6:14–15

Verses 14 and 15 consist of a series of curses. Each curse describes a hypothetical situation in which a normal activity, such as eating or farming, has an unexpected, undesirable outcome.

These curses are figures of speech that add emphasis to the previous statements in 6:13. The curses indicate how complete and serious the punishment from the LORD will be.

Each curse is addressed to “you(sing),” which continues to refer collectively to the people of Jerusalem and Judah as in 6:9–13. In some languages, it will be more natural to use “you(plur) ” for a group of people.

6:14a–b

Notice the parallel lines that are similar in meaning:

14a
You will eat but not be satisfied,

14b
and your hunger will remain with you.

There is an ellipsis (a deliberately omitted phrase) in 6:14b. In some languages, it may be necessary to supply the missing words from 6:14a. For example:

14b
⌊you shall eat,⌋ and your hunger will remain with you.

Together, these parallel lines are a curse about hunger. The underlined part describes the normal activity of eating food. The parts in bold print describe the unexpected, undesirable result.

6:14a

You will eat but not be satisfied: This clause probably means that a person will remain hungry after eating.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

You will eat, but you won’t become full (New Century Version)
-or-
You will eat but never have enough. (New Living Translation (2004))

6:14b

and your hunger will remain with you: The phrase your hunger will remain with you is another way to describe a lack of satisfaction from the food.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

So you will always be hungry. (God’s Word)
-or-
your stomach will still be empty (New International Version)

General Comment on 6:14a–b

In some languages, it may be more natural to combine and/or reorder these lines. For example.

You will eat, but still be hungry (Contemporary English Version)

6:14c–d

The Revised English Bible has been used as the source line for 6:14c–d because it allows for the recommended interpretation.

6:14c

(Revised English Bible) you will come to labour: There is a combined textual and interpretation issue with the Hebrew word that the Revised English Bible translates as you will come to labour. Here are the two main options:

(1) The Hebrew word is a form of nāśag, “to reach,” or “attain to.” Here it means to reach the time for a child to be conceived or born. For example:

You have been conceiving without bearing young, and what you bore I would deliver to the sword. (Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures)

(Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures, Revised English Bible)

(2) The Hebrew word is a form of sûg, “to remove, carry away.” Here it means “put away” as in storing food or property for safekeeping. For example:

you will store up but never keep safe; what you do keep safe I shall hand over to the sword (New Jerusalem Bible)

It is recommended that you follow option/interpretation (1). It has good support from commentators, both traditional and modern. Option/interpretation (2) assumes an unattested meaning for the Hebrew word.

This phrase is part of a curse on childbirth. It describes the process of pregnancy that normally would result in childbirth.

(Revised English Bible) but not bring forth: This phrase is more literally “and/but not you will bring to safety.” There is an interpretation issue with the Hebrew word that the Revised English Bible translates as bring forth. The same Hebrew word also occurs in 6:14d. Both occurrences are underlined below. Here are the main interpretations:

(1) The word means “bring an infant to safety” as in a safe delivery from a womb. For example:

14c You will come to labour, but not bring forth ; 14d even if you bear a child I shall give it to the sword (Revised English Bible)

(Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures, Revised English Bible)

(2) The word means “bring something to store in safety” as in storing food or treasures in a safe place. For example:

14c you will store up but never keep safe; 14d what you do keep safe I shall hand over to the sword (New Jerusalem Bible)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). It has good support from commentators. See also Job 21:10.

This phrase describes the undesirable outcome of the pregnancy. The child is not safely born. Some language groups may have euphemisms to refer to miscarriage or to a stillborn child. Translate this phrase in a culturally appropriate way.

6:14d

(Revised English Bible) even if you bear a child I shall give it to the sword: This clause continues the curse on childbirth from 6:14c. This is a conditional clause. When the condition, you bear a child, is true, the result is that the LORD will give it to the sword.

Verse 6:14c says that no more children will be born. This verse part, 6:14d, describes an imagined situation in which someone was still able to give birth to children. Even if that could happen, the children would nevertheless be killed. See Hosea 9:11–12, 16 for similar curses.

(Revised English Bible) give it to the sword: This expression means to give the child to an enemy to be killed.

(Revised English Bible) the sword: This phrase refers to violence and destruction in war. Some versions make the context of war explicit without using the word sword. For example:

I will give it to those who conquer you (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
I will destroy in war (Good News Translation)

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