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Jeremiah 18-22
New English Translation

An Object Lesson from the Making of Pottery

18 The Lord said to Jeremiah:[a] 2 “Go down at once[b] to the potter’s house. I will speak to you further there.”[c] 3 So I went down to the potter’s house and found him working[d] at his wheel.[e] 4 Now and then[f] there would be something wrong[g] with the pot he was molding from the clay[h] with his hands. So he would rework[i] the clay into another kind of pot as he saw fit.[j]

5 Then the Lord’s message came to me, 6 “I, the Lord, say:[k] ‘O nation of Israel, can I not deal with you as this potter deals with the clay?[l] In my hands, you, O nation of Israel, are just like the clay in this potter’s hand.’ 7 There are times, Jeremiah,[m] when I threaten to uproot, tear down, and destroy a nation or kingdom.[n] 8 But if that nation I threatened stops doing wrong,[o] I will cancel the destruction[p] I intended to do to it. 9 And there are times when I promise to build up and establish[q] a nation or kingdom. 10 But if that nation does what displeases me and does not obey me, then I will cancel the good I promised to do to it. 11 So now, tell the people of Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem this: The Lord says, ‘I am preparing to bring disaster on you! I am making plans to punish you.[r] So, every one of you, stop the evil things you have been doing.[s] Correct the way you have been living and do what is right.’[t] 12 But they just keep saying, ‘We do not care what you say![u] We will do whatever we want to do! We will continue to behave wickedly and stubbornly!’”[v]

13 Therefore, the Lord says,

“Ask the people of other nations
whether they have heard of anything like this.
Israel should have been like a virgin,
but she has done something utterly revolting!
14 Does the snow ever completely vanish from the rocky slopes of Lebanon?
Do the cool waters from those distant mountains ever cease to flow?[w]
15 Yet my people have forgotten me
and offered sacrifices to worthless idols.
This makes them stumble along in the way they live
and leave the old reliable path of their fathers.[x]
They have left them to walk in bypaths,
in roads that are not smooth and level.[y]
16 So their land will become an object of horror.[z]
People will forever hiss out their scorn over it.
All who pass that way will be filled with horror
and will shake their heads in derision.[aa]
17 I will scatter them before their enemies
like dust blowing in front of a burning east wind.
I will turn my back on them and not look favorably on them[ab]
when disaster strikes them.”

Jeremiah Petitions the Lord to Punish Those Who Attack Him

18 Then some people[ac] said, “Come on! Let us consider how to deal with Jeremiah![ad] There will still be priests to instruct us, wise men to give us advice, and prophets to declare God’s word.[ae] Come on! Let’s bring charges against him and get rid of him![af] Then we will not need to pay attention to anything he says.”

19 Then I said,[ag]

“Lord, pay attention to me.
Listen to what my enemies are saying.[ah]
20 Should good be paid back with evil?
Yet they are virtually digging a pit to kill me.[ai]
Just remember how I stood before you
pleading on their behalf[aj]
to keep you from venting your anger on them.[ak]
21 So let their children die of starvation.
Let them be cut down by the sword.[al]
Let their wives lose their husbands and children.
Let the older men die of disease[am]
and the younger men die by the sword in battle.
22 Let cries of terror be heard in their houses
when you send bands of raiders unexpectedly to plunder them.[an]
For they have virtually dug a pit to capture me
and have hidden traps for me to step into.
23 But you, Lord, know
all their plots to kill me.
Do not pardon their crimes!
Do not ignore their sins as though you had erased them.[ao]
Let them be brought down in defeat before you.
Deal with them while you are still angry![ap]

An Object Lesson from a Broken Clay Jar

19 The Lord told Jeremiah,[aq] “Go and buy a clay jar from a potter.[ar] Take with you[as] some of the leaders of the people and some of the leaders[at] of the priests. 2 Go out to the part of the Hinnom Valley that is near the entrance of the Potsherd Gate.[au] Announce there what I tell you.[av] 3 Say, ‘Listen to the Lord’s message, you kings of Judah and citizens of Jerusalem! This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies,[aw] the God of Israel, has said, “Look here! I am about to bring a disaster on this place[ax] that will make the ears of everyone who hears about it ring.[ay] 4 I will do so because these people[az] have rejected me and have defiled[ba] this place. They have offered sacrifices in it to other gods that neither they nor their ancestors[bb] nor the kings of Judah knew anything about. They have filled it with the blood of innocent children.[bc] 5 They have built places here[bd] for worship of the god Baal so that they could sacrifice their children as burnt offerings to him in the fire. Such sacrifices[be] are something I never commanded them to make. They are something I never told them to do! Indeed, such a thing never even entered my mind. 6 So I, the Lord, say:[bf] “The time will soon come that people will no longer call this place Topheth or the Hinnom Valley. But they will call this valley[bg] the Valley of Slaughter! 7 In this place I will thwart[bh] the plans of the people of Judah and Jerusalem. I will deliver them over to the power of their enemies who are seeking to kill them. They will die by the sword[bi] at the hands of their enemies.[bj] I will make their dead bodies food for the birds and wild beasts to eat. 8 I will make this city an object of horror, a thing to be hissed at. All who pass by it will be filled with horror and will hiss out their scorn[bk] because of all the disasters that have happened to it.[bl] 9 I will reduce the people of this city to desperate straits during the siege imposed on it by their enemies who are seeking to kill them. I will make them so desperate that they will eat the flesh of their own sons and daughters and the flesh of one another.”’”[bm]

10 The Lord continued,[bn] “Now break the jar in front of those who have come here with you. 11 Tell them the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says,[bo] ‘I will do just as Jeremiah has done.[bp] I will smash this nation and this city as though it were a potter’s vessel that is broken beyond repair.[bq] The dead will be buried here in Topheth until there is no more room to bury them.’[br] 12 I, the Lord, say:[bs] ‘That is how I will deal with this city and its citizens. I will make it like Topheth. 13 The houses in Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah will be defiled by dead bodies[bt] just like this place, Topheth. For they offered sacrifice to the stars[bu] and poured out drink offerings to other gods on the roofs of those houses.’”

14 Then Jeremiah left Topheth where the Lord had sent him to give that prophecy. He went to the Lord’s temple and stood[bv] in its courtyard and called out to all the people. 15 “The Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel,[bw] says, ‘I will soon bring on this city and all the towns surrounding it[bx] all the disaster I threatened to do to it. I will do so because they have stubbornly refused[by] to pay any attention to what I have said!’”

Jeremiah is Flogged and Put in A Cell

20 Now Pashhur son of Immer heard Jeremiah prophesy these things. He was the priest who was chief of security[bz] in the Lord’s temple. 2 When he heard Jeremiah’s prophecy, he had the prophet flogged.[ca] Then he put him in the stocks[cb] that were at the Upper Gate of Benjamin in the Lord’s temple.[cc] 3 But the next day Pashhur released Jeremiah from the stocks. When he did, Jeremiah said to him, “The Lord’s name for you is not ‘Pashhur’ but ‘Terror is Everywhere.’[cd] 4 For the Lord says, ‘I will make both you and your friends terrified of what will happen to you.[ce] You will see all of them die by the swords of their enemies.[cf] I will hand all the people of Judah over to the king of Babylon. He will carry some of them away into exile in Babylon and he will kill others of them with the sword. 5 I will hand over all the wealth of this city to their enemies. I will hand over to them all the fruits of the labor of the people of this city and all their prized possessions, as well as all the treasures of the kings of Judah. Their enemies will seize it all as plunder[cg] and carry it off to Babylon. 6 You, Pashhur, and all your household[ch] will go into exile in Babylon. You will die there and you will be buried there. The same thing will happen to all your friends to whom you have prophesied lies.’”[ci]

Jeremiah Complains about the Reaction to His Ministry

7 Lord, you coerced me into being a prophet,
and I allowed you to do it.
You overcame my resistance and prevailed over me.[cj]
Now I have become a constant laughingstock.
Everyone ridicules me.
8 For whenever I prophesy,[ck] I must cry out,[cl]
“Violence and destruction are coming!”[cm]
This message from the Lord[cn] has made me
an object of continual insults and derision.
9 Sometimes I think, “I will make no mention of his message.
I will not speak as his messenger[co] anymore.”
But then[cp] his message becomes like a fire
locked up inside of me, burning in my heart and soul.[cq]
I grow weary of trying to hold it in;
I cannot contain it.
10 I[cr] hear many whispering words of intrigue against me.
Those who would cause me terror are everywhere![cs]
They are saying, “Come on, let’s publicly denounce him!”[ct]
All my so-called friends[cu] are just watching for
something that would lead to my downfall.[cv]
They say, “Perhaps he can be enticed into slipping up,
so we can prevail over[cw] him and get our revenge on him.”
11 But the Lord is with me to help me like an awe-inspiring warrior.[cx]
Therefore those who persecute me will fail and will not prevail over me.
They will be thoroughly disgraced because they did not succeed.
Their disgrace will never be forgotten.
12 O Lord of Heaven’s Armies,[cy] you test and prove the righteous.
You see into people’s hearts and minds.[cz]
Pay them back for what they have done
because I trust you to vindicate my cause.
13 Sing to the Lord! Praise the Lord!
For he rescues the oppressed from the clutches of evildoers.[da]
14 Cursed be the day I was born!
May that day not be blessed when my mother gave birth to me.[db]
15 Cursed be the man
who made my father very glad
when he brought him the news
that a baby boy had been born to him![dc]
16 May that man be like the cities[dd]
that the Lord destroyed without showing any mercy.
May he hear a cry of distress in the morning
and a battle cry at noon.
17 For he did not kill me before I came from the womb,
making my pregnant mother’s womb my grave forever.[de]
18 Why did I ever come forth from my mother’s womb?
All I experience is trouble and grief,
and I spend my days in shame.[df]

The Lord Will Hand Jerusalem over to Enemies

21 The Lord spoke to Jeremiah[dg] when King Zedekiah[dh] sent to him Pashhur son of Malkijah and the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah.[di] Zedekiah sent them to Jeremiah to ask,[dj] 2 “Please ask the Lord to come and help us,[dk] because King Nebuchadnezzar[dl] of Babylon is attacking us. Maybe the Lord will perform one of his miracles as in times past and make him stop attacking us and leave.”[dm] 3 Jeremiah answered them, “Tell Zedekiah 4 that the Lord, the God of Israel, says,[dn] ‘The forces at your disposal[do] are now outside the walls fighting against King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and the Babylonians[dp] who have you under siege. I will gather those forces back inside the city.[dq] 5 In anger, in fury, and in wrath I myself will fight against you with my mighty power and great strength.[dr] 6 I will kill everything living in Jerusalem, people and animals alike. They will die from terrible diseases. 7 Then[ds] I, the Lord, promise that[dt] I will hand over King Zedekiah of Judah, his officials, and any of the people who survive the war, starvation, and disease. I will hand them over to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and to their enemies who want to kill them. He will slaughter them with the sword. He will not show them any mercy, compassion, or pity.’

8 “But[du] tell the people of Jerusalem[dv] that the Lord says, ‘I will give you a choice between two courses of action. One will result in life; the other will result in death.[dw] 9 Those who stay in this city will die in battle or of starvation or disease. Those who leave the city and surrender to the Babylonians who are besieging it will live. They will escape with their lives.[dx] 10 For I, the Lord, say that[dy] I am determined not to deliver this city but to bring disaster on it.[dz] It will be handed over to the king of Babylon and he will destroy it with fire.’”[ea]

Warnings to the Royal Court

11 The Lord told me to say[eb] to the royal court[ec] of Judah:

“Listen to the Lord’s message,
12 O royal family descended from David.[ed]
The Lord says:
‘See to it that people each day[ee] are judged fairly.[ef]
Deliver those who have been robbed from those[eg] who oppress them.
Otherwise, my wrath will blaze out against you.
It will burn like a fire that cannot be put out
because of the evil that you have done.[eh]
13 Listen, you[ei] who sit enthroned above the valley on a rocky plateau.
I am opposed to you,’[ej] says the Lord.[ek]
‘You boast, “No one can swoop down on us.
No one can penetrate into our places of refuge.”[el]
14 But I will punish you as your deeds deserve,’
says the Lord.[em]
‘I will set fire to your palace;
it will burn up everything around it.’”[en]

22 The Lord told me,[eo] “Go down[ep] to the palace of the king of Judah. Give him a message from me there.[eq] 2 Say: ‘Listen, O king of Judah who follows in David’s succession.[er] You, your officials, and your subjects who pass through the gates of this palace must listen to the Lord’s message.[es] 3 The Lord says, “Do what is just and right. Deliver those who have been robbed from those[et] who oppress them. Do not exploit or mistreat resident foreigners who live in your land, children who have no fathers, or widows.[eu] Do not kill innocent people[ev] in this land. 4 If you are careful to[ew] obey these commands, then the kings who follow in David’s succession and ride in chariots or on horses will continue to come through the gates of this palace, as will their officials and their subjects.[ex] 5 But, if you do not obey these commands, I solemnly swear[ey] that this palace will become a pile of rubble. I, the Lord, affirm it!”’[ez]

6 “For the Lord says concerning the palace of the king of Judah,

“‘This place looks like a veritable forest of Gilead to me.
It is like the wooded heights of Lebanon in my eyes.
But I swear that I will make it like a wilderness
whose towns have all been deserted.[fa]
7 I will send men against it to destroy it[fb]
with their axes and hatchets.
They will hack up its fine cedar panels and columns
and throw them into the fire.

8 “‘People from other nations will pass by this city. They will ask one another, “Why has the Lord done such a thing to this great city?” 9 The answer will come back, “It is because they broke their covenant with the Lord their God and worshiped and served other gods.”

Judgment on Jehoahaz

10 “‘Do not weep for the king who was killed.
Do not grieve for him.
But weep mournfully for the king who has gone into exile.
For he will never return to see his native land again.[fc]

11 “‘For the Lord has spoken about Shallum son of Josiah, who succeeded his father as king of Judah but was carried off into exile. He has said, “He will never return to this land.[fd] 12 For he will die in the country where they took him as a captive. He will never see this land again.”[fe]

Judgment on Jehoiakim

13 “‘Sure to be judged[ff] is the king who builds his palace using injustice
and treats people unfairly while adding its upper rooms.[fg]
He makes his countrymen work for him for nothing.
He does not pay them for their labor.
14 He says, “I will build myself a large palace
with spacious upper rooms.”
He cuts windows in its walls,
panels it[fh] with cedar, and paints its rooms red.[fi]
15 Does it make you any more of a king
that you outstrip everyone else in[fj] building with cedar?
Just think about your father.
He was content that he had food and drink.[fk]
He did what was just and right.[fl]
So things went well with him.
16 He upheld the cause of the poor and needy.
So things went well for Judah.’[fm]
The Lord says,
‘That is a good example of what it means to know me.[fn]
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.’”[fo]

18 So[fp] the Lord has this to say about Josiah’s son, King Jehoiakim of Judah:

“People will not mourn for him, saying,
‘This makes me sad, my brother!
This makes me sad, my sister!’
They will not mourn for him, saying,
‘Poor, poor lord! Poor, poor majesty!’[fq]
19 He will be left unburied just like a dead donkey.
His body will be dragged off and thrown outside the gates of Jerusalem.[fr]

Warning to Jerusalem

20 “People of Jerusalem,[fs] go up to Lebanon and cry out in mourning.
Go to the land of Bashan and cry out loudly.
Cry out in mourning from the mountains of Moab.[ft]
For your allies[fu] have all been defeated.
21 While you were feeling secure I gave you warning.[fv]
But you said, ‘I refuse to listen to you.’
That is the way you have acted from your earliest history onward.[fw]
Indeed, you have never paid attention to me.
22 My judgment will carry off all your leaders like a storm wind![fx]
Your allies will go into captivity.
Then you will certainly[fy] be disgraced and put to shame
because of all the wickedness you have done.
23 You may feel as secure as a bird
nesting in the cedars of Lebanon.
But O how you[fz] will groan[ga] when the pains of judgment come on you.
They will be like those of a woman giving birth to a baby.”[gb]

Jeconiah Will Be Permanently Exiled

24 The Lord says,[gc] “As surely as I am the living God, you, Jeconiah,[gd] king of Judah, son of Jehoiakim, will not be the earthly representative of my authority. Indeed, I will take that right away from you.[ge] 25 I will hand you over to those who want to take your life and of whom you are afraid. I will hand you over to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and his Babylonian[gf] soldiers. 26 I will force you and your mother who gave you birth into exile. You will be exiled to[gg] a country where neither of you were born, and you will both die there. 27 You will never come back to this land that you will long to return to![gh]

28 “This man, Jeconiah, will be like a broken pot someone threw away.

He will be like a clay vessel[gi] that no one wants.[gj]
Why will he and his children be forced into exile?
Why will they be thrown out into a country they know nothing about?[gk]
29 O Land, land, land of Judah![gl]
Listen to the Lord’s message.

30 The Lord says,

“Enroll this man in the register as though he were childless.[gm]
Enroll him as a man who will not enjoy success during his lifetime.
For none of his sons will succeed in occupying the throne of David
or ever succeed in ruling over Judah.”

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 18:1 tn Heb “The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying:” This same formula occurs ten other times in Jeremiah. It has already occurred at 7:1 and 11:1.
  2. Jeremiah 18:2 tn Heb “Get up and go down.” The first verb is not literal but is idiomatic for the initiation of an action. See 13:4, 6 for other occurrences of this idiom.
  3. Jeremiah 18:2 tn Heb “And I will cause you to hear my word there.”
  4. Jeremiah 18:3 tn Heb “And behold he was working.”
  5. Jeremiah 18:3 sn At his wheel (Heb “at the two stones”). The Hebrew expression is very descriptive of the construction of a potter’s wheel, which consisted of two stones joined by a horizontal shaft. The potter rotated the wheel with his feet on the lower wheel and worked the clay with his hands on the upper. For a picture of a potter working at his wheel, see I. Ben-Dor, “Potter’s Wheel,” IDB 3:846. See also the discussion regarding the making of pottery in J. L. Kelso, “Pottery,” IDB 3:846-53.
  6. Jeremiah 18:4 tn The verbs here denote repeated action. They are the Hebrew perfect with the vav (ו) consecutive. The text then reads somewhat literally, “Whenever the vessel he was molding…was ruined, he would remold…” For this construction see Joüon 2:393-94 §118.n and 2:628-29 §167.b, and compare the usage in Amos 4:7-8.
  7. Jeremiah 18:4 sn Something was wrong with the clay—either there was a lump in it, or it was too moist or not moist enough, or it had some other imperfection. In any case the vessel was “ruined” or “spoiled,” or defective in the eyes of the potter. This same verb has been used of the linen shorts that were “ruined” and hence “good for nothing” (Jer 13:7). The nature of the clay and how it responded to the potter’s hand determined the kind of vessel that he made of it. He did not throw the clay away. This is the basis for the application in vv. 7-10 to any nation and to the nation of Israel in particular (vv. 11-17).
  8. Jeremiah 18:4 tn The usage of the preposition בּ (bet) to introduce the material from which something is made in Exod 38:8 and 1 Kgs 15:22 should lay to rest the rather forced construction that some (like J. Bright, Jeremiah [AB], 121) put on the variant כַּחֹמֶר (kakhomer) found in a few Hebrew mss. Bright renders that phrase as an elliptical “as clay sometimes will.” The phrase is missing from the Greek version.
  9. Jeremiah 18:4 tn Heb “he would turn and work.” This is an example of hendiadys where one of the two verbs joined by “and” becomes the adverbial modifier of the other. The verb “turn” is very common in this construction (see BDB 998 s.v. שׁוּב Qal.8 for references).
  10. Jeremiah 18:4 tn Heb “as it was right in his eyes to do [or work it].” For this idiom see Judg 14:3, 7; 1 Sam 18:20, 26; 2 Sam 17:4.
  11. Jeremiah 18:6 tn This phrase (literally “Oracle of the Lord”) has been handled this way on several occasions when it occurs within first person addresses where the Lord is the speaker. See, e.g., 16:16 and 17:24.
  12. Jeremiah 18:6 tn The words “deals with the clay” are not in the text. They are part of an elliptical comparison and are supplied in the translation here for clarity.
  13. Jeremiah 18:7 tn The word “Jeremiah” is not in the text, but it is implicit from the introduction in v. 5 that he is being addressed. It is important to see how the rhetoric of this passage is structured. The words of vv. 7-10 lead up to the conclusion “So now” in v. 11, which in turn leads to the conclusion “Therefore” in v. 13. The tense of the verb in v. 12 is very important. It is a vav consecutive perfect indicating the future (cf. GKC 333 §112.p, r); their response is predictable. The words of vv. 7-10 are addressed to Jeremiah (v. 5) in fulfillment of the Lord’s promise to speak to him (v. 2). They furnish the basis for the Lord’s words of conditional threat to a people who show no promise of responding positively (vv. 11-12). Verse 6 then must be seen as another example of the figure of apostrophe (the turning aside from description about someone to addressing them directly; cf., e.g., Ps 6:8-9 (6:9-10 HT). Earlier examples of this figure have been seen in 6:20; 9:4; 11:13; 12:13; and 15:6.
  14. Jeremiah 18:7 tn Heb “One moment I may speak about a nation or kingdom to…” So also in v. 9. The translation is structured this way to avoid an awkward English construction and to reflect the difference in disposition. The constructions are, however, the same.
  15. Jeremiah 18:8 tn Heb “turns from its wickedness.”
  16. Jeremiah 18:8 tn There is a good deal of debate about how the word translated here “revoke” should be translated. There is a good deal of reluctance to translate it “change my mind” because some see that as contradicting Num 23:19 and thus prefer “relent.” However, the English word “relent” suggests the softening of an attitude but not necessarily the change of course. It is clear that in many cases (including here) an actual change of course is in view (see, e.g., Amos 7:3, 6; Jonah 3:9; Jer 26:19; Exod 13:17; 32:14). Several of these passages deal with “conditional” prophecies, where a change in behavior of the people or the mediation of a prophet involves the change in course of the threatened punishment (or the promised benefit). “Revoke” or “forgo” may be the best way to render this in contemporary English idiom.sn There is a wordplay here involving the word “evil” (רָעָה, raʿah), which refers to both the crime and the punishment. This same play is carried further in Jonah 3:10-4:1, where Jonah becomes very displeased (Heb “it was very evil to Jonah with great evil”) when God forgoes bringing disaster (evil) on Nineveh because they have repented of their wickedness (evil).
  17. Jeremiah 18:9 sn Heb “plant.” The terms “uproot,” “tear down,” “destroy,” “build,” and “plant” are the two sides of the ministry Jeremiah was called to fulfill (cf. Jer 1:10).
  18. Jeremiah 18:11 sn Heb “I am forming disaster and making plans against you.” The word translated “forming” is the same as that for “potter,” so there is a wordplay taking the reader back to v. 5. They are in his hands like the clay in the hands of the potter. Since they have not been pliable he forms new plans. He still offers them opportunity to repent, but their response is predictable.
  19. Jeremiah 18:11 tn Heb “Turn, each one from his wicked way.” See v. 8.
  20. Jeremiah 18:11 tn Or “Make good your ways and your actions.” See the same expression in 7:3, 5.
  21. Jeremiah 18:12 tn Heb “It is useless!” See the same expression in a similar context in Jer 2:25.
  22. Jeremiah 18:12 tn Heb “We will follow our own plans and do each one according to the stubbornness of his own wicked heart.”sn This has been the consistent pattern of their behavior. See 7:24; 9:13; 13:10; 16:12.
  23. Jeremiah 18:14 tn The precise translation of this verse is somewhat uncertain. Two phrases in this verse are the primary cause of discussion and the source of numerous emendations, none of which has gained consensus. The phrase that is rendered here “rocky slopes” is in Hebrew צוּר שָׂדַי (tsur saday), which would normally mean something like “rocky crag of the field” (see BDB 961 s.v. שָׂדַי 1.g). Numerous emendations have been proposed, most of which are listed in the footnotes of J. A. Thompson, Jeremiah (NICOT), 436. The present translation has chosen to follow the proposal of several scholars that the word here is related to the Akkadian word shadu, meaning mountain. The other difficulty is the word translated “cease,” which in the MT is literally “be uprooted” (יִנָּתְשׁוּ, yinnateshu). The word is usually emended to read יִנָּשְׁתוּ (yinnashetu, “are dried up”) as a case of transposed letters (cf., e.g., BDB 684 s.v. נָתַשׁ Niph). This is probably a case of an error in hearing, and the word נָטַשׁ (natash), which is often parallel to עָזַב (ʿazav), translated here “vanish,” should be read in the sense that it has in 1 Sam 10:2. If one reads “are plucked up” and understands it figuratively of ceasing (“are dried” or “cease”), the sense is the same. For the sense of “distant” for the word זָרִים (zarim), see 2 Kgs 19:24.sn Israel’s actions are contrary to nature. See the same kind of argumentation in Jer 2:11 and 8:7.
  24. Jeremiah 18:15 sn Heb “the ancient path.” This has already been referred to in Jer 6:16. There is another “old way,” but it is the path trod by the wicked (cf. Job 22:15).
  25. Jeremiah 18:15 sn Heb “ways that are not built up.” This refers to the built-up highways. See Isa 40:4 for the figure. The terms “way,” “by-paths,” and “roads” are, of course, being used here in the sense of moral behavior or action.
  26. Jeremiah 18:16 tn There may be a deliberate double meaning involved here. The word translated “an object of horror” refers both to destruction (cf. 2:15; 4:17) and the horror or dismay that accompanies it (cf. 5:30; 8:21). The fact that there is no conjunction or preposition in front of the noun “hissing” that follows this word suggests that the reaction is in view here, not its cause. So does “be filled with horror,” which translates an etymologically related verb.
  27. Jeremiah 18:16 tn Heb “an object of lasting hissing. All who pass that way will be appalled and shake their head.”sn The actions of “shaking of the head” and “hissing” were obviously gestures of scorn and derision. See Lam 2:15-16.
  28. Jeremiah 18:17 tc Heb “I will show them [my] back and not [my] face.” This reading follows the suggestion of some of the versions and some of the Masoretes. The MT reads, “I will look on their back and not on their faces.”sn To “turn the back” is universally recognized as a symbol of rejection. The turning of the face toward one is the subject of the beautiful Aaronic blessing in Num 6:24-26.
  29. Jeremiah 18:18 tn Heb “They.” The referent is unidentified; “some people” has been used in the translation.
  30. Jeremiah 18:18 tn Heb “Let us make plans against Jeremiah.” See 18:18, where this has sinister overtones as it does here.
  31. Jeremiah 18:18 tn Heb “For instruction will not perish from priest, nor counsel from wise man, nor word from prophet.”sn These are the three channels through whom God spoke to his people in the OT. See Jer 8:8-10 and Ezek 7:26.
  32. Jeremiah 18:18 tn Heb “Let us smite him with our tongues.” It is clear from the context that this involved plots to kill him.
  33. Jeremiah 18:19 tn The words “Then I said” are not in the text. They are supplied in the translation for clarity to show that Jeremiah turns from describing the peoples’ plots to imploring God to deal with the plotters.
  34. Jeremiah 18:19 tn Heb “the voice of my adversaries.”sn Jeremiah’s prayers against the unjust treatment of his enemies here and elsewhere (see 11:18-20; 12:1-4; 15:15-18; 17:14-18) have many elements of prayers by the innocent in the book of Psalms: an invocation of the Lord as just judge, a lament about unjust attacks, an appeal to innocence, and a cry for vindication that often calls for the Lord to pay back in kind those who unjustly attack the petitioner. See for examples Pss 5, 7, 17, and 54, among many others.
  35. Jeremiah 18:20 tn Or “They are plotting to kill me”; Heb “They have dug a pit for my soul.” This is a common metaphor for plotting against someone. See BDB 500 s.v. כָּרָה Qal and for an example see Pss 7:16 (7:15 HT) in its context.
  36. Jeremiah 18:20 tn Heb “to speak good concerning them,” which goes back to the concept of “good” being paid back with evil.
  37. Jeremiah 18:20 tn Heb “to turn back your anger from them.”sn See Jer 14:7-9, 19-21 and 15:1-4 for the idea.
  38. Jeremiah 18:21 tn Heb “be poured out to the hand [= power] of the sword.” For this same expression see Ezek 35:5 and Ps 63:10 (63:11 HT). Comparison with those two passages shows that it involved death by violent means, perhaps death in battle.
  39. Jeremiah 18:21 tn Heb “be slain by death.” The commentaries are generally agreed that this refers to death by disease or plague as in 15:2. Hence, the reference is to the deadly trio of sword, starvation, and disease, which were often connected with war. See the notes on 15:2.
  40. Jeremiah 18:22 tn Heb “when you bring marauders in against them.” For the use of the noun translated here “bands of raiders to plunder them,” see 1 Sam 30:3, 15, 23 and BDB 151 s.v. גְּדוּד 1.
  41. Jeremiah 18:23 sn Heb “Do not blot out their sins from before you.” For this anthropomorphic figure that looks at God’s actions as though connected with record books, i.e., a book of wrongdoings to be punished and a book of life for those who are to live, see, e.g., Exod 32:32, 33, Pss 51:1 (51:3 HT); and 69:28 (69:29 HT).
  42. Jeremiah 18:23 tn Heb “in the time of your anger.”
  43. Jeremiah 19:1 tn The word “Jeremiah” is not in the text. Some Hebrew mss and some of the versions have “to me.” This section, 19:1-20:6, appears to be one of the biographical sections of the book of Jeremiah where incidents in his life are reported in third person. See clearly 9:14 and 20:1-3. The mss and versions do not represent a more original text but are translational or interpretive attempts to fill in a text that had no referent. They are like the translational addition, which has been supplied on the basis of contextual indicators.
  44. Jeremiah 19:1 tn Heb “an earthenware jar of the potter.”sn The word translated “clay” here refers to a clay that has been baked or fired in a kiln. In Jer 18 the clay was still soft and pliable, capable of being formed into different kinds of vessels. Here the clay is set, just as Israel is set in its ways. The word for jar probably refers to a water jug or decanter and is onomatopoeic, vaqbuq, referring to the gurgling sound made by pouring out the water.
  45. Jeremiah 19:1 tc The words “Take with you” follow the reading of the Syriac version and to a certain extent the reading of the Greek version (the latter does not have “with you”). The Hebrew text does not have these words, but they are undoubtedly implicit.
  46. Jeremiah 19:1 tn Heb “elders,” both here and before “of the people.”sn The civil and religious leaders are referred to here. They were to be witnesses of the symbolic act and of the message that Jeremiah proclaimed to the leaders of Jerusalem and to its citizens (see v. 3).
  47. Jeremiah 19:2 sn The exact location of the Potsherd Gate is unknown since it is named nowhere else in the Hebrew Bible. It is sometimes identified, on the basis of the Jerusalem Targum, with the Dung Gate mentioned in Neh 2:13; 3:13-14; and 12:31. It is probably called “Potsherd Gate” because that is where the potter threw out the broken pieces of pottery that were no longer of use to him. The Valley of Ben Hinnom has already been noted in 7:31-32 in connection with the illicit religious practices, including child sacrifice, that took place there. The Valley of Ben Hinnom (or sometimes Valley of Hinnom) runs along the west and south sides of Jerusalem.
  48. Jeremiah 19:2 tn Heb “the words that I will speak to you.”
  49. Jeremiah 19:3 sn See the study notes on 2:19 and 7:3 for explanation of this title.
  50. Jeremiah 19:3 sn Careful comparison of the use of this term throughout this passage and comparison with 7:31-33, which is parallel to several verses in this passage, will show that the reference is to the Valley of Ben Hinnom, which will become a Valley of Slaughter (see v. 6 and 7:32).
  51. Jeremiah 19:3 tn Heb “which everyone who hears it [or about it] his ears will ring.” This is proverbial for a tremendous disaster. See 1 Sam 3:11 and 2 Kgs 21:12 for similar prophecies.
  52. Jeremiah 19:4 tn The text merely has “they.” But since a reference is made later to “they” and “their ancestors,” the referent must be to the people that the leaders of the people and leaders of the priests represent.
  53. Jeremiah 19:4 sn Heb “have made this city foreign.” The verb here is one that is built off of the noun and adjective, which relate to foreign nations. Comparison may be made to Jer 2:21, where the adjective refers to the strange, wild vine as opposed to the choice vine the Lord planted, and to 5:19 and 8:19, where the noun is used of worshiping foreign gods. Israel through its false worship has “denationalized” itself in its relation to God.
  54. Jeremiah 19:4 tn Heb “fathers.”
  55. Jeremiah 19:4 tn Heb “the blood of innocent ones.” This must be a reference to child sacrifice as explained in the next verse. Some have seen a reference to the sins of social injustice alluded to in 2 Kgs 21:16 and 24:4, but those are connected with the city itself. Hence the word children is supplied in the translation to make the referent explicit.
  56. Jeremiah 19:5 tn The word “here” is not in the text. However, it is implicit from the rest of the context. It is supplied in the translation for clarity.
  57. Jeremiah 19:5 tn The words “such sacrifices” are not in the text. The text merely says, “to burn their children in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, which I did not command.” The command obviously refers not to the qualification “to Baal” but to burning the children in the fire as burnt offerings. The words are supplied in the translation to avoid a possible confusion that the reference is to sacrifices to Baal. Likewise the words should not be translated so literally that they leave the impression that God never said anything about sacrificing their children to other gods. The fact is he did. See Lev 18:21; Deut 12:30; 18:10.
  58. Jeremiah 19:6 tn This phrase (Heb “Oracle of the Lord”) has been handled this way on several occasions when it occurs within first person addresses where the Lord is the speaker. See, e.g., 16:16; 17:24; 18:6.
  59. Jeremiah 19:6 tn Heb “it will no longer be called to this place Topheth or the Valley of Ben Hinnom but the Valley of Slaughter.”sn See Jer 7:31-32 for an almost word-for-word repetition of vv. 5-6.
  60. Jeremiah 19:7 sn There is perhaps a twofold wordplay in the use of this verb. One involves the sound play with the word for “jar,” which has been explained as a water decanter. The word here is בַקֹּתִי (vaqqoti). The word for jar in v. 1 is בַקְבֻּק (vaqbuq). There may also be a play on the literal use of this word to refer to the laying waste or destruction of a land (see Isa 24:3; Nah 2:3). Many modern commentaries think that at this point Jeremiah emptied out the contents of the jar, symbolizing the “emptying” out of their plans.
  61. Jeremiah 19:7 sn This refers to the fact that they will die in battle. The sword would be only one of the weapons that strikes them down. It is one of the trio of “sword,” “starvation,” and “disease” that were the concomitants of war referred to so often in the book of Jeremiah. Starvation is referred to in v. 9.
  62. Jeremiah 19:7 tn Heb “I will cause them to fall by the sword before their enemies and in the hand of those who seek their soul [= life].” In this context the two are meant as obvious qualifications of one entity, not two. Some rearrangement of the qualifiers had to be made in the English translation to convey this.
  63. Jeremiah 19:8 sn See 18:16 and the study note there.
  64. Jeremiah 19:8 tn Heb “all its smitings.” This word has been used several times for the metaphorical “wounds” that Israel has suffered as a result of the blows from its enemies. See, e.g., 14:17. It is used in the Hebrew Bible of scourging, both literally and metaphorically (cf. Deut 25:3; Isa 10:26), and of slaughter and defeat (1 Sam 4:10; Josh 10:20). Here it refers to the results of the crushing blows at the hands of her enemies, which have made her the object of scorn.
  65. Jeremiah 19:9 tn This verse has been restructured to try to bring out the proper thought and subordinations reflected in the verse without making the sentence too long and complex in English: Heb “I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and daughters. And they will eat one another’s flesh in the siege and in the straits to which their enemies who are seeking their lives reduce them.” This also shows the agency through which God’s causation was effected, i.e., the siege.sn Cannibalism is one of the penalties for disobedience to their covenant with the Lord effected through the Mosaic covenant. See Deut 28:53, 55, 57. For examples of this being carried out, see 2 Kgs 6:28-29 and Lam 4:10.
  66. Jeremiah 19:10 tn The words “And the Lord continued” are not in the text. However, they are necessary to take us clearly back to the flow of the narrative begun in vv. 1-2 and interrupted by the long speech in vv. 3-9.
  67. Jeremiah 19:11 tn Heb “Thus says Yahweh of Armies.” For this title see the study note on 2:19. The translation attempts to avoid the confusion of embedding quotes within quotes by reducing this one to an indirect quote.
  68. Jeremiah 19:11 tn The adverb “Thus” or “Like this” normally points back to something previously mentioned. See, e.g., Exod 29:35; Num 11:15; 15:11; Deut 25:9.
  69. Jeremiah 19:11 tn Heb “Like this I will break this people and this city, just as one breaks the vessel of a potter that is not able to be repaired.”
  70. Jeremiah 19:11 sn See Jer 7:32-33 for parallels.
  71. Jeremiah 19:12 tn This phrase (Heb “Oracle of the Lord”) has been handled this way on several occasions when it occurs within first person addresses where the Lord is the speaker. See, e.g., 16:16; 17:24; 18:6.
  72. Jeremiah 19:13 tn The phrase “by dead bodies” is not in the text but is implicit from the context. It is supplied in the translation for clarity.
  73. Jeremiah 19:13 tn Heb “the host of heaven.”
  74. Jeremiah 19:14 tn Heb “And Jeremiah entered from Topheth, where the Lord had sent him to prophesy, and he stood in the courtyard of the Lord’s temple.”
  75. Jeremiah 19:15 tn Heb “Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel.”sn See the study notes on 2:19 and 7:3 for explanation of this title.
  76. Jeremiah 19:15 tn Heb “all its towns.”
  77. Jeremiah 19:15 tn Heb “They hardened [or made stiff] their neck so as not to.”
  78. Jeremiah 20:1 tn Heb “chief overseer/officer.” The translation follows the suggestion of P. C. Craigie, P. H. Kelley, J. F. Drinkard, Jeremiah 1-25 (WBC), 267, based on the parallel passage in 29:26-27, where this official appears to have been in charge of maintaining order in the temple.sn Judging from a comparison of this passage with Jer 29:26-27 and that passage in turn with 2 Kgs 25:18, Pashhur held an office second in rank only to the high priest. He was in charge of keeping order in the temple and took offense at what he heard Jeremiah saying.
  79. Jeremiah 20:2 tn Heb “And Pashhur son of Immer, the priest and he [= who] was chief overseer [or officer] in the house of the Lord, heard Jeremiah prophesying these words/things, 20:2 and Pashhur had the prophet Jeremiah flogged.” This verse and the previous one have been restructured in the translation to better conform with contemporary English style.
  80. Jeremiah 20:2 tn The meaning of this word is uncertain. It occurs only here; in 29:26, where it is followed by a parallel word that occurs only there and is generally translated “collar”; and in 2 Chr 16:10, where it is preceded by the word “house of.” It is most often translated “stocks” and explained as an instrument of confinement for keeping prisoners in a crooked position (from its relation to a root meaning “to turn”). See BDB 246 s.v. מַהְפֶּכֶת and KBL 500 s.v. מַהְפֶּכֶת for definition and discussion. For a full discussion including the interpretation of the ancient versions, see W. L. Holladay, Jeremiah (Hermeneia), 1:542-43.
  81. Jeremiah 20:2 sn A comparison of Ezek 8:3 and 9:2 in their contexts will show that this probably refers to the northern gate to the inner court of the temple. It is called Upper because it was on higher ground above the gate in the outer court. It is qualified by “in the Lord’s temple” to distinguish it from the Benjamin Gate in the city wall (cf. 37:13; 38:7). Like the Benjamin Gate in the city wall it faced north toward the territory of the tribe of Benjamin.
  82. Jeremiah 20:3 tn This name is translated rather than transliterated to aid the reader in understanding this name and to connect it clearly with the explanation that follows in the next verse. For a discussion on the significance of this name and an attempt to explain it as a pun on the name “Pashhur,” see J. A. Thompson, Jeremiah (NICOT), 455, n. 35.sn The name given to Pashhur is essentially a curse pronounced by Jeremiah invoking the Lord’s authority. The same phrase occurs in Jer 6:25; 46:5; and 49:29, which are all in the context of war. In ancient Israelite culture a change in name denoted a change in status or destiny. See, for example, the shift from Jacob (“He grabs the heel” and “Cheater” or “Deceiver,” Gen 25:26; 27:36) to Israel (“He perseveres with God,” Gen 32:28).
  83. Jeremiah 20:4 tn Heb “I will make you an object of terror to both you and your friends.”
  84. Jeremiah 20:4 tn Heb “And they will fall by the sword of their enemies and [with] your eyes seeing [it].”
  85. Jeremiah 20:5 tn Heb “Take them [the goods, etc.] as plunder and seize them.”
  86. Jeremiah 20:6 tn Heb “all who live in your house.” This included his family and his servants.
  87. Jeremiah 20:6 sn As a member of the priesthood and the protector of order in the temple, Pashhur was undoubtedly one of those who promulgated the deceptive belief that the Lord’s presence in the temple was a guarantee of Judah’s safety (cf. 7:4, 8). Judging from the fact that two other men held the same office after the leading men in the city were carried into exile in 597 b.c. (see Jer 29:25-26 and compare 29:1-2 for the date and 2 Kgs 24:12-16 for the facts), this prophecy was probably fulfilled in 597. For a similar kind of oracle of judgment see Amos 7:10-17.
  88. Jeremiah 20:7 tn The translation is admittedly interpretive but so is every other translation that tries to capture the nuance of the verb rendered here “coerced.” Here the Hebrew text reads, “You [—]ed me, and I let myself be [—]ed. You overpowered me and prevailed.” The value one assigns to [—] is in every case interpretive, based on what one thinks the context is referring to. The word is rendered “deceived” or “tricked” by several English versions (see, e.g., KJV, NASB, TEV, ICV), as though God had misled him. It is rendered “enticed” by some (see, e.g., NRSV, NJPS), as though God had tempted him with false hopes. Some go so far as to accuse Jeremiah of accusing God of metaphorically “raping” him. It is true that the word is used of “seducing” a virgin in Exod 22:15, and that it is used in several places to refer to “deceiving” someone with false words (Prov 24:28; Ps 78:36). It is also true that it is used of “coaxing” someone to reveal something he does not want to (Judg 14:15; 16:5), and of “enticing” someone to do something on the basis of false hopes (1 Kgs 22:20-22; Prov 1:10). However, it does not always have negative connotations or associations. In Hos 2:14 (2:16 HT) God “charms” or “woos” Israel, his estranged ‘wife,’ into the wilderness, where he hopes to win her back to himself. What Jeremiah is alluding to here is crucial for translating and interpreting the word. There is no indication in this passage that Jeremiah is accusing God of misleading him or raising false hopes; God informed him at the outset that he would encounter opposition (1:17-19). Rather, he is alluding to his call to be a prophet, a call which he initially resisted but was persuaded to undertake because of God’s persistence (Jer 1:7-10). The best single word to translate “…” with is thus “persuaded” or “coerced.” The translation spells out the allusion explicitly, so the reader is not left wondering about what is being alluded to when Jeremiah speaks of being “coerced.” The translation “I let you do it” is a way of rendering the Niphal of the same verb, which must be tolerative rather than passive, since the normal passive for the Piel would be the Pual (See IBHS 389-90 §23.4g for discussion and examples.). The translation “you overcame my resistance” is based on allusion to the same context (1:7-10) and on the parallel use of חָזַק (khazaq) as a transitive verb with a direct object in 1 Kgs 16:22.
  89. Jeremiah 20:8 tn Heb “speak,” but the speaking is in the context of speaking as a prophet.
  90. Jeremiah 20:8 tn Heb “I cry out, I proclaim.”
  91. Jeremiah 20:8 tn Heb “Violence and destruction.”sn The words “Violence and destruction…” are a synopsis of his messages of judgment. Jeremiah is lamenting that his ministry up to this point has been one of judgment and has brought him nothing but ridicule because the Lord has not carried out his threats. He appears in the eyes of the people to be a false prophet.
  92. Jeremiah 20:8 tn Heb “the word of the Lord.” For the use of כִּי…כִּי (ki…ki) here in the sense of “for…and,” see KBL 432 s.v. כּי 10.
  93. Jeremiah 20:9 tn Heb “speak in his name.” This idiom occurs in passages where someone functions as the messenger under the authority of another. See Exod 5:23; Deut 18:19; 29:20; Jer 14:14. The antecedent in the first line is quite commonly misidentified as being “him,” i.e., the Lord. Comparison, however, with the rest of the context, especially the consequential clause “then it becomes” (וְהָיָה, vehayah), and Jer 23:36 shows that it is “the word of the Lord.”
  94. Jeremiah 20:9 tn The English sentence has again been restructured for the sake of English style. The Hebrew construction involves two vav consecutive perfects in a condition and consequence relation: “If I say to myself…, then it [his word] becomes.” See GKC 337 §112.kk for the construction.
  95. Jeremiah 20:9 sn Heb “It is in my heart like a burning fire, shut up in my bones.” In addition to standing as part for the whole, the “bones” for the person (e.g., Ps 35:10), the bones were associated with fear (e.g., Job 4:14), with pain (e.g., Job 33:19, Ps 102:3 [102:4 HT]), and with joy or sorrow (e.g., Ps 51:8 [51:10 HT]). As has been mentioned several times, the heart was connected with intellectual and volitional concerns.
  96. Jeremiah 20:10 tn It would be difficult to render accurately the Hebrew particle כִּי (ki) that introduces this verse without lengthening the English line unduly. It probably means something like “This is true, even though I…,” i.e., the particle is concessive (cf. BDB s.v. כִּי 2.c). No other nuance seems appropriate. The particle is left out of the translation, but its presence is acknowledged here.
  97. Jeremiah 20:10 tn The phrase translated “Those who would cause me terror are everywhere” has already occurred in 6:25, in the context of the terror caused by the enemy from the north, and in 20:3, in reference to the curse pronounced on Pashhur, who would experience it firsthand. Some have seen the phrase here not as Jeremiah’s ejaculation of terror but as his assailants’ taunts of his message or even their taunting nickname for him. But comparison of this passage with the first two lines of Ps 31:13 (31:14 HT), which are word for word the same as these two, will show that it refers to the terror inspired by the plots of his enemies to do away with him. It is also clear from the context of that passage and the following context here that the “whispering of many” (the literal translation of “many whispering words of intrigue against me”) refers to intrigues to take vengeance on him by killing him.
  98. Jeremiah 20:10 tn Heb “Denounce and let us denounce him.” The verb that is translated “denounce” (נָגַד, nagad) does not very often take an accusative object of person as it does here. When it does, it usually means to inform someone. The only relevant passage appears to be Job 17:5, where it means something like “denounce.” What is probably involved here are the attempts to portray Jeremiah as a traitor (Jer 26:10) and a false prophet (see his conflict with Hananiah in Jer 28).
  99. Jeremiah 20:10 tn Heb “the men of my peace [who are concerned about my welfare].” For this phrase compare Ps 41:9 (41:10 HT) and Jer 38:22. It is generally agreed that irony is being invoked here, hence “so-called” is supplied in the translation to bring it out.
  100. Jeremiah 20:10 tn Heb “watching my stumbling [for me to stumble].” Metaphorically they were watching for some slip-up that would lead to his downfall. Cf. Pss 35:15; 38:17 (38:18 HT).
  101. Jeremiah 20:10 tn All the text says literally is, “Perhaps he can be enticed so that we can prevail over him.” However, the word “enticed” needs some qualification. As W. McKane (Jeremiah [ICC], 1:479) notes, it should probably be read in the context of the “stumbling” (= “something that would lead to my downfall”). Hence “slipping up” has been supplied as an object. It is vague enough to avoid specifics, as the original text does, but suggests some reference to “something that would lead to my downfall.”sn An ironical wordplay occurs between terms here (“enticed,” “prevail over”) and the same Hebrew words in v. 7 (“coerced,” “prevailed over”), where they describe the Lord coercing Jeremiah into being a spokesman by overcoming his resistance. Jeremiah is lamenting that it was God’s call to speak his word, which he could not (and still cannot) resist, that has led, ironically, to his endangerment.
  102. Jeremiah 20:11 sn This line has some interesting ties with Jer 15:20-21, where Jeremiah is assured by God that he is indeed with him, as he promised him when he called him (1:8, 19), and will deliver him from the clutches of wicked and violent people. The word translated here “awe-inspiring” is the same as the word “violent people” there. Jeremiah is confident that his “awe-inspiring” warrior will overcome “violent people.” The statement of confidence here is, by the way, a common element in the psalms of petition in the Psalter. The common elements of that type of psalm are all here: invocation (v. 7), lament (vv. 7-10), confession of trust/confidence in being heard (v. 11), petition (v. 12), and thanksgiving or praise (v. 13). For some examples of this type of psalm, see Pss 3, 7, and 26.
  103. Jeremiah 20:12 tn Heb “Yahweh of Armies.”sn See the study note on 2:19 for explanation of this title for God.
  104. Jeremiah 20:12 tn Heb “Lord of Armies, the one who tests the righteous, who sees kidneys and heart.” The sentence has been broken up to avoid a long and complex English sentence. The translation is more in keeping with contemporary English style.sn This verse is almost an exact duplication of the petition in one of Jeremiah’s earlier prayers and complaints. See Jer 11:20 and notes there for explanation of the Hebrew psychology underlying the use of “kidneys and heart” here. For the thoughts expressed here see Ps 17.
  105. Jeremiah 20:13 sn While it may be a little confusing to modern readers to see the fluctuation in moods and the shifts in addressee in a prayer and complaint like this, it was not at all unusual for Israel, where these were often offered in the temple in the conscious presence of God before fellow worshipers. For another example of these same shifts, see Ps 22, which is a prayer of David in a time of deep distress.
  106. Jeremiah 20:14 sn From the heights of exaltation Jeremiah returns to the depths of despair. For similar mood swings in the psalms of lament, compare Ps 102. Verses 14-18 are similar in tone and mood to Job 3:1-10. They are very forceful rhetorical ways for Job and Jeremiah to express the wish that they had never been born.
  107. Jeremiah 20:15 tn Heb “Cursed be the man who brought my father the news, saying, ‘A son, a male, has been born to you,’ making glad his joy.” This verse has been restructured for English stylistic purposes.sn The birth of a child was an occasion of great joy. This was especially true if the child was a boy, because it meant the continuance of the family line and the right to retain the family property. See Ruth 4:10, 13-17.
  108. Jeremiah 20:16 sn The cities alluded to are Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities of the Jordan plain, which had become proverbial for their wickedness and for the destruction that the Lord brought on them because of it. See Isa 1:9-10; 13:19; Jer 23:14; 49:18.
  109. Jeremiah 20:17 tn Heb “because he did not kill me from the womb, so my mother might be to me for my grave and her womb eternally pregnant.” The sentence structure has been modified and the word “womb” moved from the last line to the next-to-last line for English stylistic purposes and greater clarity.
  110. Jeremiah 20:18 tn Heb “Why did I come forth from the womb to see [= so that I might see] trouble and grief and that my days might be consumed in shame?”
  111. Jeremiah 21:1 tn Heb “The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord.”
  112. Jeremiah 21:1 sn Zedekiah was the last king of Judah. He ruled from 597 b.c., when he was placed on the throne by Nebuchadnezzar (2 Kgs 24:17), until the fall of Jerusalem in 587/6 b.c. He acquiesced to some of his anti-Babylonian counselors, rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar, and sought help from the Egyptians (Ezek 17:12-15). This brought Nebuchadnezzar against the city in 588 b.c. This is the first of two delegations to Jeremiah. The later one was sent after Nebuchadnezzar withdrew to take care of the Egyptian threat (cf. Jer 37:1-9).
  113. Jeremiah 21:1 sn The Pashhur son of Malkijah referred to here is not the same as the Pashhur referred to in 20:1-6, who was the son of Immer. This Pashhur is referred to later in 38:1. The Zephaniah referred to here was the chief of security referred to later in Jer 29:25-26. He appears to have been favorably disposed toward Jeremiah.
  114. Jeremiah 21:1 tn Heb “sent to him…Maaseiah, saying,….”
  115. Jeremiah 21:2 tn The verb used here is often used of seeking information through a prophet (e.g., 2 Kgs 1:16; 8:8), and hence many translate, “inquire of the Lord for us.” However, it is obvious from the following that they were not seeking information but help. The word is also used for that in Pss 34:4 (34:5 HT); 77:2 (77:3 HT).
  116. Jeremiah 21:2 tn The dominant spelling of this name is actually Nebuchadrezzar, which is closer to his Babylonian name Nabû kuddurī uṣur. An alternate spelling, which is found 6 times in the book of Jeremiah and 17 times elsewhere, is Nebuchadnezzar, which is the form of the name that is usually used in English versions.sn Nebuchadnezzar was the second and greatest king of Babylon in the Neo-Babylonian Empire (626-539 b.c.). He is known in the Bible both for his two conquests of Jerusalem in 597 b.c. (2 Kgs 24:10-17) and 587 b.c. (2 Kgs 25:1-7), and for his having built Babylon the Great (Dan 4:28-30).
  117. Jeremiah 21:2 tn Heb “Perhaps the Lord will do according to his miracles that he may go up from against us.”sn The miracles that they may have had in mind would have included the Exodus, the conquest of Jericho, the deliverance of Jehoshaphat (2 Chr 20:1-30), etc., but predominant in their minds was probably the deliverance of Jerusalem from Sennacherib in the times of Hezekiah (Isa 37:33-38).
  118. Jeremiah 21:4 tn Heb “Tell Zedekiah, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel.’” Using the indirect quote eliminates one level of embedded quotation and makes it easier for the reader to follow.
  119. Jeremiah 21:4 tn Heb “the weapons that are in your hand.” Weapons stands here by substitution for the soldiers who wield them.
  120. Jeremiah 21:4 sn The Babylonians (Heb “the Chaldeans”). The Chaldeans were a group of people in the country south of Babylon from which Nebuchadnezzar came. The Chaldean dynasty his father established became the name by which the Babylonians are regularly referred to in the book of Jeremiah. Jeremiah’s contemporary Ezekiel uses both terms.
  121. Jeremiah 21:4 tn The structure of the Hebrew sentence of this verse is long and complex and has led to a great deal of confusion and misunderstanding. There are two primary points of confusion: 1) the relation of the phrase “outside the walls,” and 2) the antecedent of “them” in the last clause of the verse, which reads in Hebrew, “I will gather them back into the midst of the city.” Most take the phrase “outside the walls” with “the Babylonians….” Some take it with “turn back/bring back” to mean “from outside….” However, the preposition “from” is part of the idiom for “outside….” The phrase goes with “fighting,” as J. Bright (Jeremiah [AB], 215) notes and as NJPS suggests. The antecedent of “them” has sometimes been taken mistakenly to refer to the Babylonians. It refers rather to “the forces at your disposal,” which is literally, “the weapons which are in your hands.” This latter phrase is a figure involving substitution (called metonymy), as Bright also correctly notes. The whole sentence reads in Hebrew, “I will bring back the weapons of war that are in your hand, with which you are fighting Nebuchadrezzar, the King of Babylon, and the Chaldeans who are besieging you outside your wall, and I will gather them into the midst of the city.” The sentence has been restructured to better reflect the proper relationships and to make the sentence conform more to contemporary English style.
  122. Jeremiah 21:5 tn Heb “with outstretched hand and with strong arm.” These are, of course, figurative of God’s power and might. He does not literally have hands and arms.sn The phrases in this order are unique, but a very similar phrase, “by strong hand and outstretched arm,” is found several times with reference to God’s mighty power unleashed against Egypt at the exodus (cf., Deut 4:34; 5:15; 26:8; Jer 32:21; Ps 136:12). Instead of being directed at Israel’s enemies, it will now be directed against her.
  123. Jeremiah 21:7 tn Heb “And afterward.”
  124. Jeremiah 21:7 tn Heb “oracle of the Lord.”
  125. Jeremiah 21:8 tn Heb “And/But unto this people you shall say…” “But” is suggested here by the unusual word order, which offsets what they are to say to Zedekiah (v. 3).
  126. Jeremiah 21:8 tn Heb “these people.”
  127. Jeremiah 21:8 tn Heb “Behold, I am setting before you the way of life and the way of death.”
  128. Jeremiah 21:9 tn Heb “his life will be to him for spoil.”sn Spoil was what was carried off by the victor (see, e.g., Judg 5:30). Those who surrendered to the Babylonians would lose their property, their freedom, and their citizenship but would at least escape with their lives. Jeremiah was branded a traitor for this counsel (cf. 38:4), but it was the way of wisdom since the Lord was firmly determined to destroy the city (cf. v. 10).
  129. Jeremiah 21:10 tn Heb “oracle of the Lord.”
  130. Jeremiah 21:10 tn Heb “I have set my face against this city for evil [i.e., disaster] and not for good [i.e., well-being].” For the use of the idiom “set one’s face against/toward” see, e.g., 1 Kgs 2:15; 2 Kgs 2:17; Jer 42:15, 17, and note the interesting interplay of usage in Jer 44:11-12.
  131. Jeremiah 21:10 tn Heb “he will burn it with fire.”
  132. Jeremiah 21:11 tn The words “The Lord told me to say” are not in the text. They have been supplied in the translation for clarity. This text has been treated in two very different ways depending upon how one views the connection of the words “and to/concerning the household of the King of Judah, ‘Hear the word of the Lord:…’” with the preceding and following. Some treat the words that follow as a continuation of Jeremiah’s response to the delegation sent by Zedekiah (cf. vv. 3, 8). Others treat this as introducing a new set of oracles parallel to those in 23:9-40, which are introduced by the heading “to/concerning the prophets.” There are three reasons why the latter is the more probable connection: (1) there is parallelism in expression with 23:9; (2) the other introductions in vv. 3, 8 use the preposition אֶל (ʾel) instead of ל (lamed) used here, and they have the formal introduction “you shall say…”; (3) the warning or challenge here would mitigate the judgment pronounced on the king and the city in vv. 4-7. Verses 8-9 are different. They are not a mitigation but an offer of escape for those who surrender. Hence, these words are a title “Now concerning the royal court.” (The vav [ו] that introduces this is disjunctive = “Now.”) However, since the imperative that follows is masculine plural and addressed to the royal house, something needs to be added to introduce it. Hence the translation supplies “The Lord told me to say” to avoid confusion or mistakenly connecting it with the preceding.
  133. Jeremiah 21:11 tn Heb “house” or “household.” It is clear from 22:1-6 that this involved the king, the royal family, and the court officials.
  134. Jeremiah 21:12 tn Heb “house of David.” This is essentially equivalent to the royal court in v. 11.
  135. Jeremiah 21:12 tn Heb “to the morning” = “morning by morning” or “each morning.” See Isa 33:2 and Amos 4:4 for parallel usage.
  136. Jeremiah 21:12 sn The kings of Israel and Judah were responsible for justice. See Pss 122:5. The king himself was the final court of appeals judging from the incident of David with the wise woman of Tekoa (2 Sam 14), Solomon’s adjudication of two prostitutes (1 Kgs 3:16-28), and Absalom’s attempts to win the hearts of the people of Israel by interfering with due process (2 Sam 15:2-4). How the system was designed to operate may be seen from 2 Chr 19:4-11.
  137. Jeremiah 21:12 tn Heb “from the hand [or power] of.”
  138. Jeremiah 21:12 tn Heb “Lest my wrath go out like fire and burn with no one to put it out because of the evil of your deeds.”
  139. Jeremiah 21:13 tn Or “Listen, Jerusalem, you…”; Heb text of v. 21a-b reads, “Behold I am against you [fem. sg.], O inhabitant [fem. sg.] of the valley [and of] the rock of the plain, oracle of the Lord, who are saying [masc. pl.].” Verses 13-14 are generally treated as a separate oracle addressed to Jerusalem. The basis for this is (1) the appropriateness of the description here to the city of Jerusalem; (2) the rather similar reference to Jerusalem smugly living in her buildings made from cedars of Lebanon in 22:23; (3) the use of the second feminine singular pronoun “you” in other places in reference to Jerusalem (cf. clearly in 4:14; 6:8; 13:20; 15:5-6); and (4) the use of the feminine singular participle to refer to personified Jerusalem in 10:17 as well as 20:23. However, the description in 21:13 is equally appropriate to the royal household that the Lord has been addressing; the palace stood on the Ophel, or fill between the northern and southern hill just south of the temple, and overlooked the Kidron valley. Moreover, the word “enthroned” is even more fitting to the royal household than to Jerusalem. The phrase “enthroned above the valley” is literally “inhabitant of the valley.” But since the literal is inappropriate for either Jerusalem or the royal palace, the phrase is regularly interpreted after the parallel phrase referring to the Lord “enthroned above the cherubim.” The royal house was “enthroned” more literally than Jerusalem was. Taking this to refer to the royal court rather than Jerusalem also introduces one less unintroduced entity by the shift in pronoun in vv. 11-14, as well as eliminating the introduction of an otherwise unintroduced oracle. The “you” of “you boast” is actually the masculine plural participle (Heb “who say”) that modifies the feminine singular participle “you who sit enthroned” and goes back to the masculine plural imperatives in v. 12 rather than introducing a new entity, the people of the city. The participle “you who sit enthroned” is to be interpreted as a collective referring to the royal court, not a personification of the city of Jerusalem (cf. GKC 394 §122.s and see, e.g., Isa 12:6; Mic 1:11). Moreover, taking the referent to be the royal court makes the reference to the word translated “palace” much more natural. The word is literally “forest” and is often seen to be an allusion to the armory that was called the “Forest of Lebanon” (1 Kgs 7:2; 10:17; 10:21; Isa 22:8, and see also Ezek 17:3 in an allegory [17:2-18] that may have been contemporary with this oracle). Taking the oracle to refer to the royal court also makes this oracle more parallel with the one that follows, where destruction of the palace leads also to the destruction of the city.
  140. Jeremiah 21:13 tn Heb “I am against you.”
  141. Jeremiah 21:13 tn Heb “oracle of the Lord.”
  142. Jeremiah 21:13 tn Heb “Who can swoop…Who can penetrate…?” The questions are rhetorical and expect a negative answer. They are rendered as negative affirmations for clarity.sn What is being expressed here is the belief in the inviolability of Zion/Jerusalem carried to its extreme. Signal deliverances of Jerusalem, such as those experienced under Jehoshaphat (2 Chr 20) and Hezekiah (Isa 37:36-37), in the context of promises to protect it (Isa 31:4-5; 37:33-35; 38:6) led to a belief that Zion was unconquerable. This belief found expression in several of Israel’s psalms (Pss 46, 48, 76) and led to the mistaken assumption that God would protect it regardless of how the people treated God or one another. Micah and Jeremiah both deny that (cf. Mic 3:8-12; Jer 21:13-14).
  143. Jeremiah 21:14 tn Heb “oracle of the Lord.”
  144. Jeremiah 21:14 tn Heb “I will set fire in its forest, and it will devour its surroundings.” The pronouns are actually third feminine singular, going back to the participle “you who sit enthroned above the valley.” However, this is another example of those rapid shifts in pronouns typical of the biblical Hebrew style but uncommon in English. They have regularly been leveled to the same person throughout in the translation to avoid possible confusion for the English reader.
  145. Jeremiah 22:1 tn The word “me” is not in the text. It is, however, implicit and is supplied in the translation for clarity.
  146. Jeremiah 22:1 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.
  147. Jeremiah 22:1 tn Heb “And speak there this word:” The translation is intended to eliminate an awkward and lengthy sentence.
  148. Jeremiah 22:2 tn Heb “who sits on David’s throne.”
  149. Jeremiah 22:2 tn Heb “Hear the word of the Lord, O king of Judah who sits on the throne of David, you, and your officials, and your people who pass through these gates.”
  150. Jeremiah 22:3 tn Heb “from the hand [or power] of.”
  151. Jeremiah 22:3 tn Heb “aliens, orphans, or widows,” treating the terms as generic or collective. However, the term “alien” carries faulty connotations, and the term “orphan” is not totally appropriate because the Hebrew term does not necessarily mean that both parents have died.sn These were classes of people who had no one to look out for their rights. The laws of Israel, however, were careful to see that their rights were guarded (cf. Deut 10:18) and that provision was made for meeting their needs (cf. Deut 24:19-21). The Lord promised to protect them (cf. Ps 146:9), and a curse was called down on any who deprived them of justice (cf. Deut 27:19).
  152. Jeremiah 22:3 tn Heb “Do not shed innocent blood.”sn Do not kill innocent people. For an example of one of the last kings who did this, see Jer 36:20-23. Manasseh was notorious for having done this, and the book of 2 Kgs attributes the ultimate destruction of Judah to this crime and his sin of worshiping false gods (2 Kgs 21:16; 24:4).
  153. Jeremiah 22:4 tn The translation here reflects the emphasizing infinitive absolute before the verb.
  154. Jeremiah 22:4 tn Heb “There will come through the gates of this city the kings…riding in chariots and on horses, they and their officials…” The structure of the original text is broken up here because of the long compound subject, which would make the English sentence too long. Cf. 17:25 for the structure and wording of this sentence.
  155. Jeremiah 22:5 sn Heb “I swear by myself.” Oaths were guaranteed by invoking the name of a god or swearing by “his life.” See Jer 12:16 and 44:26. Since the Lord is incomparably great, he could swear by none higher (see Heb 6:13-16) than to swear by himself or his own great name.
  156. Jeremiah 22:5 tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”
  157. Jeremiah 22:6 tn Heb “Gilead you are to me, the height of Lebanon, but I will surely make you a wilderness, [with] cities uninhabited.” The points of comparison are made explicit in the translation for the sake of clarity. See the study note for further explanation. For the use of the preposition ל (lamed) = “in my eyes/in my opinion,” see BDB 513 s.v. ל 5.a(d) and compare Jonah 3:3 and Esth 10:3. For the use of the particles אִם לֹא (ʾim loʾ) to introduce an emphatic oath, see BDB 50 s.v. אִם 1.b(2).sn Lebanon was well known for its cedars, and the palace (and the temple) had used a good deal of such timber in its construction (see 1 Kgs 5:6, 8-10; 7:2-3). In this section several references are made to cedar (see vv. 7, 14, 15, 23), and allusion has also been made to the paneled and colonnade armory of the Forest of Lebanon (2:14). It appears to have been a source of pride and luxury, perhaps at the expense of justice. Gilead was also noted in antiquity for its forests as well as for its fertile pastures.
  158. Jeremiah 22:7 sn Heb “I will sanctify destroyers against it.” If this is not an attenuated use of the term “sanctify,” the traditions of Israel’s holy wars are being turned against her. See also 6:4. In Israel’s early wars in the wilderness and in the conquest, the Lord fought for her against the enemies (cf., e.g., Josh 10:11, 14, 42; 24:7; Judg 5:20; 1 Sam 7:10). Now he is going to fight against them (21:5, 13) and use the enemy as his instruments of destruction. For a similar picture of destruction in the temple see the lament in Ps 74:3-7.
  159. Jeremiah 22:10 tn The word “king” is not in the original text of either the first or the third line. It is implicit in the connection and is supplied in the translation for clarity.sn As the next verse makes clear, the king who will never return to see his native land is Shallum, also known as Jehoahaz (cf. 1 Chr 3:15; 2 Kgs 23:30, 33-34). He was made king by popular acclaim after the death of his father, Josiah, who was killed at Megiddo trying to stop Pharaoh Necho from going to the aid of the Assyrians. According to 2 Kgs 23:32 Jehoahaz was a wicked king. He was deposed by Necho and carried into exile, where he died. The dead king alluded to is his father, Josiah, who was a godly king and was accordingly spared from seeing the destruction of his land (2 Kgs 22:20).
  160. Jeremiah 22:11 tn Heb “For thus said the Lord concerning Shallum son of Josiah, king of Judah, who reigned instead of his father, who went away from this place: He will not return there again.”
  161. Jeremiah 22:12 sn This prophecy was fulfilled according to 2 Kgs 23:34.
  162. Jeremiah 22:13 sn Heb “Woe.” This particle is used in laments for the dead (1 Kgs 13:30; Jer 34:5) and as an introductory particle in indictments against people (Isa 5:8, 11; Jer 23:1) or entities (Isa 18:1; Nah 3:1) on whom judgment is pronounced. The indictment is found here in vv. 13-17 and the announcement of judgment in vv. 18-19.
  163. Jeremiah 22:13 tn Heb “Woe to the one who builds his house by unrighteousness and its upper rooms with injustice, using his neighbor [= countryman] as a slave for nothing and not giving to him his wages.” sn This was a clear violation of covenant law (cf. Deut 24:14-15) and a violation of the requirements set forth in Jer 22:3. The allusion is to Jehoiakim, who is not mentioned until v. 18. He was placed on the throne by Pharaoh Necho and ruled from 609-598 b.c. He became a vassal of Nebuchadnezzar but rebelled against him, bringing about the siege of 597 b.c., in which his son and many of the Judean leaders were carried off to Babylon (2 Kgs 23:34-24:16). He was a wicked king according to the author of the book of Kings (2 Kgs 23:37). He had Uriah the prophet killed (Jer 26:23) and showed no regard for Jeremiah’s prophecies, destroying the scroll containing them (Jer 36:23) and ordering Jeremiah’s arrest (Jer 36:23).
  164. Jeremiah 22:14 tc The MT should be emended to read חַלֹּנָיו וְסָפוֹן (khallonayv vesafon) instead of חַלֹּנָי וְסָפוּן (khallonay vesafun), i.e., the plural noun with third singular suffix rather than the first singular suffix, and the infinitive absolute rather than the passive participle. The latter form then parallels the form for “paints” and functions in the same way (cf. GKC 345 §113.z for the infinitive with vav [ו] continuing a perfect). The errors in the MT involve reading the ו once instead of twice (haplography) and reading the וּ (u) for the וֹ (o).
  165. Jeremiah 22:14 tn The word translated “red” only occurs here and in Ezek 23:14, where it refers to the pictures of the Babylonians on the wall of the temple. Evidently this was a favorite color for decoration. It is usually identified as vermilion, a mineral product from red ocher (cf. C. L. Wickwire, “Vermilion,” IDB 4:748).
  166. Jeremiah 22:15 tn For the use of this verb see Jer 12:5, where it is used of Jeremiah “competing” with horses. The form is a rare Tiphel (see GKC 153 §55.h).
  167. Jeremiah 22:15 tn Heb “Your father, did he not eat and drink and do justice and right?” The copulative vav in front of the verbs here (all Hebrew perfects) shows that these actions are all coordinate, not sequential. The contrast drawn between the actions of Jehoiakim and Josiah show that the phrase about eating and drinking should be read in light of the same contrasts in Eccl 2, which ends with the note of contentment in Eccl 2:24 (see also Eccl 3:13; 5:18 [5:17 HT]; 8:15). The question is, of course, rhetorical, setting forth the positive role model against which Jehoiakim’s actions are to be condemned. The key phrase is, “then things went well with him,” which is repeated in the next verse after the reiteration of Josiah’s practice of justice.
  168. Jeremiah 22:15 sn The father referred to here is the godly king Josiah. He followed the requirements for kings set forth in 22:3 in contrast to his son, who did not (22:13).
  169. Jeremiah 22:16 tn The words “for Judah” are not in the text, but the absence of the preposition plus object as in the preceding verse suggests that this is a more general statement, i.e., “things went well for everyone.”
  170. Jeremiah 22:16 tn Heb “Is that not what it means to know me?” The question is rhetorical and expects a positive answer. It is translated in the light of the context.sn Comparison of the usage of the words “know me” in their context in Jer 2:8; 9:3, 6, 24; and here shows that more than mere intellectual knowledge is involved. Also implied is personal commitment to God and obedience to the demands of the agreements with him. The word “know” is used in ancient Near-Eastern treaty contexts of submission to the will of the overlord. See further the notes on 9:3.
  171. Jeremiah 22:17 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” is explained before they are introduced into the translation.
  172. Jeremiah 22:18 sn This is the regular way of introducing the announcement of judgment after an indictment of crimes. See, e.g., Isa 5:13, 14 and Jer 23:2.
  173. Jeremiah 22:18 tn The translation follows the majority of scholars, who think that the address of brother and sister are the address of the mourners to one another, lamenting their loss. Some scholars feel that all four terms are parallel and represent the relation that the king had metaphorically to his subjects; i.e., he was not only Lord and Majesty to them but like a sister or a brother. In that case it would be something like, “How sad it is for the one who was like a brother to us! How sad it is for the one who was like a sister to us.” This makes for poor poetry and is not very likely. The lover can call his bride sister in Song 4:9, 10, but there are no documented examples of a subject ever speaking of a king in this way in Israel or the ancient Near East.
  174. Jeremiah 22:19 sn A similar judgment against this ungodly king is pronounced by Jeremiah in 36:30. According to 2 Chr 36:6 he was bound over to be taken captive to Babylon but apparently died before he got there. According to the Jewish historian Josephus, Nebuchadnezzar ordered his body thrown outside the wall in fulfillment of this judgment. The Bible itself, however, does not tell us that.
  175. Jeremiah 22:20 tn The words “people of Jerusalem” are not in the text. They are supplied in the translation to clarify the referent of the imperative. The imperative is feminine singular and it is generally agreed that personified Zion/Jerusalem is in view. The second feminine singular has commonly been applied to Jerusalem or the people of Judah throughout the book. The reference to allies (v. 20, 22) and to leaders (v. 22) make it very probable that this is the case here too.
  176. Jeremiah 22:20 tn Heb “from Abarim.” This was the mountain range in Moab from which Moses viewed the promised land (cf. Deut 32:49).
  177. Jeremiah 22:20 tn Heb “your lovers.” For the use of this term to refer to allies, see 30:14 and a semantically similar term in 4:30.sn If the passages in this section are chronologically ordered, this refers to the help that Jehoiakim relied on when he rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar.
  178. Jeremiah 22:21 tn Heb “I spoke to you in your security.” The reference is to the sending of the prophets. Compare this context with the context of 7:25. For the nuance “security” for this noun (שַׁלְוָה, shalvah), rather than “prosperity” as many translate, see Pss 122:7; 30:6; and the related adjective (שָׁלֵו, shalev) in Jer 49:31; Job 16:2; and 21:23.
  179. Jeremiah 22:21 tn Heb “from your youth.” Compare the usage in 2:2 and 3:24, and see a similar idea in 7:25.
  180. Jeremiah 22:22 tn Heb “A wind will shepherd away all your shepherds.” The figures have all been interpreted in the translation for the sake of clarity. For the use of the word “wind” as a metaphor or simile for God’s judgment (using the enemy forces), see 4:11-12; 13:24; 18:17. For the use of the word “shepherd” to refer to rulers/leaders, see 2:8; 10:21; 23:1-4. For the use of the word “shepherd away” in the sense of carry off/drive away, see BDB 945 s.v. רָעָה 2.d and compare Job 20:26. There is an obvious wordplay involved in two different senses of the word “shepherd,” one referring to their leaders and one referring to the loss of those leaders by the wind driving them off. There may even be a further play involving the word “wickedness,” which comes from a word having the same consonants. If the oracles in this section are chronologically ordered, this threat was fulfilled in 597 b.c. Then many of the royal officials and nobles were carried away captive with Jehoiachin (see 2 Kgs 24:15), who is the subject of the next oracle.
  181. Jeremiah 22:22 tn The use of the Hebrew particle כִּי (ki) is intensive here and probably also at the beginning of the last line of v. 21. (See BDB 472 s.v. כִּי 1.e.)
  182. Jeremiah 22:23 tn Heb “You who dwell in Lebanon, you who are nested in its cedars, how you….” The metaphor has been interpreted for the sake of clarity. The figure here has often been interpreted of the people of Jerusalem living in paneled houses or living in a city dominated by the temple and palace, which were built from the cedars of Lebanon. Some even interpret this as a reference to the king, who has been characterized as living in a cedar palace, in a veritable Lebanon (cf. vv. 6-7, 14 and see also the alternate interpretation of 21:13-14). However, the reference to “nesting in the cedars” and the earlier reference to “feeling secure” suggest that the figure is instead like that of Ezek 31:6 and Dan 4:12. See also Hab 2:9, where a related figure is used. The forms for “you who dwell” and “you who are nested” in the literal translation are feminine singular participles, referring again to personified Jerusalem. (The written forms of these participles are to be explained as participles with a hireq campaginis according to GKC 253 §90.m. The use of the participle before the preposition is to be explained according to GKC 421 §130.a.)
  183. Jeremiah 22:23 tn The verb here should be identified as a Niphal perfect of the verb אָנַח (ʾanakh) with the א (aleph) left out (so BDB 336 s.v. חָנַן Niph and GKC 80 §23.f, n. 1). The form is already translated that way by the Greek, Latin, and Syriac versions.
  184. Jeremiah 22:23 sn This simile has already been used in Jer 4:31 and 6:24 in conjunction with Zion/Jerusalem’s judgment.
  185. Jeremiah 22:24 tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”
  186. Jeremiah 22:24 tn Heb “Coniah.” This is the spelling of this king’s name here and in v. 28 and 37:1. Elsewhere in Jeremiah he is called Jeconiah (24:1; 27:20; 28:4; 29:2 [see also 1 Chr 3:16, 17; Esth 2:6]) and Jehoiachin (52:31, 33 [see also 2 Kgs 24:6, 8, 12, 15; 25:27, 29; 2 Chr 36:8, 9; Ezek 1:2]). For the sake of consistency the present translation uses the name Jeconiah throughout.sn According to 2 Kgs 24:8-9 Jeconiah (= Jehoiachin) succeeded his father Jehoiakim and evidently followed in his anti-Babylon, anti-God stance. He surrendered to Nebuchadnezzar shortly after he became king and along with his mother, his family, his officials, and some of the leading men of Jerusalem and Judah was carried into exile in 597 b.c. According to Jer 28:4, 10, there were popular hopes that he would be restored from exile and returned to the throne. This oracle flatly denies that hope. Allusion has already been made to the loss of regal authority by this king and his mother in 13:18-19.
  187. Jeremiah 22:24 tn Heb “As surely as I live, Jeconiah, King of Judah, son of Jehoiakim will not be a signet ring on my right hand. Indeed I will tear you off from it [i.e., pull you off of my finger as a signet ring].” The signet ring was the king’s seal by which he verified all his legal and political transactions. To have the signet ring was to exercise authority in the king’s name. For examples of this see Gen 41:42-43; 1 Kgs 21:8; Esth 3:10; 8:2. The figure has been interpreted in the translation for the sake of clarity. The particles כִּי אִם (ki ʾim) that stand after the oath formula “As I live” introduce a negative statement according to Hebrew grammar (cf. BDB 474 s.v. כִּי אִם 1.a and BDB 50 s.v. אִם 1.b[2] and compare 2 Sam 3:35). The particle כִּי that stands in front of “I will tear you off” contrariwise introduces a positive affirmation (cf. BDB 472 s.v. כִּי 1.c and compare 1 Sam 14:39, 44). The Lord is swearing emphatically that Jeconiah will not be the earthly representative of his rule, i.e., not carry the authority of the signet-ring bearer. As in several other places in Jeremiah, there is a sudden shift from the third person to the second person, which runs throughout vv. 24-27. The pronouns are leveled in the translation to the second person to avoid confusion. The figures are interpreted in the translation to convey the proper significance. See the study note for explanation.sn According to the Davidic covenant the Davidic king sat on God’s throne over God’s kingdom, Israel (cf. 2 Chr 29:30; 28:5). As God’s representative he ruled in God’s stead and could even be addressed figuratively as God (cf. Ps 45:6 [45:7 HT] and compare the same phenomenon for the earthly judges: Exod 22:7-8; Ps 82:1, 6). Jeconiah is being denied the right to function any longer as the Davidic king, and any hopes of ever regaining that right in his lifetime or through the succession of his sons is also denied. This oracle is reversed by the later oracle of the prophet Haggai to his grandson Zerubbabel in Hag 2:20-23, and both Jeconiah and Zerubbabel are found in the genealogy of Christ in Matt 1:12-13.
  188. Jeremiah 22:25 tn Heb “the Chaldeans.” See the study note on 21:4.
  189. Jeremiah 22:26 tn Heb “I will hurl you and your mother…into another land where…” The verb used here is very forceful. It is the verb used for Saul throwing a spear at David (1 Sam 18:11) and for the Lord unleashing a violent storm on the sea (Jonah 1:4). It is used both here and in v. 28 for the forceful exile of Jeconiah and his mother.
  190. Jeremiah 22:27 tn Heb “And unto the land to which they lift up their souls to return there, there they will not return.” Once again there is a sudden shift in person from the second plural to the third plural. As before, the translation levels the pronouns to avoid confusion. For the idiom “to lift up the soul to” = “to long/yearn to,” see BDB 670 s.v. נָשָׂא 1.b(9).
  191. Jeremiah 22:28 tn The word translated “clay vessel” occurs only here. Its meaning, however, is assured on the basis of the parallelism and the verb root, which is used for shaping or fashioning in Job 10:8. The KJV renders it as “idol,” but that word, while having the same consonants, never appears in the singular. The word is missing in the Greek version but is translated “vessel” in the Latin version. The word “clay” is supplied in the translation to clarify what sort of vessel is meant; its inclusion is justified based on context and use of the same verb root in Job 10:8 to refer to shaping or fashioning, which would imply clay pots or vessels.
  192. Jeremiah 22:28 tn Heb “Is this man, Coniah, a despised, broken vessel or a vessel that no one wants?” The question is rhetorical, expecting a positive answer in agreement with the preceding oracle.sn For the image of a rejected, broken vessel, see Jer 19:1-13 (where, however, the vessel is rejected first and then broken), and compare Jer 13, especially vv. 10-11, for the image of linen shorts that are good for nothing.
  193. Jeremiah 22:28 sn The question “Why?” is a common rhetorical feature in the book of Jeremiah. See Jer 2:14, 31; 8:5, 19, 22; 12:1; 13:22; 14:19. In several cases like this one, no answer is given, leaving a sense of exasperation and hopelessness with the sinfulness of the nation that calls forth such punishment from God.
  194. Jeremiah 22:29 tn The words “of Judah” have been added to clarify the addressee, which is actually the people of Judah. There is no certain explanation for the triple repetition of the word “land” here. F. B. Huey (Jeremiah, Lamentations [NAC], 209) suggests the idea of exasperation, but is it exasperation at their continued apostasy, which made these exiles necessary, or at their pitiful hopes of seeing Jeconiah restored? Perhaps “pitiful, pitiful, pitiful land of Judah” would convey some of the force of the repetition. The triple address could be a highly emphatic way (cf. Isa 6:3; Ezek 21:27) to gain attention (cf. Gen 22:11; 46:2; Exod 3:4; 1 Sam 3:10).
  195. Jeremiah 22:30 tn Heb “Write this man childless.” For the explanation see the study note. The word translated “childless” has spawned some debate because Jeconiah was in fact not childless. There is record from both the Bible and ancient Near Eastern texts that he had children (see, e.g., 1 Chr 3:17). G. R. Driver, “Linguistic and Textual Problems: Jeremiah,” JQR 28 (1937-38): 115, has suggested that the word both here and in Lev 20:20-21 should be translated “stripped of honor.” While that would relieve some of the difficulties here, the word definitely means “childless” in Gen 15:2 and also in Sir 16:3, where it is contrasted with having godless children. The issue is not one of childlessness but of having “one of his sons” succeed to the Davidic throne. The term for “one of his sons” is literally “from his seed a man,” and the word “seed” is the same one that is used to refer to his “children” who were forced into exile with him (v. 28).sn The figure here is of registering a person on an official roll of citizens, etc. (cf. Num 11:26; 1 Chr 4:41; Ps 87:6). Here it probably refers to the “king list” of dynastic succession. While Jeconiah did have children (2 Chr 3:17), none of them ever returned to Judah or ruled over it. What is being denied here is his own succession and that of his immediate sons, contrary to the popular hopes expressed in Jer 28:4. His grandson Zerubbabel did return to Judah, became governor (Hag 1:1; 2:2), and along with the high priest Joshua was responsible for rebuilding the second temple (e.g., Ezra 5:2).
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2 Timothy 2
New English Translation

Serving Faithfully Despite Hardship

2 So you, my child, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And what you heard me say[a] in the presence of many witnesses[b] entrust to faithful people[c] who will be competent[d] to teach others as well. 3 Take your share of suffering[e] as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No one in military service gets entangled in matters of everyday life; otherwise he will not please[f] the one who recruited him. 5 Also, if anyone competes as an athlete, he will not be crowned as the winner[g] unless he competes according to the rules.[h] 6 The farmer who works hard ought to have the first share of the crops. 7 Think about what I am saying and[i] the Lord will give you understanding of all this.[j]

8 Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David;[k] such is my gospel,[l] 9 for which I suffer hardship to the point of imprisonment[m] as a criminal, but God’s message[n] is not imprisoned![o] 10 So I endure all things for the sake of those chosen by God,[p] that they too may obtain salvation in Christ Jesus and its eternal glory.[q] 11 This saying[r] is trustworthy:[s]

If we died with him, we will also live with him.
12 If we endure, we will also reign with him.[t]
If we deny[u] him,[v] he will also deny us.
13 If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, since he cannot deny himself.[w]

Dealing with False Teachers

14 Remind people[x] of these things and solemnly charge them[y] before the Lord[z] not to wrangle over words. This is of no benefit; it just brings ruin on those who listen.[aa] 15 Make every effort to present yourself before God as a proven worker who does not need to be ashamed, teaching the message of truth accurately.[ab] 16 But avoid profane chatter,[ac] because those occupied with it will stray further and further into ungodliness,[ad] 17 and their message will spread its infection[ae] like gangrene. Hymenaeus and Philetus are in this group.[af] 18 They have strayed from the truth[ag] by saying that the resurrection has already occurred, and they are undermining some people’s faith. 19 However, God’s solid foundation remains standing, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,”[ah] and “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord[ai] must turn away from evil.”

20 Now in a wealthy home[aj] there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also ones made of wood and of clay, and some are for honorable use, but others for ignoble use.[ak] 21 So if someone cleanses himself of such behavior,[al] he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart, useful for the Master, prepared for every good work. 22 But keep away from youthful passions, and pursue righteousness, faithfulness, love, and peace, in company with others[am] who call on the Lord from a pure heart.[an] 23 But reject foolish and ignorant[ao] controversies, because you know they breed infighting.[ap] 24 And the Lord’s slave[aq] must not engage in heated disputes[ar] but be kind toward all, an apt teacher, patient, 25 correcting[as] opponents with gentleness. Perhaps God will grant them repentance and then knowledge of the truth[at] 26 and they will come to their senses and escape the devil’s trap where they are held captive[au] to do his will.[av]

Footnotes

  1. 2 Timothy 2:2 tn Grk “what you heard from me” (cf. 1:13).
  2. 2 Timothy 2:2 tn Grk “through many witnesses.” The “through” is used here to show attendant circumstances: “accompanied by,” “in the presence of.”
  3. 2 Timothy 2:2 tn Grk “faithful men,” but here ἀνθρώποις (anthrōpois) is generic, referring to both men and women.
  4. 2 Timothy 2:2 tn Or “able” (see Paul’s use of this word in regard to ministry in 2 Cor 2:16; 3:5-6).
  5. 2 Timothy 2:3 tn Grk “suffer hardship together,” implying “join with me and others in suffering” (cf. 1:8).
  6. 2 Timothy 2:4 tn Grk “that he may please.”
  7. 2 Timothy 2:5 tn Grk “will not be crowned,” speaking of the wreath awarded to the victor.
  8. 2 Timothy 2:5 sn According to the rules (Grk “lawfully, by law”) referring to the rules of competition. In the ancient world these included requirements for training as well as rules for the competition itself.
  9. 2 Timothy 2:7 tn The Greek word here usually means “for,” but is used in this verse for a milder continuation of thought.
  10. 2 Timothy 2:7 tn Grk “in all things.”
  11. 2 Timothy 2:8 tn Grk “of David’s seed” (an idiom for physical descent).
  12. 2 Timothy 2:8 tn Grk “according to my gospel.”
  13. 2 Timothy 2:9 tn Or “chains,” “bonds.”
  14. 2 Timothy 2:9 tn Or “word.”
  15. 2 Timothy 2:9 tn Or “chained,” “bound.”
  16. 2 Timothy 2:10 tn Grk “the elect.”
  17. 2 Timothy 2:10 tn Grk “with eternal glory.”
  18. 2 Timothy 2:11 sn This saying (Grk “the saying”) refers to the following citation. See 1 Tim 1:15; 3:1; 4:9; Titus 3:8 for other occurrences of this phrase.
  19. 2 Timothy 2:11 sn The following passage has been typeset as poetry because many scholars regard this passage as poetic or hymnic. These terms are used broadly to refer to the genre of writing, not to the content. There are two broad criteria for determining if a passage is poetic or hymnic: “(a) stylistic: a certain rhythmical lilt when the passages are read aloud, the presence of parallelismus membrorum (i.e., an arrangement into couplets), the semblance of some metre, and the presence of rhetorical devices such as alliteration, chiasmus, and antithesis; and (b) linguistic: an unusual vocabulary, particularly the presence of theological terms, which is different from the surrounding context” (P. T. O’Brien, Philippians [NIGTC], 188-89). Classifying a passage as hymnic or poetic is important because understanding this genre can provide keys to interpretation. However, not all scholars agree that the above criteria are present in this passage, so the decision to typeset it as poetry should be viewed as a tentative decision about its genre.
  20. 2 Timothy 2:12 tn Grk “died together…will live together…will reign together,” without “him” stated explicitly. But “him” is implied by the parallel ideas in Rom 6:8; 8:17 and by the reference to Christ in vv. 12b-13.
  21. 2 Timothy 2:12 tn Or “renounce,” “disown,” “repudiate.” It is important to note that the object of Christ’s denial is “us.” The text does not contain an implied object complement (“he will deny us [x]”), which would mean that Christ was withholding something from us (for example, “The owner denied his pets water”), since the verb ἀρνέομαι (arneomai) is not one of the category of verbs that normally occurs in these constructions (see ExSyn 182-89).
  22. 2 Timothy 2:12 tn Grk “if we renounce,” but the “him” is implied by the parallel clauses.
  23. 2 Timothy 2:13 sn If we are unfaithful…he cannot deny himself. This could be (1) a word of warning (The Lord will exact punishment; he cannot deny his holiness) or (2) a word of hope (Because of who he is, he remains faithful to us despite our lapses). The latter is more likely, since Paul consistently cites God’s faithfulness as a reassurance, not as a warning (cf. especially Rom 3:3; also 1 Cor 1:9; 10:13; 2 Cor 1:18; 1 Thess 5:24; 2 Thess 3:3).
  24. 2 Timothy 2:14 tn Grk “remind of these things,” implying “them” or “people” as the object.
  25. 2 Timothy 2:14 tn Grk “solemnly charging.” The participle διαμαρτυρόμενος (diamarturomenos) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
  26. 2 Timothy 2:14 tc ‡ Most witnesses (A D Ψ 048 1241 [1505] 1739 1881 M al sy SBL) have κυρίου (kuriou, “Lord”) instead of θεοῦ (theou, “God”) here, while a few have Χριστοῦ (Christou, “Christ”; 206 429 1758). θεοῦ, however, is well supported by א C F G I 614 629 630 1175 al. Internally, the Pastorals never elsewhere use the expression ἐνώπιον κυρίου (enōpion kuriou, “before the Lord”), but consistently use ἐνώπιον θεοῦ (“before God”; cf. 1 Tim 2:3; 5:4, 21; 6:13; 2 Tim 4:1). But this fact could be argued both ways: The author’s style may be in view, or scribes may have adjusted the wording to conform it to the Pastorals’ otherwise universal expression. Further, only twice in the NT (Jas 4:10 [v.l. θεοῦ]; Rev 11:4 [v.l. θεοῦ]) does the expression ἐνώπιον κυρίου occur. That such an expression is not found in the corpus Paulinum seems to be sufficient impetus for scribes to change the wording here. Thus, although the external evidence is somewhat on the side of θεοῦ, the internal evidence is on the side of κυρίου. A decision is difficult, but κυρίου is the preferred reading.
  27. 2 Timothy 2:14 tn Grk “[it is] beneficial for nothing, for the ruin of those who listen.”
  28. 2 Timothy 2:15 sn Accurately is a figure of speech that literally means something like “cutting a straight road.” In regard to the message of truth, it means “correctly handling” or “imparting it without deviation.”
  29. 2 Timothy 2:16 sn Profane chatter was apparently a characteristic of the false teachers in Ephesus (cf. 1 Tim 1:3-4; 4:7; 6:20).
  30. 2 Timothy 2:16 tn Grk “they [who engage in it] will progress even more in ungodliness.”
  31. 2 Timothy 2:17 tn Or “eat away.”
  32. 2 Timothy 2:17 tn Grk “of whom are Hymenaeus and Philetus.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, this last clause has been made a new sentence in the translation.
  33. 2 Timothy 2:18 tn Grk “have deviated concerning the truth.”
  34. 2 Timothy 2:19 sn A quotation from Num 16:5.
  35. 2 Timothy 2:19 tn Grk “names the name of the Lord.”
  36. 2 Timothy 2:20 tn Grk “a great house.”
  37. 2 Timothy 2:20 tn Grk “for dishonor,” probably referring to vessels used for refuse or excrement.
  38. 2 Timothy 2:21 tn Grk “from these,” alluding to the errors and deeds of the false teachers described in vv. 14-19.
  39. 2 Timothy 2:22 tn Grk “and peace, with those.”
  40. 2 Timothy 2:22 sn In company with others who call on the Lord from a pure heart alludes to the value of the community of believers for the development of Christian virtues.
  41. 2 Timothy 2:23 tn Or “uninstructed,” “silly.”
  42. 2 Timothy 2:23 tn Or “fights,” although this could suggest weapons and blows, whereas in the present context this is not the primary focus. Although “quarrel” is frequently used here (NAB, NIV, NRSV) it may be understood to refer to a relatively minor disagreement.
  43. 2 Timothy 2:24 tn Traditionally, “servant” or “bondservant.” Though δοῦλος (doulos) is normally translated “servant,” the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. BDAG notes that “‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical transl. and early American times…in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” (BDAG 260 s.v.). One good translation is “bondservant” (sometimes found in the ASV for δοῦλος) in that it often indicates one who sells himself into slavery to another. But as this is archaic, few today understand its force. Also, many slaves in the Roman world became slaves through Rome’s subjugation of conquered nations, kidnapping, or by being born into slave households. sn Undoubtedly the background for the concept of being the Lord’s slave or servant is to be found in the Old Testament scriptures. For a Jew this concept did not connote drudgery, but honor and privilege. It was used of national Israel at times (Isa 43:10), but was especially associated with famous OT personalities, including such great men as Moses (Josh 14:7), David (Ps 89:3; cf. 2 Sam 7:5, 8) and Elijah (2 Kgs 10:10); all these men were “servants (or slaves) of the Lord.”
  44. 2 Timothy 2:24 tn Grk “must not fight” or “must not quarrel.” The Greek verb is related to the noun translated “infighting” in v. 23.
  45. 2 Timothy 2:25 sn Correcting is the word for “child-training” or “discipline.” It is often positive (training, educating) but here denotes the negative side (correcting, disciplining).
  46. 2 Timothy 2:25 tn Grk “repentance unto knowledge of the truth.”
  47. 2 Timothy 2:26 tn Grk “having been captured by him.”
  48. 2 Timothy 2:26 tn Grk “for that one’s will,” referring to the devil, but with a different pronoun than in the previous phrase “by him.” Some have construed “for his will” with the earlier verb and referred the pronoun to God: “come to their senses and escape the devil’s trap (though they have been captured by him) in order to do His will.” In Classical Greek the shift in pronouns would suggest this, but in Koine Greek this change is not significant. The more natural sense is a reference to the devil’s will.
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