah 139 concerning all the people of Judah. (That was the same as the first year that Nebuchadnezzar was king of Babylon.) 140 25:2 So the prophet Jeremiah spoke to all the people of Judah and to all the people who were living in Jerusalem. 141 25:3 “For the last twenty-three years, from the thirteenth year that Josiah son of Amon was ruling in Judah 142 until now, the Lord has been speaking to me. I told you over and over again 143 what he said. 144 But you would not listen. 25:4 Over and over again 145 the Lord has sent 146 his servants the prophets to you. But you have not listened or paid attention. 147 25:5 He said through them, 148 ‘Each of you must turn from your wicked ways and stop doing the evil things you are doing. 149 If you do, I will allow you to continue to live here in the land that I gave to you and your ancestors as a lasting possession. 150 25:6 Do not pay allegiance to 151 other gods and worship and serve them. Do not make me angry by the things that you do. 152 Then I will not cause you any harm.’ 25:7 So, now the Lord says, 153 ‘You have not listened to me. But 154 you have made me angry by the things that you have done. 155 Thus you have brought harm on yourselves.’
25:8 “Therefore, the Lord who rules over all 156 says, ‘You have not listened to what I said. 157 25:9 So I, the Lord, affirm that 158 I will send for all the peoples of the north 159 and my servant, 160 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants and all the nations that surround it. I will utterly destroy 161 this land, its inhabitants, and all the nations that surround it 162 and make them everlasting ruins. 163 I will make them objects of horror and hissing scorn. 164 25:10 I will put an end to the sounds of joy and gladness, to the glad celebration of brides and grooms in these lands. 165 I will put an end to the sound of people grinding meal. I will put an end to lamps shining in their houses. 166 25:11 This whole area 167 will become a desolate wasteland. These nations will be subject to the king of Babylon for seventy years.’ 168
25:12 “‘But when the seventy years are over, I will punish the king of Babylon and his nation 169 for their sins. I will make the land of Babylon 170 an everlasting ruin. 171 I, the Lord, affirm it! 172 25:13 I will bring on that land everything that I said I would. I will bring on it everything that is written in this book. I will bring on it everything that Jeremiah has prophesied against all the nations. 173 25:14 For many nations and great kings will make slaves of the king of Babylon and his nation 174 too. I will repay them for all they have done!’” 175
25:15 So 176 the Lord, the God of Israel, spoke to me in a vision. 177 “Take this cup from my hand. It is filled with the wine of my wrath. 178 Take it and make the nations to whom I send you drink it. 25:16 When they have drunk it, they will stagger to and fro 179 and act insane. For I will send wars sweeping through them.” 180
25:17 So I took the cup from the Lord’s hand. I made all the nations to whom he sent me drink the wine of his wrath. 181 25:18 I made Jerusalem 182 and the cities of Judah, its kings and its officials drink it. 183 I did it so Judah would become a ruin. I did it so Judah, its kings, and its officials would become an object 184 of horror and of hissing scorn, an example used in curses. 185 Such is already becoming the case! 186 25:19 I made all of these other people drink it: Pharaoh, king of Egypt; 187 his attendants, his officials, his people, 25:20 the foreigners living in Egypt; 188 all the kings of the land of Uz; 189 all the kings of the land of the Philistines, 190 the people of Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, the people who had been left alive from Ashdod; 191 25:21 all the people of Edom, 192 Moab, 193 Ammon; 194 25:22 all the kings of Tyre, 195 all the kings of Sidon; 196 all the kings of the coastlands along the sea; 197 25:23 the people of Dedan, Tema, Buz, 198 all the desert people who cut their hair short at the temples; 199 25:24 all the kings of Arabia who 200 live in the desert; 25:25 all the kings of Zimri; 201 all the kings of Elam; 202 all the kings of Media; 203 25:26 all the kings of the north, whether near or far from one another; and all the other kingdoms which are on the face of the earth. After all of them have drunk the wine of the Lord’s wrath, 204 the king of Babylon 205 must drink it.
25:27 Then the Lord said to me, 206 “Tell them that the Lord God of Israel who rules over all 207 says, 208 ‘Drink this cup 209 until you get drunk and vomit. Drink until you fall down and can’t get up. 210 For I will send wars sweeping through you.’ 211 25:28 If they refuse to take the cup from your hand and drink it, tell them that the Lord who rules over all says 212 ‘You most certainly must drink it! 213 25:29 For take note, I am already beginning to bring disaster on the city that I call my own. 214 So how can you possibly avoid being punished? 215 You will not go unpunished! For I am proclaiming war against all who live on the earth. I, the Lord who rules over all, 216 affirm it!’ 217
25:30 “Then, Jeremiah, 218 make the following prophecy 219 against them:
‘Like a lion about to attack, 220 the Lord will roar from the heights of heaven;
from his holy dwelling on high he will roar loudly.
He will roar mightily against his land. 221
He will shout in triumph like those stomping juice from the grapes 222
against all those who live on the earth.
25:31 The sounds of battle 223 will resound to the ends of the earth.
For the Lord will bring charges against the nations. 224
He will pass judgment on all humankind
and will hand the wicked over to be killed in war.’ 225
The Lord so affirms it! 226
25:32 The Lord who rules over all 227 says,
‘Disaster will soon come on one nation after another. 228
A mighty storm of military destruction 229 is rising up
from the distant parts of the earth.’
25:33 Those who have been killed by the Lord at that time
will be scattered from one end of the earth to the other.
They will not be mourned over, gathered up, or buried. 230
Their dead bodies will lie scattered over the ground like manure.
25:34 Wail and cry out in anguish, you rulers!
Roll in the dust, you who shepherd flocks of people! 231
The time for you to be slaughtered has come.
You will lie scattered and fallen like broken pieces of fine pottery. 232
25:35 The leaders will not be able to run away and hide. 233
The shepherds of the flocks will not be able to escape.
25:36 Listen to the cries of anguish of the leaders.
Listen to the wails of the shepherds of the flocks.
They are wailing because the Lord
is about to destroy their lands. 234
25:37 Their peaceful dwelling places will be laid waste 235
by the fierce anger of the Lord. 236
25:38 The Lord is like a lion who has left his lair. 237
So their lands will certainly 238 be laid waste
by the warfare of the oppressive nation 239
and by the fierce anger of the Lord.”
26:1 The Lord spoke to Jeremiah 241 at the beginning of the reign 242 of Josiah’s son, King Jehoiakim of Judah. 26:2 The Lord said, “Go stand in the courtyard of the Lord’s temple. 243 Speak out to all the people who are coming from the towns of Judah to worship in the Lord’s temple. Tell them everything I command you to tell them. Do not leave out a single word! 26:3 Maybe they will pay attention and each of them will stop living the evil way they do. 244 If they do that, then I will forgo destroying them 245 as I had intended to do because of the wicked things they have been doing. 246 26:4 Tell them that the Lord says, 247 ‘You must obey me! You must live according to the way I have instructed you in my laws. 248 26:5 You must pay attention to the exhortations of my servants the prophets. I have sent them to you over and over again. 249 But you have not paid any attention to them. 26:6 If you do not obey me, 250 then I will do to this temple what I did to Shiloh. 251 And I will make this city an example to be used in curses by people from all the nations on the earth.’”
26:7 The priests, the prophets, and all the people heard Jeremiah say these things in the Lord’s temple. 26:8 Jeremiah had just barely finished saying all the Lord had commanded him to say to all the people. All at once some 252 of the priests, the prophets, and the people grabbed him and shouted, “You deserve to die! 253 26:9 How dare you claim the Lord’s authority to prophesy such things! How dare you claim his authority to prophesy that this temple will become like Shiloh and that this city will become an uninhabited ruin!” 254 Then all the people crowded around Jeremiah.
26:10 However, some of the officials 255 of Judah heard about what was happening 256 and they rushed up to the Lord’s temple from the royal palace. They set up court 257 at the entrance of the New Gate of the Lord’s temple. 258 26:11 Then the priests and the prophets made their charges before the officials and all the people. They said, 259 “This man should be condemned to die 260 because he prophesied against this city. You have heard him do so 261 with your own ears.”
26:12 Then Jeremiah made his defense before all the officials and all the people. 262 “The Lord sent me to prophesy everything you have heard me say against this temple and against this city. 26:13 But correct the way you have been living and do what is right. 263 Obey the Lord your God. If you do, the Lord will forgo destroying you as he threatened he would. 264 26:14 As to my case, I am in your power. 265 Do to me what you deem fair and proper. 26:15 But you should take careful note of this: If you put me to death, you will bring on yourselves and this city and those who live in it the guilt of murdering an innocent man. For the Lord has sent me to speak all this where you can hear it. That is the truth!” 266
26:16 Then the officials and all the people rendered their verdict to the priests and the prophets. They said, 267 “This man should not be condemned to die. 268 For he has spoken to us under the authority of the Lord our God.” 269 26:17 Then some of the elders of Judah 270 stepped forward and spoke to all the people gathered there. They said, 26:18 “Micah from Moresheth 271 prophesied during the time Hezekiah was king of Judah. 272 He told all the people of Judah,
‘The Lord who rules over all 273 says,
“Zion 274 will become a plowed field.
Jerusalem 275 will become a pile of rubble.
The temple mount will become a mere wooded ridge.”’ 276
26:19 King Hezekiah and all the people of Judah did not put him to death, did they? Did not Hezekiah show reverence for the Lord and seek the Lord’s favor? 277 Did not 278 the Lord forgo destroying them 279 as he threatened he would? But we are on the verge of bringing great disaster on ourselves.” 280
26:20 Now there was another man 281 who prophesied as the Lord’s representative 282 against this city and this land just as Jeremiah did. His name was Uriah son of Shemaiah from Kiriath Jearim. 283 26:21 When the king and all his bodyguards 284 and officials heard what he was prophesying, 285 the king sought to have him executed. But Uriah found out about it and fled to Egypt out of fear. 286 26:22 However, King Jehoiakim sent some men to Egypt, including Elnathan son of Achbor, 287 26:23 and they brought Uriah back from there. 288 They took him to King Jehoiakim, who had him executed and had his body thrown into the burial place of the common people. 289
26:24 However, Ahikam son of Shaphan 290 used his influence to keep Jeremiah from being handed over and executed by the people. 291
[50:24] 1 tn Heb “You were found [or found out] and captured because you fought against the
[50:1] 2 tn Heb “the land of the Chaldeans.” See the study note on 21:4 for explanation.
[50:1] 3 tn Heb “The word which the
[13:1] 3 tn The term here (אֵזוֹר, ’ezor) has been rendered in various ways: “girdle” (KJV, ASV), “waistband” (NASB), “waistcloth” (RSV), “sash” (NKJV), “belt” (NIV, NCV, NLT), and “loincloth” (NAB, NRSV, NJPS, REB). The latter is more accurate according to J. M. Myers, “Dress and Ornaments,” IDB 1:870, and W. L. Holladay, Jeremiah (Hermeneia), 1:399. It was a short, skirt-like garment reaching from the waist to the knees and worn next to the body (cf. v. 9). The modern equivalent is “shorts” as in TEV/GNB, CEV.
[13:1] 4 tn Heb “upon your loins.” The “loins” were the midriff of the body from the waist to the knees. For a further discussion including the figurative uses see, IDB, “Loins,” 3:149.
[13:1] 5 tn Or “Do not ever put them in water,” i.e., “Do not even wash them.”
[13:2] 4 tn Heb “according to the word of the
[13:2] 5 tn Heb “upon your loins.” The “loins” were the midriff of the body from the waist to the knees. For a further discussion including the figurative uses see R. C. Dentan, “Loins,” IDB 3:149-50.
[13:3] 5 tn Heb “The word of the
[13:4] 6 tn Heb “which are upon your loins.” See further the notes on v. 1.
[13:4] 7 tn Heb “Get up and go.” The first verb is not literal but is idiomatic for the initiation of an action.
[13:4] 8 tn There has been a great deal of debate about whether the place referred to here is a place (Parah [= Perath] mentioned in Josh 18:23, modern Khirbet Farah, near a spring ’ain Farah) about three and a half miles from Anathoth which was Jeremiah’s home town or the Euphrates River. Elsewhere the word “Perath” always refers to the Euphrates but it is either preceded by the word “river of” or there is contextual indication that the Euphrates is being referred to. Because a journey to the Euphrates and back would involve a journey of more than 700 miles (1,100 km) and take some months, scholars both ancient and modern have questioned whether “Perath” refers to the Euphrates here and if it does whether a real journey was involved. Most of the attempts to identify the place with the Euphrates involve misguided assumptions that this action was a symbolic message to Israel about exile or the corrupting influence of Assyria and Babylon. However, unlike the other symbolic acts in Jeremiah (and in Isaiah and Ezekiel) the symbolism is not part of a message to the people but to Jeremiah; the message is explained to him (vv. 9-11) not the people. In keeping with some of the wordplays that are somewhat common in Jeremiah it is likely that the reference here is to a place, Parah, which was near Jeremiah’s hometown, but whose name would naturally suggest to Jeremiah later in the
[13:4] 9 sn The significance of this act is explained in vv. 9-10. See the notes there for explanation.
[13:5] 7 tc The translation reads בִּפְרָתָה (bifratah) with 4QJera as noted in W. L. Holladay, Jeremiah (Hermeneia), 1:393 instead of בִּפְרָת (bifrat) in the MT.
[13:6] 8 tn Heb “Get from there.” The words “from there” are not necessary to the English sentence. They would lead to a redundancy later in the verse, i.e., “from there…bury there.”
[13:7] 9 tn Heb “dug and took.”
[13:7] 10 tn Heb “And behold.”
[13:8] 10 tn Heb “Then the word of the
[13:9] 11 tn Heb “Thus says the
[13:9] 12 tn In a sense this phrase which is literally “according to thus” or simply “thus” points both backward and forward: backward to the acted out parable and forward to the explanation which follows.
[13:9] 13 tn Many of the English versions have erred in rendering this word “pride” or “arrogance” with the resultant implication that the
[13:9] 14 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[13:10] 12 tn Heb “to listen to my words.”
[13:10] 13 tn Heb “and [they follow] after.” See the translator’s note at 2:5 for the idiom.
[13:10] 14 tn The structure of this verse is a little unusual. It consists of a subject, “this wicked people” qualified by several “which” clauses preceding a conjunction and a form which would normally be taken as a third person imperative (a Hebrew jussive; וִיהִי, vihi). This construction, called casus pendens by Hebrew grammarians, lays focus on the subject, here calling attention to the nature of Israel’s corruption which makes it rotten and useless to God. See GKC 458 §143.d for other examples of this construction.
[13:11] 13 tn The words “I say” are “Oracle of the
[13:11] 14 tn Heb “all the house of Israel and all the house of Judah.”
[13:11] 15 tn It would be somewhat unnatural in English to render the play on the word translated here “cling tightly” and “bound tightly” in a literal way. They are from the same root word in Hebrew (דָּבַק, davaq), a word that emphasizes the closest of personal relationships and the loyalty connected with them. It is used, for example, of the relationship of a husband and a wife and the loyalty expected of them (cf. Gen 2:24; for other similar uses see Ruth 1:14; 2 Sam 20:2; Deut 11:22).
[13:11] 16 tn Heb “I bound them…in order that they might be to me for a people and for a name and for praise and for honor.” The sentence has been separated from the preceding and an equivalent idea expressed which is more in keeping with contemporary English style.
[13:12] 14 tn Heb “So you shall say this word [or message] to them.”
[13:12] 15 tn Heb “Every wine jar is supposed to be filled with wine.”
[13:12] 16 tn This is an attempt to render a construction which involves an infinitive of a verb being added before the same verb in a question which expects a positive answer. There may, by the way, be a pun being passed back and forth here involving the sound play been “fool” (נָבָל, naval) and “wine bottle” (נֶבֶל, nebel).
[13:13] 15 tn The Greek version is likely right in interpreting the construction of two perfects preceded by the conjunction as contingent or consequential here, i.e., “and when they say…then say.” See GKC 494 §159.g. However, to render literally would create a long sentence. Hence, the words “will probably” have been supplied in v. 12 in the translation to set up the contingency/consequential sequence in the English sentences.
[13:13] 16 sn It is probably impossible to convey in a simple translation all the subtle nuances that are wrapped up in the words of this judgment speech. The word translated “stupor” here is literally “drunkenness” but the word has in the context an undoubted intended double reference. It refers first to the drunken like stupor of confusion on the part of leaders and citizens of the land which will cause them to clash with one another. But it also probably refers to the reeling under God’s wrath that results from this (cf. Jer 25:15-29, especially vv. 15-16). Moreover there is still the subtle little play on wine jars. The people are like the wine jars which were supposed to be filled with wine. They were to be a special people to bring glory to God but they had become corrupt. Hence, like wine jars they would be smashed against one another and broken to pieces (v. 14). All of this, both “fill them with the stupor of confusion” and “make them reel under God’s wrath,” cannot be conveyed in one translation.
[13:13] 17 tn Heb “who sit on David’s throne.”
[13:13] 18 tn In Hebrew this is all one long sentence with one verb governing compound objects. It is broken up here in conformity with English style.
[13:14] 16 tn Or “children along with their parents”; Heb “fathers and children together.”
[13:14] 17 tn Heb “I will not show…so as not to destroy them.”
[13:15] 17 tn The words “Then I said to the people of Judah” are not in the text but are implicit from the address in v. 15 and the content of v. 17. They are supplied in the translation for clarity to show the shift from the
[13:16] 18 tn Heb “Give glory/respect to the
[13:16] 19 tn The words “of disaster” are not in the text. They are supplied in the translation to explain the significance of the metaphor to readers who may not be acquainted with the metaphorical use of light and darkness for salvation and joy and distress and sorrow respectively.
[13:16] 20 tn Heb “your feet stumble.”
[13:16] 21 tn Heb “you stumble on the mountains at twilight.” The added words are again supplied in the translation to help explain the metaphor to the uninitiated reader.
[13:16] 22 tn Heb “and while you hope for light he will turn it into deep darkness and make [it] into gloom.” The meaning of the metaphor is again explained through the addition of the “of” phrases for readers who are unacquainted with the metaphorical use of these terms.
[13:17] 19 tn Heb “If you will not listen to it.” For the use of the feminine singular pronoun to refer to the idea(s) expressed in the preceding verse(s), see GKC 440-41 §135.p.
[13:17] 20 tn Heb “Tearing [my eye] will tear and my eye will run down [= flow] with tears.”
[13:17] 21 tn Heb “because the
[13:17] 22 tn The verb is once again in the form of “as good as done” (the Hebrew prophetic perfect).
[13:18] 20 tn The words “The
[13:18] 21 tn Or “You will come down from your thrones”; Heb “Make low! Sit!” This is a case of a construction where two forms in the same case, mood, or tense are joined in such a way that one (usually the first) is intended as an adverbial or adjectival modifier of the other (a figure called hendiadys). This is also probably a case where the imperative is used to express a distinct assurance or promise. See GKC 324 §110.b and compare the usage in Isa 37:30 and Ps 110:2.
[13:18] 22 tn Heb “have come down.” The verb here and those in the following verses are further examples of the “as good as done” form of the Hebrew verb (the prophetic perfect).
[13:18] 23 tc The translation follows the common emendation of a word normally meaning “place at the head” (מַרְאֲשׁוֹת [mar’ashot] plus pronoun = מַרְאֲוֹשׁתֵיכֶם [mar’aoshtekhem]) to “from your heads” (מֵרָאשֵׁיכֶם, mera’shekhem) following the ancient versions. The meaning “tiara” is nowhere else attested for this word.
[13:19] 21 tn Heb “The towns of the Negev will be shut.”
[13:19] 22 tn Heb “There is no one to open them.” The translation is based on the parallel in Josh 6:1 where the very expression in the translation is used. Opening the city would have permitted entrance (of relief forces) as well as exit (of fugitives).
[13:19] 23 sn The statements are poetic exaggerations (hyperbole), as most commentaries note. Even in the exile of 587
[13:20] 22 tn The words “Then I said” are not in the text. They are supplied in the translation to show the shift in speaker from vv. 18-19 where the
[13:20] 23 tn The word “Jerusalem” is not in the Hebrew text. It is added in the Greek text and is generally considered to be the object of address because of the second feminine singular verbs here and throughout the following verses. The translation follows the consonantal text (Kethib) and the Greek text in reading the second feminine singular here. The verbs and pronouns in vv. 20-22 are all second feminine singular with the exception of the suffix on the word “eyes” which is not reflected in the translation here (“Look up” = “Lift up your eyes”) and the verb and pronoun in v. 23. The text may reflect the same kind of alternation between singular and plural that takes place in Isa 7 where the pronouns refer to Ahaz as an individual and his entourage, the contemporary ruling class (cf., e.g., Isa 7:4-5 [singular], 9 [plural], 11 [singular], 13-14 [plural]). Here the connection with the preceding may suggest that it is initially the ruling house (the king and the queen mother), then Jerusalem personified as a woman in her role as a shepherdess (i.e., leader). However, from elsewhere in the book the leadership has included the kings, the priests, the prophets, and the citizens as well (cf., e.g., 13:13). In v. 27 Jerusalem is explicitly addressed. It may be asking too much of some readers who are not familiar with biblical metaphors to understand an extended metaphor like this. If it is helpful to them, they may substitute plural referents for “I” and “me.”
[13:20] 24 tn The word “enemy” is not in the text but is implicit. It supplied in the translation for clarity.
[13:20] 25 tn Heb “the flock that was given to you.”
[13:20] 26 tn Heb “the sheep of your pride.” The word “of your people” and the quotes around “sheep” are intended to carry over the metaphor in such a way that readers unfamiliar with the metaphor will understand it.
[13:21] 23 tn Or perhaps more rhetorically equivalent, “Will you not be surprised?”
[13:21] 24 tn The words “The
[13:21] 25 tn Or “to be rulers.” The translation of these two lines is somewhat uncertain. The sentence structure of these two lines raises problems in translation. The Hebrew text reads: “What will you do when he appoints over you [or punishes you (see BDB 823 s.v. פָּקַד Qal.B.2 for the former, Qal.A.3 for the latter)] and you, yourself, taught them over you friends [or chiefs (see BDB 48 s.v. I אַלּוּף 2 and Ps 55:13 for the former and BDB 49 s.v. II אַלּוּף and Exod 15:15 for the latter)] for a head.” The translation assumes that the clause “and you, yourself, taught them [= made them accustomed, i.e., “prepared”] [to be] over you” is parenthetical coming between the verb “appoint” and its object and object modifier (i.e., “appointed over you allies for rulers”). A quick check of other English versions will show how varied the translation of these lines has been. Most English versions seem to ignore the second “over you” after “you taught them.” Some rearrange the text to get what they think is a sensible meaning. For a fairly thorough treatment see W. McKane, Jeremiah (ICC), 1:308-10.
[13:21] 26 tn Heb “Will not pain [here = mental anguish] take hold of you like a woman giving birth.” The question is rhetorical expecting a positive answer.
[13:22] 24 tn Heb “say in your heart.”
[13:22] 25 tn Heb “Your skirt has been uncovered and your heels have been treated with violence.” This is the generally accepted interpretation of these phrases. See, e.g., BDB 784 s.v. עָקֵב a and HALOT 329 s.v. I חָמַס Nif. The significance of the actions here are part of the metaphor (i.e., personification) of Jerusalem as an adulteress having left her husband and have been explained in the translation for the sake of readers unfamiliar with the metaphor.
[13:22] 26 tn The translation has been restructured to break up a long sentence involving a conditional clause and an elliptical consequential clause. It has also been restructured to define more clearly what “these things” are. The Hebrew text reads: “And if you say, ‘Why have these things happened to me?’ Because of the greatness of your iniquity your skirts [= what your skirt covers] have been uncovered and your heels have been treated with violence.”
[13:23] 25 tn This is a common proverb in English coming from this biblical passage. For cultures where it is not proverbial perhaps it would be better to translate “Can black people change the color of their skin?” Strictly speaking these are “Cushites” inhabitants of a region along the upper Nile south of Egypt. The Greek text is responsible for the identification with Ethiopia. The term in Greek is actually a epithet = “burnt face.”
[13:23] 26 tn Heb “Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots? [Then] you also will be able to do good who are accustomed to do evil.” The English sentence has been restructured and rephrased in an attempt to produce some of the same rhetorical force the Hebrew original has in this context.
[13:24] 26 tn The words, “The
[13:24] 27 tn Heb “them.” This is another example of the rapid shift in pronouns seen several times in the book of Jeremiah. The pronouns in the preceding and the following are second feminine singular. It might be argued that “them” goes back to the “flock”/“sheep” in v. 20, but the next verse refers the fate described here to “you” (feminine singular). This may be another example of the kind of metaphoric shifts in referents discussed in the notes on 13:20 above. Besides, it would sound a little odd in the translation to speak of scattering one person like chaff.
[13:24] 28 sn Compare the threat using the same metaphor in Jer 4:11-12.
[13:26] 27 tn Heb “over your face and your shame will be seen.” The words “like a disgraced adulteress” are not in the text but are supplied in the translation to explain the metaphor. See the notes on 13:22.
[13:27] 28 tn Heb “Jerusalem.” This word has been pulled up from the end of the verse to help make the transition. The words “people of” have been supplied in the translation here to ease the difficulty mentioned earlier of sustaining the personification throughout.
[13:27] 29 tn Heb “[I have seen] your adulteries, your neighings, and your shameless prostitution.” The meanings of the metaphorical references have been incorporated in the translation for the sake of clarity for readers of all backgrounds.
[13:27] 30 tn Heb “your disgusting acts.” This word is almost always used of idolatry or of the idols themselves. See BDB 1055 s.v. שִׁקֻּוּץ and Deut 29:17 and Jer 4:1; 7:30.
[13:27] 31 tn Heb “Woe to you!”
[14:1] 29 sn The form of Jer 14:1–15:9 is very striking rhetorically. It consists essentially of laments and responses to them. However, what makes it so striking is its deviation from normal form (cf. 2 Chr 20:5-17 for what would normally be expected). The descriptions of the lamentable situation come from the mouth of God not the people (cf.14:1-6, 17-18). The prophet utters the petitions with statements of trust (14:7-9, 19-22) and the
[14:1] 30 tn Heb “That which came [as] the word of the
[14:1] 31 sn Drought was one of the punishments for failure to adhere to the terms of their covenant with God. See Deut 28:22-24; Lev 26:18-20.
[14:2] 30 tn Heb “Judah mourns, its gates pine away, they are in mourning on the ground.” There are several figures of speech involved here. The basic figure is that of personification where Judah and it cities are said to be in mourning. However, in the third line the figure is a little hard to sustain because “they” are in mourning on the ground. That presses the imagination of most moderns a little too far. Hence the personification has been interpreted “people of” throughout. The term “gates” here is used as part for whole for the “cities” themselves as in several other passages in the OT (cf. BDB 1045 s.v. שַׁעַר 2.b, c and see, e.g., Isa 14:31).
[14:2] 31 tn The words “to me” are not in the text. They are implicit from the fact that the
[14:2] 32 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[14:3] 31 tn Though the concept of “cisterns” is probably not familiar to some readers, it would be a mistake to translate this word as “well.” Wells have continual sources of water. Cisterns were pits dug in the ground and lined with plaster to hold rain water. The drought had exhausted all the water in the cisterns.
[14:3] 32 tn The word “containers” is a generic word in Hebrew = “vessels.” It would probably in this case involve water “jars” or “jugs.” But since in contemporary English one would normally associate those terms with smaller vessels, “containers” may be safer.
[14:3] 33 tn Heb “they cover their heads.” Some of the English versions have gone wrong here because of the “normal” use of the words translated here “disappointed” and “dismayed.” They are regularly translated “ashamed” and “disgraced, humiliated, dismayed” elsewhere (see e.g., Jer 22:22); they are somewhat synonymous terms which are often parallel or combined. The key here, however, is the expression “they cover their heads” which is used in 2 Sam 15:30 for the expression of grief. Moreover, the word translated here “disappointed” (בּוֹשׁ, bosh) is used that way several times. See for example Jer 12:13 and consult examples in BDB 101 s.v. בּוֹשׁ Qal.2. A very similar context with the same figure is found in Jer 2:36-37.
[14:4] 32 tn For the use of the verb “is cracked” here see BDB 369 s.v. חָתַת Qal.1 and compare the usage in Jer 51:56 where it refers to broken bows. The form is a relative clause without relative pronoun (cf., GKC 486-87 §155.f). The sentence as a whole is related to the preceding through a particle meaning “because of” or “on account of.” Hence the subject and verb have been repeated to make the connection.
[14:5] 33 tn Heb “she gives birth and abandons.”
[14:6] 34 tn Heb “their eyes are strained because there is no verdure.”
[14:7] 35 tn The words “Then I said” are not in the text. However, it cannot be a continuation of the
[14:7] 36 tn Heb “Act for the sake of your name.” The usage of “act” in this absolute, unqualified sense cf. BDB 794 s.v. עָוֹשָׂה Qal.I.r and compare the usage, e.g., in 1 Kgs 8:32 and 39. For the nuance of “for the sake of your name” compare the usage in Isa 48:9 and Ezek 20:9, 14.
[14:7] 37 tn Or “bear witness against us,” or “can be used as evidence against us,” to keep the legal metaphor. Heb “testify against.”
[14:7] 38 tn The Hebrew particle כִּי (ki) can scarcely be causal here; it is either intensive (BDB 472 s.v. כִּי 1.e) or concessive (BDB 473 s.v. כִּי 2.c). The parallel usage in Gen 18:20 argues for the intensive force as does the fact that the concessive has already been expressed by אִם (’im).
[14:8] 36 tn It would be a mistake to translate this word as “stranger.” This word (גֵּר, ger) refers to a resident alien or resident foreigner who stays in a country not his own. He is accorded the privilege of protection through the common rights of hospitality but he does not have the rights of the native born or citizen. The simile here is particularly effective. The land was the
[14:9] 37 tn This is the only time this word occurs in the Hebrew Bible. The lexicons generally take it to mean “confused” or “surprised” (cf., e.g., BDB 187 s.v. דָּהַם). However, the word has been found in a letter from the seventh century in a passage where it must mean something like “be helpless”; see W. L. Holladay, Jeremiah (Hermeneia), 1:433, for discussion and bibliography of an article where this letter is dealt with.
[14:9] 38 tn Heb “mighty man, warrior.” For this nuance see 1 Sam 17:51 where it parallels a technical term used of Goliath used earlier in 17:4, 23.
[14:9] 39 tn Heb “in our midst.”
[14:9] 40 tn Heb “Your name is called upon us.” See Jer 7:10, 11, 14, 30 for this idiom with respect to the temple and see the notes on Jer 7:10.
[14:10] 38 tn Heb “Thus said the
[14:10] 39 tn It is difficult to be certain how the particle כֵּן (ken, usually used for “thus, so”) is to be rendered here. BDB 485 s.v. כֵּן 1.b says that the force sometimes has to be elicited from the general context and points back to the line of v. 9. IHBS 666 §39.3.4e states that when there is no specific comparative clause preceding a general comparison is intended. They point to Judg 5:31 as a parallel. Ps 127:2 may also be an example if כִּי (ki) is not to be read (cf. BHS fn). “Truly” seemed the best way to render this idea in contemporary English.
[14:10] 40 tn Heb “They do not restrain their feet.” The idea of “away from me” is implicit in the context and is supplied in the translation for clarity.
[14:10] 42 tn Heb “their iniquities.”
[14:11] 39 tn Heb “on behalf of these people for benefit.”
[14:12] 40 sn See 6:16-20 for parallels.
[14:12] 41 tn Heb “through sword, starvation, and plague.”
[14:13] 41 tn Heb “Lord Yahweh.” The translation follows the ancient Jewish tradition of substituting the Hebrew word for God for the proper name Yahweh.
[14:13] 42 tn Heb “Behold.” See the translator’s note on usage of this particle in 1:6.
[14:13] 43 tn The words “that you said” are not in the text but are implicit from the first person in the affirmation that follows. They are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[14:13] 44 tn Heb “You will not see sword and you will not have starvation [or hunger].”
[14:13] 45 tn Heb “I will give you unfailing peace in this place.” The translation opts for “peace and prosperity” here for the word שָׁלוֹם (shalom) because in the context it refers both to peace from war and security from famine and plague. The word translated “lasting” (אֱמֶת, ’emet) is a difficult to render here because it has broad uses: “truth, reliability, stability, steadfastness,” etc. “Guaranteed” or “lasting” seem to fit the context the best.
[14:14] 42 tn Heb “Falsehood those prophets are prophesying in my name.” In the OT, the “name” reflected the person’s character (cf. Gen 27:36; 1 Sam 25:25) or his reputation (Gen 11:4; 2 Sam 8:13). To speak in someone’s name was to act as his representative or carry his authority (1 Sam 25:9; 1 Kgs 21:8).
[14:14] 43 tn Heb “I did not command them.” Compare 1 Chr 22:12 for usage.
[14:14] 44 tn Heb “divination and worthlessness.” The noun “worthlessness” stands as a qualifying “of” phrase (= to an adjective; an attributive genitive in Hebrew) after a noun in Zech 11:17; Job 13:4. This is an example of hendiadys where two nouns are joined by “and” with one serving as the qualifier of the other.
[14:15] 43 tn Heb “Thus says the
[14:15] 44 tn Heb “Thus says the
[14:16] 44 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[14:16] 45 tn Heb “And the people to whom they are prophesying will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem and there will not be anyone to bury them, they, their wives, and their sons and their daughters.” This sentence has been restructured to break up a long Hebrew sentence and to avoid some awkwardness due to differences in the ancient Hebrew and contemporary English styles.
[14:16] 46 tn Heb “their evil.” Hebrew words often include within them a polarity of cause and effect. Thus the word for “evil” includes both the concept of wickedness and the punishment for it. Other words that function this way are “iniquity” = “guilt [of iniquity]” = “punishment [for iniquity].” Context determines which nuance is proper.
[14:17] 45 tn The word “Jeremiah” is not in the text but the address is to a second person singular and is a continuation of 14:14 where the quote starts. The word is supplied in the translation for clarity.
[14:17] 46 tn Many of the English versions and commentaries render this an indirect or third person imperative, “Let my eyes overflow…” because of the particle אַל (’al) which introduces the phrase translated “without ceasing” (אַל־תִּדְמֶינָה, ’al-tidmenah). However, this is undoubtedly an example where the particle introduces an affirmation that something cannot be done (cf. GKC 322 §109.e). Clear examples of this are found in Pss 41:2 (41:3 HT); 50:3; Job 40:32 (41:8). God here is describing again a lamentable situation and giving his response to it. See 14:1-6 above.
[14:17] 47 tn Heb “virgin daughter, my people.” The last noun here is appositional to the first two (genitive of apposition). Hence it is not ‘literally’ “virgin daughter of my people.”
[14:17] 48 tn This is a poetic personification. To translate with the plural “serious wounds” might mislead some into thinking of literal wounds.
[14:18] 46 tn The word “starvation” has been translated “famine” elsewhere in this passage. It is the word which refers to hunger. The “starvation” here may be war induced and not simply that which comes from famine per se. “Starvation” will cover both.
[14:18] 47 tn The meaning of these last two lines is somewhat uncertain. The meaning of these two lines is debated because of the uncertainty of the meaning of the verb rendered “go about their business” (סָחַר, sakhar) and the last phrase translated here “without any real understanding.” The verb in question most commonly occurs as a participle meaning “trader” or “merchant” (cf., e.g., Ezek 27:21, 36; Prov 31:14). It occurs as a finite verb elsewhere only in Gen 34:10, 21; 42:34 and there in a literal sense of “trading,” “doing business.” While the nuance is metaphorical here it need not extend to “journeying into” (cf., e.g., BDB 695 s.v. סָחַר Qal.1) and be seen as a reference to exile as is sometimes assumed. That seems at variance with the causal particle which introduces this clause, the tense of the verb, and the surrounding context. People are dying in the land (vv. 17-18a) not because prophet and priest have gone (the verb is the Hebrew perfect or past) into exile but because prophet and priest have no true knowledge of God or the situation. The clause translated here “without having any real understanding” (Heb “and they do not know”) is using the verb in the absolute sense indicated in BDB 394 s.v. יָדַע Qal.5 and illustrated in Isa 1:3; 56:10. For a more thorough discussion of the issues one may consult W. McKane, Jeremiah (ICC), 1:330-31.
[14:19] 47 tn The words, “Then I said, ‘
[14:19] 48 tn Heb “does your soul despise.” Here as in many places the word “soul” stands as part for whole for the person himself emphasizing emotional and volitional aspects of the person. However, in contemporary English one does not regularly speak of the “soul” in contexts such as this but of the person.
[14:19] 49 tn Heb “Why have you struck us and there is no healing for us.” The statement involves poetic exaggeration (hyperbole) for rhetorical effect.
[14:19] 50 tn Heb “[We hope] for a time of healing but behold terror.”
[14:20] 48 tn Heb “We acknowledge our wickedness [and] the iniquity of our [fore]fathers.” For the use of the word “know” to mean “confess,” “acknowledge” cf. BDB 394 s.v. יָדַע, Qal.1.f and compare the usage in Jer 3:13.
[14:20] 49 tn This is another example of the intensive use of כִּי (ki). See BDB 472 s.v. כִּי 1.e.
[14:21] 49 tn Heb “For the sake of your name.”
[14:21] 50 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[14:21] 51 tn English versions quite commonly supply “us” as an object for the verb in the first line. This is probably wrong. The Hebrew text reads: “Do not treat with contempt for the sake of your name; do not treat with disdain your glorious throne.” This is case of poetic parallelism where the object is left hanging until the second line. For an example of this see Prov 13:1 in the original and consult E. W. Bullinger, Figures of Speech, 103-4. There has also been some disagreement whether “your glorious throne” refers to the temple (as in 17:12) or Jerusalem (as in 3:17). From the beginning of the prayer in v. 19 where a similar kind of verb has been used with respect to Zion/Jerusalem it would appear that the contextual referent is Jerusalem. The absence of an object from the first line makes it possible to retain part of the metaphor in the translation and still convey some meaning.
[14:21] 52 tn Heb “Remember, do not break your covenant with us.”
[14:22] 50 tn The word הֶבֶל (hevel), often translated “vanities”, is a common pejorative epithet for idols or false gods. See already in 8:19 and 10:8.
[14:22] 51 tn Heb “Is it not you, O
[14:22] 52 tn The rhetorical negatives are balanced by a rhetorical positive.
[25:1] 51 tn Heb “The word was to Jeremiah.” It is implicit from the context that it was the
[25:1] 52 sn The year referred to would be 605
[25:2] 52 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[25:3] 53 sn The year referred to would be 627
[25:3] 54 tn For the idiom involved here see the notes at 7:13 and 11:7.
[25:3] 55 tn The words “what he said” are not in the text but are implicit. They are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[25:4] 54 tn For the idiom involved here see the notes at 7:13 and 11:7.
[25:4] 55 tn The vav consecutive with the perfect in a past narrative is a little unusual. Here it is probably indicating repeated action in past time in keeping with the idiom that precedes and follows it. See GKC 332 §112.f for other possible examples.
[25:4] 56 tn Heb “inclined your ear to hear.” This is idiomatic for “paying attention.” It is often parallel with “listen” as here or with “pay attention” (see, e.g., Prov 4:20; 51:1).
[25:5] 55 tn Heb “saying.” The infinitive goes back to “he sent”; i.e., “he sent, saying.”
[25:5] 56 tn Heb “Turn [masc. pl.] each person from his wicked way and from the evil of your [masc. pl.] doings.” See the same demand in 23:22.
[25:5] 57 tn Heb “gave to you and your fathers with reference to from ancient times even unto forever.” See the same idiom in 7:7.
[25:6] 56 tn Heb “follow after.” See the translator’s note on 2:5 for this idiom.
[25:6] 57 tn Heb “make me angry with the work of your hands.” The term “work of your own hands” is often interpreted as a reference to idolatry as is clearly the case in Isa 2:8; 37:19. However, the parallelism in 25:14 and the context in 32:30 show that it is more general and refers to what they have done. That is likely the meaning here as well.
[25:7] 57 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[25:7] 58 tn This is a rather clear case where the Hebrew particle לְמַעַן (lÿma’an) introduces a consequence and not a purpose, contrary to the dictum of BDB 775 s.v. מַעַן note 1. They have not listened to him in order to make him angry but with the result that they have made him angry by going their own way. Jeremiah appears to use this particle for result rather than purpose on several other occasions (see, e.g., 7:18, 19; 27:10, 15; 32:29).
[25:7] 59 tn Heb “make me angry with the work of your hands.” The term “work of your own hands” is often interpreted as a reference to idolatry as is clearly the case in Isa 2:8; 37:19. However, the parallelism in 25:14 and the context in 32:30 show that it is more general and refers to what they have done. That is likely the meaning here as well.
[25:8] 58 tn Heb “Yahweh of armies.”
[25:8] 59 tn Heb “You have not listened to my words.”
[25:9] 59 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[25:9] 60 sn The many allusions to trouble coming from the north are now clarified: it is the armies of Babylon which included within it contingents from many nations. See 1:14, 15; 4:6; 6:1, 22; 10:22; 13:20 for earlier allusions.
[25:9] 61 sn Nebuchadnezzar is called the
[25:9] 62 tn The word used here was used in the early years of Israel’s conquest for the action of killing all the men, women, and children in the cities of Canaan, destroying all their livestock, and burning their cities down. This policy was intended to prevent Israel from being corrupted by paganism (Deut 7:2; 20:17-18; Josh 6:18, 21). It was to be extended to any city that led Israel away from worshiping God (Deut 13:15) and any Israelite who brought an idol into his house (Deut 7:26). Here the policy is being directed against Judah as well as against her neighbors because of her persistent failure to heed God’s warnings through the prophets. For further usage of this term in application to foreign nations in the book of Jeremiah see 50:21, 26; 51:3.
[25:9] 63 tn Heb “will utterly destroy them.” The referent (this land, its inhabitants, and the nations surrounding it) has been specified in the translation for clarity, since the previous “them” referred to Nebuchadnezzar and his armies.
[25:9] 64 sn The Hebrew word translated “everlasting” is the word often translated “eternal.” However, it sometimes has a more limited time reference. For example it refers to the lifetime of a person who became a “lasting slave” to another person (see Exod 21:6; Deut 15:17). It is also used to refer to the long life wished for a king (1 Kgs 1:31; Neh 2:3). The time frame here is to be qualified at least with reference to Judah and Jerusalem as seventy years (see 29:10-14 and compare v. 12).
[25:9] 65 tn Heb “I will make them an object of horror and a hissing and everlasting ruins.” The sentence has been broken up to separate the last object from the first two which are of slightly different connotation, i.e., they denote the reaction to the latter.
[25:10] 60 sn Compare Jer 7:24 and 16:9 for this same dire prediction limited to Judah and Jerusalem.
[25:10] 61 sn The sound of people grinding meal and the presence of lamps shining in their houses were signs of everyday life. The
[25:11] 61 tn Heb “All this land.”
[25:11] 62 sn It should be noted that the text says that the nations will be subject to the king of Babylon for seventy years, not that they will lie desolate for seventy years. Though several proposals have been made for dating this period, many ignore this fact. This most likely refers to the period beginning with Nebuchadnezzar’s defeat of Pharaoh Necho at Carchemish in 605
[25:12] 62 tn Heb “that nation.”
[25:12] 63 tn Heb “the land of the Chaldeans.” See the study note on 21:4 for the use of the term “Chaldeans.”
[25:12] 64 tn Heb “I will visit upon the king of Babylon and upon that nation, oracle of the
[25:12] 65 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[25:13] 63 tn Or “I will bring upon it everything that is to be written in this book. I will bring upon it everything that Jeremiah is going to prophesy concerning all the nations.” The reference to “this book” and “what Jeremiah has prophesied against the nations” raises issues about the editorial process underlying the current form of the book of Jeremiah. As the book now stands there is no earlier reference to any judgments against Babylon or any book (really “scroll”; books were a development of the first or second century
[25:14] 64 tn Heb “make slaves of them.” The verb form here indicates that the action is as good as done (the Hebrew prophetic perfect). For the use of the verb rendered “makes slaves” see parallel usage in Lev 25:39, 46 (cf. BDB 713 s.v. עָבַד 3).
[25:14] 65 tn Heb “according to their deeds and according to the work of their hands.” The two phrases are synonymous; it would be hard to represent them both in translation without being redundant. The translation attempts to represent them by the qualifier “all” before the first phrase.
[25:15] 65 tn This is an attempt to render the Hebrew particle כִּי (ki) which is probably being used in the sense that BDB 473-74 s.v. כִּי 3.c notes, i.e., the causal connection is somewhat loose, related here to the prophecies against the nations. “So” seems to be the most appropriate way to represent this.
[25:15] 66 tn Heb “Thus said the
[25:15] 67 sn “Drinking from the cup of wrath” is a common figure to represent being punished by God. Isaiah had used it earlier to refer to the punishment which Judah was to suffer and from which God would deliver her (Isa 51:17, 22) and Jeremiah’s contemporary Habakkuk uses it of Babylon “pouring out its wrath” on the nations and in turn being forced to drink the bitter cup herself (Hab 2:15-16). In Jer 51:7 the
[25:16] 66 tn There is some debate about the meaning of the verb here. Both BDB 172 s.v. גָּעַשׁ Hithpo and KBL 191 s.v. גָּעַשׁ Hitpol interpret this of the back and forth movement of staggering. HALOT 192 s.v. גָּעַשׁ Hitpo interprets it as vomiting. The word is used elsewhere of the up and down movement of the mountains (2 Sam 22:8) and the up and down movement of the rolling waves of the Nile (Jer 46:7, 8). The fact that a different verb is used in v. 27 for vomiting would appear to argue against it referring to vomiting (contra W. L. Holladay, Jeremiah [Hermeneia], 1:674; it is “they” that do this not their stomachs).
[25:16] 67 tn Heb “because of the sword that I will send among them.” Here, as often elsewhere in Jeremiah, the sword is figurative for warfare which brings death. See, e.g., 15:2. The causal particle here is found in verbal locutions where it is the cause of emotional states or action. Hence there are really two “agents” which produce the effects of “staggering” and “acting insane,” the cup filled with God’s wrath and the sword. The sword is the “more literal” and the actual agent by which the first agent’s action is carried out.
[25:17] 67 tn The words “the wine of his wrath” are not in the text but are implicit in the metaphor (see vv. 15-16). They are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[25:18] 68 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[25:18] 69 tn The words “I made” and “drink it” are not in the text. The text from v. 18 to v. 26 contains a list of the nations that Jeremiah “made drink it.” The words are supplied in the translation here and at the beginning of v. 19 for the sake of clarity. See also the note on v. 26.
[25:18] 70 tn Heb “in order to make them a ruin, an object of…” The sentence is broken up and the antecedents are made specific for the sake of clarity and English style.
[25:18] 71 tn See the study note on 24:9 for explanation.
[25:18] 72 tn Heb “as it is today.” This phrase would obviously be more appropriate after all these things had happened as is the case in 44:6, 23 where the verbs referring to these conditions are past. Some see this phrase as a marginal gloss added after the tragedies of 597
[25:19] 69 sn See further Jer 46:2-28 for the judgment against Egypt.
[25:20] 70 tn The meaning of this term and its connection with the preceding is somewhat uncertain. This word is used of the mixture of foreign people who accompanied Israel out of Egypt (Exod 12:38) and of the foreigners that the Israelites were to separate out of their midst in the time of Nehemiah (Neh 13:3). Most commentators interpret it here of the foreign people who were living in Egypt. (See BDB 786 s.v. I עֶרֶב and KBL 733 s.v. II עֶרֶב.)
[25:20] 71 sn The land of Uz was Job’s homeland (Job 1:1). The exact location is unknown but its position here between Egypt and the Philistine cities suggests it is south of Judah, probably in the Arabian peninsula. Lam 4:21 suggests that it was near Edom.
[25:20] 72 sn See further Jer 47:1-7 for the judgment against the Philistines. The Philistine cities were west of Judah.
[25:20] 73 sn The Greek historian Herodotus reports that Ashdod had been destroyed under the Pharaoh who preceded Necho, Psammetichus.
[25:21] 71 sn See further Jer 49:7-22 for the judgment against Edom. Edom, Moab, and Ammon were east of Judah.
[25:21] 72 sn See further Jer 48:1-47 for the judgment against Moab.
[25:21] 73 sn See further Jer 49:1-6 for the judgment against Ammon.
[25:22] 72 map For location see Map1 A2; Map2 G2; Map4 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.
[25:22] 73 sn Tyre and Sidon are mentioned within the judgment on the Philistines in Jer 47:4. They were Phoenician cities to the north and west of Judah on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in what is now Lebanon.
[25:22] 74 sn The connection with Tyre and Sidon suggests that these were Phoenician colonies. See also Isa 23:2.
[25:23] 73 sn Dedan and Tema are mentioned together in Isa 21:13-14 and located in the desert. They were located in the northern part of the Arabian peninsula south and east of Ezion Geber. Buz is not mentioned anywhere else and its location is unknown. Judgment against Dedan and Tema is mentioned in conjunction with the judgment on Edom in Jer 47:7-8.
[25:23] 74 tn For the discussion regarding the meaning of the terms here see the notes on 9:26.
[25:24] 74 tc Or “and all the kings of people of mixed origin who.” The Greek version gives evidence of having read the term only once; it refers to the “people of mixed origin” without reference to the kings of Arabia. While the term translated “people of mixed origin” seems appropriate in the context of a group of foreigners within a larger entity (e.g. Israel in Exod 12:38; Neh 13:3; Egypt in Jer 50:37), it seems odd to speak of them as a separate entity under their own kings. The presence of the phrase in the Hebrew text and the other versions dependent upon it can be explained as a case of dittography.
[25:25] 75 sn The kingdom of Zimri is mentioned nowhere else, so its location is unknown.
[25:25] 76 sn See further Jer 49:34-39 for judgment against Elam.
[25:25] 77 sn Elam and Media were east of Babylon; Elam in the south and Media in the north. They were in what is now western Iran.
[25:26] 76 tn The words “have drunk the wine of the
[25:26] 77 tn Heb “the king of Sheshach.” “Sheshach” is a code name for Babylon formed on the principle of substituting the last letter of the alphabet for the first, the next to the last for the second, and so on. On this principle Hebrew שׁ (shin) is substituted for Hebrew ב (bet) and Hebrew כ (kaf) is substituted for Hebrew ל (lamed). On the same principle “Leb Kamai” in Jer 51:1 is a code name for Chasdim or Chaldeans which is Jeremiah’s term for the Babylonians. No explanation is given for why the code names are used. The name “Sheshach” for Babylon also occurs in Jer 51:41 where the term Babylon is found in parallelism with it.
[25:27] 77 tn The words “Then the
[25:27] 78 tn Heb “Yahweh of armies, the God of Israel.”
[25:27] 79 tn Heb “Tell them, ‘Thus says the
[25:27] 80 tn The words “this cup” are not in the text but are implicit to the metaphor and the context. They are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[25:27] 81 tn Heb “Drink, and get drunk, and vomit and fall down and don’t get up.” The imperatives following drink are not parallel actions but consequent actions. For the use of the imperative plus the conjunctive “and” to indicate consequent action, even intention see GKC 324-25 §110.f and compare usage in 1 Kgs 22:12; Prov 3:3b-4a.
[25:27] 82 tn Heb “because of the sword that I will send among you.” See the notes on 2:16 for explanation.
[25:28] 78 tn Heb “Tell them, ‘Thus says the
[25:28] 79 tn The translation attempts to reflect the emphatic construction of the infinitive absolute preceding the finite verb which is here an obligatory imperfect. (See Joüon 2:371-72 §113.m and 2:423 §123.h, and compare usage in Gen 15:13.)
[25:29] 79 tn Heb “which is called by my name.” See translator’s note on 7:10 for support.
[25:29] 80 tn This is an example of a question without the formal introductory particle following a conjunctive vav introducing an opposition. (See Joüon 2:609 §161.a.) It is also an example of the use of the infinitive before the finite verb in a rhetorical question involving doubt or denial. (See Joüon 2:422-23 §123.f, and compare usage in Gen 37:8.)
[25:29] 81 tn Heb “Yahweh of armies.”
[25:29] 82 tn Heb “Oracle of Yahweh of armies.”
[25:30] 80 tn The word “Jeremiah” is not in the text. It is supplied in the translation to make clear who is being addressed.
[25:30] 81 tn Heb “Prophesy against them all these words.”
[25:30] 82 tn The words “like a lion about to attack” are not in the text but are implicit in the metaphor. The explicit comparison of the
[25:30] 83 sn The word used here (Heb “his habitation”) refers to the land of Canaan which the
[25:30] 84 sn The metaphor shifts from God as a lion to God as a mighty warrior (Jer 20:11; Isa 42:13; Zeph 3:17) shouting in triumph over his foes. Within the metaphor is a simile where the warrior is compared to a person stomping on grapes to remove the juice from them in the making of wine. The figure will be invoked later in a battle scene where the sounds of joy in the grape harvest are replaced by the sounds of joy of the enemy soldiers (Jer 48:33). The picture is drawn in more gory detail in Isa 63:1-6.
[25:31] 81 tn For the use of this word see Amos 2:2; Hos 10:14; Ps 74:23. See also the usage in Isa 66:6 which is very similar to the metaphorical usage here.
[25:31] 82 tn Heb “the
[25:31] 83 tn Heb “give the wicked over to the sword.”
[25:31] 84 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[25:32] 82 tn Heb “Yahweh of armies.”
[25:32] 83 tn Heb “will go forth from nation to nation.”
[25:32] 84 tn The words “of military destruction” have been supplied in the translation to make the metaphor clear. The metaphor has shifted from that of God as a lion, to God as a warrior, to God as a judge, to God as the author of the storm winds of destruction.
[25:33] 83 sn The intent here is to emphasize the large quantity of those who are killed – there will be too many to insure proper mourning rites and proper burial.
[25:34] 84 tn Heb “Wail and cry out, you shepherds. Roll in the dust, you leaders of the flock.” The terms have been reversed to explain the figure.
[25:34] 85 tn The meaning of this line is debated. The Greek version does not have the words “lie scattered” and it reads the words “like broken pieces of fine pottery” (Heb “like choice vessels”; כִּכְלִי חֶמְדָּה, kikhli khemdah) as “like choice rams” (כְּאֵילֵי חֶמְדָּה, kÿ’ele khemdah); i.e., “the days have been completed for you to be slaughtered and you will fall like choice rams.” The reading of the Greek version fits the context better, but is probably secondary for that very reason. The word translated “lie scattered” (תְּפוֹצָה, tÿfotsah) occurs nowhere else and the switch to the simile of “choice vessels” is rather abrupt. However, this section has been characterized by switching metaphors. The key to the interpretation and translation here is the consequential nature of the verbal actions involved. “Fall” does not merely refer to the action but the effect, i.e., “lie fallen” (cf. BDB 657 s.v. נָפַל 7 and compare Judg 3:25; 1 Sam 31:8). Though the noun translated “lie scattered” does not occur elsewhere, the verb does. It is quite commonly used of dispersing people and that has led many to see that as the reference here. The word, however, can be used of scattering other things like seed (Isa 28:25), arrows (2 Sam 22:15; metaphorical for lightning), etc. Here it follows “slaughtered” and refers to their dead bodies. The simile (Heb “ fallen like choice vessels”) is elliptical, referring to “broken pieces” of choice vessels. In this sense the simile fits in perfectly with v. 33.
[25:35] 85 tn Heb “Flight [or “place of escape”] will perish from the shepherds.”
[25:36] 86 tn Heb “their pastures,” i.e., the place where they “shepherd” their “flocks.” The verb tenses in this section are not as clear as in the preceding. The participle in this verse is followed by a vav consecutive perfect like the imperatives in v. 34. The verbs in v. 38 are perfects but they can be and probably should be understood as prophetic like the perfect in v. 31 (נְתָנָם, nÿtanam) which is surrounded by imperfects, participles, and vav consecutive perfects.
[25:37] 87 tn For this meaning of the verb used here see HALOT 217 s.v. דָּמַם Nif. Elsewhere it refers to people dying (see, e.g., Jer 49:26; 50:30) hence some see a reference to “lifeless.”
[25:37] 88 tn Heb “because of the burning anger of the
[25:38] 88 tn Heb “Like a lion he has left his lair.”
[25:38] 89 tn This is a way of rendering the Hebrew particle כִּי (ki) which is probably here for emphasis rather than indicating cause (see BDB 473 s.v. כִּי 1.e and compare usage in Jer 22:22).
[25:38] 90 tc Heb “by the sword of the oppressors.” The reading here follows a number of Hebrew
[26:1] 89 sn Beginning with Jer 26 up to Jer 45 the book narrates in third person style incidents in the life of Jeremiah and prophecies (or sermons) he gave in obedience to the
[26:1] 90 tn The words “to Jeremiah” are not in the Hebrew text. They are added by the Old Latin (not the Vulgate) and the Syriac versions. They are implicit, however, to the narrative style which speaks of Jeremiah in the third person (cf. vv. 7, 12). They have been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[26:1] 91 tn It is often thought that the term here is equivalent to a technical term in Akkadian (reshsharruti) which refers to the part of the year remaining from the death or deposing of the previous king until the beginning of the calendar year when the new king officially ascended the throne. In this case it would refer to the part of the year between September, 609
[26:2] 90 sn It is generally agreed that the incident recorded in this chapter relates to the temple message that Jeremiah gave in 7:1-15. The message there is summarized here in vv. 3-6. The primary interest here is in the response to that message.
[26:3] 91 tn Heb “will turn from his wicked way.”
[26:3] 92 tn For the idiom and translation of terms involved here see 18:8 and the translator’s note there.
[26:3] 93 tn Heb “because of the wickedness of their deeds.”
[26:4] 92 tn Heb “thus says the
[26:4] 93 tn Heb “by walking in my law which I set before you.”
[26:5] 93 tn See the translator’s note on 7:13 for the idiom here.
[26:6] 94 tn 26:4-6 are all one long sentence containing a long condition with subordinate clauses (vv. 4-5) and a compound consequence in v. 6: Heb “If you will not obey me by walking in my law…by paying attention to the words of the prophets which…and you did not pay heed, then I will make…and I will make…” The sentence has been broken down in conformity to contemporary English style but an attempt has been made to reflect all the subordinations in the English translation.
[26:6] 95 sn See the study note on Jer 7:13.
[26:8] 95 tn The translation again represents an attempt to break up a long complex Hebrew sentence into equivalent English ones that conform more to contemporary English style: Heb “And as soon as Jeremiah finished saying all that…the priests…grabbed him and said…” The word “some” has been supplied in the translation, because obviously it was not all the priests, the prophets, and all the people, but only some of them. There is, of course, rhetorical intent here to show that all were implicated, although all may not have actually participated. (This is a common figure called synecdoche where all is put for a part – all for all kinds or representatives of all kinds. See E. W. Bullinger, Figures of Speech, 614-19, and compare usage in Acts 10:12; Matt 3:5.)
[26:8] 96 tn Or “You must certainly die!” The construction here is again emphatic with the infinitive preceding the finite verb (cf. Joüon 2:423 §123.h, and compare usage in Exod 21:28).
[26:9] 96 tn Heb “Why have you prophesied in the
[26:10] 97 sn These officials of Judah were officials from the royal court. They may have included some of the officials mentioned in Jer 36:12-25. They would have been concerned about any possible “illegal” proceedings going on in the temple.
[26:10] 98 tn Heb “these things.”
[26:10] 99 tn Heb “they sat” or “they took their seats.” However, the context is one of judicial trial.
[26:10] 100 tn The translation follows many Hebrew
[26:11] 98 tn Heb “the priests and prophets said to the leaders and the people….” The long sentence has been broken up to conform better with contemporary English style and the situational context is reflected in “laid their charges.”
[26:11] 99 tn Heb “a sentence of death to this man.”
[26:12] 99 tn Heb “Jeremiah said to all the leaders and all the people….” See the note on the word “said” in the preceding verse.
[26:13] 100 tn Heb “Make good your ways and your actions.” For the same expression see 7:3, 5; 18:11.
[26:13] 101 tn For the idiom and translation of terms involved here see 18:8 and the translator’s note there.
[26:14] 101 tn Heb “And I, behold I am in your hand.” Hand is quite commonly used for “power” or “control” in biblical contexts.
[26:15] 102 tn Heb “For in truth the
[26:16] 103 tn Heb “Then the officials and all the people said to the priests and the prophets…”
[26:16] 104 sn Contrast v. 11.
[26:16] 105 tn Heb “For in the name of the
[26:17] 104 tn Heb “elders of the land.”
[26:18] 105 sn Micah from Moresheth was a contemporary of Isaiah (compare Mic 1:1 with Isa 1:1) from the country town of Moresheth in the hill country southwest of Jerusalem. The prophecy referred to is found in Mic 3:12. This is the only time in the OT where an OT prophet is quoted verbatim and identified.
[26:18] 106 sn Hezekiah was co-regent with his father Ahaz from 729-715
[26:18] 107 tn Heb “Yahweh of armies.”
[26:18] 108 sn Zion was first of all the citadel that David captured (2 Sam 5:6-10), then the city of David and the enclosed temple area, then the whole city of Jerusalem. It is often in poetic parallelism with Jerusalem as it is here (see, e.g., Ps 76:2; Amos 1:2).
[26:18] 109 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[26:18] 110 sn There is irony involved in this statement. The text reads literally “high places of a forest/thicket.” The “high places” were the illicit places of worship that Jerusalem was supposed to replace. Because of their sin, Jerusalem would be like one of the pagan places of worship with no place left sacrosanct. It would even be overgrown with trees and bushes. So much for its inviolability!
[26:19] 106 tn This Hebrew idiom (חָלָה פָּנִים, khalah panim) is often explained in terms of “stroking” or “patting the face” of someone, seeking to gain his favor. It is never used in a literal sense and is found in contexts of prayer (Exod 32:11; Ps 119:158), worship (Zech 8:21-22), humble submission (2 Chr 3:12), or amendment of behavior (Dan 9:13). All were true to one extent or another of Hezekiah.
[26:19] 107 tn The he interrogative (הַ)with the negative governs all three of the verbs, the perfect and the two vav (ו) consecutive imperfects that follow it. The next clause has disjunctive word order and introduces a contrast. The question expects a positive answer.
[26:19] 108 tn For the translation of the terms involved here see the translator’s note on 18:8.
[26:19] 109 tn Or “great harm to ourselves.” The word “disaster” (or “harm”) is the same one that has been translated “destroying” in the preceding line and in vv. 3 and 13.
[26:20] 107 sn This is a brief parenthetical narrative about an otherwise unknown prophet who was executed for saying the same things Jeremiah did. It is put here to show the real danger that Jeremiah faced for saying what he did. There is nothing in the narrative here to show any involvement by Jehoiakim. This was a “lynch mob” instigated by the priests and false prophets which was stymied by the royal officials supported by some of the elders of Judah. Since it is disjunctive or parenthetical it is unclear whether this incident happened before or after that in the main narrative being reported.
[26:20] 108 tn Heb “in the name of the
[26:20] 109 tn Heb “Now also a man was prophesying in the name of the
[26:21] 108 tn Heb “all his mighty men/soldiers.” It is unlikely that this included all the army. It more likely was the palace guards or royal bodyguards (see 2 Sam 23 where the same word is used of David’s elite corps).
[26:21] 109 tn Heb “his words.”
[26:21] 110 tn Heb “But Uriah heard and feared and fled and entered Egypt.”
[26:22] 109 sn Elnathan son of Achbor was one of the officials who urged Jeremiah and Baruch to hide after they heard Jeremiah’s prophecies read before them (Jer 36:11-19). He was also one of the officials who urged Jehoiakim not to burn the scroll containing Jeremiah’s prophecies (Jer 36:25). He may have been Jehoiakim’s father-in-law (2 Kgs 24:6, 8).
[26:23] 110 tn Heb “from Egypt.”
[26:23] 111 sn The burial place of the common people was the public burial grounds, distinct from the family tombs, where poor people without any distinction were buried. It was in the Kidron Valley east of Jerusalem (2 Kgs 23:6). The intent of reporting this is to show the ruthlessness of Jehoiakim.
[26:24] 111 sn Ahikam son of Shaphan was an official during the reign of Jehoiakim’s father, Josiah (2 Kgs 22:12, 14). He was also the father of Gedaliah who became governor of Judah after the fall of Jerusalem (Jer 40:5). The particle at the beginning of the verse is meant to contrast the actions of this man with the actions of Jehoiakim. The impression created by this verse is that it took more than just the royal officials’ opinion and the elders’ warnings to keep the priests and prophets from swaying popular opinion to put Jeremiah to death.
[26:24] 112 tn Heb “Nevertheless, the hand of Ahikam son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah so that he would not be given (even more literally, ‘so as not to give him’) into the hand of the people to kill him.” “Hand” is often used for “aid,” “support,” “influence,” “power,” “control.”
