Jeremiah 11:19

11:19 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.¹

I did not know they were saying,²

“Let’s destroy the tree along with its fruit!³

Let’s remove Jeremiah⁴ from the world of the living

so people will not even be reminded of him any more.”⁵

Jeremiah 35:15

35:15 I sent all my servants the prophets to warn you over and over again. They said, “Every one of you, stop doing the evil things you have been doing and do what is right.⁶ Do not pay allegiance to other gods⁷ and worship them. Then you can continue to live in this land that I gave to you and your ancestors.” But you did not pay any attention or listen to me.

Jeremiah 42:18

42:18 For⁸ the Lord God of Israel who rules over all⁹ says, ‘If you go to Egypt, I will pour out my wrath on you just as I poured out my anger and wrath on the citizens of Jerusalem.¹⁰ You will become an object of horror and ridicule, an example of those who have been cursed and that people use in pronouncing a curse.¹¹ You will never see this place again.’¹²

Jeremiah 44:12

44:12 I will see to it that all the Judean remnant that was determined to go¹³ and live in the land of Egypt will be destroyed. Here in the land of Egypt they will fall in battle¹⁴ or perish from starvation. People of every class¹⁵ will die in war or from starvation. They will become an object of horror and ridicule, an example of those who have been cursed and that people use in pronouncing a curse.¹⁶

¹tn Heb “against me.” The words “to kill me” are implicit from the context and are supplied in the translation for clarity.

²tn 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.

³tn This word and its pronoun (לַחְמוֹ, lakhmo, “its bread”) is often emended to read “in/with its sap” = “in its prime” (either לֵחוֹ [lekho] or לֵחְמוֹ [lekhÿmo]); 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) his progeny. Jeremiah was not married and had no children.

⁴tn 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.

⁵tn Heb “so that his name will not be remembered any more.”

⁶tn Heb “Turn, each of you, from his [= your] wicked way and make good your deeds.” Compare 18:11 where the same idiom occurs with the added term of “make good your ways.”

⁷tn Heb “Don’t go after/follow other gods.” See the translator’s note on 2:5 for an explanation of the idiom and see 11:10; 13:10; 25:6 for the same idiom.

⁸tn Or “Indeed.”

⁹tn Heb “Yahweh of armies, the God of Israel.” See the study note on 2:19 for the translation and significance of this title.

¹⁰map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.

¹¹tn See the study note on 24:9 and the usage in 29:22 for the meaning and significance of this last phrase.

¹²tn Or “land.” The reference is, of course, to the land of Judah.

¹³tn Heb “they set their face to go.” Compare 44:11 and 42:14 and see the translator’s note at 42:15.

¹⁴tn Heb “fall by the sword.”

¹⁵tn Or “All of them without distinction,” or “All of them from the least important to the most important”; Heb “From the least to the greatest.” See the translator’s note on 42:1 for the meaning of this idiom.

¹⁶tn See the study note on 24:9 and the usage in 29:22 for the meaning and significance of this last phrase.

sn See Jer 42:18 for parallel usage.