Jeremiah 51:38

51:38 The Babylonians are all like lions roaring for prey.

They are like lion cubs growling for something to eat. ¹ 

Jeremiah 2:15

2:15 Like lions his enemies roar victoriously over him;

they raise their voices in triumph. ² 

They have laid his land waste;

his cities have been burned down and deserted. ³ 

Jeremiah 25:38

25:38 The Lord is like a lion who has left his lair. ⁴ 

So their lands will certainly ⁵  be laid waste

by the warfare of the oppressive nation ⁶ 

and by the fierce anger of the Lord.”

[51:38]  ¹ tn Heb “They [the Babylonians] all roar like lions. They growl like the cubs of lions.” For the usage of יַחְדָו (yakhdav) meaning “all” see Isa 10:8; 18:6; 41:20. The translation strives to convey in clear terms what is the generally accepted meaning of the simile (cf., e.g., J. Bright, Jeremiah [AB], 358, and J. A. Thompson, Jeremiah [NICOT], 762).

[2:15]  ² tn Heb “Lions shout over him, they give out [raise] their voices.”

[2:15]  ³ tn Heb “without inhabitant.”

[25:38]  ³ tn Heb “Like a lion he has left his lair.”

[25:38]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ tc Heb “by the sword of the oppressors.” The reading here follows a number of Hebrew mss and the Greek version. The majority of Hebrew mss read “the anger of the oppressor.” The reading “the sword of the oppressors” is supported also by the parallel use of this phrase in Jer 46:16; 50:16. The error in the MT may be explained by confusion with the following line which has the same beginning combination (מִפְּנֵי חֲרוֹן [mippÿne kharon] confused for מִפְּנֵי חֶרֶב [mippÿne kherev]). This reading is also supported by the Targum, the Aramaic paraphrase of the OT. According to BDB 413 s.v. יָנָה Qal the feminine singular participle (הַיּוֹנָה, hayyonah) is functioning as a collective in this idiom (see GKC 394 §122.s for this phenomenon).