The People Have Violated Their Covenant with God
11 The Lord said to Jeremiah:[a] 2 “Hear[b] the terms of the covenant[c] I made with Israel[d] and pass them on[e] to the people of Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem.[f] 3 Tell them that the Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘Anyone who does not keep the terms of the covenant will be under a curse.[g] 4 Those are the terms that I charged your ancestors[h] to keep[i] when I brought them out of Egypt, that place that was like an iron-smelting furnace.[j] I said at that time,[k] “Obey me and carry out the terms of the covenant[l] exactly as I commanded you. If you do,[m] you will be my people and I will be your God.[n] 5 Then I will keep the promise I swore on oath to your ancestors to give them a land flowing with milk and honey.”[o] That is the very land that you still live in today.’”[p] And I responded, “Amen. Let it be so,[q] Lord.”
6 The Lord said to me, “Announce all the following words in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem: ‘Listen to the terms of my covenant with you[r] and carry them out! 7 For I solemnly warned your ancestors to obey me.[s] I warned them again and again,[t] ever since I delivered them out of Egypt until this very day. 8 But they did not listen to me or pay any attention to me! Each one of them followed the stubborn inclinations of his own wicked heart. So I brought on them all the punishments threatened in the covenant because they did not carry out its terms as I commanded them to do.’”[u]
9 The Lord said to me, “The people of Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem have plotted rebellion against me.[v] 10 They have gone back to the evil ways[w] of their ancestors of old who refused to obey what I told them. They, too, have paid allegiance to[x] other gods and worshiped them. Both the nation of Israel and the nation of Judah[y] have violated the covenant I made with their ancestors. 11 So I, the Lord, say this:[z] ‘I will soon bring disaster on them that they will not be able to escape! When they cry out to me for help, I will not listen to them. 12 Then those living in the towns of Judah and in Jerusalem will[aa] go and cry out for help to the gods to whom they have been sacrificing. However, those gods will by no means be able[ab] to save them when disaster strikes them. 13 This is in spite of the fact that[ac] the people of Judah have as many gods as they have towns[ad] and the citizens of Jerusalem have set up as many altars to sacrifice to that disgusting god, Baal, as they have streets in the city!’[ae] 14 But as for you, Jeremiah,[af] do not pray for these people. Do not raise a cry of prayer for them.[ag] For I will not listen to them when they call out to me for help when disaster strikes them.”[ah]
15 The Lord says to the people of Judah,[ai]
“What right do you have to be in my temple, my beloved people?[aj]
Many of you have done wicked things.[ak]
Can your acts of treachery be so easily canceled by sacred offerings[al]
that you take joy in doing evil even while you make them?[am]
16 I, the Lord, once called[an] you a thriving olive tree,
one that produced beautiful fruit.
But I will set you[ao] on fire,
fire that will blaze with a mighty roar.[ap]
Then all your branches will be good for nothing.[aq]
17 For though I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies,[ar] planted you in the land,[as]
I now decree that disaster will come on you[at]
because the nations of Israel and Judah have done evil
and have made me angry by offering sacrifices to the god Baal.”[au]
A Plot Against Jeremiah is Revealed and He Complains of Injustice
18 The Lord gave me knowledge, that I might have understanding.[av]
Then he showed me what the people were doing.[aw]
19 Before this I had been like a docile lamb ready to be led to the slaughter.
I did not know they were making plans to kill me.[ax]
I did not know they were saying,[ay]
“Let’s destroy the tree along with its fruit![az]
Let’s remove Jeremiah[ba] from the world of the living
so people will not even be reminded of him anymore.”[bb]
20 So I said,[bc]
“O Lord of Heaven’s Armies,[bd] you are a just judge!
You examine people’s hearts and minds.[be]
I want to see you pay them back for what they have done
because I trust you to vindicate my cause.”[bf]
21 Then the Lord told me about[bg] some men from Anathoth[bh] who were threatening to kill me.[bi] They had threatened,[bj] “Stop prophesying in the name of the Lord or we will kill you!”[bk] 22 So the Lord of Heaven’s Armies[bl] said, “I will surely[bm] punish them! Their young men will be killed in battle.[bn] Their sons and daughters will die of starvation. 23 Not one of them will survive.[bo] I will bring disaster on those men from Anathoth who threatened you.[bp] A day of reckoning is coming for them.”[bq]
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 11:1 tn Heb “The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying.” The proposed translation is more in keeping with contemporary English idiom (cf. 1:2 and 7:1 and footnotes there).
- Jeremiah 11:2 tn The form is a second masculine plural, which is followed in the MT of vv. 2-3 by second masculine singulars. This shift, plus the fact that the whole clause “listen to the terms of this covenant” is nearly repeated at the end of v. 3, has led many modern scholars to delete the whole clause (cf., e.g. W. McKane, Jeremiah [ICC], 1:236-37). However, this only leads to further adjustments in the rest of the verse that are difficult to justify. The form has also led to a good deal of speculation about who these others were that are initially addressed here. The juxtaposition of second plural and singular forms has a precedent in Deuteronomy, where the nation is sometimes addressed with the plural and at other times with a collective singular.
- Jeremiah 11:2 sn The covenant I made with Israel. Apart from the legal profession and Jewish and Christian tradition, the term “covenant” may not be too familiar. There were essentially three kinds of “covenants” referred to under the Hebrew term used here: (1) “Parity treaties,” or “covenants” between equals in which each party pledged itself to certain agreed-upon stipulations and took an oath to it in the name of their god or gods (cf. Gen 31:44-54); (2) “Suzerain-vassal treaties,” or “covenants” in which a great king pledged himself to protect the vassal’s realm and his right to rule over his own domain in exchange for sovereignty over the vassal, including the rendering of absolute loyalty and submission to the great king’s demands spelled out in detailed stipulations; and (3) “Covenants of grant,” in which a great king granted to a loyal servant or vassal king permanent title to a piece of land or dominion over a specified realm in recognition of past service. It is generally recognized that the Mosaic covenant, which is being referred to here, is of the second type, resembling in form the ancient Near Eastern suzerain-vassal treaties. These treaties typically contained the following elements: (1) a preamble identifying the great king (cf. Exod 20:2a; Deut 1:1-4); (2) a historical prologue summarizing the great king’s past benefactions as motivation for future loyalty (cf. Exod 20:2b; Deut 1:5-4:43); (3) the primary stipulation of absolute and unconditional loyalty (cf. Exod 20:3-8; Deut 5:1-11:32); (4) specific stipulations governing future relations between the vassal and the great king and the vassal’s relation to other vassals (cf. Exod 20:22-23:33; Deut 12:1-26:15); (5) the invoking of curses on the vassal for disloyalty and the pronouncing of blessing on him for loyalty (cf. Lev 26; Deut 27-28); (6) the invoking of witnesses to the covenant, often the great king’s and the vassal’s gods (cf. Deut 30:19; 31:28, where the reference is to the “heavens and the earth” as enduring witnesses). It is also generally agreed that the majority of the threats of punishment by the prophets refer to the invocation of these covenant curses for disloyalty to the basic stipulation, that of absolute loyalty.
- Jeremiah 11:2 tn Heb “this covenant.” The referent of “this” is left dangling until it is further defined in vv. 3-4. Leaving it undefined in the translation may lead to confusion; hence the anticipatory nature of the demonstrative is spelled out explicitly in the translation.
- Jeremiah 11:2 tn Heb “and speak/tell them.” However, the translation chosen is more appropriate to modern idiom.
- Jeremiah 11:2 tn Or “those living in Jerusalem”; Heb “inhabitants of.”
- Jeremiah 11:3 tn Heb “Cursed is the person who does not listen to the terms of this covenant.” “This covenant” is further qualified in the following verse by a relative clause. The form of the sentence and the qualification “my” before covenant were chosen for better English idiom and to break up a long sentence that really extends to the middle of v. 5.
- Jeremiah 11:4 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 5, 7, 10).
- Jeremiah 11:4 tn Heb “does not listen…this covenant which I commanded your fathers.” The sentence is broken up this way in conformity with contemporary English style.
- Jeremiah 11:4 tn Heb “out of the land of Egypt, out of the iron-smelting furnace.”
- Jeremiah 11:4 tn In place of the words “I said at that time,” the Hebrew text has “saying.” The sentence is again being restructured in English to avoid the long, confusing style of the Hebrew original.
- Jeremiah 11:4 tn Heb “Obey me and carry them out.” The “them” refers back to the terms of the covenant which they were charged to keep, according to the preceding sentence. The referent is made specific to avoid ambiguity.
- Jeremiah 11:4 tn The words “If you do” are not in the text. They have been supplied in the translation to break up a long sentence consisting of an imperative followed by a consequential sentence.
- Jeremiah 11:4 sn Obey me and carry out the terms of the agreement…and I will be your God. This refers to the Mosaic law, which was instituted at Sinai and renewed on the Plains of Moab before Israel entered into the land. The words “the terms of the covenant” are explicitly used for the Ten Commandments in Exod 34:28 and for the additional legislation given in Deut 29:1, 9. The formulation here is reminiscent of Deut 29:9-14 (29:10-15 HT). The book of Deuteronomy is similar in its structure and function to ancient Near Eastern treaties. In these the great king reminded his vassal of past benefits that he had given to him, charged him with obligations (the terms or stipulations of the covenant), chief among which was absolute loyalty and sole allegiance, promised him future benefits (the blessings) for obeying the stipulations, and placed him under a curse for disobeying them. Any disobedience was met with stern warnings of punishment in the form of destruction and exile. Those who had witnessed the covenant were called in to confirm the continuing goodness of the great king and the disloyalty of the vassal. The vassal was then charged with a list of particular infringements of the stipulations and warned to change his actions or suffer the consequences. This is the background for Jer 11:1-9. Jeremiah is here functioning as a messenger from the Lord, Israel’s great king, and charging both the fathers and the children with breach of covenant.
- Jeremiah 11:5 tn The phrase “a land flowing with milk and honey” is very familiar to readers in the Jewish and Christian traditions as a proverbial description of the agricultural and pastoral abundance of the land of Israel. However, it may not mean too much to readers outside those traditions; an equivalent expression would be “a land of fertile fields and fine pastures.” E. W. Bullinger (Figures of Speech, 626) identifies this as a figure of speech called synecdoche, where the species is put for the genus: “a region…abounding with pasture and fruits of all kinds.”
- Jeremiah 11:5 tn Heb “‘a land flowing with milk and honey,’ as at this day.” However, the literal reading is too elliptical and would lead to confusion.
- Jeremiah 11:5 tn The words “Let it be so” are not in the text; they are an explanation of the significance of the term “Amen” for those who may not be part of the Christian or Jewish tradition.sn The word amen is found at the end of each of the curses in Deut 27, where the people express their agreement with the appropriateness of the curse for the offense mentioned.
- Jeremiah 11:6 tn Heb “the terms of this covenant.” However, this was a separate message, and the ambiguity of “this” could still cause some confusion.
- Jeremiah 11:7 tn Heb “warned them…saying, ‘Obey me.’” However, it allows the long sentence to be broken up easier if the indirect quote is used.
- Jeremiah 11:7 tn For the explanation for this rendering see the note on 7:13.
- Jeremiah 11:8 tn Heb “So I brought on them all the terms of this covenant which I commanded to do and they did not do.” There is an interesting polarity that is being exploited by two different nuances implicit in the use of the word “terms” (דִּבְרֵי [divre], literally “words”): 1) what the Lord “brings on” them, namely, the curses that are the penalty for disobedience, and 2) the stipulations that they are “to do,” that is, to carry out. The sentence is broken up this way in keeping with contemporary English style to avoid the long and complicated style of the original.
- Jeremiah 11:9 tn Heb “Conspiracy [a plot to rebel] is found [or exists] among the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.”
- Jeremiah 11:10 tn Or “They have repeated the evil actions of….”
- Jeremiah 11:10 tn Heb “have walked/followed after.” See the translator’s note at 2:5 for the idiom.
- Jeremiah 11:10 tn Heb “house of Israel and house of Judah.”
- Jeremiah 11:11 tn Heb “Therefore, thus, says the Lord.” The person has been shifted in the translation in accordance with the difference between Hebrew and English style.
- Jeremiah 11:12 tn Heb “Then the towns of Judah and those living in Jerusalem will…”
- Jeremiah 11:12 tn The Hebrew construction is emphatic, involving the use of an infinitive of the verb before the verb itself (Heb “saving they will not save”). For this construction to give emphasis to an antithesis, see GKC 343 §113.p.
- Jeremiah 11:13 tn This is again an attempt to render the Hebrew particle כִּי (ki) contextually. The nuance is a little hard to establish due to the nature of the rhetoric of the passage, which utilizes the figure of apostrophe, where the Lord turns from talking about Judah to addressing her directly, probably in condemnatory tones. Something like “the very idea that you should…” might best represent the mood. The כִּי is probably asseverative or intensive (cf. BDB 472 s.v. כִּי 1.e).
- Jeremiah 11:13 sn Cf. Jer 2:28.
- Jeremiah 11:13 tn Heb “For [or Indeed] the number of your [sing.] cities are your [sing.] gods, Judah, and the number of the streets of Jerusalem [or perhaps (your) streets, Jerusalem] you [plur.] have set up altars to the shameful thing, altars to sacrifice to Baal.” This passage involves a figure of speech where the speaker turns from describing something about someone to addressing him/her directly (a figure called apostrophe). This figure is not common in contemporary English literature or conversation and translating literally would lead to confusion on the part of some readers. Hence, the translation retains the third person in keeping with the rest of the context. The shift from singular “your cities” to plural “you have set up” is interpreted contextually to refer to a shift from addressing Judah to addressing the citizens of Jerusalem whose streets are being talked about. The appositional phrase, “altars to sacrifice to Baal,” has been collapsed with the preceding phrase about “altars” to better identify what the shameful thing is and to eliminate a complex construction. The length of this sentence runs contrary to the usual practice of breaking up long complex sentences in Hebrew into shorter equivalent ones in English. However, breaking up this sentence and possibly losing the connecting link with what precedes and introduces it might lead to misunderstanding.
- Jeremiah 11:14 tn The name, Jeremiah, has been added for specificity.
- Jeremiah 11:14 sn Cf. Jer 7:16, where this same command is addressed to Jeremiah.
- Jeremiah 11:14 tc The rendering “when disaster strikes them” is based on reading “at the time of” (בְּעֵת, beʿet), with a number of Hebrew mss and the versions, instead of “on account of” (בְּעַד, beʿad). W. L. Holladay (Jeremiah [Hermeneia], 1:347) is probably right in assuming that the MT has been influenced by “for them” (בַעֲדָם, vaʿadam) earlier in the verse.
- Jeremiah 11:15 tn The words “The Lord says to the people of Judah” are not in the text. It is, however, clear from the words that follow that he is the speaker and Judah the addressee. The words are supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.
- Jeremiah 11:15 tn Heb “What to my beloved [being] in my house?” The text has been restructured to avoid possible confusion by the shift from third person in the first two lines to second person in the last two lines and the lines of the following verse. The reference to Judah as the Lord’s “beloved” is certainly ironic and perhaps even sarcastic.
- Jeremiah 11:15 tc The meaning of this line is uncertain. The text reads somewhat literally as either, “her doing the wicked thing the many,” or, “doing it, the wicked thing, the many.” The text, relationship between words, and meaning of this whole verse have been greatly debated. Wholesale emendation based on the ancient versions is common in both commentaries and modern English versions. Many follow the lead of the Greek version, which in many cases offers a smoother reading but for that very reason may not be original. The notes that follow will explain some of these emendations but will also attempt to explain the most likely meaning of the MT, which is the more difficult and probably more original text. Since it is presumed to be the original, the text will be dealt with in the notes line for line in the MT, even though the emendations often relate to more than one line. For example, the Greek of the first two lines reads, “Why has the beloved done abomination in my house?” This ignores the preposition before “my beloved” (לִידִידִי, lididi) and treats the form “her doing” (עֲשׂוֹתָהּ [ʿasotah], Qal infinitive plus suffix) as a finite verb (עָשְׂתָה [ʿasetah], Qal perfect third feminine). The forms are similar, but the Greek is smoother. Moreover, it is difficult to explain the presence of “to” in the MT if the Greek is the original. The Greek text likewise does not have the difficulty that is exhibited in the MT by the word “the many” (הָרַבִּים, harabbim). It reads a word for “vows/votive offerings” (εὐχαί [euchai] regularly = נְדָרִים [nedarim]) in place of the word “many” (הָרַבִּים, harabbim) and takes it as part of a compound subject of the verb in the following line meaning “take away.” However, this word is far removed graphically from that in the MT, and it would be difficult to explain how the MT arose from it. The Old Latin apparently reads a word for “fat” (adipes = חֲלָבִים, khalavim) that is closer in script to the MT and would be more likely original than the Greek. However, both of these resolutions look like attempts to smooth out a difficult text. Because there is no solid support for any single reading, it is probably best to retain the MT’s “the many.” Many do retain it and take it as a second accusative of “doing it” and read, “she does the wicked thing with many [i.e., many false gods],” a use of the accusative which is hard to justify. Another alternative, taking the adjective “the many” to modify the noun “the wicked thing,” is sometimes suggested, but is not possible because the adjective is masculine plural and the noun is feminine singular, which pairing is contrary to Hebrew style. Hence one cannot read, “she has done many wicked things.” The present translation follows the suggestion in D. Barthélemy, ed., Preliminary and Interim Report on the Hebrew Old Testament Text Project, 4:209, that “the many” is the subject of the infinitive construct with an object suffix that anticipates the following noun “wickedness” (cf. GKC 425 §131.m), i.e., “the many do it, namely, the wickedness” (for the meaning of the noun see BDB 273 s.v. מְזִמָּה 3.b).
- Jeremiah 11:15 tn The meaning of this line is also uncertain. The Hebrew text reads somewhat literally, “holy meat they pass over from upon you.” The question of the subject of the verb is the main problem here. The verb is masculine plural, and the only subjects available are “holy meat,” which is singular; a “they” which goes back to “the many”; or a noun from the end of the preceding line that is combined with “holy meat.” The latter is the solution of the Greek version, which reads, “Will votive offerings [or pieces of fat (following the Old Latin)] and holy meats take away from you your wickedness?” However, that resolution has been rejected in the preceding note as smoothing out the difficulties of the first two lines. It also leaves out the כִּי (ki) at the beginning of the following line and takes the noun “your wickedness” as the object of the verb. That certainly would make for an easier reading of both this line and the next, and the assumption that כִּי may not be in the text is possible because it could be explained as a double writing of the pronoun on the end of the preceding phrase, “from upon you” (מֵעָלָיִךְ, meʿalayikh). However, besides being the smoother reading, it leaves the last line too short poetically. The solution of the UBS, Preliminary Report, 4:209 is that “they” (referring back to “the many”?) is the subject. They read, “so that they carry away from you even sacrificial flesh.” But who are “they” and “you?” Are “they” the priests and “you” the people? (See 1 Sam 2:10-17 for a possible parallel.) This, however, introduces too many unknowns into the text. The translation adopted is based on a revocalization of the form “from upon you” (מֵעָלָיִךְ, meʿalayikh) to “your treacherous acts” (מַעֲלָיִךְ, maʿalayikh; for this noun cf. BDB 591 s.v. I מַעַל 2), a solution that is also proposed in the margin of the NJPS, which reads, “Can your treacheries be canceled by sacral flesh?” For the nuance of the verb presupposed here (= be removed, cease to exist), see BDB 718 s.v. עָבַר Qal.6.c and compare usage in Job 30:15. While this solution does preserve the consonantal text and is accepted here, it should be acknowledged that there is no ancient support for it, and the reading of the noun “treacheries” in place of the compound preposition “from upon” is purely speculative.
- Jeremiah 11:15 tn Heb “for [or when] your wickedness then you rejoice.” The meaning of this line is uncertain. The Greek version, which reads, “or will you escape by these things,” (presupposing a Hebrew text אִם עַל זוֹת תָּעוּזִי, ʾim ʿal zot taʿuzi), is far removed from the reading in the MT (אָז תַּעֲלֹזִי [ʾaz taʿalozi]; the rest of the Hebrew line has been left out because the Greek reads it with the preceding line). It again appears to be an attempt to smooth out a difficult text. The translation retains the MT but rewords it so it makes better sense in English. The translation presupposes that the phrase “your wickedness” is the object of the verb “take joy,” and that the adverb “then” refers back to the offering of sacred flesh, i.e., “even then [or “at that time”]” as a constructio ad sensum. For a similar use of the adverb (אָז, ʾaz) compare Gen 13:7. For the use of כִּי (ki) meaning “that” after a question, see BDB 472 s.v. כִּי 1.f. A possible alternative would be to read as UBS, Preliminary Report, 4:209 do: “When trouble reaches you, then will you exult?” If the text of the whole verse followed here, the more difficult text, is not the original one, the most likely alternative would be, “What right does my beloved have to be in my house? She has done wicked things [reading עָשְׂתָה מְזִמֹּת, ʿasetah mezimmot]. Can fat pieces [reading הַחֲלָבִים, hakhalavim] and sacred meat take away your wickedness from you [reading יַעֲבִרוּ מֵעָלַיִךְ רָעָתֵכִי, yaʿaviru meʿalayikh raʿatekhi]? [If it could,] then you could rejoice.” It should be emphasized that the text of the verse is uncertain in a number of places and open to more than one interpretation. However, regardless of which text or interpretation of it is followed, the Masoretic as interpreted here, the Greek as given in the notes, or an emended text based on both, the overall meaning is much the same. Judah has done evil, and the Lord rejects their superficial attempts to placate him through ritual without change of behavior. The particulars are different; the point is the same.sn For the argument of this verse compare the condemnatory questions in Jer 7:9-11.
- Jeremiah 11:16 tn Heb “The Lord once called you….” This is another example of the rapid shift in person that is common to Hebrew style but not common in English and could lead to confusion for some readers. Here and in the verses that follow the person has been shifted to first person for consistency in English.
- Jeremiah 11:16 tn The verb form used here is another example of a verb expressing that the action is as good as done (the Hebrew prophetic perfect).
- Jeremiah 11:16 tn Heb “At the sound of a mighty roar he will set fire to it.” For the shift from third person “he” to the first person “I,” see the preceding note. The Hebrew use of the pronouns in vv. 16-17 for the olive tree and the people that it represents is likely to cause confusion if retained. In v. 16 the people are “you” and the olive tree is “it.” The people are again “you” in v. 17, but part of the metaphor is carried over, i.e., “he ‘planted’ you.” It creates less confusion in the flow of the passage if the metaphorical identification is carried out throughout by addressing the people/plant as “you.”
- Jeremiah 11:16 tn The verb here has most commonly been derived from a root meaning “to be broken” (cf. BDB 949 s.v. II רָעַע) that fits poorly with the metaphor of setting the plant on fire. Another common option is to emend it to a verb meaning “to be burned up” (בָּעַר, baʿar). However, it is better to follow the lead of the Greek version, which translates “be good for nothing” (ἠχρειώθησαν, ēchreiōthēsan) and derives the verb from רָעַע (raʿaʿ), meaning “be bad/evil” (cf. BDB 949 and compare the nuance of the adjective from this verb in BDB 948 s.v. רַע 5).
- Jeremiah 11:17 tn Heb “Yahweh of Armies.”sn For the significance of the term see the notes at 2:19 and 7:3.
- Jeremiah 11:17 tn The words “in the land” are not in the text but are supplied in the translation to clarify the meaning of the metaphor.
- Jeremiah 11:17 tn Heb “For Yahweh of Armies who planted you speaks disaster upon you.” Because of the way the term Lord of Heaven’s Armies has been rendered, this sentence has been restructured to avoid confusion in English style.
- Jeremiah 11:17 tn Heb “pronounced disaster…on account of the evil of the house of Israel and the house of Judah which they have done to make me angry [or thus making me angry] by sacrificing to Baal.” The lines have been broken up in conformity with contemporary English style.
- Jeremiah 11:18 tn Heb “caused me to know that I might know.” Many English versions supply an unstated object, “their plots,” that is referred to later in the context (cf. v. 19). The presupposition of this kind of absolute ellipsis is difficult to justify and would also create the need for understanding an ellipsis of “it” after “I knew.” It is better to see a bipolar use of the verb “know” here. For the second use of the verb “know” meaning “have understanding,” see BDB 394 s.v.יָדָע Qal.5.
- Jeremiah 11:18 tn Heb “Then you showed me their deeds.” This is another example of the rapid shift in person that is common in Jeremiah. As elsewhere, it has been resolved, for the sake of avoiding confusion for the English reader, by leveling the referent to the same person throughout. The text again involves an apostrophe, a shift from talking about the Lord to addressing him.
- Jeremiah 11:19 tn Heb “against me.” The words “to kill me” are implicit from the context and are supplied in the translation for clarity.
- Jeremiah 11:19 tn The words “I did not know that they were saying” are not in the text. The quote is without formal introduction in the original. These words are supplied in the translation for clarity.
- Jeremiah 11:19 tn This word and its pronoun (לַחְמוֹ, lakhmo, “its bread”) are often emended to read “in/with its sap” = “in its prime” (either לֵחוֹ [lekho] or לֵחְמוֹ [lekhemo]); the latter would be more likely, and the מוֹ (mo) could be explained as a rare use of the old poetic third plural suffix for the third singular; cf. GKC 258 §91.l for general use, and Ps 11:7 and Job 27:23 for third singular use. Though this fits the context nicely, the emendation is probably unnecessary since the word “bread” is sometimes used of other foodstuff than grain or its products (cf. BDB 537 s.v. לֶחֶם 2.a).sn The word fruit refers contextually here to the prophecies that Jeremiah was giving, not (as some suppose) to his progeny. Jeremiah was not married and had no children.
- Jeremiah 11:19 tn Heb “cut it [or him] off.” The metaphor of the tree may be continued, though the verb “cut off” is used also of killing people. The rendering clarifies the meaning of the metaphor.
- Jeremiah 11:19 tn Heb “so that his name will not be remembered any more.”
- Jeremiah 11:20 tn The words “So I said” are not in the text but are implicit from the context. They are supplied in the translation for clarity to show the shift in address.
- Jeremiah 11:20 tn Heb “Yahweh of Armies.”sn For the significance of the term see the notes at 2:19 and 7:3.
- Jeremiah 11:20 tn Heb “Lord of armies, just judge, tester of 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. In Hebrew thought the “kidneys” were thought of as the seat of the emotions and passions, and the “heart” was viewed as the seat of intellect, conscience, and will. The “heart” and the “kidneys” were often used figuratively for the thoughts, emotions, motives, and drives believed to be seated in them.
- Jeremiah 11:20 tn Heb “Let me see your retribution [i.e., see you exact retribution] from them because I reveal my cause [i.e., plea for justice] to you.”
- Jeremiah 11:21 tn Heb “Therefore thus says the Lord.” This phrase anticipates the same phrase at the beginning of v. 22 and introduces what the Lord says about them. The translation seeks to show the connection of the “therefore,” which is sometimes rather loose (cf. BDB 487 s.v. כֵּן 3.d[b]), with the actual response, which is not given until v. 22.
- Jeremiah 11:21 tn Heb “the men of Anathoth.” However, this does not involve all of the people, only the conspirators. The literal rendering might lead to confusion later since v. 21 mentions that there will not be any of them left alive. However, it is known from Ezra 2:23 that there were survivors.
- Jeremiah 11:21 tc The MT reads the second person masculine singular suffix “your life,” but LXX reflects an alternative reading of the first person common singular suffix “my life.”
- Jeremiah 11:21 tn Heb “who were seeking my life, saying…” The sentence is broken up in conformity with contemporary English style.
- Jeremiah 11:21 tn Heb “or you will die by our hand.”
- Jeremiah 11:22 tn Heb “Yahweh of Armies.”sn For the significance of the term see the notes at 2:19 and 7:3.
- Jeremiah 11:22 tn Heb “Behold I will.” For the function of this particle see the translator’s note on 1:6.
- Jeremiah 11:22 tn Heb “will die by the sword.” Here “sword” stands contextually for “battle,” while “starvation” stands for death by starvation during siege.
- Jeremiah 11:23 tn Heb “There will be no survivors for/among them.”
- Jeremiah 11:23 tn Heb “the men of Anathoth.” For the rationale for adding the qualification see the notes on v. 21.
- Jeremiah 11:23 tn Heb “I will bring disaster on…, the year of their punishment.”