Translation commentary on Jeremiah 5:29

As a comparison of Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation will immediately indicate, the two negative rhetorical questions (Shall I not … shall I not…?) have been restructured by Good News Translation into strong affirmations: “But I, the LORD, will punish them for these things; I will take revenge on this nation.”

For says the LORD, see 1.8. Some translators find it more natural in this verse to drop the expression.

Punish … avenge myself: See verse 9. Here translators can say something like “Surely I the LORD will punish them for these things. I will take revenge on people like this.”

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 .

Translation commentary on Jeremiah 7:14

The house which is called by my name is repeated from verse 10. The reference is clearly to the temple (verse 4), and Good News Translation makes this clear (“this Temple of mine”), as does Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch (“my temple”).

The place (see verse 3) may be understood as a further reference to the temple (Revised English Bible “… the house in which you put your trust, the place I gave to you…”), or it may be a reference to either the city or the land of Israel (Jerusalem Bible “… and the place that I have given to you…”).

Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch gives a very effective rendering of the entire verse: “Therefore I will now deal with my temple, in which you have placed your trust, in the same way that I did with Shiloh. I will raze to the ground that place where I wanted to be near you and your ancestors.” By translating do to as “raze to the ground,” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch makes an important step; that is, even if readers are not familiar with what the LORD “did to” Shiloh, they will understand immediately if a verb such as “destroy” or “destroy completely” is used.

As we stated above, verses 13-14 are one sentence, but should be structured by translators in whatever way is necessary for readers to understand the meaning easily. An example is:

• So now, here is what will happen. I spoke to you over and over, and called to you, but you would neither listen nor answer. So I will do to this temple what I did before in Shiloh, even though the temple is dedicated to me [or, made for me], and you trust in it. I will destroy what I gave to you and your ancestors.

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 .

Translation commentary on Jeremiah 8:14

Both Good News Translation (“God’s people ask”) and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch (“The people of Judah say”) indicate that a new speaker is introduced in this verse.

The first part of this verse is similar to 4.5b (“Assemble, and let us go into the fortified cities!”).

The rhetorical question Why do we sit still? may need to be expressed as an affirmative statement, such as “We shouldn’t be sitting still” or “We have to get moving.”

Gather together is probably not to be understood as suggesting a formal gathering of the people. Rather it is to be combined with let us go to form a single thought: “Come on, we will run…” (Good News Translation; similarly Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch).

The fortified cities, as elsewhere, can be “the cities protected by walls” or “the cities fortified against enemies.”

And perish there adds a dimension of fatalism which is not in the 4.5 passage. In this context perish has the meaning of “die” (Good News Translation): “we won’t even be able to save our lives by doing that” (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch); “and there await death” (Bible en français courant).

For LORD our God, refer to 2.17.

Doomed us to perish (Good News Translation “condemned us to die”) is explained by and has given us poisoned water to drink. The use of and to link a qualifying statement with what is before it is quite common in Hebrew. However, it will be more natural in many languages to say something like “he has condemned us to die by giving us poisoned water to drink” or “he has decreed we shall die, and therefore has given us poisoned water to drink.”

Sinned against the LORD is often more natural if the LORD is replaced by “him” (Good News Translation). Even if this is not done, it should be made clear in translation that the LORD is the same person as the LORD our God two lines above.

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 .

Translation commentary on Jeremiah 9:25 - 9:26

Behold (see 1.6) is here used as an attention-getter.

The days are coming: See 7.32.

All those who are circumcised but yet uncircumcised will not be clear for many readers. The problem is that circumcised refers to the actual physical act of circumcision, whereas uncircumcised is used in a figurative sense (see 6.10). Good News Translation attempts to resolve the difficulty by placing verses 25-26 together and explaining the significance of circumcision in terms of the covenant relationship with the LORD. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch retains the verse order, restructuring as follows: “24 ‘The day is coming,’ says the Lord, ‘when I will deal with all who are circumcised: 25 with the Egyptians and the people of Judah, with the Edomites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, and with the tribes in the desert who shave their heads bald. All these people—including the Israelites—are uncircumcised as far as I am concerned, because they have not circumcised their hearts!’ ” If the figure of “circumcising” the heart is intelligible to readers, then this form may be acceptable. Otherwise, translators may need to say “who are circumcised, but it’s as if [or, but yet who live as if] they are uncircumcised, for they have not kept their covenant with me” or “Even though they are circumcised as a sign of their covenant with me, yet they behave as if they were not circumcised.”

Just as Egypt means “the people of Egypt,” so the sons of Ammon means “the people of Ammon.” Moab is the region immediately east of the Dead Sea, while Edom is directly south of the Dead Sea. The region of Ammon lies north of Moab. As the text indicates, all of these peoples, together with the Egyptians, did practice circumcision. But, along with Israel, it was as if they were not circumcised, for they did not keep a covenant relationship with God. Hence the Good News Translation “these people are circumcised, but have not kept the covenant it symbolizes.”

Cut the corners of their hair (see 25.23; 49.32) is the usual interpretation given to this Hebrew expression, but a minority of commentators understand it to mean “who live along the edges of the desert” (Revised English Bible “who live in the fringes of the desert”). The reference is probably to a religious custom of cutting the hair short in honor of a pagan god. This practice was forbidden to the Israelites (see Lev 19.27).

Uncircumcised in heart (see the comment above) may be translated “are not truly circumcised, because they do not obey me with their heart.”

House of Israel is normally expressed as “people of Israel.”

An alternative model for these two verses from Bassa in Liberia is:

• 25 A time is coming, and I will punish all people who are circumcised in flesh only. 26 These people are the Egyptians, the people of Judah, the Edomites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, and the people in the desert who cut their hair short. Although all the Israelites are circumcised, their hearts are not circumcised.”

Note that Bassa in Liberia also adds a footnote on the last clause to indicate that it refers to disobedient hearts.

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 .

Translation commentary on Jeremiah 11:7

I solemnly warned translates a Hebrew idiom (literally “warning I warned”), which New English Bible translates “I took pains to warn” and New American Bible “Urgently … I warned.” New International Version apparently combines solemnly warned with persistently and translates “I warned them again and again.” For both Traduction œcuménique de la Bible has “I pleaded … tirelessly I pleaded with them, repeating….”

Even to this day is translated “until this day” by Good News Translation.

As elsewhere, Obey my voice is more naturally rendered “obey me” (Good News Translation).

The whole verse may be restructured slightly as follows:

• For from the time I brought your ancestors out of the land of Egypt until now, I have been constantly urging you to obey me.

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 .

Translation commentary on Jeremiah 12:16

Many translations omit the Hebrew linking word And it shall come to pass. New Revised Standard Version, however, begins “And then.”

If they will diligently learn the ways of my people: See 10.2 for learn the ways of. The Hebrew repeats the verb learn to intensify it, so Revised Standard Version indicates this with diligently. The ways of my people (New Jerusalem Bible “my people’s ways”) refers to the religious practices of the people of Israel. Good News Translation has “the religion of my people” and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “the faith of my people.” In languages where there is no word for “religion,” translators can render this whole clause as “If they will learn to worship me as my people do.”

To swear by my name, ‘As the LORD lives,’: See the comment at 4.2. Here translators can say “if they learn to affirm my existence when they declare what they say is true” or “if it is me they acknowledge when they promise to do what they say.” The sentence could continue “even as in the past they taught my people to declare things true in the name of Baal.” For Baal see 2.8.

They shall be built up in the midst of my people: This contains two promises, prosperity and inclusion as a part of the people of Israel. Thus Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has “then I will make them prosperous and happy and they will live among my people.” Good News Translation renders “then they will also be a part of my people and will prosper.”

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 .

Translation commentary on Jeremiah 14:8

O thou hope of Israel is translated “You are Israel’s only hope” by Good News Translation and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch. Compare 17.13; 50.7. Not all languages make a distinction between hope and faith. In those languages translators can express O thou hope of Israel as “You, the one we place our hope in,” “You who we expect to do for us what we need,” or “You who we expect to save us.”

Only here in the book of Jeremiah is the LORD referred to as Israel’s savior. Both Good News Translation (“you are the one who saves us from disaster”) and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch (“you alone can save us when we are in trouble!”) shift to a verb construction.

A stranger (see 7.6, where it is rendered “alien”) refers to a person who moves from the land of his birth to another land where he has only limited rights. Translators can also say “foreigner.”

Wayfarer (Good News Translation “traveler”) describes a person who is merely traveling through a certain land. Thus the LORD is accused of showing no more interest in what happens to the land than would an alien or a person merely traveling through.

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 .

Translation commentary on Jeremiah 15:18

The word translated pain occurs only here in Jeremiah; the word wound is first used in 6.7.

Incurable and refusing to be healed are essentially identical in meaning here, although the second does intensify the first enough to make it worth trying to retain the two parts. Good News Translation expresses this quite well: “Why are my wounds incurable? Why won’t they heal?”

A deceitful brook is a spring or brook that dries up in the summer and cannot be depended upon for water. In 2.13 the LORD is compared to a “spring of fresh water” (Good News Translation), which means water that may be depended upon. Waters that fail is to be taken as a parallel to a deceitful brook. For the two expressions Good News Translation has “a stream that goes dry in the summer.” But translators can also say “like a stream that goes dry or a spring that stops flowing.” Notice that Good News Translation makes clear the point of the comparison between the LORD and the dried-up stream: “Do you intend to disappoint me like a stream…?”

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 .