For the invasion of Judah, see 2Kgs 24.1; 2Chr 36.5-7; Dan 1.1-2.

For behold see 1.6.

The tribes of the north: See 1.13-15.

Here and in two other verses (27.6; 43.10), Nebuchadnezzar is referred to as the LORD’s servant. This is not to suggest that he worshiped the LORD, but rather that he “serves” the LORD, or does the LORD’s work, by bringing punishment upon the people of Judah. Most translations retain my servant, but for languages that don’t have a word for “servant,” expressions such as “who does my work” or “who is doing what I want done” may be necessary.

It would perhaps be best to make clear, as Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch does, the relation between Nebuchadnezzar and the people of the north: “I will have all the people of the north to come, at their head my servant Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylonia.”

I will bring them against: For the people who were listening to Jeremiah’s message, bring would have been natural since the LORD was sending Nebuchadnezzar to where they were. But in some languages, it would be more natural to say “send” or “make them go [or, come].” To bring them against is clear in Good News Translation: “bring them to fight against.”

Horror is first used in 2.15 (see there, where Revised Standard Version has “waste”).

Hissing is first used in 19.8, where Revised Standard Version has “a thing to be hissed at”; see there and also 25.18; 29.18; 51.37.

Reproach does not translate the Hebrew text; “desolations” (see the Revised Standard Version note) and “ruins” (Good News Translation “ruins”; New Jerusalem Bible “ruin”; Revised English Bible “ruined”) translate the Hebrew word, which is first used in 7.34 (Revised Standard Version “waste”). The text followed by Revised Standard Version represents the Septuagint, which is not the preference of Hebrew Old Testament Text Project. Although New English Bible (“scandal”) and New American Bible (“reproach”), among others, prefer the Septuagint, there is no reason to reject the Hebrew. New International Version has “ruin,” and Bible en français courant has “field of ruins.” Since horror and reproach have very similar meanings in this context, some translators will collapse them into one term, such as “ruins.”

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 .