Thus says the LORD: See the comment at 2.2.
What wrong did your fathers find in me: This introduces a rhetorical question. The word translated wrong appears only here in the book of Jeremiah. According to Deut 32.4, God is faithful and “without wrong” (Revised Standard Version “without iniquity”). Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch translates the question “What did your ancestors find wrong with me…?” Other possibilities would be “What fault did your ancestors find with me?” or “Did your ancestors find any fault [or, sin] to blame me for [or, reproach me with]?” The purpose of this question is not to get information but to emphasize that the fathers found no fault. In some cases, then, a better rendering is “You know your ancestors found no fault with me.” Notice that most translations (including New Revised Standard Version) render fathers as “ancestors.” This is not only to include men and women, but so that it is clear that the reference is to several generations.
They went far from me contrasts with “followed me” in verse 2. In this context the meaning of went far from me is “turned away from me” (Good News Translation, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). Other possibilities include “strayed [or, wandered] far from me” or “broke [relations] with me.”
In turning from the LORD, the people went after worthlessness, and became worthless. Went after can be simply rendered as “pursued” or “looked for,” although Good News Translation has used “worshiped.” The root meaning of the word worthlessness is “breath” (Isa 57.13), then it comes to mean “nothingness” or “emptiness.” It is a favorite word in the book of Ecclesiastes (used more than twenty times), and Jeremiah uses it elsewhere of idols and false gods (see 8.19; 14.22; 16.19-20). There may also be intended a play on words, since in Hebrew worthlessness sounds like the name Baal, the Canaanite fertility god. Jeremiah is not denying the existence of the gods by referring to them as worthlessness, but rather he is underlining their inability to perform. They can do nothing; there is no way that they can help the persons who worship and pray to them.
Worthlessness is translated “worthless idols” by Good News Translation and New International Version, while New American Bible has “empty idols.” Elsewhere Revised Standard Version translates the noun as follows: “worthless” (10.15; 51.18), “worthless things” (16.19), “false” (10.3), “false gods” (14.22), and “idols” (8.19; 10.8). Translators should be careful, however, that if they do render the word with something such as “worthless things,” that it is nevertheless clear that people were not simply pursuing things such as wealth or pleasure. The worthlessness here means things people worshiped instead of the LORD, hence the Good News Translation rendering. Two possibilities are “worthless things that were images of gods [or, that represented gods]” and “images of worthless gods.”
Became worthless (“became worthless themselves” in Good News Translation) is not to be taken to mean that the Israelites became like the gods they worshiped. Rather the meaning is that the Israelites could no longer prosper or even exist, because their new gods had no power either to help them or to protect them. Thus became worthless contrasts with the last half of verse 3, where the LORD reminds the people of Israel of his care over them. Jeremiah is informing the people that their worship of helpless gods has placed them in a helpless position.
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 .