Translation commentary on Jeremiah 25:31

The clamor will resound to the ends of the earth is best taken as a continuation of the imagery in verse 30. Note Good News Translation “Everyone on earth will hear him, 31 and the sound will echo to the ends of the earth.” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has “It resounds across the land as the shout of people treading grapes, and it reaches all nations, to the circle of the earth!” The expression ends of the earth simply means “everywhere on earth.” Translators should use whatever expression or idiom has that meaning in their language, as in “The noise will be heard everywhere on earth” or “People everywhere on earth will be able to hear the noise.”

The remainder of verse 31 is in the form of a court scene in which the LORD puts the nations on trial and punishes those who are guilty (compare 2.9-13).

Indictment can be translated as “lawsuit” or “case” (Good News Translation). For has an indictment against, New International Version has “will bring charges against.”

Entering into judgment with: This means, as in Good News Translation, “bring to trial.” In 2.35 the same word was translated “bring to judgment.” Some versions have “argue his case.”

All flesh refers to “all people.”

In this context put to the sword is the equivalent of “put … to death” (Good News Translation).

Says the LORD: See 1.8.

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 27:2

Thus the LORD said to me: This repeats information from the end of the previous verse, and may be omitted (see Good News Translation).

Thongs and yoke-bars: The thongs (leather straps) were used for tying the wooden crossbars together. As for yoke-bars, see the discussion on “yoke” under the section heading. Here translators can have something like “wooden bars for an ox [or, animal] so it can pull a cart.” For an illustration of a yoke, 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 28:16

For Behold see 1.6.

To remove … from the face of the earth is a strong way of saying that the LORD will cause Hananiah to die, as the rest of the verse makes quite clear. Translators can use whatever expression is natural in their language.

You shall die: The pronoun you is emphatic in Hebrew, but this cannot always be expressed in translation.

You have uttered rebellion against the LORD: The underlying construction is expressed by Good News Translation as “you have told the people to rebel against the LORD,” and by Bible en français courant as “you have encouraged the people to oppose the Lord.”

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 30:1

This verse duplicates 7.1.

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 31:13

Maidens is literally “virgins,” here referring to the unmarried girls of the Jewish community. See 2.32.

Shall be merry translates the Septuagint rather than the standard Hebrew text, which would mean “also” or “together with them.” There is actually very little difference in meaning with the overall meaning of the first two lines in view.

Good News Translation restructures the last two lines slightly to give a more natural rendering, moving the clause I will comfort them to the beginning of the sentence.

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 32:5

Until I visit him is ambiguous in Hebrew. Normally the verb visit would have a positive sense (“intervene on his behalf”), but the present context seems to be negative (Good News Translation “until I deal with him” and New American Bible “until I attend to him”). This clause, together with the rest of the verse, is omitted from the Septuagint.

Says the LORD: See 1.8.

The Revised Standard Version text places a question mark at the end of the verse, since this is the end of the long question of Zedekiah begun in verse 3 with “Why do you prophesy.” Most translators will have broken this passage up into two or more shorter sentences, perhaps beginning with a question such as “Why have you delivered this kind of message from the LORD?” and following with “You say that he declares that he will deliver this city into the power of the king of Babylon….” In some languages it will be natural to then end this verse by repeating the accusation: “Why have you said all this, Jeremiah?”

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 32:38

They shall be my people, and I will be their God: See 7.23; 11.4; 24.7; 30.22; 31.33.

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 34:2

Thus says the LORD: See 2.2. Since there are several layers of discourse introduced in this verse, translators should be careful to select forms (whether direct or indirect) which are most acceptable in their languages.

Zedekiah: See 1.3; he is mentioned numerous times in the book.

For Behold see 1.6.

This city; that is, Jerusalem.

The expression into the hand of means “into the power [or, control] of.” See 12.7.

He shall burn it with fire: In order to avoid the redundancy and to do what is more natural for English speakers, New Jerusalem Bible and Good News Translation render “he will burn it down.” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch chooses a form that it natural and idiomatic for German speakers: “he will set fire to it.”

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 .