Jeremiah 9:10

The Coming Destruction Calls For Mourning

9:10 I said, ¹ 

“I will weep and mourn ²  for the grasslands on the mountains, ³ 

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.”

Jeremiah 9:12

9:12 I said, ⁴ 

“Who is wise enough to understand why this has happened? ⁵ 

Who has a word from the Lord that can explain it? ⁶ 

Why does the land lie in ruins?

Why is it as scorched as a desert through which no one travels?”

Jeremiah 17:27

17:27 But you must obey me and set the Sabbath day apart to me. You must not carry any loads in through ⁷  the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. If you disobey, I will set the gates of Jerusalem on fire. It will burn down all the fortified dwellings in Jerusalem and no one will be able to put it out.’”

Jeremiah 32:29

32:29 The Babylonian soldiers ⁸  that are attacking this city will break into it and set it on fire. They will burn it down along with the houses where people have made me angry by offering sacrifices to the god Baal and by pouring out drink offerings to other gods on their rooftops. ⁹ 

Jeremiah 43:12

43:12 He will set fire ¹⁰  to the temples of the gods of Egypt. He will burn their gods or carry them off as captives. ¹¹  He will pick Egypt clean like a shepherd picks the lice from his clothing. ¹²  He will leave there unharmed. ¹³ 

Jeremiah 49:2

49:2 Because you did that,

I, the Lord, affirm that ¹⁴  a time is coming

when I will make Rabbah, the capital city of Ammon,

hear the sound of the battle cry.

It will become a mound covered with ruins. ¹⁵ 

Its villages will be burned to the ground. ¹⁶ 

Then Israel will take back its land

from those who took their land from them.

I, the Lord, affirm it! ¹⁷ 

Jeremiah 51:58

51:58 This is what the Lord who rules over all ¹⁸  says,

“Babylon’s thick wall ¹⁹  will be completely demolished. ²⁰ 

Her high gates will be set on fire.

The peoples strive for what does not satisfy. ²¹ 

The nations grow weary trying to get what will be destroyed.” ²² 

[9:10]  ¹ 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]  ² tn Heb “I will lift up weeping and mourning.”

[9:10]  ³ 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.

[9:12]  ⁴ 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 Lord’s threat. It is generally assumed that these are the words of Jeremiah and that a dialogue is going on between him and the Lord in vv. 9-14. That assumption is accepted here.

[9:12]  ⁵ tn Heb “Who is the wise man that he may understand this?”

[9:12]  ⁶ tn Heb “And [who is the man] to whom the mouth of the Lord has spoken that he may explain it?”

[17:27]  ⁷ tn Heb “carry loads on the Sabbath and bring [them] in through.” The translation treats the two verbs “carry” and “bring in” are an example of hendiadys (see the note on “through” in 17:21).

[32:29]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “The Chaldeans.” See the study note on 21:4 for further explanation.

[32:29]  ¹¹ sn Compare Jer 19:13.

[43:12]  ¹³ tc The translation follows the Greek, Syriac, and Latin versions. The Hebrew text reads: “I will set fire to.” While it would be possible to explain the first person subject here in the same way as in the two verbs in v. 12b, the corruption of the Hebrew text is easy to explain here as a metathesis of two letters, י (yod) and ת (tav). The Hebrew reads הִצַּתִּי (hitsatti) and the versions presuppose הִצִּית (hitsit).

[43:12]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “burn them or carry them off as captives.” Some of the commentaries and English versions make a distinction between the objects of the verbs, i.e., burn the temples and carry off the gods. However, the burning down of the temples is referred to later in v. 13.

[43:12]  ¹⁵ tn Or “he will take over Egypt as easily as a shepherd wraps his cloak around him.” The translation follows the interpretation of HALOT 769 s.v. II ָעטָה Qal, the Greek translation, and a number of the modern commentaries (e.g., J. A. Thompson, Jeremiah [NICOT], 671). The only other passage where that translation is suggested for this verb is Isa 22:17 according to HAL. The alternate translation follows the more normal meaning of עָטָה (’atah; cf. BDB 741 s.v. I עָטָה Qal which explains “so completely will it be in his power”). The fact that the subject is “a shepherd” lends more credence to the former view though there may be a deliberate double meaning playing on the homonyms (cf. W. L. Holladay, Jeremiah [Hermeneia], 2:302).

[43:12]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “in peace/wholeness/well-being/safety [shalom].”

[49:2]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “oracle of the Lord.”

[49:2]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “a desolate tel.” For the explanation of what a “tel” is see the study note on 30:18.

[49:2]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “Its daughters will be burned with fire.” For the use of the word “daughters” to refer to the villages surrounding a larger city see BDB 123 s.v. I בַּת 4 and compare the usage in Judg 1:27.

[49:2]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “says the Lord.” The first person is used to maintain the first person address throughout.

[51:58]  ¹⁹ sn See the note at Jer 2:19.

[51:58]  ²⁰ tn The text has the plural “walls,” but many Hebrew mss read the singular “wall,” which is also supported by the ancient Greek version. The modifying adjective “thick” is singular as well.

[51:58]  ²¹ tn The infinitive absolute emphasizes the following finite verb. Another option is to translate, “will certainly be demolished.”

[51:58]  ²² tn Heb “for what is empty.”

[51:58]  ²³ tn Heb “and the nations for fire, and they grow weary.”