Jeremiah 18:21

18:21 So let their children die of starvation.

Let them be cut down by the sword. ¹ 

Let their wives lose their husbands and children.

Let the older men die of disease ² 

and the younger men die by the sword in battle.

Jeremiah 21:9

21:9 Those who stay in this city will die in battle or of starvation or disease. Those who leave the city and surrender to the Babylonians who are besieging it will live. They will escape with their lives. ³ 

Jeremiah 27:13

27:13 There is no reason why you and your people should die in war ⁴  or from starvation or disease! ⁵  That’s what the Lord says will happen to any nation ⁶  that will not be subject to the king of Babylon.

Jeremiah 29:17

29:17 The Lord who rules over all ⁷  says, ‘I will bring war, ⁸  starvation, and disease on them. I will treat them like figs that are so rotten ⁹  they cannot be eaten.

Jeremiah 38:2

38:2 “The Lord says, ‘Those who stay in this city will die in battle or of starvation or disease. ¹⁰  Those who leave the city and surrender to the Babylonians ¹¹  will live. They will escape with their lives.’” ¹² 

Jeremiah 42:17

42:17 All the people who are determined to go and settle in Egypt will die from war, starvation, or disease. No one will survive or escape the disaster I will bring on them.’

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¹ tn Heb “be poured out to the hand [= power] of the sword.” For this same expression see Ezek 35:5; Ps 63:10 (63:11 HT). Comparison with those two passages show that it involved death by violent means, perhaps death in battle.

² tn Heb “be slain by death.” The commentaries are generally agreed that this refers to death by disease or plague as in 15:2. Hence, the reference is to the deadly trio of sword, starvation, and disease which were often connected with war. See the notes on 15:2.

³ tn Heb “his life will be to him for spoil.”

sn Spoil was what was carried off by the victor (see, e.g., Judg 5:30). Those who surrendered to the Babylonians would lose their property, their freedom, and their citizenship but would at least escape with their lives. Jeremiah was branded a traitor for this counsel (cf. 38:4) but it was the way of wisdom since the Lord was firmly determined to destroy the city (cf. v. 10).

⁴ tn Heb “with/by the sword.”

⁵ tn Heb “Why should you and your people die…?” The rhetorical question expects the answer made explicit in the translation, “There is no reason!”

⁶ tn Heb “…disease according to what the Lord spoke concerning the nation that…”

⁷ tn Heb “Yahweh of armies.” See the study note on 2:19 for explanation of this title.

⁸ tn Heb “the sword.”

⁹ tn 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.

¹⁰ tn Heb “by sword, by starvation, or by disease.”

¹¹ tn Heb “those who go out to the Chaldeans.” For the rendering “Babylonians” for “Chaldeans” see the study note on 21:4.

¹² tn Heb “his life will be to him for spoil and he will live.” For the meaning of this idiom see the study note on 21:9. The words and “he will live” have been left out of the translation because they are redundant after “will live” and “they will escape with their lives.”

sn See Jer 21:9 for this prophecy.