4:11 “At that time the people of Judah and Jerusalem 1 will be told,
‘A scorching wind will sweep down
from the hilltops in the desert on 2 my dear people. 3
It will not be a gentle breeze
for winnowing the grain and blowing away the chaff. 4
4:12 No, 5 a wind too strong for that will come at my bidding.
Yes, even now I, myself, am calling down judgment on them.’ 6
1 tn Heb “this people and Jerusalem.”
2 tn Heb “A scorching wind from the hilltops in the desert toward…”
sn The allusion is, of course, to the destructive forces of the enemy armies of Babylon compared above in 4:7 to a destructive lion and here to the destructive desert winds of the Near Eastern sirocco.
3 tn Heb “daughter of my people.” The term “daughter of” is appositional to “my people” and is supplied in the translation as a term of sympathy and endearment. Compare the common expression “daughter of Zion.”
4 tn Heb “not for winnowing and not for cleansing.” The words “It will not be a gentle breeze” are not in the text but are implicit in the connection. They are supplied in the translation here for clarification.
5 tn The word “No” is not in the text but is carried over from the connection with the preceding line “not for…”
6 tn Heb “will speak judgments against them.”