For similar thoughts, see also 16.9; 25.10.

There is no distinction to be made between the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness; and for languages that prefer not to accumulate expressions of similar meaning, it is possible to translate with only one of these terms.

The voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride refers to the wedding feast, which was the most joyful social occasion among ancient Israelites: “the happy sounds of wedding feasts” (Good News Translation).

Though occurring here for the first time, the noun waste is used several more times in the book of Jeremiah. The picture is that of a town or city laid waste, with nothing remaining except a pile of rubble.

The verse can be restructured in one of the following ways:

• In the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem there will be no sounds of people laughing or being happy, no sounds of wedding celebrations, for I will have brought all those to an end, and the land will be like a desert.

• I will silence all voices of joy and happiness, all celebrations of weddings in the cities of Judah and in Jerusalem, for this land will be a wasteland.

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 .