2:24 You are like a wild female donkey brought up in the wilderness.
In her lust she sniffs the wind to get the scent of a male. 1
No one can hold her back when she is in heat.
None of the males need wear themselves out chasing after her.
At mating time she is easy to find. 2
2:25 Do not chase after other gods until your shoes wear out
and your throats become dry. 3
But you say, ‘It is useless for you to try and stop me
because I love those foreign gods 4 and want to pursue them!’
1 tn The words “to get the scent of a male” are implicit and are supplied in the translation for clarification.
2 sn The metaphor is intended to depict Israel’s irrepressible desire to worship other gods.
3 tn Heb “Refrain your feet from being bare and your throat from being dry/thirsty.”
4 tn Heb “It is useless! No!” For this idiom, see Jer 18:12; NEB “No; I am desperate.”