In Hebrew the noun remnant derives from the same stem as the verb remains. Moreover, in the Hebrew text as we have it, the phrase that remains is repeated after in all the places. However, some Hebrew manuscripts do omit this phrase, and in any case it may be deleted in translation without loss of meaning.

Death shall be preferred may be more natural as an active construction, and remnant that remains is unnecessarily repetitious. Thus we may translate as Good News Translation does: “And the people of this evil nation who survive … will prefer to die rather than to go on living.” New International Version is also good: “Wherever I banish them, all the survivors of this evil nation will prefer death to life.” Note that Good News Translation and New International Version both understand family to refer to the whole nation of Judah.

In all the places where I have driven them refers to the exile. Translators can have “in all the places I have forced them to go” or “in the places where I have scattered them” (Good News Translation).

For says the LORD, see 1.8.

The LORD of hosts: See the comment at 2.19.

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Jeremiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2003. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .