2:12 Be amazed at this, O heavens! 1
Be shocked and utterly dumbfounded,”
says the Lord.
5:18 Yet even then 2 I will not completely destroy you,” says the Lord.
17:15 Listen to what they are saying to me. 3
They are saying, “Where are the things the Lord threatens us with?
Come on! Let’s see them happen!” 4
48:43 Terror, pits, and traps 8 are in store
for the people who live in Moab. 9
I, the Lord, affirm it! 10
1 sn In earlier literature the heavens (and the earth) were called on to witness Israel’s commitment to the covenant (Deut 30:12) and were called to serve as witnesses to Israel’s fidelity or infidelity to it (Isa 1:2; Mic 6:1).
2 tn Heb “in those days.”
3 tn Heb “Behold, they are saying to me.”
4 tn Heb “Where is the word of the
5 tn Heb “Yahweh of armies, the God of Israel.” See the study notes on 2:19 and 7:3 for the explanation of this title.
6 sn See the study note on 27:2 for this figure. Hananiah is given the same title “the prophet” as Jeremiah throughout the chapter and claims to speak with the same authority (compare v. 2a with 27:21a). He even speaks like the true prophet; the verb form “I will break” is in the “prophetic perfect” emphasizing certitude. His message here is a contradiction of Jeremiah’s message recorded in the preceding chapter (compare especially v. 3 with 27:16, 19-22 and v. 4 with 22:24-28). The people and the priests are thus confronted with a choice of whom to believe. Who is the “true” prophet and who is the “false” one? Only fulfillment of their prophecies will prove which is which (see Deut 18:21-22).
7 tn Heb “the word [or message] you have spoken to us in the name of the
8 sn There is an extended use of assonance here and in the parallel passage in Isa 24:17. The Hebrew text reads פַּחַד וָפַחַת וָפָח (pakhad vafakhat vafakh). The assonance is intended to underscore the extensive trouble that is in store for them.
9 tn Heb “are upon you, inhabitant of Moab.” This is another example of the rapid switch in person or direct address (apostrophe) in the midst of a third person description or prediction which the present translation typically keeps in the third person for smoother English style.
10 tn Heb “Oracle of the