Discovery BoxJeremiah 7:1--10:25
Context7:1 The Lord said to Jeremiah: 1 7:2 “Stand in the gate of the Lord’s temple and proclaim 2 this message: ‘Listen, all you people of Judah who have passed through these gates to worship the Lord. 3 Hear what the Lord has to say. 7:3 The Lord God of Israel who rules over all 4 says: Change the way you have been living and do what is right. 5 If you do, I will allow you to continue to live in this land. 6 7:4 Stop putting your confidence in the false belief that says, 7 “We are safe! 8 The temple of the Lord is here! The temple of the Lord is here! The temple of the Lord is here!” 9 7:5 You must change 10 the way you have been living and do what is right. You must treat one another fairly. 11 7:6 Stop oppressing foreigners who live in your land, children who have lost their fathers, and women who have lost their husbands. 12 Stop killing innocent people 13 in this land. Stop paying allegiance to 14 other gods. That will only bring about your ruin. 15 7:7 If you stop doing these things, 16 I will allow you to continue to live in this land 17 which I gave to your ancestors as a lasting possession. 18
7:8 “‘But just look at you! 19 You are putting your confidence in a false belief 20 that will not deliver you. 21 7:9 You steal. 22 You murder. You commit adultery. You lie when you swear on oath. You sacrifice to the god Baal. You pay allegiance to 23 other gods whom you have not previously known. 7:10 Then you come and stand in my presence in this temple I have claimed as my own 24 and say, “We are safe!” You think you are so safe that you go on doing all those hateful sins! 25 7:11 Do you think this temple I have claimed as my own 26 is to be a hideout for robbers? 27 You had better take note! 28 I have seen for myself what you have done! says the Lord. 7:12 So, go to the place in Shiloh where I allowed myself to be worshiped 29 in the early days. See what I did to it 30 because of the wicked things my people Israel did. 7:13 You also have done all these things, says the Lord, and I have spoken to you over and over again. 31 But you have not listened! You have refused to respond when I called you to repent! 32 7:14 So I will destroy this temple which I have claimed as my own, 33 this temple that you are trusting to protect you. I will destroy this place that I gave to you and your ancestors, 34 just like I destroyed Shiloh. 35 7:15 And I will drive you out of my sight just like I drove out your relatives, the people of Israel.’” 36
7:16 Then the Lord said, 37 “As for you, Jeremiah, 38 do not pray for these people! Do not cry out to me or petition me on their behalf! Do not plead with me to save them, 39 because I will not listen to you. 7:17 Do you see 40 what they are doing in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 41 7:18 Children are gathering firewood, fathers are building fires with it, and women are mixing dough to bake cakes to offer to the goddess they call the Queen of Heaven. 42 They are also pouring out drink offerings to other gods. They seem to do all this just 43 to trouble me. 7:19 But I am not really the one being troubled!” 44 says the Lord. “Rather they are bringing trouble on themselves to their own shame! 45 7:20 So,” the Lord God 46 says, “my raging fury will be poured out on this land. 47 It will be poured out on human beings and animals, on trees and crops. 48 And it will burn like a fire which cannot be extinguished.”
7:21 The Lord said to the people of Judah, 49 “The Lord God of Israel who rules over all 50 says: ‘You might as well go ahead and add the meat of your burnt offerings to that of the other sacrifices and eat it, too! 51 7:22 Consider this: 52 When I spoke to your ancestors after I brought them out of Egypt, I did not merely give them commands about burnt offerings and sacrifices. 7:23 I also explicitly commanded them: 53 “Obey me. If you do, I 54 will be your God and you will be my people. Live exactly the way I tell you 55 and things will go well with you.” 7:24 But they did not listen to me or pay any attention to me. They followed the stubborn inclinations of their own wicked hearts. They acted worse and worse instead of better. 56 7:25 From the time your ancestors departed the land of Egypt until now, 57 I sent my servants the prophets to you again and again, 58 day after day. 59 7:26 But your ancestors 60 did not listen to me nor pay attention to me. They became obstinate 61 and were more wicked than even their own forefathers.’”
7:27 Then the Lord said to me, 62 “When you tell them all this, they will not listen to you. When you call out to them, they will not respond to you. 7:28 So tell them: ‘This is a nation that has not obeyed the Lord their God and has not accepted correction. Faithfulness is nowhere to be found in it. These people do not even profess it anymore. 63 7:29 So, mourn, 64 you people of this nation. 65 Cut off your hair and throw it away. Sing a song of mourning on the hilltops. For the Lord has decided to reject 66 and forsake this generation that has provoked his wrath!’” 67
7:30 The Lord says, “I have rejected them because 68 the people of Judah have done what I consider evil. 69 They have set up their disgusting idols in the temple 70 which I have claimed for my own 71 and have defiled it. 7:31 They have also built places of worship 72 in a place called Topheth 73 in the Valley of Ben Hinnom so that they can sacrifice their sons and daughters by fire. That is something I never commanded them to do! Indeed, it never even entered my mind to command such a thing! 74 7:32 So, watch out!” 75 says the Lord. “The time will soon come when people will no longer call those places Topheth or the Valley of Ben Hinnom. But they will call that valley 76 the Valley of Slaughter and they will bury so many people in Topheth they will run out of room. 77 7:33 Then the dead bodies of these people will be left on the ground for the birds and wild animals to eat. 78 There will not be any survivors to scare them away. 7:34 I will put an end to the sounds of joy and gladness, or the glad celebration of brides and grooms throughout the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem. For the whole land will become a desolate wasteland.”
8:1 The Lord says, “When that time comes, 79 the bones of the kings of Judah and its leaders, the bones of the priests and prophets and of all the other people who lived in Jerusalem will be dug up from their graves. 8:2 They will be spread out and exposed to the sun, the moon and the stars. 80 These are things they 81 adored and served, things to which they paid allegiance, 82 from which they sought guidance, and worshiped. The bones of these people 83 will never be regathered and reburied. They will be like manure used to fertilize the ground. 84 8:3 However, I will leave some of these wicked people alive and banish them to other places. But wherever these people who survive may go, they will wish they had died rather than lived,” 85 says the Lord who rules over all. 86
“Tell them, ‘The Lord says,
Do people not get back up when they fall down?
Do they not turn around when they go the wrong way? 88
8:5 Why, then, do these people of Jerusalem 89
continually turn away from me in apostasy?
They hold fast to their deception. 90
They refuse to turn back to me. 91
8:6 I have listened to them very carefully, 92
but they do not speak honestly.
None of them regrets the evil he has done.
None of them says, “I have done wrong!” 93
All of them persist in their own wayward course 94
like a horse charging recklessly into battle.
8:7 Even the stork knows
when it is time to move on. 95
The turtledove, swallow, and crane 96
recognize 97 the normal times for their migration.
But my people pay no attention
to 98 what I, the Lord, require of them. 99
8:8 How can you say, “We are wise!
We have the law of the Lord”?
The truth is, 100 those who teach it 101 have used their writings
to make it say what it does not really mean. 102
8:9 Your wise men will be put to shame.
They will be dumbfounded and be brought to judgment. 103
Since they have rejected the word of the Lord,
what wisdom do they really have?
8:10 104 So I will give their wives to other men
and their fields to new owners.
For from the least important to the most important of them,
all of them are greedy for dishonest gain.
Prophets and priests alike,
all practice deceit.
8:11 They offer only superficial help
for the hurt my dear people 105 have suffered. 106
They say, “Everything will be all right!”
But everything is not all right! 107
8:12 Are they ashamed because they have done such disgusting 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. 108
They will be brought to ruin when I punish them,
says the Lord.
8:13 I will take away their harvests, 109 says the Lord.
There will be no grapes on their vines.
There will be no figs on their fig trees.
Even the leaves on their trees will wither.
The crops that I gave them will be taken away.’” 110
“Why are we just sitting here?
Let us gather together inside the fortified cities. 112
Let us at least die there fighting, 113
since the Lord our God has condemned us to die.
He has condemned us to drink the poison waters of judgment 114
because we have sinned against him. 115
8:15 We hoped for good fortune, but nothing good has come of it.
We hoped for a time of relief, but instead we experience terror. 116
8:16 The snorting of the enemy’s horses
is already being heard in the city of Dan.
The sound of the neighing of their stallions 117
causes the whole land to tremble with fear.
They are coming to destroy the land and everything in it!
They are coming to destroy 118 the cities and everyone who lives in them!”
“Yes indeed, 120 I am sending an enemy against you
that will be like poisonous snakes which cannot be charmed away. 121
And they will inflict fatal wounds on you.” 122
“There is no cure 124 for my grief!
I am sick at heart!
8:19 I hear my dear people 125 crying out 126
throughout the length and breadth of the land. 127
They are crying, ‘Is the Lord no longer in Zion?
Is her divine King 128 no longer there?’”
The Lord answers, 129
“Why then do they provoke me to anger with their images,
with their worthless foreign idols?” 130
8:20 “They cry, 131 ‘Harvest time has come and gone, and the summer is over, 132
and still we have not been delivered.’
8:21 My heart is crushed because my dear people 133 are being crushed. 134
I go about crying and grieving. I am overwhelmed with dismay. 135
8:22 There is still medicinal ointment 136 available in Gilead!
There is still a physician there! 137
Why then have my dear people 138
not been restored to health? 139
9:1 (8:23) 140 I wish that my head were a well full of water 141
and my eyes were a fountain full of tears!
If they were, I could cry day and night
for those of my dear people 142 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. 143
Then I would desert my people
and walk away from them
because they are all unfaithful to God,
a congregation 144 of people that has been disloyal to him. 145
“These people are like soldiers who have readied their bows.
Their tongues are always ready to shoot out lies. 147
They have become powerful in the land,
but they have not done so by honest means. 148
Indeed, they do one evil thing after another 149
and do not pay attention to me. 150
9:4 Everyone must be on his guard around his friends.
He must not even trust any of his relatives. 151
For every one of them will find some way to cheat him. 152
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 153 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. 154
They refuse to pay attention to me,” 155
says the Lord.
9:7 Therefore the Lord who rules over all says, 156
“I will now purify them in the fires of affliction 157 and test them.
The wickedness of my dear people 158 has left me no choice.
What else can I do? 159
9:8 Their tongues are like deadly arrows. 160
They are always telling lies. 161
Friendly words for their neighbors come from their mouths.
But their minds are thinking up ways to trap them. 162
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!” 163
“I will weep and mourn 165 for the grasslands on the mountains, 166
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 168 a heap of ruins.
Jackals will make their home there. 169
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? 171
Who has a word from the Lord that can explain it? 172
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. 173 9:14 Instead they have followed the stubborn inclinations of their own hearts. They have paid allegiance to 174 the gods called Baal, 175 as their fathers 176 taught them to do. 9:15 So then, listen to what I, the Lord God of Israel who rules over all, 177 say. 178 ‘I will make these people eat the bitter food of suffering and drink the poison water of judgment. 179 9:16 I will scatter them among nations that neither they nor their ancestors 180 have known anything about. I will send people chasing after them with swords 181 until I have destroyed them.’” 182
9:17 The Lord who rules over all 183 told me to say to this people, 184
“Take note of what I say. 185
Call for the women who mourn for the dead!
Summon those who are the most skilled at it!” 186
9:18 I said, “Indeed, 187 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, 188 ‘We are utterly ruined! 189 We are completely disgraced!
For our houses have been torn down
and we must leave our land.’” 190
“So now, 192 you wailing women, hear what the Lord says. 193
Open your ears to the words from his mouth.
Teach your daughters this mournful song,
and each of you teach your neighbor 194 this lament.
9:21 ‘Death has climbed in 195 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.”’” 196
“Wise people should not boast that they are wise.
Powerful people should not boast that they are powerful. 198
Rich people should not boast that they are rich. 199
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,” 200
says the Lord.
9:25 The Lord says, “Watch out! 201 The time is soon coming when I will punish all those who are circumcised only in the flesh. 202 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. 203 I will do so because none of the people of those nations are really circumcised in the Lord’s sight. 204 Moreover, none of the people of Israel 205 are circumcised when it comes to their hearts.” 206
10:1 You people of Israel, 207 listen to what the Lord has to say to you.
10:2 The Lord says,
“Do not start following pagan religious practices. 208
Do not be in awe of signs that occur 209 in the sky
even though the nations hold them in awe.
10:3 For the religion 210 of these people is worthless.
They cut down a tree in the forest,
and a craftsman makes it into an idol with his tools. 211
10:4 He decorates it with overlays of silver and gold.
He uses hammer and nails to fasten it 212 together
so that it will not fall over.
10:5 Such idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field.
They cannot talk.
They must be carried
because they cannot walk.
Do not be afraid of them
because they cannot hurt you.
And they do not have any power to help you.” 213
“There is no one like you, Lord. 215
You are great.
And you are renowned for your power. 216
10:7 Everyone should revere you, O King of all nations, 217
because you deserve to be revered. 218
For there is no one like you
among any of the wise people of the nations nor among any of their kings. 219
10:8 The people of those nations 220 are both stupid and foolish.
Instruction from a wooden idol is worthless! 221
10:9 Hammered-out silver is brought from Tarshish 222
and gold is brought from Uphaz 223 to cover those idols. 224
They are the handiwork of carpenters and goldsmiths. 225
They are clothed in blue and purple clothes. 226
They are all made by skillful workers. 227
10:10 The Lord is the only true God.
He is the living God and the everlasting King.
When he shows his anger the earth shakes.
None of the nations can stand up to his fury.
10:11 You people of Israel should tell those nations this:
‘These gods did not make heaven and earth.
They will disappear 228 from the earth and from under the heavens.’ 229
10:12 The Lord is the one who 230 by his power made the earth.
He is the one who by his wisdom established the world.
And by his understanding he spread out the skies.
10:13 When his voice thunders, 231 the heavenly ocean roars.
He makes the clouds rise from the far-off horizons. 232
He makes the lightning flash out in the midst of the rain.
He unleashes the wind from the places where he stores it. 233
10:14 All these idolaters 234 will prove to be stupid and ignorant.
Every goldsmith will be disgraced by the idol he made.
For the image he forges is merely a sham. 235
There is no breath in any of those idols. 236
10:15 They are worthless, mere objects to be mocked. 237
When the time comes to punish them, they will be destroyed.
10:16 The Lord, who is the inheritance 238 of Jacob’s descendants, 239 is not like them.
He is the one who created everything.
And the people of Israel are those he claims as his own. 240
He is known as the Lord who rules over all.” 241
10:17 Gather your belongings together and prepare to leave the land,
you people of Jerusalem 242 who are being besieged. 243
10:18 For the Lord says, “I will now throw out
those who live in this land.
I will bring so much trouble on them
that they will actually feel it.” 244
10:19 And I cried out, 245 “We are doomed! 246
Our wound is severe!
We once thought, ‘This is only an illness.
And we will be able to bear it!’ 247
10:20 But our tents have been destroyed.
The ropes that held them in place have been ripped apart. 248
Our children are gone and are not coming back. 249
There is no survivor to put our tents back up,
no one left to hang their tent curtains in place.
10:21 For our leaders 250 are stupid.
They have not sought the Lord’s advice. 251
So they do not act wisely,
and the people they are responsible for 252 have all been scattered.
10:22 Listen! News is coming even now. 253
The rumble of a great army is heard approaching 254 from a land in the north. 255
It is coming to turn the towns of Judah into rubble,
places where only jackals live.
10:23 Lord, we know that people do not control their own destiny. 256
It is not in their power to determine what will happen to them. 257
10:24 Correct us, Lord, but only in due measure. 258
Do not punish us in anger or you will reduce us to nothing. 259
10:25 Vent your anger on the nations that do not acknowledge you. 260
Vent it on the peoples 261 who do not worship you. 262
For they have destroyed the people of Jacob. 263
They have completely destroyed them 264
and left their homeland in utter ruin.
[7:1] 1 tn Heb “The word which came to Jeremiah from the
[7:2] 2 tn Heb “Proclaim there…” The adverb is unnecessary in English style.
[7:2] 3 sn That is, all those who have passed through the gates of the outer court and are standing in the courtyard of the temple.
[7:3] 4 tn Heb “Yahweh of armies, the God Israel.”
[7:3] 5 tn Or “Make good your ways and your actions.” J. Bright’s translation (“Reform the whole pattern of your conduct”; Jeremiah [AB], 52) is excellent.
[7:3] 6 tn Heb “place” but this might be misunderstood to refer to the temple.
[7:4] 7 tn Heb “Stop trusting in lying words which say.”
[7:4] 8 tn The words “We are safe!” are not in the text but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[7:4] 9 tn Heb “The temple of the
[7:5] 10 tn The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verb for emphasis.
[7:5] 11 tn Heb “you must do justice between a person and his fellow/neighbor.” The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verb for emphasis.
[7:6] 12 tn Heb “Stop oppressing foreigner, orphan, and widow.”
[7:6] 13 tn Heb “Stop shedding innocent blood.”
[7:6] 14 tn Heb “going/following after.” See the translator’s note at 2:5 for an explanation of the idiom involved here.
[7:6] 15 tn Heb “going after other gods to your ruin.”
[7:7] 16 tn The translation uses imperatives in vv. 5-6 followed by the phrase, “If you do all this,” to avoid the long and complex sentence structure of the Hebrew sentence which has a series of conditional clauses in vv. 5-6 followed by a main clause in v. 7.
[7:7] 17 tn Heb “live in this place, in this land.”
[7:7] 18 tn Heb “gave to your fathers [with reference to] from ancient times even unto forever.”
[7:8] 20 tn Heb “You are trusting in lying words.” See the similar phrase in v. 4 and the note there.
[7:8] 21 tn Heb “not profit [you].”
[7:9] 22 tn Heb “Will you steal…then say, ‘We are safe’?” Verses 9-10 are one long sentence in the Hebrew text.
[7:9] 23 tn Heb “You go/follow after.” See the translator’s note at 2:5 for an explanation of the idiom involved here.
[7:10] 24 tn Heb “over which my name is called.” For this nuance of this idiom cf. BDB 896 s.v. קָרָא Niph.2.d(4) and see the usage in 2 Sam 12:28.
[7:10] 25 tn Or “‘We are safe!’ – safe, you think, to go on doing all those hateful things.” Verses 9-10 are all one long sentence in the Hebrew text. It has been broken up for English stylistic reasons. Somewhat literally it reads “Will you steal…then come and stand…and say, ‘We are safe’ so as to/in order to do…” The Hebrew of v. 9 has a series of infinitives which emphasize the bare action of the verb without the idea of time or agent. The effect is to place a kind of staccato like emphasis on the multitude of their sins all of which are violations of one of the Ten Commandments. The final clause in v. 8 expresses purpose or result (probably result) through another infinitive. This long sentence is introduced by a marker (ה interrogative in Hebrew) introducing a rhetorical question in which God expresses his incredulity that they could do these sins, come into the temple and claim the safety of his protection, and then go right back out and commit the same sins. J. Bright (Jeremiah [AB], 52) catches the force nicely: “What? You think you can steal, murder…and then come and stand…and say, ‘We are safe…’ just so that you can go right on…”
[7:11] 26 tn Heb “over which my name is called.” For this nuance of this idiom cf. BDB 896 s.v. קָרָא Niph.2.d(4) and see the usage in 2 Sam 12:28.
[7:11] 27 tn Heb “Is this house…a den/cave of robbers in your eyes?”
[7:12] 29 tn Heb “where I caused my name to dwell.” The translation does not adequately represent the theology of the
[7:12] 30 sn The place in Shiloh…see what I did to it. This refers to the destruction of Shiloh by the Philistines circa 1050
[7:13] 31 tn This reflects a Hebrew idiom (e.g., 7:25; 11:7; 25:3, 4), i.e., an infinitive of a verb meaning “to do something early [or eagerly]” followed by an infinitive of another verb of action. Cf. HALOT 1384 s.v. שָׁכַם Hiph.2.
[7:13] 32 tn Heb “I called to you and you did not answer.” The words “to repent” are not in the text but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[7:14] 33 tn Heb “over which my name is called.” For this nuance of this idiom cf. BDB 896 s.v. קָרָא Niph.2.d(4) and see the usage in 2 Sam 12:28.
[7:14] 34 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 22, 25, 26).
[7:14] 35 tn Heb “I will do to this house which I…in which you put…and to this place which…as I did to Shiloh.”
[7:15] 36 tn Heb “the descendants of Ephraim.” However, Ephraim here stands (as it often does) for all the northern tribes of Israel.
[7:16] 37 tn The words “Then the
[7:16] 38 tn Heb “As for you.” The personal name Jeremiah is supplied in the translation for clarity.
[7:16] 39 tn The words “to save them” are not in the text but are implicit from the context. They are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[7:17] 40 tn Or “Just look at…” The question is rhetorical and expects a positive answer.
[7:17] 41 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[7:18] 42 tn The form for “queen” is unusual. It is pointed (מְלֶכֶת [mÿlekhet] instead of מַלְכַּת [malkat]) as though the Masoretes wanted to read the word for “work” (מְלֶאכֶת [mÿle’khet]), i.e., the “hosts of,” a word that several Hebrew
[7:18] 43 tn Heb “to provoke me.” There is debate among grammarians and lexicographers about the nuance of the Hebrew particle לְמַעַן (lÿma’an). Some say it always denotes purpose, while others say it may denote either purpose or result, depending on the context. For example, BDB 775 s.v. לְמַעַן note 1 says that it always denotes purpose, never result, but that sometimes what is really a result is represented ironically as though it were a purpose. That explanation fits nicely here in the light of the context of the next verse. The translation is intended to reflect some of that ironic sarcasm.
[7:19] 44 tn Heb “Is it I whom they provoke?” The rhetorical question expects a negative answer which is made explicit in the translation.
[7:19] 45 tn Heb “Is it not themselves to their own shame?” The rhetorical question expects a positive answer which is made explicit in the translation.
[7:20] 46 tn Heb “Lord Yahweh.” The translation follows the ancient Jewish tradition of substituting the Hebrew word for God for the proper name Yahweh.
[7:20] 47 tn Heb “this place.” Some see this as a reference to the temple but the context has been talking about what goes on in the towns of Judah and Jerusalem and the words that follow, meant as a further explanation, are applied to the whole land.
[7:20] 48 tn Heb “the trees of/in the field and the fruit of/in the ground.”
[7:21] 49 tn The words “The
[7:21] 50 tn Heb “Yahweh of armies, the God of Israel.”
[7:21] 51 tn Heb “Add your burnt offerings to your [other] sacrifices and eat the meat!” See the following sn for explanation. This is an example of the rhetorical use of the imperative for a sarcastic challenge. Cf. GKC 324 §110.a; cf. Amos 4:4, “Go to Bethel and sin!”
[7:22] 52 tn Heb “For” but this introduces a long explanation about the relative importance of sacrifice and obedience.
[7:23] 53 tn Verses 22-23a read in Hebrew, “I did not speak with your ancestors and I did not command them when I brought them out of Egypt about words/matters concerning burnt offering and sacrifice, but I commanded them this word:” Some modern commentators have explained this passage as an evidence for the lateness of the Pentateuchal instruction regarding sacrifice or a denial that sacrifice was practiced during the period of the wilderness wandering. However, it is better explained as an example of what R. de Vaux calls a dialectical negative, i.e., “not so much this as that” or “not this without that” (Ancient Israel, 454-56). For other examples of this same argument see Isa 1:10-17; Hos 6:4-6; Amos 5:21-25.
[7:23] 54 tn Heb “Obey me and I will be.” The translation is equivalent syntactically but brings out the emphasis in the command.
[7:23] 55 tn Heb “Walk in all the way that I command you.”
[7:24] 56 tn Or “They went backward and not forward”; Heb “They were to the backward and not to the forward.” The two phrases used here appear nowhere else in the Bible and the latter preposition plus adverb elsewhere is used temporally meaning “formerly” or “previously.” The translation follows the proposal of J. Bright, Jeremiah (AB), 57. Another option is “they turned their backs to me, not their faces,” understanding the line as a variant of a line in 2:27.
[7:25] 57 tn Heb “from the day your ancestors…until this very day.” However, “day” here is idiomatic for “the present time.”
[7:25] 58 tn On the Hebrew idiom see the note at 7:13.
[7:25] 59 tc There is some textual debate about the legitimacy of this expression here. The text reads merely “day” (יוֹם, yom). BHS suggests the word is to be deleted as a dittography of the plural ending of the preceding word. The word is in the Greek and Latin, and the Syriac represents the typical idiom “day after day” as though the noun were repeated. Either יוֹם has dropped out by haplography or a ם (mem) has been left out, i.e., reading יוֹמָם (yomam, “daily”).
[7:26] 60 tn Or “But your predecessors…”; Heb “But they….” There is a confusing interchange in the pronouns in vv. 25-26 which has led to some leveling in the ancient versions and the modern English versions. What is involved here are four levels of referents, the “you” of the present generation (vv. 21-22a), the ancestors who were delivered from Egypt (i.e., the “they” of vv. 22b-24), the “you” of v. 25 which involves all the Israelites from the Exodus to the time of speaking, and the “they” of v. 26 which cannot be the ancestors of vv. 22-24 (since they cannot be more wicked than themselves) but must be an indefinite entity which is a part of the “you” of v. 25, i.e., the more immediate ancestors of the present generation. If this is kept in mind, there is no need to level the pronouns to “they” and “them” or to “you” and “your” as some of the ancient versions and modern English versions have done.
[7:26] 61 tn Heb “hardened [or made stiff] their neck.”
[7:27] 62 tn The words, “Then the
[7:28] 63 tn Heb “Faithfulness has vanished. It is cut off from their lips.”
[7:29] 64 tn The word “mourn” is not in the text. It is supplied in the translation for clarity to explain the significance of the words “Cut your hair and throw it away.”
[7:29] 65 tn The words, “you people of this nation” are not in the text. Many English versions supply, “Jerusalem.” The address shifts from second masculine singular addressing Jeremiah (vv. 27-28a) to second feminine singular. It causes less disruption in the flow of the context to see the nation as a whole addressed here as a feminine singular entity (as, e.g., in 2:19, 23; 3:2, 3; 6:26) than to introduce a new entity, Jerusalem.
[7:29] 66 tn The verbs here are the Hebrew scheduling perfects. For this use of the perfect see GKC 312 §106.m.
[7:29] 67 tn Heb “the generation of his wrath.”
[7:30] 68 tn The words “I have rejected them” are not in the Hebrew text, which merely says “because.” These words are supplied in the translation to show more clearly the connection to the preceding.
[7:30] 69 tn Heb “have done the evil in my eyes.”
[7:30] 70 sn Compare, e.g., 2 Kgs 21:3, 5, 7; 23:4, 6; Ezek 8:3, 5, 10-12, 16. Manasseh had desecrated the temple by building altars, cult symbols, and idols in it. Josiah had purged the temple of these pagan elements. But it is obvious from both Jeremiah and Ezekiel that they had been replaced shortly after Josiah’s death. They were a primary cause of Judah’s guilt and punishment (see beside this passage, 19:5; 32:34-35).
[7:30] 71 tn Heb “the house which is called by my name.” Cf. 7:10, 11, 14 and see the translator’s note 7:10 for the explanation for this rendering.
[7:31] 72 tn Heb “high places.”
[7:31] 73 tn Heb “the high places of [or in] Topheth.”
[7:31] 74 tn Heb “It never entered my heart.” The words “to command such a thing” do not appear in the Hebrew but are added for the sake of clarity.
[7:32] 75 tn Heb “Therefore, behold!”
[7:32] 76 tn Heb “it will no longer be said ‘Topheth’ or ‘the Valley of Ben Hinnom’ but ‘the valley of slaughter.’
[7:32] 77 tn Heb “And they will bury in Topheth so there is not room.”
[7:33] 78 tn Heb “Their dead bodies will be food for the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth.”
[8:1] 79 tn Heb “At that time.”
[8:2] 80 tc MT, 4QJera and LXX read “the sun and the moon and all the host of heaven,” but 4QJerc reads “the sun and all the stars.”
[8:2] 81 tn Heb “the sun, moon, and host of heaven which they…”
[8:2] 82 tn Heb “followed after.” See the translator’s note at 2:5 for the idiom.
[8:2] 83 tn Heb “they will not” but the referent is far enough removed that it might be ambiguous.
[8:2] 84 tn Heb “like dung/manure on the surface of the ground.”
[8:3] 85 tn Heb “Death will be chosen rather than life by the remnant who are left from this wicked family in all the places where I have banished them.” The sentence is broken up and restructured to avoid possible confusion because of the complexity of the English to some modern readers. There appears to be an extra “those who are left” that was inadvertently copied from the preceding line. It is missing from one Hebrew
[8:3] 86 tn Heb “Yahweh of armies.”
[8:4] 87 tn The words “the
[8:4] 88 sn There is a play on two different nuances of the same Hebrew word that means “turn” and “return,” “turn away” and “turn back.”
[8:5] 89 tc The text is quite commonly emended, changing שׁוֹבְבָה הָעָם (shovÿvah ha’am) to שׁוֹבָב הָעָם (shovav ha’am) and omitting יְרוּשָׁלַםִ (yÿrushalaim); this is due to the anomaly of a feminine singular verb with a masculine singular subject and the fact that the word “Jerusalem” is absent from one Hebrew
[8:5] 90 tn Or “to their allegiance to false gods,” or “to their false professions of loyalty”; Heb “to deceit.” Either “to their mistaken beliefs” or “to their allegiance to false gods” would fit the preceding context. The former is more comprehensive than the latter and was chosen for that reason.
[8:5] 91 sn There is a continuing play on the same root word used in the preceding verse. Here the words “turn away from me,” “apostasy,” and “turn back to me” are all forms from the root that was translated “go the wrong way” and “turn around” in v. 4. The intended effect is to contrast Judah’s recalcitrant apostasy with the usual tendency to try and correct one’s mistakes.
[8:6] 92 tn Heb “I have paid attention and I have listened.” This is another case of two concepts being joined by “and” where one expresses the main idea and the other acts as an adverbial or adjectival modifier (a figure called hendiadys).
[8:6] 93 tn Heb “What have I done?” The addition of the word “wrong” is implicit in the context and is supplied in the translation for clarity. The rhetorical question does not function as a denial of wrongdoing, but rather as contrite shock at one’s own wrongdoing. It is translated as a declaration for the sake of clarity.
[8:6] 94 tn Heb “each one of them turns aside into their own running course.”
[8:7] 95 tn Heb “its appointed time.” The translation is contextually motivated to avoid lack of clarity.
[8:7] 96 tn There is debate in the commentaries and lexicons about the identification of some of these birds, particularly regarding the identification of the “swallow” which is more likely the “swift” and the “crane” which some identify with the “thrush.” For a discussion see the Bible encyclopedias and the UBS handbook Fauna and Flora of the Bible. The identity of the individual birds makes little difference to the point being made and “swallow” is more easily identifiable to the average reader than the “swift.”
[8:7] 97 tn Heb “keep.” Ironically birds, which do not think, obey the laws of nature, but Israel does not obey the laws of God.
[8:7] 98 tn Heb “do not know.” But here as elsewhere the word “know” is more than an intellectual matter. It is intended here to summarize both “know” and “follow” (Heb “observe”) in the preceding lines.
[8:7] 99 tn Heb “the ordinance/requirement of the
[8:8] 100 tn Heb “Surely, behold!”
[8:8] 101 tn Heb “the scribes.”
[8:8] 102 tn Heb “The lying pen of the scribes have made [it] into a lie.” The translation is an attempt to make the most common interpretation of this passage understandable for the average reader. This is, however, a difficult passage whose interpretation is greatly debated and whose syntax is capable of other interpretations. The interpretation of the NJPS, “Assuredly, for naught has the pen labored, for naught the scribes,” surely deserves consideration within the context; i.e. it hasn’t done any good for the scribes to produce a reliable copy of the law, which the people have refused to follow. That interpretation has the advantage of explaining the absence of an object for the verb “make” or “labored” but creates a very unbalanced poetic couplet.
[8:9] 103 tn Heb “be trapped.” However, the word “trapped” generally carries with it the connotation of divine judgment. See BDB 540 s.v. לָכַד Niph.2, and compare usage in Jer 6:11 for support. The verbs in the first two lines are again the form of the Hebrew verb that emphasizes that the action is as good as done (Hebrew prophetic perfects).
[8:10] 104 sn See Jer 6:12-15 for parallels to 8:10-12. The words of Jeremiah to the people may have been repeated on more than one occasion or have been found appropriate to more than one of his collection of messages in written and edited form. See Jer 36:4 and Jer 36:28 for reference to at least two of these collections.
[8:11] 105 tn Heb “daughter of my people.” For the translation given here see 4:11 and the note on the phrase “dear people” there.
[8:11] 106 tn Heb “They heal the wound of my people lightly.”
[8:11] 107 tn Heb “They say, ‘Peace! Peace!’ and there is no peace!”
[8:12] 108 tn Heb “They will fall among the fallen.”
[8:13] 109 tn Or “I will completely destroy them.” The translation which is adopted is based on the revocalization of the MT which appears to mean literally “gathering I will sweep them away,” a rather improbable grammatical combination. It follows the suggestion found in HALOT 705 s.v. סוּף (Hiph) of reading אֹסֵף אֲסִיפָם (’ose, a first singular Qal imperfect of אָסַף [’asaf] followed by a noun אָסִיף [’asif] with possessive suffix) instead of the MT’s אָסֹף אֲסִיפֵם (’aspf ’asifem, a Qal infinitive absolute of אָסַף [’asaf] followed by the Hiphil imperfect of סוּף [suf] plus suffix). For parallel usage of the verb אָסַף (asaf) see BDB 62 s.v. אָסַף Qal.4, and for a similar form of the verb see Mic 4:6. The alternate translation follows the suggestion in BDB 692 s.v. סוּף Hiph: אָסֹף (’asof) is to be interpreted as a form of the Hiphil infinitive absolute (הָסֵף [hasef] would be expected) chosen for assonance with the following form. This suggestion would gain more credence if the MT is to be retained in Zeph 1:2 where parallel forms are found. However, that text too has been questioned on lexical and grammatical grounds. The translation adopted fits the following context better than the alternate one and is based on less questionable lexical and grammatical parallels. The Greek translation which reads “they shall gather their fruits” supports the translation chosen.
[8:13] 110 tn The meaning of this line is very uncertain. A possible alternate translation is: “They have broken the laws that I gave them.” The line reads rather literally “And I gave them they passed over them.” The translation adopted treats the first expression as a noun clause (cf. GKC 488-89 §155.n) which is the subject of the following verb, i.e., “the things I gave them [contextually, the grapes, etc.] passed over from them.” The alternate translation treats the expression as a dangling object (a Hebrew casus pendens) resumed by the pronoun “them” and understands “the things that I gave them” to be the law or some related entity which is often the object of this verb (see BDB 717 s.v. עָבַר Qal.1.i). Neither of these translations is without its weakness. The weakness of the translation which has been adopted is the unusual use it assigns to the object suffix of the verb translated “pass over.” The weakness of the alternate translation is the rather abrupt and opaque introduction of a new topic of reference (i.e., the laws) into the context. On the whole the latter weakness would appear to outweigh the former. This line is missing from the Greek version and J. Bright (Jeremiah [AB]) and J. A. Thompson (Jeremiah [NICOT]) despair of giving a translation. For other possible suggestions see, W. L. Holladay, Jeremiah (Hermeneia), 1:285-86.
[8:14] 111 tn The words “The people say” are not in the text but are implicit in the shift of speakers between vv. 4-13 and vv. 14-16. They are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[8:14] 112 tn Heb “Gather together and let us enter into the fortified cities.”
[8:14] 113 tn Heb “Let us die there.” The words “at least” and “fighting” are intended to bring out the contrast of passive surrender to death in the open country and active resistance to the death implicit in the context.
[8:14] 114 tn The words “of judgment” are not in the text but are intended to show that “poison water” is not literal but figurative of judgment at the hands of God through the agency of the enemy mentioned in v. 16.
[8:14] 115 tn Heb “against the
[8:15] 116 tn Heb “[We hoped] for a time of healing but behold terror.”
[8:16] 117 tn Heb “his stallions.”
[8:16] 118 tn The words “They are coming to destroy” are not in the text. They are inserted to break up a long sentence in conformity with contemporary English style.
[8:17] 119 tn These words which are at the end of the Hebrew verse are brought forward to show at the outset the shift in speaker.
[8:17] 120 tn Heb “Indeed [or For] behold!” The translation is intended to convey some of the connection that is suggested by the Hebrew particle כִּי (ki) at the beginning of the verse.
[8:17] 121 tn Heb “I am sending against you snakes, poisonous ones which cannot be charmed.” In the light of the context literal snakes are scarcely meant. So the metaphor is turned into a simile to prevent possible confusion. For a similar metaphorical use of animals for enemies see 5:6.
[8:17] 122 tn Heb “they will bite you.” There does not appear to be any way to avoid the possible confusion that literal snakes are meant here except to paraphrase. Possibly one could say “And they will attack you and ‘bite’ you,” but the enclosing of the word “bite” in quotations might lead to even further confusion.
[8:18] 123 tn The words, “Then I said” are not in the text but there is a general consensus that the words of vv. 18-19a are the words of Jeremiah. These words are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[8:18] 124 tn The meaning of this word is uncertain. The translation is based on the redivision and repointing of a word that occurs only here in the MT and whose pattern of formation is unparalleled in the Hebrew Bible. The MT reads מַבְלִיגִיתִי (mavligiti) which BDB provisionally derives from a verb root meaning “to gleam” or “to shine.” However, BDB notes that the text is dubious (cf. BDB 114 s.v. מַבְלִיגִית). The text is commonly emended to מִבְּלִי גְּהֹת (mibbÿli gÿhot) which is a Qal infinitive from a verb meaning “to heal” preceded by a compound negative “for lack of, to be at a loss for” (cf., e.g., HALOT 514 s.v. מַבְלִיגִית and 174 s.v. גּהה). This reading is supported by the Greek text which has an adjective meaning “incurable,” which is, however, connected with the preceding verse, i.e., “they will bite you incurably.”
[8:19] 125 tn Heb “daughter of my people.” For the translation given here see 4:11 and the note on the phrase “dear people” there.
[8:19] 126 tn Heb “Behold the voice of the crying of the daughter of my people.”
[8:19] 127 tn Heb “Land of distances, i.e., of wide extent.” For parallel usage cf. Isa 33:17.
[8:19] 128 tn Heb “her King” but this might be misunderstood by some to refer to the Davidic ruler even with the capitalization.
[8:19] 129 tn The words, “The
[8:19] 130 sn The people’s cry and the
[8:20] 131 tn The words “They say” are not in the text; they are supplied in the translation to make clear that the lament of the people begun in v. 19b is continued here after the interruption of the
[8:20] 132 tn Heb “Harvest time has passed, the summer is over.”
[8:21] 133 tn Heb “daughter of my people.” For the translation given here see 4:11 and the note on the phrase “dear people” there.
[8:21] 134 tn Heb “Because of the crushing of the daughter of my people I am crushed.”
[8:21] 135 tn Heb “I go about in black [i.e., mourning clothes]. Dismay has seized me.”
[8:22] 136 tn Heb “balm.” The more familiar “ointment” has been used in the translation, supplemented with the adjective “medicinal.”
[8:22] 137 tn Heb “Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there?” In this context the questions are rhetorical and expect a positive answer, which is made explicit in the translation.
[8:22] 138 tn Heb “daughter of my people.” For the translation given here see 4:11 and the note on the phrase “dear people” there.
[8:22] 139 tn Or more clearly, “restored to spiritual health”; Heb “Why then has healing not come to my dear people?”
[9:1] 140 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] 141 tn Heb “I wish that my head were water.”
[9:1] 142 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] 143 tn Heb “I wish I had in the desert a lodging place [inn, or place to spend the night] for travelers.”
[9:2] 144 tn Or “bunch,” but this loses the irony; the word is used for the solemn assemblies at the religious feasts.
[9:2] 145 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] 146 tn The words “The
[9:3] 147 tn Heb “They have readied [or strung] their tongue as their bow for lies.”
[9:3] 148 tn Heb “but not through honesty.”
[9:3] 149 tn Heb “they go from evil to evil.”
[9:3] 150 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] 151 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] 152 tn Heb “cheating, each of them will cheat.”
[9:5] 153 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] 154 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] 155 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] 156 tn Heb “Yahweh of armies.”
[9:7] 157 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] 158 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] 159 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] 160 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] 161 tn Heb “They speak deceit.”
[9:8] 162 tn Heb “With his mouth a person speaks peace to his neighbor, but in his heart he sets an ambush for him.”
[9:9] 163 tn Heb “Should I not punish them…? Should I not bring retribution…?” The rhetorical questions function as emphatic declarations.
[9:10] 164 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] 165 tn Heb “I will lift up weeping and mourning.”
[9:10] 166 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] 167 tn The words “the
[9:11] 168 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[9:11] 169 tn Heb “a heap of ruins, a haunt for jackals.”
[9:12] 170 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] 171 tn Heb “Who is the wise man that he may understand this?”
[9:12] 172 tn Heb “And [who is the man] to whom the mouth of the
[9:13] 173 tn Heb “and they have not walked in it (with “it” referring to “my law”).
[9:14] 174 tn Heb “they have gone/followed after.” See the translator’s note at 2:5 for the idiom.
[9:14] 175 tn Heb “the Baals,” referring either to the pagan gods called “Baals” or the images of Baal (so NLT).
[9:14] 176 tn Or “forefathers,” or “ancestors.” Here the referent could be the immediate parents or, by their example, more distant ancestors.
[9:15] 177 tn Heb “Yahweh of armies, the God of Israel.”
[9:15] 178 tn Heb “Therefore, thus says the
[9:15] 179 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] 181 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] 182 sn He will destroy them but not completely. See Jer 5:18; 30:11; 46:28.
[9:17] 183 tn Heb “Yahweh of armies.”
[9:17] 184 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] 186 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] 187 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] 188 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] 189 tn Heb “How we are ruined!”
[9:19] 190 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] 191 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] 192 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] 193 tn Heb “Listen to the word of the
[9:20] 194 tn Heb “Teach…mournful song, and each woman her neighbor lady…”
[9:21] 195 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] 196 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] 197 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] 198 tn Or “Strong people should not brag that they are strong.”
[9:23] 199 tn Heb “…in their wisdom…in their power…in their riches.”
[9:24] 200 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] 202 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] 203 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] 204 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] 205 tn Heb “house of Israel.”
[9:26] 206 tn Heb “And all the house of Israel is uncircumcised of heart.”
[10:1] 207 tn Heb “house of Israel.”
[10:2] 208 tn Heb “Do not learn the way of the nations.” For this use of the word “ways” (דֶּרֶךְ, derekh) compare for example Jer 12:16 and Isa 2:6.
[10:2] 209 tn Heb “signs.” The words “that occur” are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[10:3] 210 tn Heb “statutes.” According to BDB 350 s.v. חֻקָּה 2.b it refers to the firmly established customs or practices of the pagan nations. Compare the usage in Lev 20:23; 2 Kgs 17:8. Here it is essentially equivalent to דֶּרֶךְ (derekh) in v. 1, which has already been translated “religious practices.”
[10:3] 211 sn This passage is dripping with sarcasm. It begins by talking about the “statutes” of the pagan peoples as a “vapor” using a singular copula and singular predicate. Then it suppresses the subject, the idol, as though it were too horrible to mention, using only the predications about it. The last two lines read literally: “[it is] a tree which one cuts down from the forest; the work of the hands of a craftsman with his chisel.”
[10:4] 212 tn The pronoun is plural in Hebrew, referring to the parts.
[10:5] 213 tn Heb “And it is not in them to do good either.”
[10:6] 214 tn The words “I said” are not in the Hebrew text, but there appears to be a shift in speaker. Someone is now addressing the
[10:6] 215 tn The form that introduces this line has raised debate. The form מֵאֵין (me’en) normally means “without” and introduces a qualification of a term expressing desolation or “so that not” and introduces a negative result (cf. BDB 35 s.v. II אַיִן 6.b). Neither of these nuances fit either this verse or the occurrence in v. 7. BDB 35 s.v. II אַיִן 6.b.γ notes that some have explained this as a strengthened form of אַיִן (’ayin) which occurs in a similar phrase five other times (cf., e.g., 1 Kgs 8:23). Though many including BDB question the validity of this solution it is probably better than the suggestion that BDB gives of repointing to מֵאַיִן (me’ayin, “whence”), which scarcely fits the context of v. 7, or the solution of HALOT 41 s.v. I אַיִן, which suggests that the מ (mem) is a double writing (dittograph) of the final consonant from the preceding word. That would assume that the scribe made the same error twice or was influenced the second time by the first erroneous writing.
[10:6] 216 tn Heb “Great is your name in power.”
[10:7] 217 tn Heb “Who should not revere you…?” The question is rhetorical and expects a negative answer.
[10:7] 218 tn Heb “For it is fitting to you.”
[10:7] 219 tn Heb “their royalty/dominion.” This is a case of substitution of the abstract for the concrete “royalty, royal power” for “kings” who exercise it.
[10:8] 220 tn Or “Those wise people and kings are…” It is unclear whether the subject is the “they” of the nations in the preceding verse, or the wise people and kings referred to. The text merely has “they.”
[10:8] 221 tn Heb “The instruction of vanities [worthless idols] is wood.” The meaning of this line is a little uncertain. Various proposals have been made to make sense, most of which involve radical emendation of the text. For some examples see J. A. Thompson, Jeremiah (NICOT), 323-24, fn 6. However, this is probably a case of the bold predication that discussed in GKC 452 §141.d, some examples of which may be seen in Ps 109:4 “I am prayer,” and Ps 120:7 “I am peace.”
[10:9] 222 tc Two Qumran scrolls of Jeremiah (4QJera and 4QJerb) reflect a Hebrew text that is very different than the traditional MT from which modern Bibles have been translated. The Hebrew text in these two manuscripts is similar to that from which LXX was translated. This is true both in small details and in major aspects where the LXX differs from MT. Most notably, 4QJera, 4QJerb and LXX present a version of Jeremiah about 13% shorter than the longer version found in MT. One example of this shorter text is Jer 10:3-11 in which MT and 4QJera both have all nine verses, while LXX and 4QJerb both lack vv. 6-8 and 10, which extol the greatness of God. In addition, the latter part of v. 9 is arranged differently in LXX and 4QJerb. The translation here follows MT which is supported by 4QJera.
[10:9] 223 tn This is a place of unknown location. It is mentioned again in Dan 10:5. Many emend the word to “Ophir” following the Syriac version and the Aramaic Targum. Ophir was famous for its gold (cf. 1 Kgs 9:28; Job 28:16).
[10:9] 224 tn The words “to cover those idols” are not in the text but are implicit from the context. They are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[10:9] 225 tn The words “They are” are not in the text. The text reads merely, “the work of the carpenter and of the hands of the goldsmith.” The words are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[10:9] 226 tn Heb “Blue and purple their clothing.”
[10:9] 227 sn There is an ironic pun in this last line. The Hebrew word translated “skillful workers” is the same word that is translated “wise people” in v. 7. The artisans do their work skillfully but they are not “wise.”
[10:11] 228 tn Aram “The gods who did not make…earth will disappear…” The sentence is broken up in the translation to avoid a long, complex English sentence in conformity with contemporary English style.
[10:11] 229 tn This verse is in Aramaic. It is the only Aramaic sentence in Jeremiah. Scholars debate the appropriateness of this verse to this context. Many see it as a gloss added by a postexilic scribe which was later incorporated into the text. Both R. E. Clendenen (“Discourse Strategies in Jeremiah 10,” JBL 106 [1987]: 401-8) and W. L. Holladay (Jeremiah [Hermeneia], 1:324-25, 334-35) have given detailed arguments that the passage is not only original but the climax and center of the contrast between the
[10:12] 230 tn The words “The
[10:13] 231 tn Heb “At the voice of his giving.” The idiom “to give the voice” is often used for thunder (cf. BDB 679 s.v. נָתַן Qal.1.x).
[10:13] 232 tn Heb “from the ends of the earth.”
[10:13] 233 tn Heb “he brings out the winds from his storehouses.”
[10:14] 234 tn Heb “Every man.” But in the context this is not a reference to all people without exception but to all idolaters. The referent is made explicit for the sake of clarity.
[10:14] 235 tn Or “nothing but a phony god”; Heb “a lie/falsehood.”
[10:14] 236 tn Heb “There is no breath in them.” The referent is made explicit so that no one will mistakenly take it to refer to the idolaters or goldsmiths.
[10:15] 237 tn Or “objects of mockery.”
[10:16] 238 tn The words “The
[10:16] 239 tn Heb “The Portion of Jacob.” “Descendants” is implied, and is supplied in the translation for clarity.
[10:16] 240 tn Heb “And Israel is the tribe of his possession.”
[10:16] 241 tn Heb “Yahweh of armies is his name.”
[10:17] 242 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[10:17] 243 tn Heb “you who are living in/under siege.” The pronouns in this verse are feminine singular in Hebrew. Jerusalem is being personified as a single woman. This personification carries on down through v. 19 where she speaks in the first person. It is difficult, however, to reflect this in a translation that conveys any meaning without being somewhat paraphrastic like this.
[10:18] 244 tn The meaning of this last line is somewhat uncertain: Heb “I will cause them distress in order that [or with the result that] they will find.” The absence of an object for the verb “find” has led to conjecture that the text is wrong. Some commentators follow the lead of the Greek and Latin versions which read the verb as a passive: “they will be found,” i.e., be caught and captured. Others follow a suggestion by G. R. Driver (“Linguistic and Textual Problems: Jeremiah,” JQR 28 [1937-38]: 107) that the verb be read not as “they will find” (יִמְצָאוּ [yimtsa’u] from מָצָא [matsa’]) but “they will be squeezed/ drained” (יִמְצוּ [yimtsu] from מָצָה [matsah]). The translation adopted assumes that this is an example of the ellipsis of the object supplied from the context (cf. E. W. Bullinger, Figures of Speech, 8-12). For a similar nuance for the verb “find” = “feel/experience” see BDB 592 s.v. מָצָא Qal.1.f and compare the usage in Ps 116:3.
[10:19] 245 tn The words, “And I cried out” are not in the text. It is not altogether clear who the speaker is in vv. 19-25. The words of vv. 19-20 would best be assigned to a personified Jerusalem who laments the destruction of her city (under the figure of a tent) and the exile of her children (under the figure of children). However, the words of v. 21 which assign responsibility to the rulers do not fit well in the mouth of the people but do fit Jeremiah. The words of v. 22 are very appropriate to Jeremiah being similar to the report in 4:19-20. Likewise the words of v. 23 which appear to express man’s incapacity to control his own destiny and his resignation to the fate which awaits him in the light of v. 24 seem more appropriate to Jeremiah than to the people. There has been no indication elsewhere that the people have shown any indication of being resigned to their fate or willing to accept their punishment. Though the issue is far from resolved a majority of commentators see Jeremiah as the speaker so identifying himself with their fate that he speaks as though he were this personified figure. It is not altogether out of the question, however, that the speaker throughout is personified Jerusalem though I know of no commentator who takes that view. For those who are interested, the most thorough discussion of the issue is probably to be found in W. McKane, Jeremiah (ICC), 1:230-35, especially 233-35. Rendering the pronouns throughout as “we” and “our” alleviates some of the difficulty but some speaker needs to be identified in the introduction to allay any possible confusion. Hence I have opted for what is the majority view.
[10:19] 246 tn Heb “Woe to me on account of my wound.” The words “woe to” in many contexts carry the connotation of hopelessness and of inevitable doom (cf. 1 Sam 4:7, 8; Isa 6:5), hence a “deadly blow.” See also the usage in 4:13, 31; 6:4 and the notes on 4:13. For the rendering of the pronoun as “we” and “our” here and in the verses to follow see the preceding note.
[10:19] 247 tn Some interpret this as a resignation to the punishment inflicted and translate “But I said, ‘This is my punishment and I will just need to bear it.’” This is unlikely given the meaning and usage of the word rendered “sickness” (חֳלִי, khali), the absence of the pronoun “my,” and the likelihood that the particle אַךְ means “only” not “indeed” (cf. BDB s.v. אַךְ 2.b and compare its usage in v. 24).
[10:20] 248 tn Heb “My tent has been destroyed and my tent cords have been ripped apart.” For a very similar identification of Jeremiah’s plight with the plight of the personified community see 4:20 and the notes there.
[10:20] 249 tn Heb “my children have gone from me and are no more.”
[10:21] 250 tn Heb “the shepherds.”
[10:21] 251 tn Heb “They have not sought the
[10:21] 252 tn Heb “all their flock (or “pasturage”).”
[10:22] 253 tn Heb “The sound of a report, behold, it is coming.”
[10:22] 254 tn Heb “ coming, even a great quaking.”
[10:22] 255 sn Compare Jer 6:22.
[10:23] 256 tn Heb “Not to the man his way.” For the nuance of “fate, destiny, or the way things turn out” for the Hebrew word “way” see Hag 1:5, Isa 40:27 and probably Ps 49:13 (cf. KBL 218 s.v. דֶּרֶךְ 5). For the idea of “control” or “hold in one’s power” for the preposition “to” see Ps 3:8 (cf. BDB 513 s.v. לְ 5.b[a]).
[10:23] 257 tn Heb “Not to a man the walking and the establishing his step.”
[10:24] 258 tn Heb “with justice.”
[10:24] 259 tn The words, “to almost nothing” are not in the text. They are implicit from the general context and are supplied by almost all English versions.
[10:25] 260 tn Heb “know you.” For this use of the word “know” (יָדַע, yada’) see the note on 9:3.
[10:25] 261 tn Heb “tribes/clans.”
[10:25] 262 tn Heb “who do not call on your name.” The idiom “to call on your name” (directed to God) refers to prayer (mainly) and praise. See 1 Kgs 18:24-26 and Ps 116:13, 17. Here “calling on your name” is parallel to “acknowledging you.” In many locations in the OT “name” is equivalent to the person. 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 a person’s name was to act as his representative or carry his authority (1 Sam 25:9; 1 Kgs 21:8). To call someone’s name over something was to claim it for one’s own (2 Sam 12:28).
[10:25] 263 tn Heb “have devoured Jacob.”
[10:25] 264 tn Or “have almost completely destroyed them”; Heb “they have devoured them and consumed them.” The figure of hyperbole is used here; elsewhere Jeremiah and God refer to the fact that they will not be completely consumed. See for example 4:27; 5:10, 18.
