Discovery BoxJeremiah 6:6
Context6:6 All of this is because 1 the Lord who rules over all 2 has said:
‘Cut down the trees around Jerusalem
and build up a siege ramp against its walls. 3
This is the city which is to be punished. 4
Nothing but oppression happens in it. 5
Jeremiah 49:7
Context49:7 The Lord who rules over all 6 spoke about Edom. 7
“Is wisdom no longer to be found in Teman? 8
Can Edom’s counselors not give her any good advice? 9
Has all of their wisdom turned bad? 10
Jeremiah 49:30
Context49:30 The Lord says, 11 “Flee quickly, you who live in Hazor. 12
Take up refuge in remote places. 13
For King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon has laid out plans to attack you.
He has formed his strategy on how to defeat you.” 14
[6:6] 1 tn Heb “For.” The translation attempts to make the connection clearer.
[6:6] 2 tn Heb “Yahweh of armies.”
[6:6] 3 tn Heb “Cut down its trees and build up a siege ramp against Jerusalem.” The referent has been moved forward from the second line for clarity.
[6:6] 4 tn Or “must be punished.” The meaning of this line is uncertain. The LXX reads, “Woe, city of falsehood!” The MT presents two anomalies: a masculine singular verb with a feminine singular subject in a verbal stem (Hophal) that elsewhere does not have the meaning “is to be punished.” Hence many follow the Greek which presupposes הוֹי עִיר הַשֶּׁקֶר (hoy ’ir hasheqer) instead of הִיא הָעִיר הָפְקַד (hi’ ha’ir hofqad). The Greek is the easier reading in light of the parallelism, and it would be hard to explain how the MT arose from it. KBL suggests reading a noun meaning “licentiousness” which occurs elsewhere only in Mishnaic Hebrew, hence “this is the city, the licentious one” (attributive apposition; cf. KBL 775 s.v. פֶּקֶר). Perhaps the Hophal perfect (הָפְקַד, hofÿqad) should be revocalized as a Niphal infinitive absolute (הִפָּקֹד, hippaqod); this would solve both anomalies in the MT since the Niphal is used in this nuance and the infinitive absolute can function in place of a finite verb (cf. GKC 346 §113.ee and ff). This, however, is mere speculation and is supported by no Hebrew
[6:6] 5 tn Heb “All of it oppression in its midst.”
[49:7] 6 tn Heb “Yahweh of armies.” See the study note on 2:19 for this title.
[49:7] 7 sn Edom was a kingdom to the south and east of Judah. Its borders varied over time but basically Edom lay in the hundred mile strip between the Gulf of Aqaba on the south and the Zered River on the north. It straddled the Arabah leading down from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba, having as its northern neighbors both Judah and Moab. A long history of hostility existed between Israel and Edom, making Edom one of the favorite objects of the prophets’ oracles of judgment (cf., e.g., Isa 21:11-12; 34:5-15; 63:1-6; Amos 1:11-12; Ezek 25:12-14; 35:1-15; Obad 1-16). Not much is known about Edom at this time other than the fact that they participated in the discussions regarding rebellion against Nebuchadnezzar in 594
[49:7] 8 sn Teman was the name of one of Esau’s descendants, the name of an Edomite clan and the name of the district where they lived (Gen 36:11, 15, 34). Like the name Bozrah, it is used poetically for all of Edom (Jer 49:20; Ezek 25:13).
[49:7] 9 tn Heb “Has counsel perished from men of understanding?”
[49:7] 10 tn The meaning of this last word is based on the definition given in KBL 668 s.v. II סָרַח Nif and HALOT 726 s.v. II סָרַח Nif, which give the nuance “to be [or become] corrupt” rather than that of BDB 710 s.v. סָרַח Niph who give the nuance “let loose (i.e., to be dismissed; to be gone)” from a verb that is elsewhere used of the overhanging of a curtains or a cliff.
[49:30] 11 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[49:30] 12 map For location see Map1 D2; Map2 D3; Map3 A2; Map4 C1.
[49:30] 13 tn Heb “Make deep to dwell.” See Jer 49:8 and the translator’s note there. The use of this same phrase here argues against the alternative there of going down from a height and going back home.
[49:30] 14 tn Heb “has counseled a counsel against you, has planned a plan against you.”
