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

214 TRANSLATION, NOTES, AND COMMENTS

by itself, occurs in the poetry of 50:5; 2) "reproach" (~erpa) is a common Jere-

mianic term; and 3) "disgrace" (in the form kelimma) occurs three other times

in Jeremianic poetry and prose (see Notes). There is no reason based on lan-

guage to assign vv 34-40 to an author in the postexilic period. Further, alterna-

tion of speaker and audience occurs throughout the discourse of Jeremiah and

is not to be wondered at. The only verb out of the ordinary here is the second

person singular imperfect in v 37, to>mar, which can-and in this case

should-be translated impersonally (see Notes). Other shifts between singular

and plural verbs make perfectly good sense once the discourses are rightly as-

sessed. As for the claim that vv 34-40 do not breathe the spirit of Jeremiah, this

is "psychologizing" of the same sort used to deny the Sabbath day prophecy in

17: 19-27 to Jeremiah (see Rhetoric and Composition there) and should not

influence exegesis in the way that it has in the past.

The present unit consists of two basic discourses:

I Yahweh giving Jeremiah an oracle for the people

II Jeremiah giving the people this oracle and another

vv 33-34

vv 35-40

In Discourse I, Yahweh is seen to be the speaker on the basis of the judgment
statements "and I will cast you off" (wenataStf) and "yes, I will reckon
(upaqadtf) against that person and against his house." Jeremiah is seen to be
the addressee because of the singular verbal suffix on "asks you" (yis>aleka) and
the singular verb "then you shall say" (we>amarta). The oracle is destined for a
multiple audience because of the plural pronouns "to them" ('alehem) and
"you" ('etkem).
In Discourse II, Jeremiah is the speaker because of the inclusive "our God"
('elohenu) in v 36. A multiple audience is addressed because of the plural "you
shall say" ( to>meru ) in v 3 5; the plural "you shall not remember" (lo> tizkeru)
and plural "you pervert" (hapaktem) in v 36; and the plural "you say" (to>meru)
beginning v 38. Plural verbs and pronouns continue in the divine oracle of
vv 38-40. The second-singular imperfect in v 37, to>mar, states a general prin-
ciple: "you say" or "one shall say."
The first discourse (vv 33-34) contains this structured repetition:

Now when this people or the prophet or a priest asks you:

'What is the burden of Yahweh?'

So the prophet or the priest or the people who says,

'the burden of Yahweh' ...

v 33

v 34

The second discourse (vv 35-40) also has a nicely balanced key word structure:

II Thus you shall say ... 'What has Yahweh answered?' or

'What has Yahweh spoken?'

So you shall say ... 'What has Yahweh answered you?' or

'What has Yahweh spoken?'

v 35

v 37