Jeremiah 10:7

10:7 Everyone should revere you, O King of all nations,¹

because you deserve to be revered.²

For there is no one like you

among any of the wise people of the nations nor among any of their kings.³

Jeremiah 14:9

14:9 Why should you be like someone who is helpless,⁴

like a champion⁵ who cannot save anyone?

You are indeed with us,⁶

and we belong to you.⁷

Do not abandon us!”

Jeremiah 18:13

18:13 Therefore, the Lord says,

“Ask the people of other nations

whether they have heard of anything like this.

Israel should have been like a virgin.

But she has done something utterly revolting!

Jeremiah 18:20

18:20 Should good be paid back with evil?

Yet they are virtually digging a pit to kill me.⁸

Just remember how I stood before you

pleading on their behalf⁹

to keep you from venting your anger on them.¹⁰

Jeremiah 26:16

26:16 Then the officials and all the people rendered their verdict to the priests and the prophets. They said,¹¹ “This man should not be condemned to die.¹² For he has spoken to us under the authority of the Lord our God.”¹³

Jeremiah 27:13

27:13 There is no reason why you and your people should die in war¹⁴ or from starvation or disease!¹⁵ That’s what the Lord says will happen to any nation¹⁶ that will not be subject to the king of Babylon.

¹tn Heb “Who should not revere you…?” The question is rhetorical and expects a negative answer.

²tn Heb “For it is fitting to you.”

³tn Heb “their royalty/dominion.” This is a case of substitution of the abstract for the concrete “royalty, royal power” for “kings” who exercise it.

⁴tn This is the only time this word occurs in the Hebrew Bible. The lexicons generally take it to mean “confused” or “surprised” (cf., e.g., BDB 187 s.v. דָּהַם). However, the word has been found in a letter from the seventh century in a passage where it must mean something like “be helpless”; see W. L. Holladay, Jeremiah (Hermeneia), 1:433, for discussion and bibliography of an article where this letter is dealt with.

⁵tn Heb “mighty man, warrior.” For this nuance see 1 Sam 17:51 where it parallels a technical term used of Goliath used earlier in 17:4, 23.

⁶tn Heb “in our midst.”

⁷tn Heb “Your name is called upon us.” See Jer 7:10, 11, 14, 30 for this idiom with respect to the temple and see the notes on Jer 7:10.

⁸tn Or “They are plotting to kill me”; Heb “They have dug a pit for my soul.” This is a common metaphor for plotting against someone. See BDB 500 s.v. כָּרָה Qal and for an example see Pss 7:16 (7:15 HT) in its context.

⁹tn Heb “to speak good concerning them” going back to the concept of “good” being paid back with evil.

¹⁰tn Heb “to turn back your anger from them.”

sn See Jer 14:7-9, 19-21 and 15:1-4 for the idea.

¹¹tn Heb “Then the officials and all the people said to the priests and the prophets…”

¹²sn Contrast v. 11.

¹³tn 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; 1 Kgs 21:8 and 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).

¹⁴tn Heb “with/by the sword.”

¹⁵tn Heb “Why should you and your people die…?” The rhetorical question expects the answer made explicit in the translation, “There is no reason!”

¹⁶tn Heb “…disease according to what the Lord spoke concerning the nation that…”