8:18 Then I said, 1
“There is no cure 2 for my grief!
I am sick at heart!
14:11 Then the Lord said to me, “Do not pray for good to come to these people! 3
18:19 Then I said, 4
“Lord, pay attention to me.
Listen to what my enemies are saying. 5
25:8 “Therefore, the Lord who rules over all 6 says, ‘You have not listened to what I said. 7
1 tn The words, “Then I said” are not in the text but there is a general consensus that the words of vv. 18-19a are the words of Jeremiah. These words are supplied in the translation for clarity.
2 tn The meaning of this word is uncertain. The translation is based on the redivision and repointing of a word that occurs only here in the MT and whose pattern of formation is unparalleled in the Hebrew Bible. The MT reads מַבְלִיגִיתִי (mavligiti) which BDB provisionally derives from a verb root meaning “to gleam” or “to shine.” However, BDB notes that the text is dubious (cf. BDB 114 s.v. מַבְלִיגִית). The text is commonly emended to מִבְּלִי גְּהֹת (mibbÿli gÿhot) which is a Qal infinitive from a verb meaning “to heal” preceded by a compound negative “for lack of, to be at a loss for” (cf., e.g., HALOT 514 s.v. מַבְלִיגִית and 174 s.v. גּהה). This reading is supported by the Greek text which has an adjective meaning “incurable,” which is, however, connected with the preceding verse, i.e., “they will bite you incurably.”
3 tn Heb “on behalf of these people for benefit.”
4 tn The words “Then I said” are not in the text. They are supplied in the translation for clarity to show that Jeremiah turns from description of the peoples’ plots to his address to God to deal with the plotters.
5 tn Heb “the voice of my adversaries.”
sn Jeremiah’s prayers against the unjust treatment of his enemies here and elsewhere (see 11:18-20; 12:1-4; 15:15-18; 17:14-18) have many of the elements of the prayers of the innocent in the book of Psalms: an invocation of the
6 tn Heb “Yahweh of armies.”
sn See the study note on 2:19 for an explanation of this title.
7 tn Heb “You have not listened to my words.”