Jeremiah 4:16

4:16 They are saying, ¹ 

‘Announce to the surrounding nations, ² 

“The enemy is coming!” ³ 

Proclaim this message ⁴  to Jerusalem:

“Those who besiege cities ⁵  are coming from a distant land.

They are ready to raise the battle cry against ⁶  the towns in Judah.”’

Jeremiah 7:2

7:2 “Stand in the gate of the Lord’s temple and proclaim ⁷  this message: ‘Listen, all you people of Judah who have passed through these gates to worship the Lord. ⁸  Hear what the Lord has to say.

Jeremiah 23:22

23:22 But if they had stood in my inner circle, ⁹ 

they would have proclaimed my message to my people.

They would have caused my people to turn from their wicked ways

and stop doing the evil things they are doing.

Jeremiah 29:28

29:28 For he has even sent a message to us here in Babylon. He wrote and told us, ¹⁰  “You will be there a long time. Build houses and settle down. Plant gardens and eat what they produce.”’” ¹¹ 

Jeremiah 34:13

34:13 “The Lord God of Israel has a message for you. ¹²  ‘I made a covenant with your ancestors ¹³  when I brought them out of Egypt where they had been slaves. ¹⁴  It stipulated, ¹⁵ 

Jeremiah 49:14

49:14 I said, ¹⁶  “I have heard a message from the Lord.

A messenger has been sent among the nations to say,

‘Gather your armies and march out against her!

Prepare to do battle with her!’” ¹⁷ 

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¹ tn The words “They are saying” are not in the text but are implicit in the connection and are supplied in the translation for clarification.

² tn The word “surrounding” is not in the text but is implicit and is supplied in the translation for clarification.

³ tc Or “Here they come!” Heb “Look!” or “Behold!” Or “Announce to the surrounding nations, indeed [or yes] proclaim to Jerusalem, ‘Besiegers…’” The text is very elliptical here. Some of the modern English versions appear to be emending the text from הִנֵּה (hinneh, “behold”) to either הֵנָּה (hennah, “these things”; so NEB), or הַזֶּה (hazzeh, “this”; so NIV). The solution proposed here is as old as the LXX which reads, “Behold, they have come.”

⁴ tn The words, “this message,” are not in the text but are supplied in the translation to make the introduction of the quote easier.

⁵ tn Heb “Besiegers.” For the use of this verb to refer to besieging a city compare Isa 1:8.

⁶ tn Heb “They have raised their voices against.” The verb here, a vav (ו) consecutive with an imperfect, continues the nuance of the preceding participle “are coming.”

⁷ tn Heb “Proclaim there…” The adverb is unnecessary in English style.

⁸ sn That is, all those who have passed through the gates of the outer court and are standing in the courtyard of the temple.

⁹ tn Or “had been my confidant.” See the note on v. 18.

¹⁰ tn Heb “For he has sent to us in Babylon, saying….” The quote, however, is part of the earlier letter.

¹¹ sn See v. 5.

¹² tn Heb “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘…’” The style adopted here has been used to avoid a longer, more complex English sentence.

¹³ tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 14, 15).

¹⁴ tn Heb “out of the house of bondage.”

sn This refers to the Mosaic covenant, initiated at Mount Sinai and renewed on the plains of Moab. The statement “I brought you out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage” functions as the “historical prologue” in the Ten Commandments which is the Lord’s vassal treaty with Israel in miniature. (See the study note on 11:2 and see Exod 20:2; Deut 5:6 and Exod 34:8. As such it was a motivating factor in their pledge of loyalty to him. This statement was also invoked within the law itself as a motivation for kindly treatment of slaves including their emancipation (see Deut 15:15).)

¹⁵ tn Heb “made a covenant, saying.” This was only one of several stipulations of the covenant. The form used here has been chosen as an indirect way of relating the specific stipulation that is being focused upon to the general covenant that is referred to in v. 13.

¹⁶ tn The words “I said” are not in the text but it is generally agreed that the words that follow are Jeremiah’s. These words are supplied in the translation to make clear that the speaker has shifted from the Lord to Jeremiah.

¹⁷ tn Heb “Rise up for battle.” The idea “against her” is implicit from the context and has been supplied in the translation for clarity.