Discovery BoxJeremiah 4:3 
Context4:3 Yes, 1 the Lord has this to say
to the people of Judah and Jerusalem:
“Like a farmer breaking up hard unplowed ground,
you must break your rebellious will and make a new beginning;
just as a farmer must clear away thorns lest the seed is wasted,
you must get rid of the sin that is ruining your lives. 2
Jeremiah 25:29
Context25:29 For take note, I am already beginning to bring disaster on the city that I call my own. 3 So how can you possibly avoid being punished? 4 You will not go unpunished! For I am proclaiming war against all who live on the earth. I, the Lord who rules over all, 5 affirm it!’ 6
1 tn The Hebrew particle is obviously asseverative here since a causal connection appears to make little sense.
2 tn Heb “Plow up your unplowed ground and do not sow among the thorns.” The translation is an attempt to bring out the force of a metaphor. The idea seems to be that they are to plow over the thorns and make the ground ready for the seeds which will produce a new crop where none had been produced before.
3 tn Heb “which is called by my name.” See translator’s note on 7:10 for support.
4 tn This is an example of a question without the formal introductory particle following a conjunctive vav introducing an opposition. (See Joüon 2:609 §161.a.) It is also an example of the use of the infinitive before the finite verb in a rhetorical question involving doubt or denial. (See Joüon 2:422-23 §123.f, and compare usage in Gen 37:8.)
5 tn Heb “Yahweh of armies.”
sn See the study notes on 2:19 and 7:3 for explanation of this extended title.
6 tn Heb “Oracle of Yahweh of armies.”
