188 TRANSLATION, NOTES, AND COMMENTS
chaps. 27-29 (27:10, 14, 15, 16; 28:15; 29:9, 21, 23, 31) means prophesying
peace and security for Judah, disobedience to Nebuchadnezzar, or a speedy
end to the exile of 597 B.C. (Overholt 1970: 29). "Walking (in the way)" has
ethical implications in the OT, referring to one's behavior or conduct, often
routinely or over a period of time (see Note for 6: 16). In the present case, the
Yahweh prophets of Jerusalem are walking the way of false prophesy.
they even strengthened the hands of evildoers. If the prophets of Samaria led
people astray, and they did, these prophets accelerate covenant disobedience
by encouraging evildoers and making them stronger. Compare 2:33; also Ezek
13:22, where the same idiom occurs. On the idiom "to strengthen (weak)
hand(s)," see also Judg 9:24 (for evil); 1 Sam 23:16 (for good); Isa 35:3 (for
good); and Job 4:3 (for good).
so that no person turned from his evil. Hebrew lebiltf-sabu is grammatically
dubious because of the perfect verb (so GKC § 15 2x). Duhm therefore emends
with LXX's apostraphenai ("turned back") to the infinitive sub (cf. Ezek 13:22);
Ehrlich (1912: 303) emends to yasubU, supposing that a yod was lost through
haplography. But see lebiltf-be/u in 27: 18 (cf. GKC §720; 76g). Jeremiah is say-
ing that the prophets are preventing the very thing they should be working to
achieve, i.e., turning people away from evil. But instead they encourage evil-
doers, if not by word, then by example.
All of them. I.e., all people generally.
Sodom ... Gomorrah. Reference is to the people of Sodom and the people
of Gomorrah (Kiml:ii), who are cited here because of wicked behavior that be-
came proverbial (Genesis 18-19). The wicked cities actually numbered five:
Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Zoar (Gen 14:2, 8; Wis Sol 10:6),
with only Zoar escaping the divine wrath (Gen 19:21-22; cf. Deut 29:22[Eng
29:23]). Sodom and Gomorrah are referred to again in 49:18 and 50:40, an-
other time by implication in 20: 16, and they serve as background for Jeremiah's
dialogue over the fate of Jerusalem in 5: 1-8. Repeated mention of the cities by
other prophets (Isa 1:9-10; 3:9; 13:19; Amos 4:11; Hos 11:8; Zeph 2:9; Ezek
16:46-52) and in the NT (Matt IO: 15; 11:23-24; 2 Pet 2:6; Jude 7; Rev 11:8) in-
dicates that just the mention of their names was tantamount to issuing a curse
(Hillers 1964: 74-76). Not only was their wickedness proverbial, but so also was
the fiery judgment meted out to them (see Note for 20:16).
and her inhabitants. I.e., Jerusalem's inhabitants.
- Yahweh of hosts. The LXX lacks "of hosts," as it frequently does. Rofe
(1991) thinks ?ifba>ot ("hosts") is an LXX deletion in the Jeremiah book, but
Janzen (1973) and others take it to be an MT expansion. The LXX does trans-
late the term on occasion (see Appendix VI for the distribution).
concerning the prophets. I.e., the prophets of Jerusalem, on whom the judg-
ment will fall. The LXX also omits these words; T expands to "prophets of false-
hood," as elsewhere.
Look I will feed them wormwood and will make them drink poisoned water. The
same food and drink will be served to the people as a whole in the coming judg-
ment (see Note for 9:14[15]). A poisoned-water curse is included in an
