Was not Israel a derision to you?; that is, “Didn’t you used to make fun of Israel?” or “You used to make fun of Israel, didn’t you?” In order to connect this verse with the previous one, Good News Translation makes it clear that this verse is addressed to Moab: “Moab, remember how you made fun of the people of Israel?” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch resolves the difficulty by placing verses 26-27 together so that the last line of verse 26 serves as a conclusion to the two verses.

Was he found among thieves?: This may be expressed as “Was he found to be a thief?” or “You never found Israel to be a thief, isn’t that so?”

There is a problem regarding the two questions, inasmuch as the first question expects the answer “Yes,” while the second expects the answer “No”: Yes, the Moabites did make fun of Israel, but No, Israel was not a thief caught in a trap. It is easier for some translators to express these both as statements: “You used to make fun of Israel. But even though you never found him to be a thief, whenever you talked about him, you shook your head.”

Wagged your head: The significance of this action, which expresses disgust or scorn, may be completely missed in some cultures (compare 18.16). Good News Translation has replaced the metaphor: “You treated them as though….” Translators can also say “You shook your head in scorn.”

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 .