Discovery BoxJeremiah 7:12
Context7:12 So, go to the place in Shiloh where I allowed myself to be worshiped 1 in the early days. See what I did to it 2 because of the wicked things my people Israel did.
Jeremiah 7:1
Context7:1 The Lord said to Jeremiah: 3
Jeremiah 6:1-30
Context6:1 “Run for safety, people of Benjamin!
Get out of Jerusalem! 4
Sound the trumpet 5 in Tekoa!
Light the signal fires at Beth Hakkerem!
For disaster lurks 6 out of the north;
it will bring great destruction. 7
6:2 I will destroy 8 Daughter Zion, 9
who is as delicate and defenseless as a young maiden. 10
6:3 Kings will come against it with their armies. 11
They will encamp in siege all around it. 12
Each of them will devastate the portion assigned to him. 13
6:4 They will say, 14 ‘Prepare to do battle 15 against it!
Come on! Let’s attack it at noon!’
But later they will say, 16 ‘Oh, oh! Too bad! 17
The day is almost over
and the shadows of evening are getting long.
6:5 So come on, let’s go ahead and attack it by night
and destroy all its fortified buildings.’
6:6 All of this is because 18 the Lord who rules over all 19 has said:
‘Cut down the trees around Jerusalem
and build up a siege ramp against its walls. 20
This is the city which is to be punished. 21
Nothing but oppression happens in it. 22
6:7 As a well continually pours out fresh water
so it continually pours out wicked deeds. 23
Sounds of violence and destruction echo throughout it. 24
All I see are sick and wounded people.’ 25
6:8 So 26 take warning, Jerusalem,
or I will abandon you in disgust 27
and make you desolate,
a place where no one can live.”
6:9 This is what the Lord who rules over all 28 said to me: 29
“Those who remain in Israel will be
like the grapes thoroughly gleaned 30 from a vine.
So go over them again, as though you were a grape harvester
passing your hand over the branches one last time.” 31
“Who would listen
if I spoke to them and warned them? 33
Their ears are so closed 34
that they cannot hear!
Indeed, 35 what the Lord says is offensive to them.
They do not like it at all. 36
6:11 I am as full of anger as you are, Lord, 37
I am tired of trying to hold it in.”
The Lord answered, 38
“Vent it, then, 39 on the children who play in the street
and on the young men who are gathered together.
Husbands and wives are to be included, 40
as well as the old and those who are advanced in years.
6:12 Their houses will be turned over to others
as will their fields and their wives.
For I will unleash my power 41
against those who live in this land,”
says the Lord.
6:13 “That is because, from the least important to the most important of them,
all of them are greedy for dishonest gain.
Prophets and priests alike,
all of them practice deceit.
6:14 They offer only superficial help
for the harm my people have suffered. 42
They say, ‘Everything will be all right!’
But everything is not all right! 43
6:15 Are they ashamed because they have done such shameful things?
No, they are not at all ashamed.
They do not even know how to blush!
So they will die, just like others have died. 44
They will be brought to ruin when I punish them,”
says the Lord.
6:16 The Lord said to his people: 45
“You are standing at the crossroads. So consider your path. 46
Ask where the old, reliable paths 47 are.
Ask where the path is that leads to blessing 48 and follow it.
If you do, you will find rest for your souls.”
But they said, “We will not follow it!”
“I appointed prophets as watchmen to warn you, 50 saying:
‘Pay attention to the warning sound of the trumpet!’” 51
But they said, “We will not pay attention!”
“Hear, you nations!
Be witnesses and take note of what will happen to these people. 53
6:19 Hear this, you peoples of the earth: 54
‘Take note! 55 I am about to bring disaster on these people.
It will come as punishment for their scheming. 56
For they have paid no attention to what I have said, 57
and they have rejected my law.
6:20 I take no delight 58 when they offer up to me 59
frankincense that comes from Sheba
or sweet-smelling cane imported from a faraway land.
I cannot accept the burnt offerings they bring me.
I get no pleasure from the sacrifices they offer to me.’ 60
6:21 So, this is what the Lord says:
‘I will assuredly 61 make these people stumble to their doom. 62
Parents and children will stumble and fall to their destruction. 63
Friends and neighbors will die.’
6:22 “This is what the Lord says:
‘Beware! An army 64 is coming from a land in the north.
A mighty nation is stirring into action in faraway parts of the earth.
6:23 Its soldiers are armed with bows and spears.
They are cruel and show no mercy.
They sound like the roaring sea
as they ride forth on their horses.
Lined up in formation like men going into battle
to attack you, Daughter Zion.’” 65
6:24 The people cry out, 66 “We have heard reports about them!
We have become helpless with fear! 67
Anguish grips us,
agony like that of a woman giving birth to a baby!
6:25 Do not go out into the countryside.
Do not travel on the roads.
For the enemy is there with sword in hand. 68
They are spreading terror everywhere.” 69
6:26 So I said, 70 “Oh, my dear people, 71 put on sackcloth
and roll in ashes.
Mourn with painful sobs
as though you had lost your only child.
For any moment now 72 that destructive army 73
will come against us.”
“I have made you like a metal assayer
to test my people like ore. 75
You are to observe them
and evaluate how they behave.” 76
“All of them are the most stubborn of rebels! 78
They are as hard as bronze or iron.
They go about telling lies.
They all deal corruptly.
6:29 The fiery bellows of judgment burn fiercely.
But there is too much dross to be removed. 79
The process of refining them has proved useless. 80
The wicked have not been purged.
6:30 They are regarded as ‘rejected silver’ 81
because the Lord rejects them.”
Jeremiah 9:1-26
Context9:1 (8:23) 82 I wish that my head were a well full of water 83
and my eyes were a fountain full of tears!
If they were, I could cry day and night
for those of my dear people 84 who have been killed.
9:2 (9:1) I wish I had a lodging place in the desert
where I could spend some time like a weary traveler. 85
Then I would desert my people
and walk away from them
because they are all unfaithful to God,
a congregation 86 of people that has been disloyal to him. 87
“These people are like soldiers who have readied their bows.
Their tongues are always ready to shoot out lies. 89
They have become powerful in the land,
but they have not done so by honest means. 90
Indeed, they do one evil thing after another 91
and do not pay attention to me. 92
9:4 Everyone must be on his guard around his friends.
He must not even trust any of his relatives. 93
For every one of them will find some way to cheat him. 94
And all of his friends will tell lies about him.
9:5 One friend deceives another
and no one tells the truth.
These people have trained themselves 95 to tell lies.
They do wrong and are unable to repent.
9:6 They do one act of violence after another,
and one deceitful thing after another. 96
They refuse to pay attention to me,” 97
says the Lord.
9:7 Therefore the Lord who rules over all says, 98
“I will now purify them in the fires of affliction 99 and test them.
The wickedness of my dear people 100 has left me no choice.
What else can I do? 101
9:8 Their tongues are like deadly arrows. 102
They are always telling lies. 103
Friendly words for their neighbors come from their mouths.
But their minds are thinking up ways to trap them. 104
9:9 I will certainly punish them for doing such things!” says the Lord.
“I will certainly bring retribution on such a nation as this!” 105
“I will weep and mourn 107 for the grasslands on the mountains, 108
I will sing a mournful song for the pastures in the wilderness
because they are so scorched no one travels through them.
The sound of livestock is no longer heard there.
Even the birds in the sky and the wild animals in the fields
have fled and are gone.”
“I will make Jerusalem 110 a heap of ruins.
Jackals will make their home there. 111
I will destroy the towns of Judah
so that no one will be able to live in them.”
“Who is wise enough to understand why this has happened? 113
Who has a word from the Lord that can explain it? 114
Why does the land lie in ruins?
Why is it as scorched as a desert through which no one travels?”
9:13 The Lord answered, “This has happened because these people have rejected my laws which I gave them. They have not obeyed me or followed those laws. 115 9:14 Instead they have followed the stubborn inclinations of their own hearts. They have paid allegiance to 116 the gods called Baal, 117 as their fathers 118 taught them to do. 9:15 So then, listen to what I, the Lord God of Israel who rules over all, 119 say. 120 ‘I will make these people eat the bitter food of suffering and drink the poison water of judgment. 121 9:16 I will scatter them among nations that neither they nor their ancestors 122 have known anything about. I will send people chasing after them with swords 123 until I have destroyed them.’” 124
9:17 The Lord who rules over all 125 told me to say to this people, 126
“Take note of what I say. 127
Call for the women who mourn for the dead!
Summon those who are the most skilled at it!” 128
9:18 I said, “Indeed, 129 let them come quickly and sing a song of mourning for us.
Let them wail loudly until tears stream from our own eyes
and our eyelids overflow with water.
9:19 For the sound of wailing is soon to be heard in Zion.
They will wail, 130 ‘We are utterly ruined! 131 We are completely disgraced!
For our houses have been torn down
and we must leave our land.’” 132
“So now, 134 you wailing women, hear what the Lord says. 135
Open your ears to the words from his mouth.
Teach your daughters this mournful song,
and each of you teach your neighbor 136 this lament.
9:21 ‘Death has climbed in 137 through our windows.
It has entered into our fortified houses.
It has taken away our children who play in the streets.
It has taken away our young men who gather in the city squares.’
9:22 Tell your daughters and neighbors, ‘The Lord says,
“The dead bodies of people will lie scattered everywhere
like manure scattered on a field.
They will lie scattered on the ground
like grain that has been cut down but has not been gathered.”’” 138
“Wise people should not boast that they are wise.
Powerful people should not boast that they are powerful. 140
Rich people should not boast that they are rich. 141
9:24 If people want to boast, they should boast about this:
They should boast that they understand and know me.
They should boast that they know and understand
that I, the Lord, act out of faithfulness, fairness, and justice in the earth
and that I desire people to do these things,” 142
says the Lord.
9:25 The Lord says, “Watch out! 143 The time is soon coming when I will punish all those who are circumcised only in the flesh. 144 9:26 That is, I will punish the Egyptians, the Judeans, the Edomites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, and all the desert people who cut their hair short at the temples. 145 I will do so because none of the people of those nations are really circumcised in the Lord’s sight. 146 Moreover, none of the people of Israel 147 are circumcised when it comes to their hearts.” 148
[7:12] 1 tn Heb “where I caused my name to dwell.” The translation does not adequately represent the theology of the
[7:12] 2 sn The place in Shiloh…see what I did to it. This refers to the destruction of Shiloh by the Philistines circa 1050
[7:1] 3 tn Heb “The word which came to Jeremiah from the
[6:1] 5 tn Heb “Flee for safety, people of Benjamin, out of the midst of Jerusalem.”
[6:1] 6 tn Heb “ram’s horn,” but the modern equivalent is “trumpet” and is more readily understandable.
[6:1] 7 tn Heb “leans down” or “looks down.” This verb personifies destruction leaning/looking down from its window in the sky, ready to attack.
[6:1] 8 tn Heb “[It will be] a severe fracture.” The nation is pictured as a limb being fractured.
[6:2] 7 tn The verb here is another example of the Hebrew verb form that indicates the action is as good as done (a Hebrew prophetic perfect).
[6:2] 8 sn Jerusalem is personified as a young maiden who is helpless in the hands of her enemies.
[6:2] 9 tn Heb “The beautiful and delicate one I will destroy, the daughter of Zion. The English versions and commentaries are divided over the rendering of this verse because (1) there are two verbs with these same consonants, one meaning “to be like” and the other meaning “to be destroyed” (intransitive) or “to destroy” (transitive), and (2) the word rendered “beautiful” (נָוָה, navah) can be understood as a noun meaning “pasture” or as a defective writing of an adjective meaning “beautiful, comely” (נָאוָה, na’vah). Hence some render “Fair Zion, you are like a lovely pasture,” reading the verb form as an example of the old second feminine singular perfect. Although this may fit the imagery of the next verse, that rendering ignores the absence of a preposition (לְ or אֶל, lÿ or ’el, both of which can be translated “to”) that normally goes with the verb “be like” and drops the conjunction in front of the adjective “delicate.” The parallel usage of the verb in Hos 4:5 argues for the meaning “destroy.”
[6:3] 9 tn Heb “Shepherds and their flocks will come against it.” Rulers are often depicted as shepherds; see BDB 945 s.v. רָעָה 1.d(2) (cf. Jer 12:10). The translation of this verse attempts to clarify the point of this extended metaphor.
[6:3] 10 tn Heb “They will thrust [= pitch] tents around it.” The shepherd imagery has a surprisingly ominous tone. The beautiful pasture filled with shepherds grazing their sheep is in reality a city under siege from an attacking enemy.
[6:3] 11 tn Heb “They will graze each one his portion.” For the use of the verb “graze” to mean “strip” or “devastate” see BDB 945 s.v. רָעָה 2.c. For a similar use of the word normally meaning “hand” to mean portion compare 2 Sam 19:43 (19:44 HT).
[6:4] 11 tn These words are not in the text but are implicit in the connection. They are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[6:4] 12 tn Heb “Sanctify war.” This is probably an idiom from early Israel’s holy wars in which religious rites were to precede the battle.
[6:4] 13 tn These words are not in the text but are supplied in the translation for clarity. Some commentaries and English versions see these not as the words of the enemy but as those of the Israelites expressing their fear that the enemy will launch a night attack against them and further destroy them. The connection with the next verse, however, fits better with them if they are the words of the enemy.
[6:4] 14 tn Heb “Woe to us!” For the usage of this phrase see the translator’s note on 4:13. The usage of this particle here is a little exaggerated. They have lost the most advantageous time for attack but they are scarcely in a hopeless or doomed situation. The equivalent in English slang is “Bad news!”
[6:6] 13 tn Heb “For.” The translation attempts to make the connection clearer.
[6:6] 14 tn Heb “Yahweh of armies.”
[6:6] 15 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] 16 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] 17 tn Heb “All of it oppression in its midst.”
[6:7] 15 tc Heb “As a well makes cool/fresh its water, she makes cool/fresh her wickedness.” The translation follows the reading proposed by the Masoretes (Qere) which reads a rare form of the word “well” (בַּיִר [bayir] for בְּאֵר [bÿ’er]) in place of the form written in the text (Kethib, בּוֹר [bor]), which means “cistern.” The latter noun is masculine and the pronoun “its” is feminine. If indeed בַּיִר (bayir) is a byform of בְּאֵר (be’er), which is feminine, it would agree in gender with the pronoun. It also forms a more appropriate comparison since cisterns do not hold fresh water.
[6:7] 16 tn Heb “Violence and destruction are heard in it.”
[6:7] 17 tn Heb “Sickness and wound are continually before my face.”
[6:8] 17 tn This word is not in the text but is supplied in the translation. Jeremiah uses a figure of speech (enallage) where the speaker turns from talking about someone to address him/her directly.
[6:8] 18 tn Heb “lest my soul [= I] becomes disgusted with you.”
[6:9] 19 tn Heb “Yahweh of armies.”
[6:9] 20 tn The words “to me” are not in the text but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[6:9] 21 tn Heb “They will thoroughly glean those who are left in Israel like a vine.” That is, they will be carried off by judgment. It is not necessary to read the verb forms here as two imperatives or an infinitive absolute followed by an imperative as some English versions and commentaries do. This is an example of a third plural verb used impersonally and translated as a passive (cf. GKC 460 §144.g).
[6:9] 22 tn Heb “Pass your hand back over the branches like a grape harvester.” The translation is intended to clarify the metaphor that Jeremiah should try to rescue some from the coming destruction.
[6:10] 21 tn These words are not in the text but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[6:10] 22 tn Or “To whom shall I speak? To whom shall I give warning? Who will listen?” Heb “Unto whom shall I speak and give warning that they may listen?”
[6:10] 23 tn Heb “are uncircumcised.”
[6:10] 25 tn Heb “They do not take pleasure in it.”
[6:11] 23 tn Heb “I am full of the wrath of the
[6:11] 24 tn These words are not in the text but are implicit from the words that follow. They are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[6:11] 25 tn Heb “Pour it out.”
[6:11] 26 tn Heb “are to be captured.”
[6:12] 25 tn Heb “I will reach out my hand.” This figure involves both comparing God to a person (anthropomorphism) and substitution (metonymy) where hand is put for the actions or exertions of the hand. A common use of “hand” is for the exertion of power or strength (cf. BDB 290 s.v. יָד 2 and 289-90 s.v. יָד 1.e(2); cf. Deut 34:12; Ps 78:42; Jer 16:21).
[6:14] 27 tn Heb “They heal [= bandage] the wound of my people lightly”; TEV “They act as if my people’s wounds were only scratches.”
[6:14] 28 tn Heb “They say, ‘Peace! Peace!’ and there is no peace!”
[6:15] 29 tn Heb “They will fall among the fallen.”
[6:16] 31 tn The words, “to his people” are not in the text but are implicit in the interchange of pronouns in the Hebrew of vv. 16-17. They are supplied in the translation here for clarity.
[6:16] 32 tn Heb “Stand at the crossroads and look.”
[6:16] 33 tn Heb “the ancient path,” i.e., the path the
[6:16] 34 tn Heb “the way of/to the good.”
[6:17] 33 tn These words are not in the text but are implicit in the interchange of pronouns in the Hebrew of vv. 16-17. They are supplied in the translation here for clarity.
[6:17] 34 tn Heb “I appointed watchmen over you.”
[6:17] 35 tn Heb “Pay attention to the sound of the trumpet.” The word “warning” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied.
[6:18] 35 tn These words are not in the text but are implicit from the flow of the context. They are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[6:18] 36 tn Heb “Know, congregation [or witness], what in [or against] them.” The meaning of this line is somewhat uncertain. The meaning of the noun of address in the second line (“witness,” rendered as an imperative in the translation, “Be witnesses”) is greatly debated. It is often taken as “congregation” but the lexicons and commentaries generally question the validity of reading that word since it is nowhere else applied to the nations. BDB 417 s.v. עֵדָה 3 says that the text is dubious. HALOT 747 s.v. I עֵדָה, 4 emends the text to דֵּעָה (de’ah). Several modern English versions (e.g., NIV, NCV, God’s Word) take it as the feminine singular noun “witness” (cf. BDB 729 s.v. II עֵדָה) and understand it as a collective. This solution is also proposed by J. A. Thompson (Jeremiah [NICOT], 259, n. 3) and appears to make the best sense in the context. The end of the line is very elliptical but is generally taken as either, “what I will do with/to them,” or “what is coming against them” (= “what will happen to them”) on the basis of the following context.
[6:19] 39 tn Heb “disaster on these people, the fruit of their schemes.”
[6:20] 39 tn Heb “To what purpose is it to me?” The question is rhetorical and expects a negative answer.
[6:20] 40 tn The words “when they offer up to me” are not in the text but are implicit from the following context. They are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[6:20] 41 tn Heb “Your burnt offerings are not acceptable and your sacrifices are not pleasing to me.” “The shift from “your” to “their” is an example of the figure of speech (apostrophe) where the speaker turns from talking about someone to addressing him/her directly. Though common in Hebrew style, it is not common in English. The shift to the third person in the translation is an accommodation to English style.
[6:21] 41 tn This is an attempt to render the Hebrew particle rendered “behold” joined to the first person pronoun.
[6:21] 42 tn Heb “I will put stumbling blocks in front of these people.” In this context the stumbling blocks are the invading armies.
[6:21] 43 tn The words “and fall to their destruction” are implicit in the metaphor and are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[6:23] 45 sn Jerualem is personified as a young maiden helpless before enemy attackers.
[6:24] 47 tn These words are not in the text, but, from the context, someone other than God is speaking and is speaking for and to the people (either Jeremiah or the people themselves). These words are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[6:24] 48 tn Or “We have lost our strength to do battle”; Heb “Our hands hang limp [or helpless at our sides].” According to BDB 951 s.v. רָפָה Qal.2, this idiom is used figuratively for losing heart or energy. The best example of its figurative use of loss of strength or the feeling of helplessness is in Ezek 21:12 where it appears in the context of the heart (courage) melting, the spirit sinking, and the knees becoming like water. For other examples compare 2 Sam 4:1; Zeph 3:16. In Neh 6:9 it is used literally of the builders “dropping their hands from the work” out of fear. The words “with fear” are supplied in the translation because they are implicit in the context.
[6:25] 49 tn Heb “For the enemy has a sword.”
[6:25] 50 tn Heb “Terror is all around!”
[6:26] 51 tn These words are not in the text but are implicit from the context.
[6:26] 52 tn Heb “daughter of my people.” For the translation given here see 4:11 and the translator’s note there.
[6:26] 54 tn Heb “the destroyer.”
[6:27] 53 tn These words are not in the text but are supplied in the translation for clarity. Note “I have appointed you.” Compare Jer 1:18.
[6:27] 54 tn Heb “I have made you an assayer of my people, a tester [?].” The meaning of the words translated “assayer” (בָּחוֹן, bakhon) and “tester” (מִבְצָר, mivtsar) is uncertain. The word בָּחוֹן (bakhon) can mean “tower” (cf. BDB 103 s.v. בָּחוֹן; cf. Isa 23:13 for the only other use) or “assayer” (cf. BDB 103 s.v. בָּחוֹן). The latter would be the more expected nuance because of the other uses of nouns and verbs from this root. The word מִבְצָר (mivtsar) normally means “fortress” (cf. BDB 131 s.v. מִבְצָר), but most modern commentaries and lexicons deem that nuance inappropriate here. HALOT follows a proposal that the word is to be repointed to מְבַצֵּר (mÿvatser) and derived from a root בָּצַר (batsar) meaning “to test” (cf. HALOT 143 s.v. IV בָּצַר). That proposal makes the most sense in the context, but the root appears nowhere else in the OT.
[6:27] 55 tn Heb “test their way.”
[6:28] 55 tn These words are not in the text but are supplied in the translation for clarity. Some takes these words to be the continuation of the
[6:28] 56 tn Or “arch rebels,” or “hardened rebels.” Literally “rebels of rebels.”
[6:29] 57 tn Heb “The bellows blow fiercely; the lead is consumed by the fire.” The translation tries to clarify a metaphor involving ancient metallurgy. In the ancient refining process lead was added as a flux to remove impurities from silver ore in the process of oxidizing the lead. Jeremiah says that the lead has been used up and the impurities have not been removed. The translation is based on the recognition of an otherwise unused verb root meaning “blow” (נָחַר [nakhar]; cf. BDB 1123 s.v. I חָרַר and HALOT 651 s.v. נָחַר) and the Masoretes’ suggestion that the consonants מאשׁתם be read מֵאֵשׁ תַּם (me’esh tam) rather than as מֵאֶשָּׁתָם (me’eshatam, “from their fire”) from an otherwise unattested noun אֶשָּׁה (’eshah).
[6:29] 58 tn Heb “The refiner refines them in vain.”
[6:30] 59 tn This translation is intended to reflect the wordplay in the Hebrew text where the same root word is repeated in the two lines.
[9:1] 61 sn Beginning with 9:1, the verse numbers through 9:26 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 9:1 ET = 8:23 HT, 9:2 ET = 9:1 HT, 9:3 ET = 9:2 HT, etc., through 9:26 ET = 9:25 HT. Beginning with 10:1 the verse numbers in the ET and HT are again the same.
[9:1] 62 tn Heb “I wish that my head were water.”
[9:1] 63 tn Heb “daughter of my people.” For the translation given here see 4:11 and the note on the phrase “dear people” there.
[9:2] 63 tn Heb “I wish I had in the desert a lodging place [inn, or place to spend the night] for travelers.”
[9:2] 64 tn Or “bunch,” but this loses the irony; the word is used for the solemn assemblies at the religious feasts.
[9:2] 65 tn Heb “they are all adulterers, a congregation of unfaithful people.” However, spiritual adultery is, of course, meant, not literal adultery. So the literal translation would be misleading.
[9:3] 65 tn The words “The
[9:3] 66 tn Heb “They have readied [or strung] their tongue as their bow for lies.”
[9:3] 67 tn Heb “but not through honesty.”
[9:3] 68 tn Heb “they go from evil to evil.”
[9:3] 69 tn Or “do not acknowledge me”; Heb “do not know me.” But “knowing” in Hebrew thought often involves more than intellectual knowledge; it involves emotional and volitional commitment as well. For יָדַע meaning “acknowledge” see 1 Chr 28:9; Isa 29:21; Hos 2:20; Prov 3:6. This word is also found in ancient Near Eastern treaty contexts where it has the idea of a vassal king acknowledging the sovereignty of a greater king (cf. H. Huffmon, “The Treaty Background of Hebrew yada,” BASOR 181 [1966]: 31-37).
[9:4] 67 tn Heb “Be on your guard…Do not trust.” The verbs are second masculine plural of direct address and there seems no way to translate literally and not give the mistaken impression that Jeremiah is being addressed. This is another example of the tendency in Hebrew style to turn from description to direct address (a figure of speech called apostrophe).
[9:4] 68 tn Heb “cheating, each of them will cheat.”
[9:5] 69 tn Heb “their tongues.” However, this is probably not a natural idiom in contemporary English and the tongue may stand as a part for the whole anyway.
[9:6] 71 tc An alternate reading for vv. 5d-6b is: “They wear themselves out doing wrong. Jeremiah, you live in the midst of deceitful people. They deceitfully refuse to take any thought of/acknowledge me.” The translation which has been adopted is based on a redivision of the lines, a redivision of some of the words, and a revocalization of some of the consonants. The MT reads literally “doing wrong they weary themselves. Your sitting in the midst of deceit; in deceit they refuse to know me” (הַעֲוֵה נִלְאוּ׃ שִׁבְתְּךָ בְּתוֹךְ מִרְמָה בְּמִרְמָה מֵאֲנוּ דַעַת־אוֹתִי). The Greek version reads literally “they do wrong and they do not cease to turn themselves around. Usury upon usury and deceit upon deceit. They do not want to know me.” This suggests that one should read the Hebrew text as שֻׁב׃ תֹּךְ בְּתוֹךְ מִרְ־מָה בְּמִרְ־מָה מֵאֲנוּ דַעַת אוֹתִי הַעֲוֵה נִלְאוּ, which translated literally yields “doing evil [= “they do evil” using the Hiphil infinitive absolute as a finite verb (cf. GKC 346 §113.ff)] they are not able [cf. KBL 468 s.v. לָאָה Niph.3 and see Exod 7:18 for parallel use] to repent. Oppression on oppression [cf. BDB 1067 s.v. תֹּךְ, II תּוֹךְ]; deceit on deceit. They refuse to know me.” This reading has ancient support and avoids the introduction of an unexpected second masculine suffix into the context. It has been adopted here along with a number of modern commentaries (cf., e.g., W. McKane, Jeremiah [ICC], 1:201) and English versions as the more likely reading.
[9:6] 72 tn Or “do not acknowledge me”; Heb “do not know me.” See the note on the phrase “do not take any thought of me” in 9:3.
[9:7] 73 tn Heb “Yahweh of armies.”
[9:7] 74 tn Heb “I will refine/purify them.” The words “in the fires of affliction” are supplied in the translation to give clarity to the metaphor.
[9:7] 75 tn Heb “daughter of my people.” For the translation given here see 4:11 and the note on the phrase “dear people” there.
[9:7] 76 tc Heb “For how else shall I deal because of the wickedness of the daughter of my people.” The MT does not have the word “wickedness.” The word, however, is read in the Greek version. This is probably a case of a word dropping out because of its similarities to the consonants preceding or following it (i.e., haplography). The word “wickedness” (רַעַת, ra’at) has dropped out before the words “my dear people” (בַּת־עַמִּי, bat-’ammi). The causal nuance which is normal for מִפְּנֵי (mippÿne) does not make sense without some word like this, and the combination of רַעַת מִפְּנֵי (mippÿne ra’at) does occur in Jer 7:12 and one very like it occurs in Jer 26:3.
[9:8] 75 tc This reading follows the Masoretic consonants (the Kethib, a Qal active participle from שָׁחַט, shakhat). The Masoretes preferred to read “a sharpened arrow” (the Qere, a Qal passive participle from the same root or a homonym, meaning “hammered, beaten”). See HALOT 1354 s.v. II שָׁחַט for discussion. The exact meaning of the word makes little difference to the meaning of the metaphor itself.
[9:8] 76 tn Heb “They speak deceit.”
[9:8] 77 tn Heb “With his mouth a person speaks peace to his neighbor, but in his heart he sets an ambush for him.”
[9:9] 77 tn Heb “Should I not punish them…? Should I not bring retribution…?” The rhetorical questions function as emphatic declarations.
[9:10] 79 tn The words “I said” are not in the text, but there is general agreement that Jeremiah is the speaker. Cf. the lament in 8:18-9:1. These words are supplied in the translation for clarity. Some English versions follow the Greek text which reads a plural imperative here. Since this reading would make the transition between 9:10 and 9:11 easier it is probably not original but a translator’s way of smoothing over a difficulty.
[9:10] 80 tn Heb “I will lift up weeping and mourning.”
[9:10] 81 tn Heb “for the mountains.” However, the context makes clear that it is the grasslands or pastures on the mountains that are meant. The words “for the grasslands” are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[9:11] 81 tn The words “the
[9:11] 82 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[9:11] 83 tn Heb “a heap of ruins, a haunt for jackals.”
[9:12] 83 tn The words, “I said” are not in the text. It is not clear that a shift in speaker has taken place. However, the words of the verse are very unlikely to be a continuation of the
[9:12] 84 tn Heb “Who is the wise man that he may understand this?”
[9:12] 85 tn Heb “And [who is the man] to whom the mouth of the
[9:13] 85 tn Heb “and they have not walked in it (with “it” referring to “my law”).
[9:14] 87 tn Heb “they have gone/followed after.” See the translator’s note at 2:5 for the idiom.
[9:14] 88 tn Heb “the Baals,” referring either to the pagan gods called “Baals” or the images of Baal (so NLT).
[9:14] 89 tn Or “forefathers,” or “ancestors.” Here the referent could be the immediate parents or, by their example, more distant ancestors.
[9:15] 89 tn Heb “Yahweh of armies, the God of Israel.”
[9:15] 90 tn Heb “Therefore, thus says the
[9:15] 91 tn Heb “I will feed this people wormwood and make them drink poison water.” “Wormwood” and “poison water” are not to be understood literally here but are symbolic of judgment and suffering. See, e.g., BDB 542 s.v. לַעֲנָה.
[9:16] 92 tn Heb “I will send the sword after them.” The sword here is probably not completely literal but refers to death by violent means, including death by the sword.
[9:16] 93 sn He will destroy them but not completely. See Jer 5:18; 30:11; 46:28.
[9:17] 93 tn Heb “Yahweh of armies.”
[9:17] 94 tn Heb “Thus says Yahweh of armies.” However, without some addition it is not clear to whom the command is addressed. The words are supplied in the translation for clarity and to help resolve a rather confusing issue of who is speaking throughout vv. 16-21. As has been evident throughout the translation, the speaker is not always indicated. Sometimes it is not even clear who the speaker is. In general the translation and the notes have reflected the general consensus in identifying who it is. Here, however, there is a good deal of confusion about who is speaking in vv. 18, 20-21. The Greek translation has the
[9:17] 96 tn Heb “Call for the mourning women that they may come and send for the wise/skilled women that they may come.” The verbs here are masculine plural, addressed to the people.
[9:18] 95 tn The words “And I said, ‘Indeed” are not in the text. They have been supplied in the translation to try and help clarify who the speaker is who identifies with the lament of the people.
[9:19] 97 tn The words “They will wail” are not in the text. They are supplied in the translation to make clear that this is the wailing that will be heard.
[9:19] 98 tn Heb “How we are ruined!”
[9:19] 99 tn The order of these two lines has been reversed for English stylistic reasons. The text reads in Hebrew “because we have left our land because they have thrown down our dwellings.” The two clauses offer parallel reasons for the cries “How ruined we are! [How] we are greatly disgraced!” But the first line must contain a prophetic perfect (because the lament comes from Jerusalem) and the second a perfect referring to a destruction that is itself future. This seems the only way to render the verse that would not be misleading.
[9:20] 99 tn The words “I said” are not in the text. The text merely has “Indeed, yes.” The words are supplied in the translation to indicate that the speaker is still Jeremiah though he now is not talking about the mourning woman but is talking to them. See the notes on 9:17-18 for further explanation.
[9:20] 100 tn It is a little difficult to explain how the Hebrew particle כִּי (ki) is functioning here. W. L. Holladay (Jeremiah [Hermeneia], 1:311) may be correct in seeing it as introducing the contents of what those who call for the mourning women are to say. In this case, Jeremiah picks up the task as representative of the people.
[9:20] 101 tn Heb “Listen to the word of the
[9:20] 102 tn Heb “Teach…mournful song, and each woman her neighbor lady…”
[9:21] 101 sn Here Death is personified (treated as though it were a person). Some have seen as possible background to this lament an allusion to Mesopotamian mythology where the demon Lamastu climbs in through the windows of houses and over their walls to kill children and babies.
[9:22] 103 tn Or “‘Death has climbed…city squares. And the dead bodies of people lie scattered…They lie scattered…but has not been gathered.’ The
[9:23] 105 sn It is not always clear why verses were placed in their present position in the editorial process of collecting Jeremiah’s sermons and the words the
[9:23] 106 tn Or “Strong people should not brag that they are strong.”
[9:23] 107 tn Heb “…in their wisdom…in their power…in their riches.”
[9:24] 107 tn Or “fairness and justice, because these things give me pleasure.” Verse 24 reads in Hebrew, “But let the one who brags brag in this: understanding and knowing me that I, the
[9:25] 110 tn Heb “punish all who are circumcised in the flesh.” The translation is contextually motivated to better bring out the contrast that follows.
[9:26] 111 tn Heb “all those who are cut off on the side of the head who live in the desert.” KJV and some other English versions (e.g., NIV “who live in the desert in distant places”; NLT “who live in distant places”) have followed the interpretation that this is a biform of an expression meaning “end or remote parts of the [far] corners [of the earth].” This interpretation is generally abandoned by the more recent commentaries and lexicons (see, e.g. BDB 802 s.v. פֵּאָה 1 and HALOT 858 s.v. פֵּאָה 1.β). It occurs also in 25:33; 49:32.
[9:26] 112 tn Heb “For all of these nations are uncircumcised.” The words “I will do so” are supplied in the translation to indicate the connection with the preceding statement.
[9:26] 113 tn Heb “house of Israel.”
[9:26] 114 tn Heb “And all the house of Israel is uncircumcised of heart.”
