Disaster is the same noun rendered “destruction” in 4.6. Disaster follows hard on disaster (Good News Translation “One disaster follows another”) is more literally “Disaster meets disaster.” The intent of the statement is to indicate a continuing chain of disasters, which follow swiftly one after the other. In languages where it is not possible for a word like disaster to be the subject of a word like follows, translators can say something like “One terrible thing after another happens!”

The whole land refers to the land of Israel.

Is laid waste translates the same verb rendered “are ruined” in verse 13. It also appears as “are destroyed” in the next line of this verse. Translators can say either “the whole land is destroyed” or “everything in the land is destroyed.”

My curtains may be used either as a parallel to tents (New American Bible “my shelters”; New Jerusalem Bible “all that sheltered me”) or as curtains on the inside of the tent (Good News Translation “their curtains”) or as a type of cover or awning which went over the tent itself (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “tent awnings”; “their coverings”). Another interpretation is that the tents and curtains here stand for the Temple, and that the people are lamenting its destruction. Following this interpretation, translators can say something like “Suddenly and in an instant our tent and its curtains are destroyed.” Following the interpretation of Good News Translation, however, translators could produce a rendering like “The tents that shelter us are suddenly destroyed; even the curtains are gone in an instant.”

In context the singular pronouns my … my are best understood in a collective sense of the whole people; note “our … our” (Moffatt) and “our tents” (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 .

Fear (see also verse 24) was previously used in 1.8; 3.8. See the comment there.

Says the LORD: See 1.8.

Tremble translates the same verb used in verse 3, where it is rendered “felt … anguish”; elsewhere in Jeremiah it is found in 4.19, 31; 51.29 (in which passages Revised Standard Version usually has “writhe in pain”). The basic meaning is “have labor pains” or “tremble.” If the cause of the trembling is not clear from the context, translators can say “tremble [or, shake] with terror.” Before me can be “in my presence.”

It should be noticed that me (in both of its occurrences) appears in the emphatic position in the Hebrew sentence structure.

Most translations prefer to retain the rhetorical question form (Do you not … Do you not…?), but Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch shifts to a statement: “ ‘You should have taken me seriously,’ says the Lord; ‘you should have trembled and shaken before me.’ ” Good News Translation rephrases the questions: “why don’t you fear me? Why don’t you tremble before me?” Likewise the second question could be “Don’t you tremble in my presence?” or “Why don’t you tremble in my presence?”

A perpetual barrier is translated “a permanent boundary” by Good News Translation and “an everlasting barrier” by New Jerusalem Bible.

In Hebrew the remainder of the verbs in this verse (pass … toss … prevail … roar … pass over) are in the plural. Revised Standard Version takes the sea as the subject of the first of these verbs (which it cannot pass) with the waves as the subject of the remaining verbs. This may be done on the assumption that the understood subject of the verb pass would actually be “the waters of the sea.” Good News Translation also makes the sea the subject of the verbs toss and prevail (Good News Translation “go beyond”). Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch translates I placed … over it as “I have given the sea a boundary which it can never go beyond. This boundary is nothing more than sand, but all of its roaring and tossing does no good: it cannot cross over it.” Another way to say it is “I placed the sand as a boundary for the sea. It is a permanent boundary, and even though the waves roar and beat against it, they can’t go beyond it or break through 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 .

In translation it is important to identify the persons who are speaking: “The inhabitants of Jerusalem say…” (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch).

The report of it is translated “the news” by Good News Translation and “what threatens us” by Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch.

The expression our hands fall helpless contrasts with the firm grip on their weapons that the enemy has in the previous verse. “Our hands become weak” or “Our hands hang helpless at our sides” may give the picture.

Anguish and pain are two different ways of describing the same experience. It may not be possible in some languages to say anguish has taken hold of us, and so we may need to translate the last two lines as follows: “we are in great pain, like a woman in labor” or “we hurt as much as a woman who is about to give birth to a child.” See 4.31, where the same image of a woman in childbirth is used along with the word anguish.

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 .

Some translators render This is the nation with second person: “You are the nation.” Others will use indirect discourse, as in Good News Translation “You will tell them that their nation does not obey me.” The problem is that God is addressing Jeremiah and telling him what he should say to the people of Israel, and referring to them in third person (This is the nation) at that. Translators should use whatever structures in their language would keep clear who is speaking to who, and about who.

As elsewhere, obey the voice of the LORD their God can be “obey the LORD their God.” For LORD their God, see 2.17.

The term discipline is first used in 2.30, where it is translated “correction” by Revised Standard Version. Here New Jerusalem Bible translates did not accept discipline as “nor take correction” and New English Bible has “nor accept correction.” The reference is to the things that the LORD has done to the people of Israel to awaken them to their need for reform, and so Good News Translation translates “or learn from their punishment.”

Truth: See the comment at 5.1. For truth has perished, Good News Translation has “Faithfulness is dead.” If this image would be difficult for readers, translators can say “there is no more faithfulness [or, honesty].” The meaning of it is cut off from their lips is not entirely clear. Good News Translation has “No longer is it even talked about”; but it could mean that the people don’t even pretend to be honest or faithful, as in the idiomatic expression “they don’t even pay it lip service.”

In Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch the order of the last two clauses is reversed: “No longer do you even talk about truth, it is dead!”

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 .

Therefore thus (Good News Translation “Because of this”) represents a way of drawing a strong conclusion on the basis of what was previously said.

The LORD of hosts: See the comment at 2.19. See also 2.2 for thus says the LORD.

For behold see 1.6.

The verb refine was used earlier in 6.29. Test was used earlier in 6.27, where it is rendered “assayer” and “assay.” Refine has the idea of making something pure. In the case of metals, this is generally accomplished by fire. Thus translators have sometimes used “purify,” sometimes “purify in fire.” However, in this context with test, translators try to convey the idea that the LORD will test his people with fire, that is, with affliction: “I will test them with fire” or “As fire refines metal, I will test these people with affliction.”

The LORD asks for what else can I do? This question is not asking for an answer; it is, rather, stating “There is nothing else I can do with these people,” which is what some translations have said in languages where the question would be misunderstood.

Because of my people translates a Hebrew idiom, which is literally “from the face of the house of my people.” Here it is equivalent to “because of what my people have done” or “because of the evil things that my people have done.”

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 .

Within this hymn of praise, verses 14-15 portray the foolishness of idolatry and the shame experienced by those persons who trust in idols. Good News Translation makes it clear that it is in contrast with or in light of God’s power that all people are so stupid, beginning the verse with “At the sight of this, men feel stupid and senseless.” Translators could also say “But as for people, they are all stupid.”

Every man should not be limited to males. “Every person” is certainly acceptable.

Is stupid is the same verb used in verse 8. Without knowledge is literally “without knowing,” an infinitive form made from the verb “know” (see 1.5). Often translators use a verb to express this: “Everyone is stupid and knows nothing.” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch translates this first clause as a separate sentence: “No one can understand, at this everyone is speechless with astonishment.”

Every goldsmith is translated “those who make idols” by Good News Translation; Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch is similar.

Put to shame describes the disappointment that results when a person trusts in the power and strength of idols. Thus Good News Translation translates “are disillusioned.”

It is important to structure the sentence so that it is clear that his idols refers to the idols the goldsmith makes, not the ones he worships. Likewise, his images refers to the images of gods or idols he makes, not to images of himself. The root meaning of the word is “to melt, to cast,” and thus refers to an idol made out of metal that was melted and cast into the shape of the god it represents.

False (a word used a number of times in different contexts in Jeremiah) is here best understood in the sense of “unreal”; Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch and Bright have “a fraud.”

No breath in them means “lifeless” (Good News Translation); Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has “there is no breath of life in them” and Luther 1984 renders “they have no life.”

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 .

Verse 21 begins with Therefore thus says the LORD and verse 22 opens with “therefore thus says the LORD of hosts.” Because of this Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch places verses 21-22 together and translates the clause only once. Good News Translation handles the matter in a slightly different way. Since the LORD does not actually speak until verse 22, Good News Translation omits Therefore thus says the LORD from verse 21 and begins verse 22 with “So the LORD Almighty said….” Verse 21 could also be restructured like this: “The people of Anathoth want me dead, and have said, ‘Don’t speak any more in the name of the LORD or we will kill you.’ Therefore this is what the LORD says about them.”

For thus says the LORD, see 2.2.

Men of Anathoth: See 1.1 for Anathoth. The text has men, but it would be perfectly acceptable to say “people” since there is no reason to believe that it was only the men who wanted to kill Jeremiah.

Who seek your life is more literally “who seek your soul,” but “soul” is here equivalent to “life” or “yourself.” Translators usually say something like “who want to have you killed” or “who want to kill you.”

Prophesy in the name of the LORD means “speak in the name of the LORD” or “speak with the LORD’s authority.” We may even translate Do not prophesy in the name of the LORD as “Do not claim to speak with the LORD’s authority.”

You will die by our hand is a Hebrew way of saying “we will kill you.”

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 .

Good News Translation reverses the order of the two lines here and identifies the persons addressed: “People of Israel.”

Hear is equivalent to give ear, and so the two commands may be translated as one: “listen” (Good News Translation). But it is also possible to say “Listen and pay attention.”

Be not proud is translated as a positive command in Good News Translation: “Be humble.” Of course, translators may also retain the negative: “Don’t be proud!” The command is not against pride in general, but in this context it carries the specific sense of “Don’t be too proud to listen [to 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 .