Jeremiah 6:9

6:9 This is what the Lord who rules over all 1  said to me: 2 

“Those who remain in Israel will be

like the grapes thoroughly gleaned 3  from a vine.

So go over them again, as though you were a grape harvester

passing your hand over the branches one last time.” 4 

Jeremiah 43:10

43:10 Then tell them, 5  ‘The Lord God of Israel who rules over all 6  says, “I will bring 7  my servant 8  King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. I will set his throne over these stones which I 9  have buried. He will pitch his royal tent 10  over them.

1 tn Heb “Yahweh of armies.”

sn For an explanation of the significance of this title see the study note on 2:19.

2 tn The words “to me” are not in the text but are supplied in the translation for clarity.

3 tn Heb “They will thoroughly glean those who are left in Israel like a vine.” That is, they will be carried off by judgment. It is not necessary to read the verb forms here as two imperatives or an infinitive absolute followed by an imperative as some English versions and commentaries do. This is an example of a third plural verb used impersonally and translated as a passive (cf. GKC 460 §144.g).

4 tn Heb “Pass your hand back over the branches like a grape harvester.” The translation is intended to clarify the metaphor that Jeremiah should try to rescue some from the coming destruction.

5 sn This is another of those symbolic prophecies of Jeremiah which involved an action and an explanation. Compare Jer 19, 27.

6 tn Heb “Yahweh of armies, the God of Israel.” Compare 7:3 and see the study note on 2:19 for explanation of the translation and significance of this title.

7 tn Heb “send and take/fetch.”

8 sn See the study note on Jer 25:9 for the use of this epithet for foreign rulers. The term emphasizes God’s sovereignty over history.

9 tn The Greek version reads the verbs in this sentence as third person, “he will set,” and second person, “you have buried.” This fits the context better but it is difficult to explain how the Hebrew could have arisen from this smoother reading. The figure of substitution (metonymy of cause for effect) is probably involved: “I will have him set” and “I have had you bury.” The effect of these substitutions is to emphasize the sovereignty of God.

10 tn The meaning of this word is uncertain. The word here (שַׁפְרִירוֹ [shafriro] Qere, שַׁפְרוּרוֹ [shafruro] Kethib) occurs only here in the Hebrew Bible. According to the lexicons it refers to either the carpet for his throne or the canopy over it. See, e.g., HALOT 1510 s.v. שַׁפְרִיר.