Lamentations 4:18-19

צ (Tsade)

4:18 Our enemies ¹  hunted us down at every step ² 

so that we could not walk about in our streets.

Our end drew near, our days were numbered, ³ 

for our end had come!

ק (Qof)

4:19 Those who pursued us were swifter

than eagles ⁴  in the sky. ⁵ 

They chased us over the mountains;

they ambushed us in the wilderness.

Jeremiah 16:16

16:16 But for now I, the Lord, say: ⁶  “I will send many enemies who will catch these people like fishermen. After that I will send others who will hunt them out like hunters from all the mountains, all the hills, and the crevices in the rocks. ⁷ 

Jeremiah 52:8

52:8 But the Babylonian army chased after the king. They caught up with Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho, ⁸  and his entire army deserted him.

Amos 9:1-4

9:1 I saw the sovereign One ⁹  standing by the altar ¹⁰  and he said, “Strike the tops of the support pillars, ¹¹  so the thresholds shake!

Knock them down on the heads of all the people, ¹² 

and I will kill the survivors ¹³  with the sword.

No one will be able to run away; ¹⁴ 

no one will be able to escape. ¹⁵ 

9:2 Even if they could dig down into the netherworld, ¹⁶ 

my hand would pull them up from there.

Even if they could climb up to heaven,

I would drag them down from there.

9:3 Even if they were to hide on the top of Mount Carmel,

I would hunt them down and take them from there.

Even if they tried to hide from me ¹⁷  at the bottom of the sea,

from there ¹⁸  I would command the Sea Serpent ¹⁹  to bite them.

9:4 Even when their enemies drive them into captivity, ²⁰ 

from there ²¹  I will command the sword to kill them.

I will not let them out of my sight;

they will experience disaster, not prosperity.” ²² 

[4:18]  ¹ tn Heb “they”; this has been specified in the translation as “our enemies” for clarity.

[4:18]  ² tn Heb “they hunted our steps.”

[4:18]  ³ tn Heb “our days were full.”

[4:19]  ⁴ tn The bird referred to here could be one of several species of eagles, but more likely is the griffin-vulture (cf. NEB “vultures”). However, because eagles are more commonly associated with swiftness than vultures in contemporary English, “eagles” was used in the translation.

[4:19]  ⁵ tn Or “in the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.

[16:16]  ⁶ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.” The Lord has been speaking; the first person has been utilized in translation to avoid a shift which might create confusion.

[16:16]  ⁷ tn Heb “Behold I am about to send for many fishermen and they will catch them. And after that I will send for many hunters and they will hunt them from every mountain and from every hill and from the cracks in the rocks.”

[52:8]  ⁸ map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.

[9:1]  ⁹ tn Or “the Lord.” The Hebrew term translated “sovereign One” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

[9:1]  ¹⁰ sn The altar is perhaps the altar at Bethel.

[9:1]  ¹¹ tn Or “the capitals.” The Hebrew singular form is collective.

[9:1]  ¹² tn Heb “cut them off on the head of all of them.” The translation assumes the objective suffix on the verb refers to the tops of the pillars and that the following prepositional phrase refers to the people standing beneath. Another option is to take this phrase as referring to the pillars, in which case one could translate, “Knock all the tops of the pillars off.”

[9:1]  ¹³ tn Heb “the remnant of them.” One could possibly translate, “every last one of them” (cf. NEB “to the last man”). This probably refers to those who survive the collapse of the temple, which may symbolize the northern kingdom.

[9:1]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “a fugitive belonging to them will not run away.”

[9:1]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “a survivor belonging to them will not escape.”

[9:2]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “into Sheol” (so ASV, NASB, NRSV), that is, the land of the dead localized in Hebrew thought in the earth’s core or the grave. Cf. KJV “hell”; NCV, NLT “the place of the dead”; NIV “the depths of the grave.”

[9:3]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “from before my eyes.”

[9:3]  ¹⁸ tn Or perhaps simply, “there,” if the מ (mem) prefixed to the adverb is dittographic (note the preceding word ends in mem).

[9:3]  ¹⁹ sn If the article indicates a definite serpent, then the mythological Sea Serpent, symbolic of the world’s chaotic forces, is probably in view. See Job 26:13 and Isa 27:1 (where it is also called Leviathan). Elsewhere in the OT this serpent is depicted as opposing the Lord, but this text implies that even this powerful enemy of God is ultimately subject to his sovereign will.

[9:4]  ²⁰ tn Heb “Even if they go into captivity before their enemies.”

[9:4]  ²¹ tn Or perhaps simply, “there,” if the מ (mem) prefixed to the adverb is dittographic (note the preceding word ends in mem).

[9:4]  ²² tn Heb “I will set my eye on them for disaster, not good.”