Many languages have a word for fast, but in those where the custom is not familiar, translators need to be sure they do not translate with a word that simply means to go without food, since that could happen if there was famine or no food was available for some reason. Rather, fasting is going without food as a religious duty. Translators can say something like “refrain from food” or “refrain from eating in order to worship.”

Throughout this verse the pronoun I (used of the LORD) is emphatic, especially in its third occurrence (I will consume …).

Cry is to be understood in this context as a “cry for help” (Good News Translation). Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch translates Though … cry as “They can fast and pray as much as they will, but I will not hear them.”

For burnt offering, see the comment at 6.20.

Cereal offering is used again in 17.26; 33.18; 41.5. The cereal offering consisted of a handful of wheat flour which was sprinkled with incense and then burned together with the burnt offering. The remainder of the flour was given to the priest. Translators can distinguish the two offerings with a rendering such as “even though they burn offerings on the altar for me, and also offer grain for my worship” or “though they place animals and grain on the altar as offerings to me.”

I will not accept them: As in verse 10, the verb accept is translated “be pleased with” by Good News Translation. This context makes it more likely that them refers to the people rather than their offerings.

Consume, as with other words that refer to eating (for example, “devour”), is often translated “destroy” or “kill” (Good News Translation).

The sword (see 5.12) is once again used of “war” (Good News Translation, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). Good News Translation renders famine with “starvation,” and pestilence as “disease.” These three terms occur a number of times in Jeremiah (21.7, 9; 24.10; 27.8, 13; 28.8; 29.17-18; 32.24, 36; 34.17; 38.2; 42.17, 22; 44.13).

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 .