Discovery BoxJeremiah 4:31 
Context4:31 In fact, 1 I hear a cry like that of a woman in labor,
a cry of anguish like that of a woman giving birth to her first baby.
It is the cry of Daughter Zion 2 gasping for breath,
reaching out for help, 3 saying, “I am done in! 4
My life is ebbing away before these murderers!”
Jeremiah 38:16
Context38:16 So King Zedekiah made a secret promise to Jeremiah and sealed it with an oath. He promised, 5 “As surely as the Lord lives who has given us life and breath, 6 I promise you this: I will not kill you or hand you over to those men who want to kill you.” 7
1 tn The particle כִּי (ki) is more likely asseverative here than causal.
2 sn Jerusalem is personified as a helpless maiden.
3 tn Heb “spreading out her hands.” The idea of asking or pleading for help is implicit in the figure.
4 tn Heb “Woe, now to me!” See the translator’s note on 4:13 for the usage of “Woe to…”
5 tn Heb “So King Zedekiah secretly swore an oath to Jeremiah, saying.”
6 tn Heb “who has made this life/soul/ breath [נֶפֶשׁ, nefesh] for us.” The Hebrew term נֶפֶשׁ refers to the living, breathing substance of a person which constitutes his very life (cf. BDB 659 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ 1; 3).
7 tn Heb “who are seeking your life.”
