¹tn Heb “Flee for safety, people of Benjamin, out of the midst of Jerusalem.”
sn Compare and contrast Jer 4:6. There people in the outlying areas were warned to seek safety in the fortified city of Jerusalem. Here they are told to flee it because it was about to be destroyed.
map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
²tn Heb “ram’s horn,” but the modern equivalent is “trumpet” and is more readily understandable.
³sn This passage is highly emotionally charged. There are two examples of assonance or wordplay in the verse— “sound” (Heb T!q=uW, “blow,”) which has the same consonants as “Tekoa” (Heb b!t=qou^) and “signal fire” which comes from the same root as “light” (Heb c=aW m^ca@t, “lift up”)—and an example of personification where disaster is said to “lurk” (Heb “look down on”) out of the north. The intent is to give a sense of urgency and concern for the imminence of the coming destruction.
⁴tn The verb here is another example of the Hebrew verb form that indicates the action is as good as done (a Hebrew prophetic perfect).
⁵tn Heb “Daughter Zion.”
⁶tn Heb “The beautiful and delicate one I will destroy, the daughter of Zion. The translations and commentaries are divided over the rendering of this verse. That is because 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 the word rendered here “beautiful” (hw`n`) can be understood as a noun meaning “pasture” or as a defective writing of an adjective meaning “beautiful, comely” (hw`an`). 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. However, though this may fit in well with the imagery of the next verse, that rendering must ignore the absence of a preposition, “to” (l= or la#) that normally goes with the verb “be like” and drop the conjunction in front of the adjective “delicate.” The parallel usage of the verb in Hos 4:5 argues for the meaning “destroy.”
⁷tn Heb “Shepherds will come against it with their flocks….They will graze each one his portion.” There does not appear to be any way to render the text either as a metaphor or a simile that will not be misleading or obscure to the average reader. For the use of “shepherds” to refer to rulers see BDB 945 s.v. hu*r` 1.d(2) and compare Jer 12:10. For the use of the verb “graze” to mean “strip” or “devastate” see BDB 945 s.v. hu*r` 2.c. For a similar use of the word normally meaning “hand” to mean portion compare 2 Sam 19:43 (19:44 HT).
sn There is a continued use of the wordplay involving “sound…in Tekoa” mentioned in the study note on “destruction” in v. 1. The Hebrew verb “they will pitch” is from the same root as the word translated “sound” (T*q=uW here and T!q=uW in v. 1).
⁸tn These words are not in the text but are implicit in the connection. They are supplied in the translation for clarity.
⁹tn Heb “Sanctify war.” This is probably an attenuated usage of an idiom used in early Israel’s holy wars against her enemies in which certain religious rites were to precede the battle.
¹⁰tn These words are not in the text but are implicit in the connection. They are supplied in the translation for clarity. Some commentaries and translations 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.
¹¹tn 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!”
¹²tn Heb “For.” The translation attempts to make the connection clearer.
¹³tn Heb “Yahweh of armies.”
sn For an explanation of the significance of this title see the study note on 2:19.
¹⁴tn Heb “Cut down its trees and build up a siege ramp against Jerusalem.” The referent has been moved forward from the second line for greater clarity.
¹⁵tn Or “must be punished.” The meaning of this line is very uncertain. The LXX reads, “Woe, city of falsehood!” The Hebrew text presents two anomalies here: 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 rq#V#h^ ryu! yoh instead of dq^p=h* ryu!h* ayh!. The Greek is obviously the easier reading in light of the parallelism, and it would be hard to explain how the Masoretic text 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. rq#P#). Perhaps the Hophal perfect (dq^p=h*) should be revocalized as a Niphal infinitive absolute (dq)P*h!); this would solve both of the anomalies in the Masoretic text since the Niphal is used in this nuance and the infinitive absolute can function in place of a finite verb (cf. GKC §§113.ee and ff). This, however, is mere speculation and is supported by no Hebrew ms.
¹⁶tn Heb “All of it oppression in its midst.”
¹⁷tc Heb “As a well makes cool/fresh its water, she makes cool/fresh her wickedness.” The translation follows the reading proposed by the Masoretes (the Qere) which reads a rare form of the word “well” (ry]B^ for ra@B=) in place of the form written in the text (the Kethib, roB) which means “cistern.” The latter noun is masculine and the pronoun “its” is feminine. If indeed ry]B^ is a byform of ra@B= 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.
¹⁸tn Heb “Violence and destruction are heard in it.”
¹⁹tn Heb “Sickness and wound are continually before my face.”
²⁰tn This word is not in the text but is supplied in the translation to show the connection. Jeremiah uses a common figure of speech here where the speaker turns from talking about someone to address him/her directly.
²¹tn Heb “lest my soul [= I] becomes alienated from you.”
sn The wordplay begun with “sound…in Tekoa” in v. 1 and continued with “they will pitch” in v. 3 is concluded here with “turn away” (Heb b!t=qou^ T!q=uW in v. 1, T*q=uW in v. 3 and T@q^u here).
²²tn Heb “Yahweh of armies.”
sn For an explanation of the significance of this title see the study note on 2:19.
²³tn The words “to me” are not in the text but are implicit from the context. They are supplied in the translation for clarity.
²⁴tn 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 translations and commentaries do. This is an example of a third plural verb used impersonally and translated as a passive (cf. GKC §144.g).
²⁵tn Heb “Pass your hand back over the branches like a grape harvester.” The translation is intended to make a little more clear the metaphorical sense that Jeremiah is to try to rescue some from the coming destruction.
²⁶tn These words are not in the text but are implicit from the words that follow. They are supplied in the translation for clarity.
²⁷tn 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?”
²⁸tn Heb “are uncircumcised.”
²⁹tn Heb “Behold!”
³⁰tn Heb “They do not take pleasure in it.”
³¹tn Heb “I am full of the wrath of the Lord.”
³²tn These words are not in the text but are implicit from the words that follow. They are supplied in the translation for clarity.
³³tn Heb “Pour it out.”
³⁴tn Heb “are to be captured.”
³⁵tn Heb “I will reach out my hand.” The figure here involves both comparing God to a person (anthropomorphism) and substitution 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. dy` 2 and 289-90 s.v. dy` 1.e(2) and compare usage in Deut 34:12; Ps 78:42; Jer 16:21).
³⁶tn Heb “They heal the wound of my people lightly.”
³⁷tn Heb “They say, ‘Peace! Peace!’ and there is no peace!”
³⁸tn Heb “They will fall among the fallen.”
³⁹tn 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.
⁴⁰tn Heb “Stand at the crossroads and look.”
⁴¹tn Heb “the ancient path,” i.e., the path the Lord set out in ancient times (cf. Deut 32:7).
⁴²tn Heb “the way of/to the good.”
⁴³tn 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.
⁴⁴tn Heb “I appointed watchmen over you.”
⁴⁵tn Heb “Pay attention to the sound of the trumpet.” The word “warning” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied.
⁴⁶tn These words are not in the text but are implicit from the flow of the context. They are supplied in the translation for clarity.
⁴⁷tn The meaning of this line is somewhat uncertain. The Hebrew text reads, “Know, congregation [or witness], what in [or against] them.” The meaning of the noun of address in the second line (i.e., “witness,” rendered as an imperative in the translation, “Be witnesses”) is greatly debated. It is often taken as the word “congregation” but the lexicons and commentaries generally question the validity of reading that word here since it is nowhere else applied to the nations. BDB 417 s.v. hd`u@ 3 says that the text is dubious. HAL 747 s.v. I hd`u@, 4 emends the text to hu*D}. Several of the modern translations (e.g., NIV, NCV, God’s Word) appear to take the word as the feminine singular noun, “witness” (cf. BDB 729 s.v. II hd`u@) and understand it as a collective. This solution is also proposed by Thompson, Jeremiah, p. 259, fn 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.
<sup>48</sup>tn Heb “earth.”
<sup>49</sup>tn Heb “Behold!”
<sup>50</sup>tn Heb “disaster on these people, the fruit of their schemes.”
<sup>51</sup>tn Heb “my word.”
<sup>52</sup>tn Heb “To what purpose is it to me?” The question is rhetorical and expects a negative answer.
<sup>53</sup>tn The words “for them to bring me” are not in the text but are implicit from the following context. They are supplied in the translation for clarity.
<sup>54</sup>tn Heb “Your burnt offerings are not acceptable and your sacrifices are not pleasing to me.” “The shift from “your” to “their” is undoubtedly an example of the figure of speech (called 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 and creates difficulty for the average reader. The shift to the third person in the translation is an accommodation to English style.
<sup>55</sup>tn This is an attempt to render the Hebrew particle rendered “behold” joined to the first person pronoun.
<sup>56</sup>tn Heb “I will put stumbling blocks in front of these people.” In this context the stumbling blocks are the invading armies. There does not appear to be any clear way to render the metaphor here in a way that would not be obscure or misleading to the average reader.
<sup>57</sup>tn The words “and fall to their destruction” are implicit in the metaphor and are supplied in the translation for clarity.
<sup>58</sup>tn Heb “Daughter Zion.”
<sup>59</sup>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. These words are supplied in the translation for clarity.
<sup>60</sup>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. hp*r` 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 of this figurative use 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.
⁶¹tn These words are not in the text but are implicit from the context (see the next verse). They are supplied in the translation for clarity.
⁶²tn Heb “For the enemy has a sword.”
⁶³tn Heb “Terror is all around!”
⁶⁴tn Heb “daughter of my people.” For the translation given here see 4:11 and the translator’s note there.
⁶⁵tn Heb “suddenly.”
⁶⁶tn Heb “the destroyer.”
⁶⁷tn These words are not in the text but are implicit from the context. They are supplied in the translation for clarity. Note “I have appointed you.” Compare Jer 1:18.
⁶⁸tn The meaning of these two lines is somewhat uncertain. The assumption underlying the translation is that the line reads in Hebrew, “I appoint you an assayer among my people, a tester.” Uncertainty is created by the debate over the meaning of the words translated “assayer” (/ojB* ) and “tester” (rx*b=m! ). The word /ojB* can mean either “tower” (cf. BDB 103 s.v. /ojB* and see Isa 23:13 for the only other use) or “assayer” (cf. BDB 103 s.v. /ojB*). The latter would be the more expected nuance because of the other uses of nouns and verbs from this root. The word rx*b=m! normally means “fortress” (cf. BDB 131 s.v. rx*b=m!), but most modern commentaries and lexicons deem that nuance inappropriate here. HAL follows a proposal that the word is to be repointed to rX@b^m= and is to be derived from a root rx^B* meaning “to test” (cf. HAL 143 s.v. IV rx^B*). That proposal makes the most sense in the context, but it should be noted that the word or the verb to which it is related appear nowhere else in the OT.
⁶⁹tn Heb “test their way.”
⁷⁰tn These words are not in the text but are implicit from the context. They are supplied in the translation for clarity. Some takes these words to be the continuation of the Lord’s commission of Jeremiah to the task of testing them. However, since this is the evaluation, the task already appears to be complete. The words are better to be taken as Jeremiah’s report after he has completed the task.
⁷¹tn Or “arch rebels,” or “hardened rebels.” Literally “rebels of rebels.”
⁷²tn Heb “The bellows blow fiercely; the lead is consumed by the fire.” The translation tries to make sense for the average reader of a metaphor which is based on an understanding of ancient metallurgy that most modern readers probably do not have. In the ancient refining process lead was added as a flux to remove the impurities from silver ore in the process of oxidizing the lead. Here Jeremiah says that the lead has been used up and the impurities have not been removed. The literal translation is based on the recognition of an otherwise unused verb root meaning “blow” (rj^n`, cf. BDB 1123 s.v. I rr~j* and HAL 651 s.v. rj^n`) and the Masoretes’ suggestion that the consonants <tvam be read <T^ va@m@ rather than as <t*V*a#m@ (“from their fire”) from an otherwise unattested noun hV*a#.
⁷³tn Heb “The refiner refines them in vain.”
⁷⁴tn This translation is intended to reflect the wordplay in the Hebrew text where the same root word is repeated in the two lines.