Discovery BoxJeremiah 10:8 
Context10:8 The people of those nations 1 are both stupid and foolish.
Instruction from a wooden idol is worthless! 2
Jeremiah 10:15
Context10:15 They are worthless, mere objects to be mocked. 3
When the time comes to punish them, they will be destroyed.
Jeremiah 51:18
Context51:18 They are worthless, objects to be ridiculed.
When the time comes to punish them, they will be destroyed.
1 tn Or “Those wise people and kings are…” It is unclear whether the subject is the “they” of the nations in the preceding verse, or the wise people and kings referred to. The text merely has “they.”
2 tn Heb “The instruction of vanities [worthless idols] is wood.” The meaning of this line is a little uncertain. Various proposals have been made to make sense, most of which involve radical emendation of the text. For some examples see J. A. Thompson, Jeremiah (NICOT), 323-24, fn 6. However, this is probably a case of the bold predication that discussed in GKC 452 §141.d, some examples of which may be seen in Ps 109:4 “I am prayer,” and Ps 120:7 “I am peace.”
3 tn Or “objects of mockery.”
