Translation commentary on Jeremiah 26:17

Elders of the land is rendered “elders” by Good News Translation, though most translations retain the full form. In 19.1 “elders of the people” is used and in 29.1 “elders of the exiles.” In each instance the reference is to persons who because of their age and status in the community were the recognized leaders.

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 28:7

This word which I speak may be more naturally expressed as “what I say” (Good News Translation).

In your hearing and in the hearing of all the people may be expressed more simply as “to you and to the people” (Good News Translation) or “to you and the people.”

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 29:22

Because of them this curse shall be used by all the exiles translates the Hebrew “And a curse will be taken from them for all exiles.” Good News Translation restructures: “When the people who were taken away as prisoners … want to bring a curse on someone, they will say….” The word here rendered curse (see also 24.9; 25.18; 26.6; 42.18; 44.8, 12, 22; 49.13) is different from that of verse 18, though the meaning is essentially the same.

Make you like means “treat you like” (Revised English Bible, Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible).

Roasted is used in a participial form in Lev 2.14 and Josh 5.11 of grain (Revised Standard Version “parched”). Elsewhere in the Old Testament the verb is found only in Psa 38.7, with the meaning “burning [of fever].” In some languages translators will say “burned” or “burned to death.”

Instead of using a pronoun like the English relative whom, some translators will begin a new sentence: “… like Zedekiah and Ahab. The king of Babylonia burned them to death.”

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 31:4

A note in Traduction œcuménique de la Bible indicates that build here has a double meaning: (1) as God originally “built” a woman (Gen 2.22), so now he will build the virgin Israel into a complete individual; (2) it also refers to the reconstruction of the nation. “Restore,” “reestablish” or “rebuild” are the most common expressions of this sense.

The verse goes on with and you shall be built, an example of parallelism that Good News Translation finds redundant and drops. For the first two lines New Jerusalem Bible has “I shall build you once more, yes, you will be rebuilt, Virgin of Israel!” Another possibility is “I will establish you again. Yes, beloved Israel, once more you will be established.”

Virgin: See our discussion of “virgin daughter of my people” in 14.17. For virgin Israel, both Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch and Bible en français courant render with the equivalent of “beloved Israel.” Good News Translation simply uses the second person pronoun “you,” but this loses the note of endearment.

Again you shall adorn yourself with timbrels: A literal rendering of this may be misleading, since timbrels (“tambourines”) were not actually worn as a part of a woman’s clothing or ornamentation, though the rendering of New English Bible “Again you shall adorn yourself with jingles” may seem to suggest this. Note, however, that Revised English Bible has “Again you will provide yourself with tambourines.” New Jerusalem Bible has “Once more in your best attire, and with your tambourines.” Perhaps the best model, however, is Good News Translation “Once again you will take up your tambourines.”

Timbrels or “tambourines” are musical instruments that can be used for joyful dancing. They were a frame with skin stretched across them much like a small drum. There were jingles attached also. If there is no instrument similar in their culture, translators can consider using a more general term such as “musical instruments [for dancing].”

Merrymakers translates the same participle used in 30.19. Good News Translation renders the last part of this verse as “and dance joyfully.”

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 31:36

If this fixed order departs from before me: Although this expression is natural in Hebrew, it is very uncommon for most other languages. Traduction œcuménique de la Bible renders “If I should lose control of this order” and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh “If these laws should ever be annulled by Me.” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch very effectively restructures the verse:

• Just as I will make certain that these ordinances are never annulled, so I will make certain that Israel will exist and be my people for all time.

Revised English Bible is similar, and also a good model:

• Israel could no more cease to be a nation in my sight, says the LORD, than could this fixed order vanish before my eyes.

Another possibility is:

• It is just as unlikely that I will allow this regular order of things to cease as for me to allow Israel to stop existing as a nation.

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 32:28

Thus says the LORD: See 2.2.

For Behold see 1.6.

I am giving this city into the hands of the Chaldeans and into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon: Good News Translation understands the Chaldeans as the equivalent of Nebuchadnezzar’s army, and so renders “I am going to give this city over to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia and his army.” If translators do not do something similar to this, it may seem to readers that the LORD is giving the city over to two different groups. Once again Good News Translation uses the more familiar “Nebuchadnezzar,” where the Hebrew text has the alternative Nebuchadrezzar. See 21.2.

The event described in these verses is recorded in chapter 52 as well as in 2Kgs 25.1-11; 2Chr 36.17-21.

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 33:19

See 1.4 and also 32.1, 6, 26; 33.1.

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 35:4

The house of the LORD is the temple.

Hanan is mentioned only here in the Old Testament; his sons would have been his “disciples” (Good News Translation, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, Bible en français courant).

Man of God is frequently used to refer to a prophet (see 1Kgs 12.22; 17.18, 24, and especially 1Kgs 20.28, where the title refers to the prophet of 1Kgs 20.13, 22). Good News Translation and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch each have “prophet,” while Bible en français courant has “holy man.” Note that it is Hanan who is the man of God. In the text it could appear that it is Igdaliah, but this seems incorrect.

For princes see 1.18.

For Maaseiah see 21.1; 29.25. Keeper of the threshold is a literal rendering of the Hebrew text, followed by most translations. Translators can say something like “the person in charge of the main doorways [or, entrances] of the temple.” Good News Translation “important official” is based on the observation that three priests are mentioned as responsible for this position (2 Kgs 25.18; Jer 52.24), and that during the time of the reconstruction of the temple they were in charge of the financial contributions (2 Kgs 12.9). It is thought by some that each of these priests would have been in charge of one of the three main entrances to the temple.

Good News Translation has made this verse considerably easier to follow by restructuring it as several shorter sentences.

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 .