Jeremiah set out: Jeremiah’s departure from the city must have taken place almost immediately after the withdrawal of the Babylonian army, which probably returned within a few weeks.

The land of Benjamin probably points to Anathoth, Jeremiah’s hometown.

To receive his portion there among the people: As the Revised Standard Version note indicates, the Hebrew is obscure, though a number of commentators understand this to be a technical term that somehow relates to Jeremiah’s legal rights in claiming ownership of his ancestral property. For this reason, Good News Translation translates “to take possession of my share of the family property.” Traduction œcuménique de la Bible has “concerning a matter of succession in his family” and New American Bible “to take part with his family in the division of an inheritance.” New Jerusalem Bible has “to see about a piece of his property among the people there.” Among the people probably means Jeremiah’s own family.

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 .