Translation commentary on Jeremiah 20:9

If I say can be “If I say to myself” or “If I tell myself.”

I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name: The pronouns him and his refer to the LORD, as Good News Translation makes clear. Mention renders a verb that normally means “remember” (Revised English Bible “call … to mind”; New Jerusalem Bible “think about”), which is the basis for the Good News Translation rendering of not mention him as “forget the LORD.” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has “no more think about God.” Speak … in his name may be rendered either “speak in his behalf” or “speak on his authority.”

There is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones is rendered “your message is like a fire burning deep within me” by Good News Translation and “your word burns within me as a fire” by Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch. Both of these translations take in my heart and in my bones as referring to the innermost part of a person. The text does not say what a burning fire is, but the context makes it clear that it is the message the LORD has given Jeremiah to deliver. Many translators will follow Good News Translation in this with “your message is like a fire.”

I am weary with holding it in is translated “I try my best to hold it in” by Good News Translation and “I muster up all my strength in order to hold it back” by Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch (compare 6.11). In verse 7 Jeremiah said the LORD was too strong for him. Here he acknowledges that even the LORD’s word is too strong for him.

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 22:11

Shallum the son of Josiah, king of Judah, who reigned instead of Josiah his father: The identification of Shallum (Joahaz) is expressed much more clearly by Good News Translation than by Revised Standard Version. For one thing, “Josiah” is not repeated. Nevertheless, many translations leave Shallum in the text and refer to the name Joahaz in a footnote (New International Version, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). We recommend this solution.

Who went away from this place: See above; he was taken away into Egypt. Most versions retain went away; but because he did not go voluntarily, it is more accurate to say “is no longer here” (Bible en français courant) or “was led [or, taken] away from here.”

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 23:14

But at the beginning of the verse marks a contrast or comparison with verse 13. The function of this verse is to indicate that the prophets of Jerusalem (representing Judah) were worse than the prophets of Samaria (representing Israel). That is why Good News Translation translates the first two lines as “But I have seen the prophets in Jerusalem do even worse.” New Living Translation has “But now I see that the prophets of Jerusalem are even worse!”

A horrible thing could also be expressed as “do something horrible.”

They commit adultery is most likely to be understood literally in the present context, but being unfaithful to God by worshiping other gods is also a possible meaning. Translators can follow either.

Walk in lies is more naturally expressed as “tell lies” (Good News Translation); New English Bible has “hypocrites that they are.” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch uses two verbs (“they lie and deceive”), which constitutes a play on words. One commentator proposes that walk in lies can mean to serve Baal, in the sense of follow the course of worshiping him. In that case, “practice what is a lie” and “follow what is a lie” are possible translations.

They strengthen the hands of evildoers is rendered “They encourage evildoers” by Revised English Bible and “siding with the wicked” by New American Bible. Luther 1984 renders “they strengthen the wicked” and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “They strengthen unscrupulous people in the things that they do.” Translators can say “they encourage people to do evil.”

So that no one turns from his wickedness can be “so that no one gives up his evil ways [or, stops doing evil].” Compare 18.8.

All of them have become like Sodom to me and … Gomorrah: The context indicates the meaning to be “To me they are all as bad as the people of Sodom and Gomorrah” (Good News Translation). Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch translates this last part of the verse as “In my eyes these prophets are just as depraved as the people of Sodom, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem as the people of Gomorrah!” Sodom and Gomorrah were the cities that the LORD destroyed because of their evil (see Gen 18.20; 19.24-25).

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 24:6

I will set my eyes upon them for good is rendered “I will watch over them” by Good News Translation and “I will look after them for their good” by New American Bible. An American Translation has “I will look with friendly eyes upon them.”

Build them up, and not tear them down … plant them, and not uproot them: See 1.10, where the same verbs are used. (In that verse uproot was translated “pluck up,” and tear … down as “overthrow.”) Note also 12.14-17; 31.27-28.

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 25:35

In Hebrew this verse is more literally “And refuge will be destroyed from the shepherds and escape from the mighty ones of the flock.” Since both shepherds and lords of the flock were mentioned in verse 34, Good News Translation translates verse 35 as “There will be no way for you to escape.” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has “For the shepherds of the people there is no escape.”

If translators want to retain two parallel lines, they can have something such as the following:

• The hiding place of the leaders is destroyed,
and every escape route of the rulers of my people is blocked.

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 27:6

Now I: In Hebrew the pronoun I is emphatic.

I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar: These lands (see verse 3) here means “your countries.” As Good News Translation makes clear, giving the lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar means placing all those nations under his power or control. See 12.7.

Not all cultures are familiar with servants, so that my servant may have to be “who is serving me” or “who is doing what I want done.” See 25.9.

The beasts of the field; that is, “the wild animals” (Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, New International Version). In order to emphasize the absolute authority with which Nebuchadnezzar rules, Good News Translation renders “even the wild animals.”

For serve see 2.20.

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 29:3

The letter was sent by the hand of Elasah … and Gemariah …: This is equivalent in meaning to “Elasah … and Gemariah … took the letter….” Since these persons were actually merely the carriers of the letter, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch renders “Jeremiah sent the letter through Elasah … and Gemariah … who had been sent by King Zedekiah to Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon.” Another good way to express this is “Jeremiah [or, I] gave the letter to … to carry….” Nothing further is known of Elasah and Gemariah (not the Gemariah of Jer 36.10-12, 25). King of Babylon refers to the king of the country Babylonia, not just the city Babylon.

The sentence may be too long for some languages. Translators may find the text is clearer for readers if they use more than one sentence, as in “Jeremiah gave the letter to Elasah son of Shaphan and to Gemariah son of Hilkiah so they could carry it. King Zedekiah of Judah sent them to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia.”

It said is rendered “The letter read as follows” by Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch. It is also possible to say “This is what the letter said” or “This is what Jeremiah wrote [in the letter].”

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 30:6 - 30:7

Ask now, and see serves as a literary device to draw attention to the question that follows. In many instances a literal translation will be misleading, and some languages may even require an indication of the person asked. Good News Translation attempts to express the literary function of the two imperatives by rendering “Now stop and think!”

Can a man bear a child?: This is made a little simpler in Good News Translation (“Can a man give birth to a child?”), since there is a slight possibility that the verb “bear” could be understood with the meaning “endure.” The question is rhetorical; the answer is obviously “No.” In some languages a statement would be more natural: “No man can give birth to a child!” In others, the natural way to express this would be “A man can’t give birth [to a child], can he?”

Loins is the rendering of most translations, though Revised English Bible (“every man gripping his sides”) and Good News Translation (“with his hands on his stomach”) attempt more contemporary usage. The word rendered loins does in fact refer to the portion of the body between the ribs and the hip bones, and the context would seem to point to a man’s stomach, which would be the equivalent position of a woman’s womb.

Why has every face turned pale? Alas! represents the standard Hebrew text. By a slight change in the Hebrew, Alas may be made to read “They are.” If this change is made, then the last part of verse 6 and the first word in verse 7 would be rendered “Why has every face changed, turned pale?” (Jerusalem Bible) or “every face changed, all turned pale?” (New English Bible). Hebrew Old Testament Text Project recommends the form of the text reflected in Revised Standard Version and concludes that the other represents a simplification of the Hebrew text, probably resulting from a misunderstanding of the grammatical construction. Most translators will follow this decision and place Alas! at the beginning of verse 7. In 22.13 this word was rendered “Woe.” However, here it is really an interjection, expressing grief or sorrow. Translators can have “How terrible!”

Note that Good News Translation renders Why has every face turned pale? as “Why is everyone so pale?” The expression refers to the way someone might look if they were in sudden great pain and the blood left their head. Bible en français courant has “[Why …] pale as death and with an expression of defeat?”

So great translates the Hebrew adjective “great,” which in the context would seem to have the meaning “awful” (Revised English Bible) or “terrible” (Good News Translation).

There is none like it translates a Hebrew idiomatic expression, which Revised English Bible very effectively changes into a question, “when has there been its like?” Bright renders “Beyond all compare!” The description of the coming day as one of judgment is a characteristic feature of those prophets who came before Jeremiah (Amos 5.18-20; Isa 2.12-21; Zeph 1.7-11, 14-18). It is sometimes best to express the meaning of the first two lines of verse 7 with a sentence such as “A day [or, time] is coming that will be more terrible than any other.”

It is a time of distress for Jacob: Distress translates the noun rendered “anguish” in 4.31. Jacob is here used of the people of Israel (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “the descendants of Jacob”; Good News Translation “my people”). This clause can also be expressed as “At that time the people of Israel will be in great distress.”

Since Jacob is a collective noun, yet he shall be saved out of it may be rendered as a plural: “yet they will be saved from this distress!” (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch).

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 .