translation_id: net-engnet

book_id: JER

label: NET translator note

text: For location see Map5-B1 ; Map6-F3 ; Map7-E2 ; Map8-F2 ; Map10-B3 ; JP1-F4 ; JP2-F4 ; JP3-F4 ; JP4-F4 .


text: Jer 29:1-3 are all one long sentence in Hebrew containing a parenthetical insertion. The text reads “These are the words of the letter which the prophet Jeremiah sent to the elders…people whom Nebuchadnezzar had exiled from Jerusalem to Babylon after King Jeconiah…had gone from Jerusalem by the hand of Elasah…whom Zedekiah sent…saying, ‘Thus says the Lord …’” The sentence has been broken up for the sake of contemporary English style and clarity.


text: This term is often mistakenly understood to refer to a “eunuch.” It is clear, however, in Gen 39:1 that “eunuchs” could be married. On the other hand it is clear from Isa 59:3-5 that some who bore this title could not have children. In this period, it is possible that the persons who bore this title were high officials like the rab saris who was a high official in the Babylonian court (cf. Jer 39:3, 13; 52:25 ). For further references see HALOT 727 s.v. סָרִיס 1.c.


text: Heb “Yahweh of armies, the God of Israel.” sn See study notes on 2:19 and 7:3 for the explanation of this title.


text: Heb “I sent.” This sentence exhibits a rapid switch in person, here from the third person to the first. Such switches are common to Hebrew poetry and prophecy (cf. GKC 462 §144. p ). Contemporary English, however, does not exhibit such rapid switches and it creates confusion for the careful reader. Such switches have regularly been avoided in the translation. sn Elsewhere Nebuchadnezzar is seen as the one who carried them into exile (cf. 27:20; 29:1 ). Here and in v. 14 the Lord is seen as the one who sends them into exile. The Lord is the ultimate cause and Nebuchadnezzar is his agent or servant (cf. 25:9; 27:6 and notes).


text: Heb “prophesying lies to you in my name.” sn For the significance of “in my name” see the study notes on 14:14 and 23:27 .


text: Heb “Oracle of the Lord .”


text: See the translator’s note on Jer 27:22 for this term.


text: Verse 10 is all one long sentence in the Hebrew original: “According to the fullness of Babylon seventy years I will take thought of you and I will establish my gracious word to you by bringing you back to this place.” The sentence has been broken up to conform better to contemporary English style.


text: Heb “this place.” The text has probably been influenced by the parallel passage in 27:22 . The term appears fifteen times in Jeremiah and is invariably a reference to Jerusalem or Judah. sn See Jer 27:22 for this promise.


text: Heb “I know the plans that I am planning for you, oracle of the Lord , plans of well-being and not for harm to give to you….”


text: Or “the future you hope for”; Heb “a future and a hope.” This is a good example of hendiadys where two formally coordinated nouns (adjectives, verbs) convey a single idea where one of the terms functions as a qualifier of the other. For this figure see E. W. Bullinger, Figures of Speech , 658-72. This example is discussed on p. 661.


text: Heb “come and pray to me.” This is an example of verbal hendiadys where two verb formally joined by “and” convey a main concept with the second verb functioning as an adverbial qualifier.


text: Or “You will call out to me and come to me in prayer and I will hear your prayers.” The verbs are vav consecutive perfects and can be taken either as unconditional futures or as contingent futures. See GKC 337 §112. kk and 494 §159. g and compare the usage in Gen 44:22 for the use of the vav consecutive perfects in contingent futures. The conditional clause in the middle of 29:13 and the deuteronomic theology reflected in both Deut 30:1-5 and 1 Kgs 8:46-48 suggest that the verbs are continent futures here. For the same demand for wholehearted seeking in these contexts which presuppose exile see especially Deut 30:2 , 1 Kgs 8:48 .


text: Or “If you wholeheartedly seek me”; Heb “You will seek me and find [me] because you will seek me with all your heart.” The translation attempts to reflect the theological nuances of “seeking” and “finding” and the psychological significance of “heart” which refers more to intellectual and volitional concerns in the OT than to emotional ones.


text: Heb “I will let myself be found by you.” For this nuance of the verb see BDB 594 s.v. מָצָא Niph.1.f and compare the usage in Isa 65:1 ; 2 Chr 15:2 . The Greek version already noted that nuance when it translated the phrase “I will manifest myself to you.”


text: Heb “restore your fortune.” Alternately, “I will bring you back from exile.” This idiom occurs twenty-six times in the OT and in several cases it is clearly not referring to return from exile but restoration of fortunes (e.g., Job 42:10 ; Hos 6:11 –7:1; Jer 33:11 ). It is often followed as here by “regather” or “bring back” (e.g., Jer 30:3 ; Ezek 29:14 ) so it is often misunderstood as “bringing back the exiles.” The versions (LXX, Vulg., Tg., Pesh.) often translate the idiom as “to go away into captivity,” deriving the noun from שְׁבִי ( shÿvi , “captivity”). However, the use of this expression in Old Aramaic documents of Sefire parallels the biblical idiom: “the gods restored the fortunes of the house of my father again” (J. A. Fitzmyer, The Aramaic Inscriptions of Sefire [BibOr], 100-101, 119-20). The idiom means “to turn someone's fortune, bring about change” or “to reestablish as it was” ( HALOT 1386 s.v. 3 .c). In Ezek 16:53 it is paralleled by the expression “to restore the situation which prevailed earlier.” This amounts to restitutio in integrum , which is applicable to the circumstances surrounding the return of the exiles.


text: The words “of good news” are not in the text but are implicit from the context. They are supplied in the translation for clarity.


text: Heb “But thus says the Lord about.” The words “just listen to what” are supplied in the translation to help show the connection with the preceding. sn Jeremiah answers their claims that the Lord has raised up prophets to encourage them that their stay will be short by referring to the Lord ’s promise that the Lord ’s plans are not for restoration but for further destruction.


text: The words “of Jerusalem” are not in the text but are supplied in the translation to identify the referent and avoid the possible confusion that “this city” refers to Babylon.


text: Heb “Yahweh of armies.” See the study note on 2:19 for explanation of this title.


text: Heb “the sword.”


text: The meaning of this word is somewhat uncertain. It occurs only here in the Hebrew Bible. BDB 1045 s.v. שֹׁעָר relates it to the noun “horrible thing” (translated “something shocking”) in Jer 5:30; 23:14 and defines it as “horrid, disgusting.” HALOT 1495 s.v. שֹׁעָר relates it to the same noun and define it as “rotten; corrupt.” That nuance is accepted here. sn Compare Jer 24:8-10 in its context for the figure here.


text: Heb “with the sword.”


text: See the translator’s note on 7:13 for an explanation of this idiom.


text: Heb “Oracle of the Lord .”


text: The word “exiles” is not in the text. It is supplied in the translation to clarify the referent of “you.”


text: Heb “pay attention to the word of the Lord .” However, the Lord is speaking in the words just previous to this and in the words which follow (“whom I have sent”). This is another example of the shift from third person referent to first person which is common in Hebrew poetry and prophecy but is not common in English style. The person has been adjusted in the translation to avoid confusion.


text: Heb “Yahweh of armies, the God of Israel.” sn See study notes on 2:19 and 7:3 for the explanation of this title.


text: Heb “prophesying lies in my name.” For an explanation of this idiom see the study notes on 14:14 and 23:27 .


text: It is commonly assumed that this word is explained by the two verbal actions that follow. The word ( נְבָלָה , nÿvalah ) is rather commonly used of sins of unchastity (cf., e.g., Gen 34:7 ; Judg 19:23 ; 2 Sam 13:12 ) which would fit the reference to adultery. However, the word is singular and not likely to cover both actions that follow. The word is also used of the greedy act of Achan ( Josh 7:15 ) which threatened Israel with destruction and the churlish behavior of Nabal ( 1 Sam 25:25 ) which threatened him and his household with destruction. The word is also used of foolish talk in Isa 9:17 ( 9:16 HT) and Isa 32:6 . It is possible that this refers to a separate act, one that would have brought the death penalty from Nebuchadnezzar, i.e., the preaching of rebellion in conformity with the message of the false prophets in Jerusalem and other nations (cf. 27:9, 13 ). Hence it is possible that the translation should read: “This will happen because of their vile conduct. They have propagated rebellion. They have committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives. They have spoken words that I did not command them to speak. They have spoken lies while claiming my authority.”


text: The words “The Lord told Jeremiah” are not in the text. They are supplied in the translation here to indicate the shift in topic and the shift in addressee (the imperative “tell” is second singular). The introduction supplied in the translation here matches that in v. 30 where the words are in the text.


text: It is unclear whether this is a family name or a place name. The word occurs nowhere else in the Hebrew Bible.


text: Heb “Tell Shemaiah the Nehelamite, ‘Thus says Yahweh of armies the God of Israel….” The indirect quotation is used in the translation to avoid the complexity of embedding a quotation within a quotation.


text: Heb “In your [own] name.” See the study note on 23:27 for the significance of this idiom.


text: Heb “letters.” Though GKC 397 §124. b , n. 1 denies it, this is probably a case of the plural of extension. For a similar usage see Isa 37:14 where the plural “letters” is referred to later as an “it.” Even if there were other “letters,” the focus is on the letter to Zephaniah.


text: For location see Map5-B1 ; Map6-F3 ; Map7-E2 ; Map8-F2 ; Map10-B3 ; JP1-F4 ; JP2-F4 ; JP3-F4 ; JP4-F4 .


text: The words “In your letter you said to Zephaniah” are not in the text: Heb “you sent a letter to…, saying.” The sentence has been broken up to conform better to contemporary English style and these words have been supplied in the translation to make the transition to the address to Zephaniah in vv. 26-28 .


text: Heb “in place of Jehoiada the priest.” The word “the priest” is unnecessary to the English sentence.


label: NET textual note

text: Heb “The Lord has appointed you priest in place of the priest Jehoiada to be overseer in the house of the Lord for/over.” The translation is based on a reading presupposed by several of the versions. The Hebrew text reads “The Lord has…to be overseers [in] the house of the Lord for/over.” The reading here follows that of the Greek, Syriac, and Latin versions in reading פָּקִיד בְּבֵית ( paqid bÿvet ) in place of פְּקִדִים בֵּית ( pÿqidim bet ). There has been a confusion of the ם ( mem ) and בּ ( bet ) and a transposition of the י ( yod ) and ד ( dalet ).


text: The verb here is a good example of what IBHS 431 §26.2f calls the estimative-declarative reflexive where a person presents himself in a certain light. For examples of this usage see 2 Sam 13:5 ; Prov 13:7 .


text: See the translator’s note on 20:2 for this word which only occurs here and in 20:2-3 .


text: This word only occurs here in the Hebrew Bible. All the lexicons are agreed as seeing it referring to a collar placed around the neck. The basis for this definition are the cognate languages (see, e.g., HALOT 958-59 s.v. צִינֹק for the most complete discussion).


text: Heb “So why have you not reprimanded Jeremiah…?” The rhetorical question functions as an emphatic assertion made explicit in the translation.


text: Heb “For he has sent to us in Babylon, saying….” The quote, however, is part of the earlier letter.


text: Heb “in the ears of Jeremiah the prophet.”


text: Or “is giving you false assurances.”


text: Heb “Therefore.”