Discovery BoxJeremiah 4:28 
Context4:28 Because of this the land will mourn
and the sky above will grow black. 1
For I have made my purpose known 2
and I will not relent or turn back from carrying it out.” 3
Jeremiah 10:2
Context10:2 The Lord says,
“Do not start following pagan religious practices. 4
Do not be in awe of signs that occur 5 in the sky
even though the nations hold them in awe.
1 sn The earth and the heavens are personified here and depicted in the act of mourning and wearing black clothes because of the destruction of the land of Israel.
2 tn Heb “has spoken and purposed.” This is an example of hendiadys where two verbs are joined by “and” but one is meant to serve as a modifier of the other.
3 tn Heb “will not turn back from it.”
4 tn Heb “Do not learn the way of the nations.” For this use of the word “ways” (דֶּרֶךְ, derekh) compare for example Jer 12:16 and Isa 2:6.
5 tn Heb “signs.” The words “that occur” are supplied in the translation for clarity.
sn The Hebrew word translated here “things that go on in the sky” (אֹתוֹת, ’otot) refers both to unusual disturbances such as eclipses, comets, meteors, etc., but also to such things as the changes in the position of the sun, moon, and stars in conjunction with the changes in seasons (cf. Gen 1:14). The people of Assyria and Babylonia worshiped the sun, moon, and stars, thinking that these heavenly bodies had some hold over them.
