This verse indicates the coming of a time when the proverb will no longer be appropriate. The contrast between the new situation and the old is presented by a strong expression in Hebrew, which is rendered as But in Revised Standard Version. To make the transition clear, some translators have said “Instead, the case will be that….”

Every one … each man are references to people in general, and so Good News Translation translates “those who … everyone.”

Many translators will find the passage easier to follow if they reverse the order of the clauses, as Good News Translation has. They can even make a clear link between the changed proverb and its interpretation, if necessary: “Instead, all who eat sour grapes will have their own teeth set on edge; that is, people will die because of their own sin.”

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 .