Jeremiah 26:15-17

New English Translation

Footnotes

1. Jeremiah 26:15 tn Heb “For in truth the Lord has sent me to you to speak in your ears all these words/things.”
2. Jeremiah 26:16 tn Heb “Then the officials and all the people said to the priests and the prophets…”
3. Jeremiah 26:16 sn Contrast v. 11.
4. Jeremiah 26:16 tn Heb “For in the name of the Lord our God he has spoken to us.” The emphasis is on “in the name of…”sn The priests and false prophets claimed that they were speaking in the Lord’s name (i.e., as his representatives and with his authority [see 1 Sam 25:9 and 1 Kgs 21:8; cf. the study note on Jer 23:27]) and felt that Jeremiah’s claims to be doing so were false (see v. 9). Jeremiah (and the Lord) charged that the opposite was the case (cf. 14:14-15; 23:21). The officials and the people, at least at this time, accepted his claims that the Lord had sent him (vv. 12, 15).
5. Jeremiah 26:17 tn Heb “elders of the land.”sn The elders were important land-owning citizens, separate from the “heads” or leaders of the tribes, and were the officers and the judges. They were very influential in the judicial, political, and religious proceedings of both the cities and the state. (See, e.g., Josh 24:1; 2 Sam 19:11; 2 Kgs 23:1 for elders of Israel/Judah, and Deut 21:1-9; Ruth 4:1-2 for elders of the cities.)