Psalms 119:36-37

119:36 Give me a desire for your rules, ¹ 

rather than for wealth gained unjustly. ² 

119:37 Turn my eyes away from what is worthless! ³ 

Revive me with your word! ⁴ 

Jeremiah 22:17

22:17 But you are always thinking and looking

for ways to increase your wealth by dishonest means.

Your eyes and your heart are set

on killing some innocent person

and committing fraud and oppression. ⁵ 

Jeremiah 22:1

22:1 The Lord told me, ⁶  “Go down ⁷  to the palace of the king of Judah. Give him a message from me there. ⁸ 

Jeremiah 2:16

2:16 Even the soldiers ⁹  from Memphis and Tahpanhes

have cracked your skulls, people of Israel. ¹⁰ 

[119:36]  ¹ tn Heb “turn my heart to your rules.”

[119:36]  ² tn Heb “and not unjust gain.”

[119:37]  ³ tn Heb “Make my eyes pass by from looking at what is worthless.”

[119:37]  ⁴ tn Heb “by your word.”

[22:17]  ⁵ tn Heb “Your eyes and your heart do not exist except for dishonest gain and for innocent blood to shed [it] and for fraud and for oppression to do [them].” The sentence has been broken up to conform more to English style and the significance of “eyes” and “heart” explained before they are introduced into the translation.

[22:1]  ⁶ tn The word “me “ is not in the text. It is, however, implicit and is supplied in the translation for clarity.

[22:1]  ⁷ sn The allusion here is to going down from the temple to the palace which was on a lower eminence. See 36:12 in its context.

[22:1]  ⁸ tn Heb “And speak there this word:” The translation is intended to eliminate an awkward and lengthy sentence.

[2:16]  ⁹ tn Heb “the sons of…”

[2:16]  ¹⁰ tc The translation follows the reading of the Syriac version. The Hebrew text reads “have grazed [= “shaved” ?] your skulls [as a sign of disgracing them].” Note that the reference shifts from third person, “him,” to second person, “you,” which is common in Hebrew style. The words “people of Israel” have been supplied in the translation to help identify the referent and ease the switch. The reading presupposes יְרֹעוּךְ (yÿro’ukh) a Qal imperfect from the verb רָעַע (ra’a’; see BDB 949 s.v. II רָעַע Qal.1 and compare usage in Jer 15:2; Ps 2:9). The MT reads יִרְעוּךְ (yir’ukh), a Qal imperfect from the root רָעָה (ra’ah; see BDB 945 s.v. I רָעָה Qal.2.b for usage). The use of the verb in the MT is unparalleled in the sense suggested, but the resultant figure, if “graze” can mean “shave,” is paralleled in Jer 47:5; 48:37; Isa 7:20. The reading of the variant is accepted on the basis that it is the rarer root; the scribe would have been more familiar with the root “graze” even though it is unparalleled in the figurative nuance implied here. The noun “head/skull” is functioning as an accusative of further specification (see GKC 372 §117.ll and compare usage in Gen 3:8), i.e., “they crack you on the skull” or “they shave you on the skull.” The verb is a prefixed form and in this context is either a preterite without vav (ו) consecutive or an iterative imperfect denoting repeated action. Some modern English versions render the verb in the future tense, “they will break [or shave] your skull.”