Their children refers to the people of Judah: “Your people” (Good News Translation) and “You” (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch).

There is some problem in the Hebrew text regarding the meaning of while their children remember their altars. An American Translation omits this clause, with the following result: “1 … It appears on the horns of their altars, 2 on their sacred pillars and sacred poles….” Moffatt is even more radical, omitting as well the words and their Asherim. Revised English Bible follows a conjecture, translating the clause as “to witness against them.”

Hebrew Old Testament Text Project believes the Hebrew is best interpreted as “They remember their sons in the same way [they remember] their altars.” It also proposes the possibility of “while/for their sons remember their altars.” A possible way to translate this would be “While this generation [or, they] remember the altars and symbols that were set up to worship the goddess Asherah beside every green tree and on the high hills, and on the mountains in the open country.” That is, their children refers to the people themselves, this present generation, and remember is understood to mean to remember with some longing for “the good old days.” Most translations have not followed this, however, feeling it is difficult in the context. Perhaps the rendering of Good News Translation is best in that (1) it follows the Hebrew, and (2) it makes some sense.

The Asherim were wooden objects representing the goddess Asherah (Good News Translation “the symbols that have been set up for the goddess Asherah”). Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch translates “sacred poles,” with a reference to the glossary note under “Asherah,” who is defined as a Phoenician-Canaanite fertility and vegetation goddess. This is the only place in Jeremiah where the word is used.

Beside every green tree, and on the high hills: See the comments at 2.20.

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 .