Jeremiah 21-36 A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary by (Anchor Yale Bible Commentaries)

160 TRANSLATION, NOTES, AND COMMENTS

Both ML and MP have another setumah after v 29, which is probably guided by

the messenger formula in v 30 but does not further divide the oracle. J. W.

Olley ( 1998: 115) in a study on Isaiah section markings concludes that their lo-

cation is often guided by messenger formulas in the text (i.e., "Thus said Yah-

weh" and "oracle of Yahweh") or where Yahweh begins speaking in the first

person, which corroborates my own judgments regarding the location of sec-

tion markings in the book of Jeremiah. Olley suggests that these locations may

relate to ancient liturgical usage, which is certainly a possibility.

The oracle here is generally agreed to be poetry (pace BHS, NEB, and

REB), which divides into three stanzas forming a line count of: 2: 1 :2. For other

Jeremiah oracles with short centers, see 5:15-17; 8:13-17; and 8:18-21. The

key word structure of this oracle is the following:

v 28

this man ...................

..... he and his offspring ....

..... a land ...................

II Land, Land, Land v 29

III ....... this man ................ v 30

..... from his offspring ........

a man ............................

Here both speakers and audiences change, making another Jeremiah dialogue

poem enriched by drama. Apostrophe is also in evidence, as the audiences in

vv 29-30 are imaginary:

I Jeremiah addresses an unidentified audience

II Jeremiah addresses the "land"

III Yahweh addresses imaginary scribes

v 28

v 29

v 30

Hyatt and Holladay think that v 28 is spoken by the people, but Berridge ( 1970:
179) takes the verse to be a lament of the prophet. In Berridge's view vv 29-30
are Yahweh's response, presumably because v 29 contains "Hear the word of
Yahweh" and v 30 has an introductory "Thus said Yahweh." In my view v 30
with its messenger formula is Yahweh's word, but v 29 is the voice of Jeremiah.
Catchwords connecting to the oracle preceding:

v 28 Coniah

are they thrown

vv 28-29 land ( 4x)

v 24 Coniah

v 26 I will throw you

land (2x)