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Jeremiah 5-6
New English Translation

Judah is Justly Deserving of Coming Judgment

5 The Lord said,[a]

“Go up and down[b] through the streets of Jerusalem.
Look around and see for yourselves.
Search through its public squares.
See if any of you can find a single person
who deals honestly and tries to be truthful.[c]
If you can,[d] then I will not punish this city.[e]
2 These people make promises in the name of the Lord.[f]
But the fact is,[g] what they swear to is really a lie.”[h]
3 Lord, I know you look for faithfulness.[i]
But even when you punish these people, they feel no remorse.[j]
Even when you nearly destroy them, they refuse to be corrected.
They have become as hardheaded as a rock.[k]
They refuse to change their ways.[l]
4 I thought, “Surely it is only the ignorant poor who act this way.[m]
They act like fools because they do not know what the Lord demands.[n]
They do not know what their God requires of them.[o]
5 I will go to the leaders[p]
and speak with them.
Surely they know what the Lord demands.[q]
Surely they know what their God requires of them.”[r]
Yet all of them, too, have rejected his authority
and refuse to submit to him.[s]
6 So like a lion from the thicket their enemies will kill them.
Like a wolf from the rift valley they will destroy them.
Like a leopard they will lie in wait outside their cities
and totally destroy anyone who ventures out.[t]
For they have rebelled so much
and done so many unfaithful things.[u]

7 The Lord asked,[v]

“How can I leave you unpunished, Jerusalem?[w]
Your people[x] have rejected me
and have worshiped gods that are not gods at all.[y]
Even though I supplied all their needs,[z] they were like an unfaithful wife to me.[aa]
They went flocking[ab] to the houses of prostitutes.[ac]
8 They are like lusty, well-fed[ad] stallions.
Each of them lusts after[ae] his neighbor’s wife.
9 I will surely punish them for doing such things!” says the Lord.
“I will surely bring retribution on such a nation as this!”[af]
10 The Lord commanded the enemy,[ag]
“March through the vineyards of Israel and Judah and ruin them.[ah]
But do not destroy them completely.
Strip off their branches
for these people do not belong to the Lord.[ai]
11 For the nations of Israel and Judah[aj]
have been very unfaithful to me,”
says the Lord.
12 “These people have denied what the Lord says.[ak]
They have said, ‘That is not so![al]
No harm will come to us.
We will not experience war and famine.[am]
13 The prophets will prove to be full of wind.[an]
The Lord has not spoken through them.[ao]
So, let what they say happen to them.’”

14 Because of that,[ap] the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies[aq] said to me:[ar]

“Because these people have spoken[as] like this,[at]
I will make the words that I put in your mouth like fire.
And I will make this people like wood,
which the fiery judgments you speak will burn up.”[au]
15 The Lord says,[av] “Listen,[aw] nation of Israel![ax]
I am about to bring a nation from far away to attack you.
It will be a nation that was founded long ago
and has lasted for a long time.
It will be a nation whose language you will not know.
Its people will speak words that you will not be able to understand.
16 All its soldiers are strong and mighty.[ay]
Their arrows will send you to your grave.[az]
17 They will eat up your crops and your food.
They will kill off[ba] your sons and your daughters.
They will eat up your sheep and your cattle.
They will destroy your vines and your fig trees.[bb]
Their weapons will batter down[bc]
the fortified cities you trust in.

18 “Yet even then[bd] I will not completely destroy you,” says the Lord. 19 “So then, Jeremiah,[be] when your people[bf] ask, ‘Why has the Lord our God done all this to us?’ tell them, ‘It is because you rejected me and served foreign gods in your own land. So[bg] you must serve foreigners[bh] in a land that does not belong to you.’

20 “Proclaim[bi] this message among the descendants of Jacob.[bj]
Make it known throughout Judah.
21 Tell them: ‘Hear this,
you foolish people who have no understanding,
who have eyes but do not discern,
who have ears but do not perceive:[bk]
22 ‘You should fear me!’ says the Lord.
‘You should tremble in awe before me![bl]
I made the sand to be a boundary for the sea,
a permanent barrier that it can never cross.
Its waves may roll, but they can never prevail.
They may roar, but they can never cross beyond that boundary.’[bm]
23 But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts.
They have turned aside and gone their own way.[bn]
24 They do not say to themselves,[bo]
‘Let us revere the Lord our God.
It is he who gives us the autumn rains and the spring rains at the proper time.
It is he who assures us of the regular weeks of harvest.”[bp]
25 Your misdeeds have stopped these things from coming.[bq]
Your sins have deprived you of my bounty.’[br]
26 Indeed, there are wicked scoundrels among my people.
They lie in wait like bird catchers hiding in ambush.[bs]
They set deadly traps[bt] to catch people.
27 Like a cage filled with the birds that have been caught,[bu]
their houses are filled with the gains of their fraud and deceit.[bv]
That is how they have gotten so rich and powerful.[bw]
28 That is how[bx] they have grown fat and sleek.[by]
There is no limit to the evil things they do.[bz]
They do not plead the cause of the fatherless in such a way as to win it.
They do not defend the rights of the poor.
29 I will certainly punish them for doing such things!” says the Lord.
“I will certainly bring retribution on such a nation as this![ca]
30 Something horrible and shocking
is going on in the land of Judah:
31 The prophets prophesy lies.
The priests exercise power by their own authority.[cb]
And my people love to have it this way.
But they will not be able to help you when the time of judgment comes![cc]

The Destruction of Jerusalem Depicted

6 “Run for safety, people of Benjamin!
Get out of Jerusalem![cd]
Sound the trumpet[ce] in Tekoa!
Light the signal fires at Beth Hakkerem!
For disaster lurks[cf] out of the north;
it will bring great destruction.[cg]
2 I will destroy[ch] Daughter Zion,[ci]
who is as delicate and defenseless as a young maiden.[cj]
3 Kings will attack her with their armies.[ck]
They will encamp in siege all around her.[cl]
Each of them will devastate the portion assigned to him.[cm]
4 They will say,[cn] ‘Prepare to do battle[co] against it!
Come on! Let’s attack it at noon!’
But later they will say,[cp] ‘Woe to us![cq]
For the day is almost over,
and the shadows of evening are getting long.
5 So come on, let’s go ahead and attack it by night
and destroy all its fortified buildings.’
6 All this is because[cr] the Lord of Heaven’s Armies[cs] has said:
‘Cut down the trees around Jerusalem
and build up a siege ramp against its walls.[ct]
This is the city that is to be punished.[cu]
Nothing but oppression happens in it.[cv]
7 As a well continually pours out fresh water
so it continually pours out wicked deeds.[cw]
Sounds of violence and destruction echo throughout it.[cx]
All I see are sick and wounded people.’[cy]
8 So[cz] take warning, Jerusalem,
or I will abandon you in disgust[da]
and make you desolate,
a place where no one can live.”

9 This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies[db] said to me:[dc]

“Those who remain in Israel will be
like the grapes thoroughly gleaned[dd] from a vine.
So go over them again, as though you were a grape harvester
passing your hand over the branches one last time.”[de]

10 I answered,[df]

“Who would listen
if I spoke to them and warned them?[dg]
Their ears are so closed[dh]
that they cannot hear!
Indeed,[di] the Lord’s message is offensive to them.
They do not like it at all.[dj]
11 I am as full of anger as you are, Lord,[dk]
I am tired of trying to hold it in.”

The Lord answered,[dl]

“Vent it, then,[dm] on the children who play in the street
and on the young men who are gathered together.
Husbands and wives are to be included,[dn]
as well as the old and those who are advanced in years.
12 Their houses will be turned over to others
as will their fields and their wives.
For I will unleash my power[do]
against those who live in this land,”
says the Lord.
13 “That is because, from the least important to the most important of them,
all of them are greedy for dishonest gain.
Prophets and priests alike,
all of them practice deceit.
14 They offer only superficial help
for the harm my people have suffered.[dp]
They say, ‘Everything will be all right!’
But everything is not all right![dq]
15 Are they ashamed because they have done such shameful things?
No, they are not at all ashamed.
They do not even know how to blush!
So they will die, just like others have died.[dr]
They will be brought to ruin when I punish them,”
says the Lord.

16 The Lord said to his people:[ds]

“You are standing at the crossroads. So consider your path.[dt]
Ask where the old, reliable paths[du] are.
Ask where the path is that leads to blessing[dv] and follow it.
If you do, you will find rest for your souls.”
But they said, “We will not follow it!”

17 The Lord said,[dw]

“I appointed prophets as watchmen to warn you,[dx] saying,
‘Pay attention to the warning sound of the trumpet!’”[dy]
But they said, “We will not pay attention!”

18 So the Lord said,[dz]

“Hear, you nations!
Be witnesses and take note of what will happen to these people.[ea]
19 Hear this, you peoples of the earth:[eb]
‘Take note![ec] I am about to bring disaster on these people.
It will come as punishment for their scheming.[ed]
For they have paid no attention to what I have said,[ee]
and they have rejected my law.
20 I take no delight[ef] when they offer up to me[eg]
frankincense that comes from Sheba
or sweet-smelling cane imported from a faraway land.
I cannot accept the burnt offerings they bring me.
I get no pleasure from the sacrifices they offer to me.’”[eh]

21 So, this is what the Lord says:

“I will assuredly[ei] make these people stumble to their doom.[ej]
Parents and children will stumble and fall to their destruction.[ek]
Friends and neighbors will die.”

22 This is what the Lord says:

“Beware! An army[el] is coming from a land in the north.
A mighty nation is stirring into action in faraway parts of the earth.
23 Its soldiers are armed with bows and spears.
They are cruel and show no mercy.
They sound like the roaring sea
as they ride forth on their horses.
Lined up in formation like men going into battle
to attack you, Daughter Zion.”[em]
24 The people cry out,[en] “We have heard reports about them.
We have become helpless with fear![eo]
Anguish grips us,
agony like that of a woman giving birth to a baby!
25 Do not go out into the countryside.
Do not travel on the roads.
For the enemy is there with sword in hand.[ep]
They are spreading terror everywhere.”[eq]
26 So I said,[er] “Oh, my dear people,[es] put on sackcloth
and roll in ashes.
Mourn with painful sobs
as though you had lost your only child.
For any moment now[et] that destructive army[eu]
will come against us.”

27 The Lord said to me,[ev]

“I have made you like a metal assayer
to test my people like ore.[ew]
You are to observe them
and evaluate how they behave.”[ex]

28 I reported,[ey]

“All of them are the most stubborn of rebels![ez]
They are as hard as bronze or iron.
They go about telling lies.
They all deal corruptly.
29 The fiery bellows of judgment burn fiercely.
But there is too much dross to be removed.[fa]
The process of refining them has proved useless.[fb]
The wicked have not been purged.
30 They are regarded as ‘rejected silver’[fc]
because the Lord rejects them.”

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 5:1 tn These words are not in the text, but since the words at the end are obviously those of the Lord, they are supplied in the translation here to mark the shift in speaker from 4:29-31, where Jeremiah is the obvious speaker.
  2. Jeremiah 5:1 tn It is not clear who is being addressed here. The verbs are plural so they are not addressed to Jeremiah per se. Since the passage is talking about the people of Jerusalem, it is unlikely they are addressed here except perhaps rhetorically. Some have suggested that the heavenly court is being addressed as in Job 1:6-8; 2:1-3. It is clear from Jer 23:18, 22; Amos 3:7 that the prophets had access to this heavenly council through visions (cf. 1 Kgs 22:19-23), so Jeremiah could have been privy to this speech through that means. Though these angels are the most likely addressees, it is too presumptuous to supply such an explicit addressee without clearer indication in the text.
  3. Jeremiah 5:1 tn Heb “who does justice and seeks faithfulness.”
  4. Jeremiah 5:1 tn Heb “squares. If you can find…if there is one person…then I will…”
  5. Jeremiah 5:1 tn Heb “forgive [or pardon] it.”
  6. Jeremiah 5:2 tn Heb “Though they say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives.’” The idea of “swear on oath” comes from the second line.
  7. Jeremiah 5:2 tc The translation follows many Hebrew mss and the Syriac version in reading “surely” (אָכֵן, ʾakhen) instead of “therefore” (לָכֵן, lakhen) in the MT. tn Heb “Surely.”
  8. Jeremiah 5:2 tn Heb “they swear falsely.”
  9. Jeremiah 5:3 tn Heb “O Lord, are your eyes not to faithfulness?” The question is rhetorical and expects a positive answer.
  10. Jeremiah 5:3 tn Commentaries and lexicons debate the meaning of the verb here. The MT is pointed as though from a verb meaning “to writhe in anguish or contrition” (חוּל [khul]; see, e.g., BDB 297 s.v. חוּל 2.c), but some commentaries and lexicons repoint the text as though from a verb meaning “to be sick,” thus “to feel pain” (חָלָה [khalah]; see, e.g., HALOT 304 s.v. חָלָה 3). The former appears more appropriate to the context.
  11. Jeremiah 5:3 tn Heb “They made their faces as hard as a rock.”
  12. Jeremiah 5:3 tn Or “to repent”; Heb “to turn back.”
  13. Jeremiah 5:4 tn Heb “Surely they are poor.” The translation is intended to make clear the explicit contrasts and qualifications drawn in this verse and the next.
  14. Jeremiah 5:4 tn Heb “the way of the Lord.”
  15. Jeremiah 5:4 tn Heb “the judgment [or ordinance] of their God.”
  16. Jeremiah 5:5 tn Or “people in power”; Heb “the great ones.”
  17. Jeremiah 5:5 tn Heb “the way of the Lord.”
  18. Jeremiah 5:5 tn Heb “the judgment [or ordinance] of their God.”
  19. Jeremiah 5:5 tn Heb “have broken the yoke and torn off the yoke ropes.” Cf. Jer 2:20 and the note there.
  20. Jeremiah 5:6 tn Heb “So a lion from the thicket will kill them. A wolf from the desert will destroy them. A leopard will watch outside their cities. Anyone who goes out from them will be torn in pieces.” However, it is unlikely that, in the context of judgment that Jeremiah has previously been describing, literal lions are meant. The animals are metaphorical for their enemies. Cf. Jer 4:7.
  21. Jeremiah 5:6 tn Heb “their rebellions are so many, and their unfaithful acts so numerous.”
  22. Jeremiah 5:7 tn These words are not in the text, but are supplied in the translation to make clear who is speaking.
  23. Jeremiah 5:7 tn Heb “How can I forgive [or pardon] you?” The pronoun “you” is second feminine singular, referring to the city. See v. 1.
  24. Jeremiah 5:7 tn Heb “your children.”
  25. Jeremiah 5:7 tn Heb “and they have sworn [oaths] by not-gods.”
  26. Jeremiah 5:7 tn Heb “I satisfied them to the full.”
  27. Jeremiah 5:7 tn Heb “they committed adultery.” It is difficult to decide whether literal adultery with other women or spiritual adultery with other gods is meant. The word for adultery is used for both in the book of Jeremiah. For examples of its use for spiritual adultery see 3:8, 9; 9:2. For examples of its use for literal adultery see 7:9; 23:14. The context here could argue for either. The swearing by other gods and the implicit contradiction in their actions in contrast to the expected gratitude for supplying their needs argues for spiritual adultery. However, the reference to prostitution in the next line and the reference to chasing after their neighbor’s wives argues for literal adultery. The translation opts for spiritual adultery because of the contrast implicit in the concessive clause.
  28. Jeremiah 5:7 tn There is a great deal of debate about the meaning of this word. Most of the modern English versions follow the lead of lexicographers who relate this word to a noun meaning “troop” and understand it to mean “they trooped together” (cf. BDB 151 s.v. גָּדַד Hithpo.2 and compare the usage in Mic 5:1 [4:14 HT]). A few of the modern English versions and commentaries follow the reading of the Greek and read a word meaning “they lodged” (reading יִתְגּוֹרְרוּ [yitgoreru] from I גּוּר [gur; cf. HALOT 177 s.v. Hithpo. and compare the usage in 1 Kgs 17:20] instead of יִתְגֹּדָדוּ [yitgodadu]). W. L. Holladay (Jeremiah [Hermeneia], 1:180) sees a reference here to the cultic practice of cutting oneself in supplication to pagan gods (cf. BDB 151 s.v. גָּדַד Hithpo.1 and compare the usage in 1 Kgs 18:28). The houses of prostitutes would then be a reference to ritual prostitutes at the pagan shrines. The translation follows BDB and the majority of modern English versions.
  29. Jeremiah 5:7 tn Heb “to a house of a prostitute.”sn This could be a reference to cultic temple prostitution connected with the pagan shrines. For allusion to this in the OT, see, e.g., Deut 23:17 and 2 Kgs 23:7.
  30. Jeremiah 5:8 tn The meanings of these two adjectives are uncertain. The translation of the first adjective is based on assuming that the word is a defectively written participle related to the noun “testicle” (a Hiphil participle מַאֲשִׁכִים [maʾashikhim] from a verb related to אֶשֶׁךְ [ʾeshekh, “testicle”]; cf. Lev 21:20) and hence “having testicles” (cf. HALOT 1379 s.v. שָׁכָה) instead of the Masoretic form מַשְׁכִּים (mashkim) from a root שָׁכָה (shakhah), which is otherwise unattested in either verbal or nominal forms. The second adjective is best derived from a verb root meaning “to feed” (a Hophal participle מוּזָנִים [muzanim, the Kethib] from a root זוּן [zun; cf. BDB 266 s.v. זוּן] for which there is the cognate noun מָזוֹן [mazon; cf. 2 Chr 11:23]). This is more likely than the derivation from a root יָזַן ([yazan]reading מְיֻזָּנִים [meyuzzanim], a Pual participle with the Qere) which is otherwise unattested in verbal or nominal forms and whose meaning is dependent only on a supposed Arabic cognate (cf. HALOT 387 s.v. יָזַן).
  31. Jeremiah 5:8 tn Heb “neighs after.”
  32. Jeremiah 5:9 tn Heb “Should I not punish them…? Should I not bring retribution…?” The rhetorical questions have the force of strong declarations.
  33. Jeremiah 5:10 tn These words to not appear in the Hebrew text but have been added in the translation for the sake of clarity to identify the implied addressee.
  34. Jeremiah 5:10 tn Heb “through her vine rows and destroy.” No object is given but “vines” must be implicit. The word for “vineyards” (or “vine rows”) is a hapax legomenon and its derivation is debated. BDB 1004 s.v. שּׁוּרָה repoints שָׁרוֹתֶיהָ (sharoteha) to שֻׁרוֹתֶיהָ (shuroteha) and relates it to a Mishnaic Hebrew and Palestinian Aramaic word meaning “row.” HALOT 1348 s.v. שּׁוּרָה also repoints to שֻׁרוֹתֶיהָ and relates it to a noun meaning “wall,” preferring to see the reference here to the walled terraces on which the vineyards were planted. The difference in meaning is minimal.
  35. Jeremiah 5:10 tn Heb “for they do not belong to the Lord.” In the light of the context and Jeremiah’s identification of Israel as a vine (cf., e.g., 2:21) and a vineyard (cf., e.g., 12:10), it is likely that this verse has a totally metaphorical significance. The enemy is to go through the vineyard that is Israel and Judah and destroy all those who have been unfaithful to the Lord. It is not impossible, however, that the verse has a double meaning, a literal one and a figurative one: the enemy is not only to destroy Israel and Judah’s vines but to destroy Israel and Judah, lopping off the wicked Israelites who, because of their covenant unfaithfulness, the Lord has disowned. If the verse is totally metaphorical one might translate, “Pass through my vineyard, Israel and Judah, wreaking destruction. But do not destroy all of the people. Cut down like branches those unfaithful people because they no longer belong to the Lord.”
  36. Jeremiah 5:11 tn Heb “the house of Israel and the house of Judah.”
  37. Jeremiah 5:12 tn Heb “have denied the Lord.” The words “What…says” are implicit in what follows.
  38. Jeremiah 5:12 tn Or “he will do nothing”; Heb “Not he [or it]!”
  39. Jeremiah 5:12 tn Heb “we will not see the sword and famine.”
  40. Jeremiah 5:13 tn Heb “will be wind.”sn There is a wordplay on the Hebrew word translated “wind” (רוּחַ, ruakh) which also means “spirit.” The prophets spoke by inspiration of the Spirit of the Lord (cf., e.g., 2 Chr 20:14); hence the prophet was sometimes called “the man of the spirit” (cf. Hos 9:7). The people were claiming that the prophets were speaking lies and hence were full of wind, not the Spirit.
  41. Jeremiah 5:13 tc Heb “the word is not in them.” The MT has a highly unusual form here, the Piel perfect with the definite article (הַדִּבֵּר, haddibber). It is undoubtedly best to read with the LXX (Greek version) and one Hebrew ms the article on the noun (הַדָּבָר, haddavar).
  42. Jeremiah 5:14 tn Heb “Therefore.”
  43. Jeremiah 5:14 tn Heb “The Lord God of Armies.” See the translator’s note at 2:19.sn Here the emphasis appears to be on the fact that the Lord is in charge of the enemy armies whom he will use to punish Israel for their denial of his prior warnings through the prophets.
  44. Jeremiah 5:14 tn The words, “to me” are not in the text but are implicit in the connection. They are supplied in the translation for clarification.
  45. Jeremiah 5:14 tn Heb “you have spoken.” The text here דַּבֶּרְכֶם (dabberekhem, “you have spoken”) is either a case of a scribal error for דַּבֶּרָם (dabberam, “their speaking”; preceding יַעַן [ya‘an] would function as a preposition meaning “because of”) or an example of the rapid shift in addressee which is common in Jeremiah.
  46. Jeremiah 5:14 tn Heb “this word.”
  47. Jeremiah 5:14 tn Heb “like wood and it [i.e., the fire I put in your mouth] will consume them.”
  48. Jeremiah 5:15 tn Heb “oracle of the Lord.”
  49. Jeremiah 5:15 tn Heb “Behold!”
  50. Jeremiah 5:15 tn Heb “house of Israel.”
  51. Jeremiah 5:16 tn Heb “All of them are mighty warriors.”
  52. Jeremiah 5:16 tn Heb “his quiver [is] an open grave.” The order of the lines has been reversed to make the transition from “nation” to “their arrows” easier.
  53. Jeremiah 5:17 tn Heb “eat up.”
  54. Jeremiah 5:17 tn Or “eat up your grapes and figs”; Heb “eat up your vines and your fig trees.”sn It was typical for an army in time of war in the ancient Near East not only to eat up the crops but to destroy the means of further production.
  55. Jeremiah 5:17 tn Heb “They will beat down with the sword.” The term “sword” is a figure of speech (synecdoche) for military weapons in general. Siege ramps, not swords, beat down city walls; swords kill people, not city walls.
  56. Jeremiah 5:18 tn Heb “in those days.”
  57. Jeremiah 5:19 tn The word, “Jeremiah,” is not in the text but the second person address in the second half of the verse is obviously to him. The word is supplied in the translation here for clarity.
  58. Jeremiah 5:19 tn The MT reads the second masculine plural; this is probably a case of attraction to the second masculine plural pronoun in the preceding line. An alternative would be to understand a shift from speaking first to the people in the first half of the verse and then speaking to Jeremiah in the second half, where the verb is second masculine singular (e.g., “When you [people] say, “Why…?” then you, Jeremiah, tell them…”).
  59. Jeremiah 5:19 tn Heb “As you left me and…, so you will….” The translation was chosen so as to break up a rather long and complex sentence.
  60. Jeremiah 5:19 sn This is probably a case of deliberate ambiguity (double entendre). The adjective “foreigners” is used for both foreign people (so Jer 30:8; 51:51) and foreign gods (so Jer 2:25; 3:13). See also Jer 16:13 for the idea of having to serve other gods in the lands of exile.
  61. Jeremiah 5:20 sn The verbs are second plural here. Jeremiah, speaking for the Lord, addresses his people, calling on them to make the message further known.
  62. Jeremiah 5:20 tn Heb “in the house of Jacob.”
  63. Jeremiah 5:21 tn Heb “they have eyes but they do not see; they have ears but they do not hear.”
  64. Jeremiah 5:22 tn Heb “Should you not fear me? Should you not tremble in awe before me?” The rhetorical questions expect the answer explicit in the translation.
  65. Jeremiah 5:22 tn Heb “it.” The referent is made explicit to avoid any possible confusion.
  66. Jeremiah 5:23 tn The words, “their own way” are not in the text but are implicit and are supplied in the translation for clarity.
  67. Jeremiah 5:24 tn Heb “say in their hearts.”
  68. Jeremiah 5:24 tn Heb “who keeps for us the weeks appointed for harvest.
  69. Jeremiah 5:25 tn Heb “have turned these things away.”
  70. Jeremiah 5:25 tn Heb “have withheld the good from you.”
  71. Jeremiah 5:26 tn The meaning of the last three words is uncertain. The pointing and meaning of the Hebrew word rendered “hiding in ambush” is debated. BDB relates the form (כְּשַׁךְ, keshakh) to a root שָׁכַךְ (shakhakh), which elsewhere means “decrease, abate” (cf. BDB 1013 s.v. שָׁכַךְ). BDB notes that this is usually understood here as “like the crouching of fowlers,” but they say this meaning is dubious. HALOT 1345 s.v. I שׁוֹר questions the validity of the text and offers three proposals; the second appears to create the least textual modification, i.e., reading כְּשַׂךְ (kesakh, “as in the hiding place of (bird catchers).” For the word שַׂךְ (sakh) see HALOT 1236 s.v. שׂךְ 4 and compare Lam 2:6 for usage. The versions do not help. The Greek does not translate the first two words of the line. The proposal given in HALOT is accepted with some hesitancy.
  72. Jeremiah 5:26 tn Heb “a destroying thing.”
  73. Jeremiah 5:27 tn The words, “that have been caught” are not in the text but are implicit in the comparison.
  74. Jeremiah 5:27 tn Heb “are filled with deceit.” The translation assumes a figure of speech of cause for effect (metonymy). Compare the same word in the same figure in Zeph 1:9.
  75. Jeremiah 5:27 tn Heb “therefore they have gotten great and rich.”
  76. Jeremiah 5:28 tn These words are not in the text but are supplied in the translation to show that this line is parallel with the preceding.
  77. Jeremiah 5:28 tn The meaning of this word is uncertain. This verb occurs only here. The lexicons generally relate it to the word translated “plate” in Song 5:14 and understand it to mean “smooth, shiny” (so BDB 799 s.v. I עֶשֶׁת) or “fat” (so HALOT 850 s.v. II עֶשֶׁת). The word in Song 5:14 more likely means “smooth” than “plate” (so TEV). So “sleek” is most likely here.
  78. Jeremiah 5:28 tn Heb “they cross over/transgress with respect to matters of evil.”sn There is a wordplay in the use of this verb, which has twice been applied in v. 22 to the sea not crossing the boundary set for it by God.
  79. Jeremiah 5:29 tn Heb “Should I not punish…? Should I not bring retribution…?” The rhetorical questions function as emphatic declarations.sn These words are repeated from 5:9 to give a kind of refrain justifying again the necessity of punishment in the light of such sins.
  80. Jeremiah 5:31 tn Heb “they shall rule at their hands.” Since the word “hand” can be used figuratively for authority or mean “side,” and the pronoun “them” can refer to the priests themselves or the prophets, the following translations have also been suggested: “the priests rule under their [the prophets’] directions,” or “the priests rule in league with them [the prophets].” From the rest of the book it would appear that the prophets did not exercise authority over the priests, nor did they exercise the same authority over the people that the priests did. Hence it probably means “by their own hand/power/authority.”
  81. Jeremiah 5:31 tn Heb “But what will you do at its end?” The rhetorical question implies a negative answer: “Nothing!”
  82. Jeremiah 6:1 tn Heb “Flee for safety, people of Benjamin, out of the midst of Jerusalem.”sn Compare and contrast Jer 4:6. There people in the outlying areas were warned to seek safety in the fortified city of Jerusalem. Here they are told to flee it because it was about to be destroyed.
  83. Jeremiah 6:1 tn Heb “ram’s horn.” But the modern equivalent is “trumpet” and is more readily understandable.
  84. Jeremiah 6:1 tn Heb “leans down” or “looks down.” This verb personifies destruction leaning/looking down from its window in the sky, ready to attack.
  85. Jeremiah 6:1 tn Heb “[It will be] a severe fracture.” The nation is pictured as a limb being fractured.sn This passage is emotionally charged. There are two examples of assonance or wordplay in the verse. “Sound” and “Tekoa” are built on the same root: תָּקַע (taqaʿ, “blow”). “Light” and “signal fire,” also come from the same root: נָשָׂא (nasaʾ, “lift up”). Also disaster is personified when it is said to “lurk” (Heb “look down on”) out of the north. This gives a sense of urgency and concern for the coming destruction.
  86. Jeremiah 6:2 tn The verb here is another example of the Hebrew verb form that indicates the action is as good as done (a Hebrew prophetic perfect).
  87. Jeremiah 6:2 sn Jerusalem is personified as a young maiden who is helpless in the hands of her enemies.
  88. Jeremiah 6:2 tn Heb “The beautiful and delicate one I will destroy, the daughter of Zion.” The English versions and commentaries are divided over the rendering of this verse because (1) there are two verbs with these same consonants, one meaning “to be like” and the other meaning “to be destroyed” (intransitive) or “to destroy” (transitive), and (2) the word rendered “beautiful” (נָוָה, navah) can be understood as a noun meaning “pasture” or as a defective writing of an adjective meaning “beautiful, comely” (נָאוָה, naʾvah). Hence some render, “Fair Zion, you are like a lovely pasture,” reading the verb form as an example of the old second feminine singular perfect. Although this may fit the imagery of the next verse, that rendering ignores the absence of a preposition (לְ or אֶל, le or ʾel, both of which can be translated “to”) that normally goes with the verb “be like,” and it drops the conjunction in front of the adjective “delicate.” The parallel usage of the verb in Hos 4:5 argues for the meaning “destroy.”
  89. Jeremiah 6:3 tn Heb “Shepherds and their flocks will attack it.” Rulers are often depicted as shepherds; see BDB 945 s.v. רָעָה 1.d(2) (cf. Jer 12:10). The translation of this verse attempts to clarify the point of this extended metaphor.
  90. Jeremiah 6:3 tn Heb “They will thrust [= pitch] tents around it.” The shepherd imagery has a surprisingly ominous tone. The beautiful pasture filled with shepherds grazing their sheep is in reality a city under siege from an attacking enemy.
  91. Jeremiah 6:3 tn Heb “They will graze each one his portion.” For the use of the verb “graze” to mean “strip” or “devastate” see BDB 945 s.v. רָעָה 2.c. For a similar use of the word normally meaning “hand” to mean portion, compare 2 Sam 19:43 (19:44 HT).sn There is another wordplay involving the root תָּקַע (taqaʿ). Here it is the verb for pitching tents, while in v. 1 it was used for sounding the trumpet. It is the root for the place name “Tekoa.”
  92. Jeremiah 6:4 tn These words are not in the text but are implicit in the connection. They are supplied in the translation for clarity.
  93. Jeremiah 6:4 tn Heb “Sanctify war.” This is probably an idiom from early Israel’s holy wars in which religious rites were to precede the battle.
  94. Jeremiah 6:4 tn These words are not in the text but are supplied in the translation for clarity. Some commentaries and English versions see these not as the words of the enemy but as those of the Israelites expressing their fear that the enemy will launch a night attack against them and further destroy them. The connection with the next verse, however, fits better with them if they are the words of the enemy.
  95. Jeremiah 6:4 tn For the usage of this phrase see the translator’s note on 4:13. The usage of this particle here is a little exaggerated. They have lost the most advantageous time for attack but they are scarcely in a hopeless or doomed situation. The equivalent in English slang is “Bad news!”
  96. Jeremiah 6:6 tn Heb “For.” The translation attempts to make the connection clearer.
  97. Jeremiah 6:6 tn Heb “Yahweh of Armies.”sn For an explanation of the significance of this title see the study note on 2:19.
  98. Jeremiah 6:6 tn Heb “Cut down its trees and build up a siege ramp against Jerusalem.” The referent has been moved forward from the second line for clarity.
  99. Jeremiah 6:6 tn Or “has been appointed.” The meaning of this line is uncertain. The LXX reads, “Woe, city of falsehood!” The MT presents a masculine singular verb with a feminine singular subject. The verb פָּקַד (paqad) in the Hophal verbal stem elsewhere means “to be appointed, designated.” It is used of officials who have been appointed to tasks or of leaving something deposited with someone. Hence many follow the Greek, which presupposes הוֹי עִיר הַשֶּׁקֶר (hoy ʿir hasheqer) instead of הִיא הָעִיר הָפְקַד (hiʾ haʿir hofqad). The Greek is the easier reading in light of the parallelism, and it would be hard to explain how the MT arose from it. KBL suggests reading a noun meaning “licentiousness” that occurs elsewhere only in Mishnaic Hebrew, hence “this is the city, the licentious one” (attributive apposition; cf. KBL 775 s.v. פֶּקֶר). Perhaps the Hophal perfect (הָפְקַד, hofqad) should be revocalized as a Niphal infinitive absolute (הִפָּקֹד, hippaqod), which would solve both anomalies in the MT since the Niphal is used in this nuance and the infinitive absolute can function in place of a finite verb (cf. GKC 346 §113.ee and ff). This change, however, is mere speculation and is supported by no Hebrew ms.
  100. Jeremiah 6:6 tn Heb “All of it oppression in its midst.”
  101. Jeremiah 6:7 tc Heb “As a well makes cool/fresh its water, she makes cool/fresh her wickedness.” The translation follows the reading proposed by the Masoretes (Qere) which reads a rare form of the word “well” (בַּיִר [bayir] for בְּאֵר [beʾer]) in place of the form written in the text (Kethib, בּוֹר [bor]), which means “cistern.” The latter noun is masculine and the pronoun “its” is feminine. If indeed בַּיִר (bayir) is a byform of בְּאֵר (beʾer), which is feminine, it would agree in gender with the pronoun. It also forms a more appropriate comparison since cisterns do not hold fresh water.
  102. Jeremiah 6:7 tn Heb “Violence and destruction are heard in it.”
  103. Jeremiah 6:7 tn Heb “Sickness and wound are continually before my face.”
  104. Jeremiah 6:8 tn This word is not in the text but is supplied in the translation. Jeremiah uses a figure of speech (enallage) where the speaker turns from talking about someone to address him/her directly.
  105. Jeremiah 6:8 tn Heb “lest my soul [= I] becomes disgusted with you.”sn The wordplay begun with “sound…in Tekoa” in v. 1 and continued with “encamp” (they will pitch [their tents]) in v. 3 is concluded here with “turn away in disgust” (תֵּקַע [teqaʿ]), which uses the same consonants although built now on the root יָקַע (yaqaʿ).
  106. Jeremiah 6:9 tn Heb “Yahweh of Armies.”sn For an explanation of the significance of this title see the study note on 2:19.
  107. Jeremiah 6:9 tn The words “to me” are not in the text but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
  108. Jeremiah 6:9 tn Heb “They will thoroughly glean those who are left in Israel like a vine.” That is, they will be carried off by judgment. It is not necessary to read the verb forms here the way some English versions and commentaries do: as two imperatives, or as an infinitive absolute followed by an imperative. “Glean” is an example of a third plural verb used impersonally and translated as a passive (cf. GKC 460 §144.g).
  109. Jeremiah 6:9 tn Heb “Pass your hand back over the branches like a grape harvester.” The translation is intended to clarify the metaphor that Jeremiah should try to rescue some from the coming destruction.
  110. Jeremiah 6:10 tn These words are not in the text but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
  111. Jeremiah 6:10 tn Heb “To whom shall I speak and give warning that they may listen?”
  112. Jeremiah 6:10 tn Heb “are uncircumcised.”
  113. Jeremiah 6:10 tn Heb “Behold!”
  114. Jeremiah 6:10 tn Heb “They do not take pleasure in it.”
  115. Jeremiah 6:11 tn Heb “I am full of the wrath of the Lord.”
  116. Jeremiah 6:11 tn These words are not in the text but are implicit from the words that follow. They are supplied in the translation for clarity.
  117. Jeremiah 6:11 tn Heb “Pour it out.”
  118. Jeremiah 6:11 tn Heb “are to be captured.”
  119. Jeremiah 6:12 tn Heb “I will reach out my hand.” This figure involves both comparing God to a person (anthropomorphism) and substituting the hand for its actions or exertions (metonymy). A common use of “hand” is for the exertion of power or strength (cf. BDB 290 s.v. יָד 2 and 289-90 s.v. יָד 1.e(2); cf. Deut 34:12; Ps 78:42; Jer 16:21).
  120. Jeremiah 6:14 tn Heb “They heal [= bandage] the wound of my people lightly”; TEV “They act as if my people’s wounds were only scratches.”
  121. Jeremiah 6:14 tn Heb “They say, ‘Peace! Peace!’ and there is no peace!”
  122. Jeremiah 6:15 tn Heb “They will fall among the fallen.”
  123. Jeremiah 6:16 tn The words, “to his people” are not in the text but are implicit in the interchange of pronouns in the Hebrew of vv. 16-17. They are supplied in the translation here for clarity.
  124. Jeremiah 6:16 tn Heb “Stand at the crossroads and look.”
  125. Jeremiah 6:16 tn Heb “the ancient path,” i.e., the path the Lord set out in ancient times (cf. Deut 32:7).
  126. Jeremiah 6:16 tn Heb “the way of/to the good.”
  127. Jeremiah 6:17 tn These words are not in the text but are implicit in the interchange of pronouns in the Hebrew of vv. 16-17. They are supplied in the translation here for clarity.
  128. Jeremiah 6:17 tn Heb “I appointed watchmen over you.”
  129. Jeremiah 6:17 tn Heb “Pay attention to the sound of the trumpet.” The word “warning” is not in the Hebrew text but is implied.
  130. Jeremiah 6:18 tn These words are not in the text but are implicit from the flow of the context. They are supplied in the translation for clarity.
  131. Jeremiah 6:18 tn Heb “Know, congregation [or witness], what in [or against] them.” The meaning of this line is somewhat uncertain. The meaning of the noun of address in the second line (“witness,” rendered as an imperative in the translation, “Be witnesses”) is greatly debated. It is often taken as “congregation” but the lexicons and commentaries generally question the validity of reading that word since it is nowhere else applied to the nations. BDB 417 s.v. עֵדָה 3 says that the text is dubious. HALOT 747 s.v. I עֵדָה, 4 emends the text to דֵּעָה (deʿah, “wisdom”). Several modern English versions (e.g., NIV, NCV, God’s Word) take it as the feminine singular noun “witness” (cf. BDB 729 s.v. II עֵדָה) and understand it as a collective. This solution is also proposed by J. A. Thompson (Jeremiah [NICOT], 259, n. 3) and appears to make the best sense in the context. The end of the line is very elliptical, but on the basis of the following context it is generally taken as either “what I will do with/to them” or “what is coming against them” (= “what will happen to them”).
  132. Jeremiah 6:19 tn Heb “earth.”
  133. Jeremiah 6:19 tn Heb “Behold!”
  134. Jeremiah 6:19 tn Heb “disaster on these people, the fruit of their schemes.”
  135. Jeremiah 6:19 tn Heb “my word.”
  136. Jeremiah 6:20 tn Heb “To what purpose is it to me?” The question is rhetorical and expects a negative answer.
  137. Jeremiah 6:20 tn The words “when they offer up to me” are not in the text but are implicit from the following context. They are supplied in the translation for clarity.
  138. Jeremiah 6:20 tn Heb “Your burnt offerings are not acceptable, and your sacrifices are not pleasing to me.” The shift from “their” to “your” is an example of the figure of speech (apostrophe) where the speaker turns from talking about someone to addressing him/her directly. Though common in Hebrew style, it is not common in English. The shift to the third person in the translation is an accommodation to English style.
  139. Jeremiah 6:21 tn This is an attempt to render the Hebrew particle rendered “behold,” which has a first person pronominal suffix.
  140. Jeremiah 6:21 tn Heb “I will put stumbling blocks in front of these people.” In this context the stumbling blocks are the invading armies.
  141. Jeremiah 6:21 tn The words “and fall to their destruction” are implicit in the metaphor and are supplied in the translation for clarity.
  142. Jeremiah 6:22 tn Heb “people.”
  143. Jeremiah 6:23 sn Jerualem is personified as a young maiden helpless before enemy attackers.
  144. Jeremiah 6:24 tn These words are not in the text, but the context indicates that someone other than God is speaking for and to the people (either Jeremiah or the people themselves). These words are supplied in the translation for clarity.
  145. Jeremiah 6:24 tn Or “We have lost our strength to do battle”; Heb “Our hands hang limp [or helpless at our sides].” According to BDB 951 s.v. רָפָה Qal.2, this idiom is used figuratively for losing heart or energy. The best example of its figurative use of loss of strength or the feeling of helplessness is in Ezek 21:12, where it appears in the context of the heart (courage) melting, the spirit sinking, and the knees becoming like water. For other examples compare 2 Sam 4:1; Zeph 3:16. In Neh 6:9 it is used literally of the builders “dropping their hands from the work” out of fear. The words “with fear” are supplied in the translation because they are implicit in the context.
  146. Jeremiah 6:25 tn Heb “For the enemy has a sword.”
  147. Jeremiah 6:25 tn Heb “Terror is all around!”
  148. Jeremiah 6:26 tn These words are not in the text but are implicit from the context.
  149. Jeremiah 6:26 tn Heb “daughter of my people.” For the translation given here see 4:11 and the translator’s note there.
  150. Jeremiah 6:26 tn Heb “suddenly.”
  151. Jeremiah 6:26 tn Heb “the destroyer.”
  152. Jeremiah 6:27 tn These words are not in the text but are supplied in the translation for clarity. Note “I have made you.” Cf. Jer 1:18.
  153. Jeremiah 6:27 tn Heb “I have made you an assayer of my people, a tester [?].” The meaning of the words translated “assayer” (בָּחוֹן, bakhon) and “tester” (מִבְצָר, mivtsar) is uncertain. The word בָּחוֹן (bakhon) can mean “tower” (cf. BDB 103 s.v. בָּחוֹן; cf. Isa 23:13 for the only other use) or “assayer” (cf. BDB 103 s.v. בָּחוֹן). The latter would be the more expected nuance because of the other uses of nouns and verbs from this root. The word מִבְצָר (mivtsar) normally means “fortress” (cf. BDB 131 s.v. מִבְצָר), but most modern commentaries and lexicons deem that nuance inappropriate here. HALOT follows a proposal that the word is to be repointed to מְבַצֵּר (mevatser) and derived from a root בָּצַר (batsar) meaning “to test” (cf. HALOT 143 s.v. IV בָּצַר). That proposal makes the most sense in the context, but the root appears nowhere else in the OT.
  154. Jeremiah 6:27 tn Heb “test their way.”
  155. Jeremiah 6:28 tn These words are not in the text but are supplied in the translation for clarity. Some takes these words to be the continuation of the Lord’s commission of Jeremiah to the task of testing them. However, since this is the evaluation, the task appears to be complete. The words are better taken as Jeremiah’s report after he has completed the task.
  156. Jeremiah 6:28 tn Or “arch rebels,” or “hardened rebels.” Literally “rebels of rebels.”
  157. Jeremiah 6:29 tn Heb “The bellows blow fiercely; the lead is consumed by the fire.” The translation tries to clarify a metaphor involving ancient metallurgy. In the ancient refining process lead was added as a flux to remove impurities from silver ore in the process of oxidizing the lead. Jeremiah says that the lead has been used up and the impurities have not been removed. The translation is based on the recognition of an otherwise unused verb root meaning “blow” (נָחַר [nakhar]; cf. BDB 1123 s.v. I חָרַר and HALOT 651 s.v. נָחַר) and the Masoretes’ suggestion that the consonants מאשׁתם be read מֵאֵשׁ תַּם (meʾesh tam, “from fire it is consumed”) rather than as מֵאֶשָּׁתָם (meʾeshatam, “from their fire”) from an otherwise unattested noun אֶשָּׁה (ʾeshah).
  158. Jeremiah 6:29 tn Heb “The refiner refines them in vain.”
  159. Jeremiah 6:30 tn This translation is intended to reflect the wordplay in the Hebrew text where the same root word is repeated in the two lines.
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Jeremiah 13
New English Translation

An Object Lesson from Ruined Linen Shorts

13 The Lord said to me, “Go and buy some linen shorts[a] and put them on.[b] Do not put them in water.”[c] 2 So I bought the shorts in keeping with the Lord’s instructions[d] and put them on.[e] 3 Then the Lord’s message came to me again, 4 “Take the shorts that you bought and are wearing[f] and go at once[g] to Perath.[h] Bury the shorts there[i] in a crack in the rocks.” 5 So I went and buried them at Perath[j] as the Lord had ordered me to do. 6 Many days later the Lord said to me, “Go at once to Perath and get[k] the shorts I ordered you to bury there.” 7 So I went to Perath and dug up[l] the shorts from the place where I had buried them. I found[m] that they were ruined; they were good for nothing.

8 Then the Lord’s message came to me, 9 “I, the Lord, say:[n] ‘This shows how[o] I will ruin the highly exalted position[p] in which Judah and Jerusalem take pride. 10 These wicked people refuse to obey what I have said.[q] They follow the stubborn inclinations of their own hearts and pay allegiance[r] to other gods by worshiping and serving them. So[s] they will become just like these linen shorts that are good for nothing. 11 For,’ I say,[t] ‘just as shorts cling tightly to a person’s body, so I bound the whole nation of Israel and the whole nation of Judah[u] tightly[v] to me.’ I intended for them to be my special people and to bring me fame, honor, and praise.[w] But they would not obey me.

12 “So tell them,[x] ‘The Lord, the God of Israel, says: “Every wine jar is made to be filled with wine.”’[y] And they will probably say to you, ‘Do you not think we know[z] that every wine jar is supposed to be filled with wine?’ 13 Then[aa] tell them, ‘The Lord says: “I will soon fill all the people who live in this land with stupor.[ab] I will also fill the kings from David’s dynasty,[ac] the priests, the prophets, and the citizens of Jerusalem with stupor.[ad] 14 And I will smash them like wine bottles against one another, children and parents alike.[ae] I will not show any pity, mercy, or compassion. Nothing will keep me from destroying them,’[af] says the Lord.”

15 Then I said to the people of Judah:[ag]

“Listen and pay attention! Do not be arrogant!
For the Lord has spoken.
16 Show the Lord your God the respect that is due him.[ah]
Do it before he brings the darkness of disaster.[ai]
Do it before you stumble[aj] into distress
like a traveler on the mountains at twilight.[ak]
Do it before he turns the light of deliverance you hope for
into the darkness and gloom of exile.[al]
17 But if you will not pay attention to this warning,[am]
I will weep alone because of your arrogant pride.
I will weep bitterly, and my eyes will overflow with tears[an]
because you, the Lord’s flock,[ao] will be carried into exile.”[ap]

18 The Lord told me:[aq]

“Tell the king and the queen mother,
‘Surrender your thrones,[ar]
for your glorious crowns
will be removed[as] from your heads.[at]
19 The gates of the towns in southern Judah will be shut tight.[au]
No one will be able to go in or out of them.[av]
All Judah will be carried off into exile.
They will be completely carried off into exile.’”[aw]

20 Then I said,[ax]

“Look up, Jerusalem,[ay] and see
the enemy[az] that is coming from the north.
Where now is the flock of people that were entrusted to your care?[ba]
Where now are the ‘sheep’ that you take such pride in?[bb]
21 What will you say[bc] when the Lord[bd] appoints as rulers over you those allies
that you, yourself, had actually prepared as such?[be]
Then anguish and agony will grip you
like that of a woman giving birth to a baby.[bf]
22 You will probably ask yourself,[bg]
‘Why have these things happened to me?
Why have I been treated like a disgraced adulteress
whose skirt has been torn off and her limbs exposed?’[bh]
It is because you have sinned so much.[bi]
23 But there is little hope for you ever doing good,
you who are so accustomed to doing evil.
Can an Ethiopian[bj] change the color of his skin?
Can a leopard remove its spots?[bk]

24 “The Lord says,[bl]

‘That is why I will scatter your people[bm] like chaff
that is blown away by a desert wind.[bn]
25 This is your fate,
the destiny to which I have appointed you,
because you have forgotten me
and have trusted in false gods.
26 So I will pull your skirt up over your face
and expose you to shame like a disgraced adulteress![bo]
27 People of Jerusalem,[bp] I have seen your adulterous worship,
your shameless prostitution to, and your lustful pursuit of, other gods.[bq]
I have seen your disgusting acts of worship[br]
on the hills throughout the countryside.
You are doomed to destruction![bs]
How long will you continue to be unclean?’”

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 13:1 tn The term here (אֵזוֹר, ʾezor) has been rendered in various ways: “girdle” (KJV, ASV), “waistband” (NASB), “waistcloth” (RSV), “sash” (NKJV), “belt” (NIV, NCV, NLT), and “loincloth” (NAB, NRSV, NJPS, REB). The latter is most accurate according to J. M. Myers, “Dress and Ornaments,” IDB 1:870, and W. L. Holladay, Jeremiah (Hermeneia), 1:399. It was a short, skirt-like garment reaching from the waist to the knees and worn next to the body (cf. v. 9). The modern equivalent is “shorts” as in TEV/GNB, CEV.sn The linen shorts (Heb “loincloth”) were representative of Israel and the wearing of them was to illustrate the Lord’s close relation to his people (v. 11). Since the priests’ garments were to be made wholly of linen (cf. Exod 28; Ezek 44:17-18), the fact that the shorts were to be made of linen probably was to symbolize the nature of Israel’s calling: they were to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Exod 19:5-6). Just as the linen garments of the priest were to give him special honor and glory (Exod 28:40), so the linen garment was to be a source of praise and glory to the Lord (v. 11).
  2. Jeremiah 13:1 tn Heb “upon your loins.” The “loins” were the midriff of the body from the waist to the knees. For a further discussion including the figurative uses see, IDB, “Loins,” 3:149.
  3. Jeremiah 13:1 tn Or “Do not ever put them in water,” i.e., “Do not even wash them.”sn The fact that the garment was not to be put in water is not explained. A possible explanation within the context is that it was to be worn continuously, not even taken off to wash it. That would illustrate that the close relationship that the Lord had with his people was continuous and indissoluble. Other explanations are that it was not to be gotten wet because (1) that would have begun the process of rotting (This assumes that the rotting was done by the water of the Euphrates. But it was buried in a crack in the rocks, not in the river itself); (2) that would have made it softer and easier to wear; or (3) that showed that the garment was new, clean, and fresh from the merchant. For this latter interpretation see J. A. Thompson, Jeremiah (NICOT), 64. For a fuller discussion of most of the issues connected with this acted-out parable see W. McKane, Jeremiah (ICC), 1:285-92. However, the reason is not explained in the text, and there is not enough evidence in the text to come to a firm conclusion, though the most likely possibility is that it was not to be taken off and washed but worn continuously.
  4. Jeremiah 13:2 tn Heb “word, message.”
  5. Jeremiah 13:2 tn Heb “on my loins.” The “loins” were the midriff of the body from the waist to the knees. For a further discussion, including the figurative uses, see R. C. Dentan, “Loins,” IDB 3:149-50.
  6. Jeremiah 13:4 tn Heb “which are upon your loins.” See further the notes on v. 1.
  7. Jeremiah 13:4 tn Heb “Get up and go.” The first verb is not literal but is idiomatic for the initiation of an action.
  8. Jeremiah 13:4 tn There has been a great deal of debate about whether the place referred to here is a place (Parah [= Perath] mentioned in Josh 18:23, modern Khirbet Farah, near a spring ʿain Farah) about three-and-a-half miles from Anathoth, which was Jeremiah’s home town, or the Euphrates River. Elsewhere the word “Perath” always refers to the Euphrates, but it is either preceded by the word “river of” or there is contextual indication of reference to the Euphrates. Because a journey to the Euphrates and back would involve a journey of more than 700 miles (1,100 km) and take some months, scholars both ancient and modern have questioned whether “Perath” refers to the Euphrates here and, if it does, whether a real journey was involved. Most of the attempts to identify the place with the Euphrates involve misguided assumptions that this action was a symbolic message to Israel about exile or the corrupting influence of Assyria and Babylon. However, unlike the other symbolic acts in Jeremiah (and in Isaiah and Ezekiel), the symbolism is not part of a message to the people but to Jeremiah; the message is explained to him (vv. 9-11), not the people. In keeping with some of the wordplays that are somewhat common in Jeremiah, it is likely that the reference here is to a place, Parah, which was near Jeremiah’s hometown but whose name would naturally suggest to Jeremiah, later in the Lord’s explanation in vv. 9-11, Assyria-Babylon as a place connected with Judah’s corruption (see the notes on vv. 9-10). For further discussion the reader should consult the commentaries, especially W. Holladay, Jeremiah (Hermeneia), 1:396, and W. McKane, Jeremiah (ICC), 1:285-92, who take opposite positions on this issue.
  9. Jeremiah 13:4 sn The significance of this act is explained in vv. 9-10. See the notes there for explanation.
  10. Jeremiah 13:5 tc The translation reads בִּפְרָתָה (bifratah) with 4QJera as noted in W. L. Holladay, Jeremiah (Hermeneia), 1:393 instead of בִּפְרָת (bifrat) in the MT.
  11. Jeremiah 13:6 tn Heb “Get from there.” The words “from there” are not necessary to the English sentence. They would lead to a redundancy later in the verse, i.e., “from there…bury there.”
  12. Jeremiah 13:7 tn Heb “dug and took.”
  13. Jeremiah 13:7 tn Heb “And behold.”
  14. Jeremiah 13:9 tn Heb “Thus says the Lord.”
  15. Jeremiah 13:9 tn In a sense this phrase, which is literally “according to thus” or simply “thus,” points both backward and forward: backward to the acted-out parable and forward to the explanation which follows.
  16. Jeremiah 13:9 tn Many of the English versions have erred in rendering this word “pride” or “arrogance,” with the resultant implication that the Lord is going to destroy Israel’s pride, i.e., humble them through the punishment of exile. However, BDB 144-45 s.v. גָּאוֹן 1 is more probably correct when they classify this passage among those that deal with the “‘majesty, excellence’ of nations, their wealth, power, magnificence of buildings….” The closest parallels to the usage here are in Zech 10:11 (parallel to scepter of Egypt); Ps 47:4 (47:5 HT; parallel to “our heritage” = “our land”); Isa 14:11; and Amos 8:7. The term is further defined in v. 11, where it refers to their special relationship and calling. To translate it “pride” or “arrogance” also ruins the wordplay on “ruin” (נִשְׁחַת [nishkhat] in v. 7 and אַשְׁחִית [ʾashkhit] in v. 9).sn Scholars ancient and modern are divided over the significance of the statement I will ruin the highly exalted position in which Judah and Jerusalem take pride (Heb “I will ruin the pride of Judah and Jerusalem”). Some feel that it refers to the corrupting influence of Assyria and Babylon, and others feel that it refers to the threat of Babylonian exile. However, F. B. Huey (Jeremiah, Lamentations [NAC], 144) is correct in observing that the Babylonian exile did not lead to the rottenness of Judah; the corrupting influence of the foreign nations did. In Jeremiah’s day this came through the age-old influences of the Canaanite worship of Baal, but also through the astral worship introduced by Ahaz and Manasseh. For an example of the corrupting influence of Assyria on Judah through Ahaz’s political alliances, see 2 Kgs 16 and also compare the allegory in Ezek 23:14-21. It was while the “linen shorts” were off Jeremiah’s body and buried in the rocks that the linen shorts were ruined. So the Lord “ruined” the privileged status that resulted from Israel’s close relationship to him (cf. v. 11). For the “problem” created by the Lord ruining Israel through corrupting influence, compare the notes on Jer 4:10 and also passages like Isa 63:17 and Isa 6:10. If the parable simply emphasized ruin, though, the exile could be in view.
  17. Jeremiah 13:10 tn Heb “to listen to my words.”
  18. Jeremiah 13:10 tn Heb “and [they follow] after.” See the translator’s note at 2:5 for the idiom.
  19. Jeremiah 13:10 tn The structure of this verse is a little unusual. It consists of a subject, “this wicked people,” qualified by several “which” clauses preceding a conjunction and a form which would normally be taken as a third person imperative (a Hebrew jussive; וִיהִי, vihi). This construction, called casus pendens by Hebrew grammarians, lays focus on the subject, here calling attention to the nature of Israel’s corruption that makes it rotten and useless to God. See GKC 458 §143.d for other examples of this construction.
  20. Jeremiah 13:11 tn The words “I say” are “Oracle of the Lord” in Hebrew, and are located at the end of this statement in the Hebrew text rather than the beginning. However, they are rendered in the first person and placed at the beginning for smoother English style.
  21. Jeremiah 13:11 tn Heb “all the house of Israel and all the house of Judah.”
  22. Jeremiah 13:11 tn It would be somewhat unnatural in English to render the play on the word translated here “cling tightly” and “bound tightly” in a literal way. They are from the same root word in Hebrew (דָּבַק, davaq), a word that emphasizes the closest of personal relationships and the loyalty connected with them. It is used, for example, of the relationship of a husband and a wife and the loyalty expected of them (cf. Gen 2:24; for other similar uses see Ruth 1:14; 2 Sam 20:2; Deut 11:22).
  23. Jeremiah 13:11 tn Heb “I bound them…in order that they might be to me for a people and for a name and for praise and for honor.” The sentence has been separated from the preceding and an equivalent idea expressed that is more in keeping with contemporary English style.
  24. Jeremiah 13:12 tn Heb “So you shall say this word [or message] to them.”
  25. Jeremiah 13:12 tn Heb “Every wine jar is supposed to be filled with wine.”sn Some scholars understand this as a popular proverb like that in Jer 31:29 and Ezek 18:2. Instead this is probably a truism; the function of wine jars is to be filled with wine. This may relate to the preceding verses where the Lord set forth his intention for Israel. It forms the basis for a ironic threat of judgment because they have failed to fulfill his purpose.
  26. Jeremiah 13:12 tn This is an attempt to render a construction that involves an infinitive of a verb being added before the same verb in a question that expects a positive answer. There may, by the way, be a pun being passed back and forth here involving the sound play been “fool” (נָבָל, naval) and “wine bottle” (נֶבֶל, nevel).
  27. Jeremiah 13:13 tn The Greek version is likely right in interpreting the construction of two perfects preceded by the conjunction as contingent or consequential here, i.e., “and when they say…then say.” See GKC 494 §159.g. However, to render literally would create a long sentence. Hence, the words “will probably” have been supplied in v. 12 in the translation to set up the contingency/consequential sequence in the English sentences.
  28. Jeremiah 13:13 sn It is probably impossible to convey in a simple translation all the subtle nuances that are wrapped up in the words of this judgment speech. The word translated “stupor” here is literally “drunkenness,” but the word has in the context an undoubtedly intended double reference. It refers first to the drunken-like stupor of confusion on the part of leaders and citizens of the land that will cause them to clash with one another. But it also probably refers to the reeling under God’s wrath that results from this (cf. Jer 25:15-29, especially vv. 15-16). Moreover, there is still the subtle little play on wine jars. The people are like the wine jars which were supposed to be filled with wine. They were to be a special people to bring glory to God but they had become corrupt. Hence, like wine jars they would be smashed against one another and broken to pieces (v. 14). All of this, both “fill them with the stupor of confusion” and “make them reel under God’s wrath,” cannot be conveyed in one translation.
  29. Jeremiah 13:13 tn Heb “who sit on David’s throne.”
  30. Jeremiah 13:13 tn In Hebrew this is all one long sentence with one verb governing compound objects. It is broken up here in conformity with English style.
  31. Jeremiah 13:14 tn Or “children along with their parents”; Heb “fathers and children together.”
  32. Jeremiah 13:14 tn Heb “I will not show…so as not to destroy them.”
  33. Jeremiah 13:15 tn The words “Then I said to the people of Judah” are not in the text but are implicit from the address in v. 15 and the content of v. 17. They are supplied in the translation for clarity to show the shift from the Lord’s speaking to Jeremiah’s.
  34. Jeremiah 13:16 tn Heb “Give glory/respect to the Lord your God.” For this nuance of the word “glory” (כָּבוֹד, kavod), see BDB 459 s.v. כָּבוֹד 6.b and compare the usage in Mal 1:6 and Josh 7:19.
  35. Jeremiah 13:16 tn The words “of disaster” are not in the text. They are supplied in the translation to explain the significance of the metaphor to readers who may not be acquainted with the metaphorical use of light and darkness for salvation and joy and distress and sorrow respectively.sn For the metaphorical use of these terms the reader should consult O. A. Piper, “Light, Light and Darkness,” IDB 3:130-32. For the association of darkness with the Day of the Lord, the time when he will bring judgment, see, e.g., Amos 5:18-20. For the association of darkness with exile see Isa 9:1-2 (8:23-9:1 HT).
  36. Jeremiah 13:16 tn Heb “your feet stumble.”
  37. Jeremiah 13:16 tn Heb “you stumble on the mountains at twilight.” The added words are again supplied in the translation to help explain the metaphor to the uninitiated reader.
  38. Jeremiah 13:16 tn Heb “and while you hope for light, he will turn it into deep darkness and make [it] into gloom.” The meaning of the metaphor is again explained through the addition of the “of” phrases for readers who are unacquainted with the metaphorical use of these terms.sn For the meaning and usage of the term “deep darkness” (צַלְמָוֶת, tsalmavet), see the notes on Jer 2:6. For the association of the term with exile, see Isa 9:2 (9:1 HT). For the association of the word gloom with the Day of the Lord, see Isa 60:2; Joel 2:2; Zeph 1:15.
  39. Jeremiah 13:17 tn Heb “If you will not listen to it.” For the use of the feminine singular pronoun to refer to the idea(s) expressed in the preceding verse(s), see GKC 440-41 §135.p.
  40. Jeremiah 13:17 tn Heb “Tearing [my eye] will tear and my eye will run down [= flow] with tears.”sn The depth of Jeremiah’s sorrow for the sad plight of his people, if they refuse to repent, is emphasized by the triple repetition of the word “tears,” twice in an emphatic verbal expression (Hebrew infinitive before finite verb) and once in the noun.
  41. Jeremiah 13:17 tn Heb “because the Lord’s flock will…” The pronoun “you” is supplied in the translation to avoid the shift in English from the second person address at the beginning to the third person affirmation at the end. It also helps explain the metaphor of the people of Israel as God’s flock for some readers who may be unfamiliar with that metaphor.
  42. Jeremiah 13:17 tn The verb is once again in the form of “as good as done” (the Hebrew prophetic perfect).
  43. Jeremiah 13:18 tn The words “The Lord told me” are not in the text but are implicit in the shift from second plural pronouns in vv. 15-17 to second singular in the Hebrew text of this verse. These words are supplied in the translation for clarity.
  44. Jeremiah 13:18 tn Or “You will come down from your thrones”; Heb “Make low! Sit!” This is a case of a construction where two forms in the same case, mood, or tense are joined in such a way that one (usually the first) is intended as an adverbial or adjectival modifier of the other (a figure called hendiadys). This is also probably a case where the imperative is used to express a distinct assurance or promise. See GKC 324 §110.b and compare the usage in Isa 37:30 and Ps 110:2.sn The king and queen mother are generally identified as Jehoiachin and his mother, who were taken into captivity with many of the leading people of Jerusalem in 597 b.c. See Jer 22:26; 29:2; 2 Kgs 24:14-16.
  45. Jeremiah 13:18 tn Heb “have come down.” The verb here and those in the following verses are further examples of the “as good as done” form of the Hebrew verb (the prophetic perfect).
  46. Jeremiah 13:18 tc The translation follows the common emendation of a word normally meaning “place at the head” (מַרְאֲשׁוֹת [marʾashot] plus pronoun = מַרְאֲשׁוֹתֵיכֶם [marʾashotekhem]) to “from your heads” (מֵרָאשֵׁיכֶם, meraʾshekhem) following the ancient versions. The meaning “tiara” is nowhere else attested for this word.
  47. Jeremiah 13:19 tn Heb “The towns of the Negev will be shut.”
  48. Jeremiah 13:19 tn Heb “There is no one to open them.” The translation is based on the parallel in Josh 6:1 where the very expression in the translation is used. Opening the city would have permitted entrance (of relief forces) as well as exit (of fugitives).
  49. Jeremiah 13:19 sn The statements are poetic exaggerations (hyperbole), as most commentaries note. Even in the exile of 587 b.c. not “all” of the people of Jerusalem or of Judah were exiled (cf. the context of 2 Kgs 24:14-16 again).
  50. Jeremiah 13:20 tn The words “Then I said” are not in the text. They are supplied in the translation to show the shift in speaker from vv. 18-19, where the Lord is speaking to Jeremiah.
  51. Jeremiah 13:20 tn The word “Jerusalem” is not in the Hebrew text. It is added in the Greek text and is generally considered to be the object of address because of the second feminine singular verbs here and throughout the following verses. The translation follows the consonantal text (Kethib) and the Greek text in reading the second feminine singular here. The verbs and pronouns in vv. 20-22 are all second feminine singular with the exception of the suffix on the word “eyes,” which is not reflected in the translation here (“Look up” = “Lift up your eyes”) and the verb and pronoun in v. 23. The text may reflect the same kind of alternation between singular and plural that takes place in Isa 7, where the pronouns refer to Ahaz as an individual and to his entourage, the contemporary ruling class (cf., e.g., Isa 7:4-5 [singular], 9 [plural], 11 [singular], 13-14 [plural]). Here the connection with the preceding may suggest that it is initially the ruling house (the king and the queen mother), then Jerusalem personified as a woman in her role as a shepherdess (i.e., leader). However, elsewhere in the book the leadership has included the kings, the priests, the prophets, and the citizens as well (cf., e.g., 13:13). In v. 27 Jerusalem is explicitly addressed. It may be asking too much of some readers, who are not familiar with biblical metaphors, to understand an extended metaphor like this. If it is helpful to them, they may substitute plural referents for “I” and “me.”
  52. Jeremiah 13:20 tn The word “enemy” is not in the text but is implicit. It supplied in the translation for clarity.sn On the phrase the enemy that is coming from the north see Jer 1:14-15; 4:6; 6:1, 22; 10:22.
  53. Jeremiah 13:20 tn Heb “the flock that was given to you.”
  54. Jeremiah 13:20 tn Heb “the sheep of your pride.” The words “of people” and the quotes around “sheep” are intended to carry over the metaphor in such a way that readers unfamiliar with the metaphor will understand it.
  55. Jeremiah 13:21 tn Or what is perhaps more rhetorically equivalent, “Will you not be surprised?”
  56. Jeremiah 13:21 tn The words “The Lord” are not in the text. Some commentators make the enemy the subject, but they are spoken of as “them.”
  57. Jeremiah 13:21 tn Or “to be rulers.” The translation of these two lines is somewhat uncertain. Their sentence structure raises problems in translation. The Hebrew text reads, “What will you do when he appoints over you (see BDB 823 s.v. פָּקַד Qal.B.2), and you yourself taught them, over you, friends [or “chiefs” (see BDB 48 s.v. I אַלּוּף 2 and Ps 55:13 for the former and BDB 49 s.v. II אַלּוּף and Exod 15:15 for the latter)] for a head.” The translation assumes that the clause “and you yourself taught them [= made them accustomed, i.e., “prepared”] [to be] over you” is parenthetical, coming between the verb “appoint” and its object and object modifier (i.e., “appointed over you allies for rulers”). A quick check of other English versions will show how varied the translation of these lines has been. Most English versions seem to ignore the second “over you” after “you taught them.” Some rearrange the text to get what they think is a sensible meaning. For a fairly thorough treatment see W. McKane, Jeremiah (ICC), 1:308-10.sn What is being alluded to here is the political policy of vacillating alliances through which Judah brought about her own downfall, allying herself first with Assyria, then Egypt, then Babylon, and then Egypt again. See 2 Kgs 23:29-24:7 for an example of this policy and the disastrous consequences.
  58. Jeremiah 13:21 tn Heb “Will not pain [here = mental anguish] take hold of you like a woman giving birth.” The question is rhetorical expecting a positive answer.
  59. Jeremiah 13:22 tn Heb “say in your heart.”
  60. Jeremiah 13:22 tn Heb “Your skirt has been uncovered, and your heels have been treated with violence.” This is the generally accepted interpretation of these phrases. See, e.g., BDB 784 s.v. עָקֵב a and HALOT 329 s.v. I חָמַס Nif. The significance of the actions here are part of the metaphor (i.e., personification) of Jerusalem as an adulteress having left her husband and have been explained in the translation for the sake of readers unfamiliar with the metaphor.sn The actions here were part of the treatment of an adulteress by her husband, intended to shame her. See Hos 2:3, 10 (2:5, 12 HT); Isa 47:4.
  61. Jeremiah 13:22 tn The translation has been restructured to break up a long sentence involving a conditional clause and an elliptical consequential clause. It has also been restructured to define more clearly what “these things” are. The Hebrew text reads, “And if you say, ‘Why have these things happened to me?’ Because of the greatness of your iniquity your skirts [= what your skirt covers] have been uncovered, and your heels have been treated with violence.”
  62. Jeremiah 13:23 tn This is a common proverb in English coming from this biblical passage. For cultures where it is not proverbial, perhaps it would be better to translate “Can black people change the color of their skin?” Strictly speaking these are “Cushites” inhabitants of a region along the upper Nile south of Egypt. The Greek text is responsible for the identification with Ethiopia. The term in Greek is actually an epithet meaning “burnt face.”
  63. Jeremiah 13:23 tn Heb “Can the Cushite change his skin or the leopard his spots? [Then] you also will be able to do good who are accustomed to do evil.” The English sentence has been restructured and rephrased in an attempt to produce some of the same rhetorical force the Hebrew original has in this context.
  64. Jeremiah 13:24 tn The words, “The Lord says” are not in the text at this point. The words “an oracle of the Lord” does, however, occur in the middle of the next verse, and it is obvious the Lord is the speaker. The words have been moved up from the next verse to enhance clarity.
  65. Jeremiah 13:24 tn Heb “them.” This is another example of the rapid shift in pronouns seen several times in the book of Jeremiah. The pronouns in the preceding and the following are second feminine singular. It might be argued that “them” goes back to the “flock”/“sheep” in v. 20, but the next verse refers the fate described here to “you” (feminine singular). This may be another example of the kind of metaphoric shift in referents discussed in the notes on 13:20 above. Besides, it would sound a little odd in the translation to speak of scattering one person like chaff.
  66. Jeremiah 13:24 sn Compare the threat using the same metaphor in Jer 4:11-12.
  67. Jeremiah 13:26 tn Heb “over your face and your shame will be seen.” The words “like a disgraced adulteress” are not in the text but are supplied in the translation to explain the metaphor. See the notes on 13:22.
  68. Jeremiah 13:27 tn Heb “Jerusalem.” This word has been pulled up from the end of the verse to help make the transition. The words “people of” have been supplied in the translation here to ease the difficulty mentioned earlier of sustaining the personification throughout.
  69. Jeremiah 13:27 tn Heb “[I have seen] your adulteries, your neighings, and your shameless prostitution.” The meanings of the metaphorical references have been incorporated in the translation for the sake of clarity for readers of all backgrounds.sn The sentence is rhetorically loaded. It begins with three dangling objects of the verb, all describing their adulterous relationship with the false gods under different figures that are resumed later under the words “your disgusting acts.” The Hebrew sentence reads, “Your adulteries, your neighings, your shameful prostitution, upon the hills in the fields I have seen your disgusting acts.” This sentence drips with explosive disgust at their adulterous betrayal.
  70. Jeremiah 13:27 tn Heb “your disgusting acts.” This word is almost always used of idolatry or of the idols themselves. See BDB 1055 s.v. שִׁקֻּוּץ and Deut 29:17 and Jer 4:1; 7:30.
  71. Jeremiah 13:27 tn Heb “Woe to you!”sn See Jer 4:13, 31; 6:4; 10:19 for usage, and the notes on 4:13 and 10:19.
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