Thus says the LORD: See 2.2.

The LORD of hosts: See 2.19.

Behold: See 1.6.

I will break the bow of Elam, the mainstay of their might: The bow of Elam refers to the strength of its archers. The mainstay of their might means that these bowmen were what made Elam powerful; and so Good News Translation renders “I will kill all the archers who have made Elam so powerful,” and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has “The strength of Elam is its archers, but I will break their bows!”

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 .