Jeremiah 9:16

9:16 I will scatter them among nations that neither they nor their ancestors 1  have known anything about. I will send people chasing after them with swords 2  until I have destroyed them.’” 3 

Jeremiah 10:7

10:7 Everyone should revere you, O King of all nations, 4 

because you deserve to be revered. 5 

For there is no one like you

among any of the wise people of the nations nor among any of their kings. 6 

Jeremiah 16:13

16:13 So I will throw you out of this land into a land that neither you nor your ancestors have ever known. There you must worship other gods day and night, for I will show you no mercy.’”

Jeremiah 44:5

44:5 But the people of Jerusalem and Judah 7  would not listen or pay any attention. They would not stop the wickedness they were doing nor quit sacrificing to other gods. 8 

1 tn Heb “fathers.”

2 tn Heb “I will send the sword after them.” The sword here is probably not completely literal but refers to death by violent means, including death by the sword.

3 sn He will destroy them but not completely. See Jer 5:18; 30:11; 46:28.

4 tn Heb “Who should not revere you…?” The question is rhetorical and expects a negative answer.

5 tn Heb “For it is fitting to you.”

6 tn Heb “their royalty/dominion.” This is a case of substitution of the abstract for the concrete “royalty, royal power” for “kings” who exercise it.

7 tn There appears to be a deliberate shift in the pronouns used in vv. 2-5. “You” refers to the people living in Egypt who are being addressed (v. 2) and to the people of present and past generations to whom the Lord persistently sent the prophets (v. 4). “They” refers to the people of Jerusalem and the towns of Judah who have suffered disaster (v. 2) because of the wickedness of sacrificing to other gods (vv. 3, 5). The referents have been explicitly identified in the translation for the sake of clarity.

8 tn Heb “They did not listen or incline their ear [= pay attention] by turning from their wickedness by not sacrificing to other gods.” The לְ (lamed) + the negative + the infinitive is again epexegetical. The sentence has been restructured and more idiomatic English expressions have been used to better conform with contemporary English style but an attempt has been made to retain the basic relationships of subordination.