The restrictions here are of a religious nature, forbidding the Rechabites to do anything that would identify them with a settled culture. Before entering the land of Canaan, all Israelites were in fact nomadic people.

You shall not build a house: Although the command is in the singular (a house), it is to be interpreted broadly as “houses” (so Good News Translation).

You shall not sow seed is normally rendered “you are not to do any farming.”

You shall not plant or have a vineyard is more literally “a vineyard you shall not plant and it shall not be to you.” However, any attempt to produce a so-called “literal” translation would be senseless. The translation can be, for example, “you shall not plant or own a vineyard.” For vineyard see “vine” in 2.21.

You shall live in tents: Tents are fairly well known. In areas where they are not, translators can say, for example, “temporary [or, portable] shelters made from poles with cloth stretched over them.”

All your days: Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch and Good News Translation have “always”; New English Bible and Bible en français courant have “all your lives.”

That you may live many days: Many days is better rendered “a long time” (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). Good News Translation has “so that we might remain.”

In the land where you sojourn: The verb sojourn means “to live as resident aliens.” However, the Rechabites were actually native Israelites, who lived as strangers, ready to pull up their tents and move at the LORD’s command. Bible en français courant renders “in the land which is not your native country,” with an alternative rendering “in the land where you sojourn (as strangers).” The last part of this verse is rendered in Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch as “You must always remain tent dwellers; then you will live a long time in this land!”

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 .