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

456 TRANSLATION, NOTES, AND COMMENTS

Catchwords from sub link the expansion to the concluding verses of the

poetic core:

when I restore ... besubf v 23

turnable ............... hassobeba v 22

return .................. subf. .. v 2lc

Return ................ sabz. ..

I do not, however, agree with Leene (1992: 352-55) that vv 23-26 are to be in-

terpreted in light of vv 21-22, i.e., that "the woman who surrounds the man"

(v 22b) is Lady Zion encircling the population of Judah. The connection be-

tween the poetic core and the expansion is simply one of catchwords.

NOTES
31:23. Thus said Yahweh of hosts, God o{Israel. The LXX omits "of hosts, God
of Israel," as elsewhere in Jeremiah (see Appendix VI). 4QJer° partially pre-
serves "of hosts."
Again they shall say this word ... when I restore their fortunes. With Jerusa-
lem and the Temple in ruins, people cannot say the blessing that follows. But
it will be said again one day in the future. For the "I will (surely) restore the(ir)
fortunes" expression, see Note for 29: 14; as a leitmotif for the Book of Restora-
tion, see Rhetoric and Composition for 30:1-3.
May Yahweh bless you, righteous pasture, 0 holy mountain. Hebrew yeba-
rekka yhwh neweh-$edeq har haqqodes. The LXX translates eulogemenos kurios
epi dikaion oros to hagion autou ("Blessed be the Lord on his righteous, holy
mountain"), which bestows the blessing on Yahweh instead of on the holy
mountain (cf. 50:7). It also omits Heb neweh ("pasture"), an omission that can
be attributed to haplography (homoeoteleuton: h ... h). The MT is supported
by Aq, Symm, T, and Vg. This was doubtless a well-known blessing that is here
incorporated into the oracle. Compare the honorific names given to the
Temple in 17: 12, which may be from another well-known liturgy.
righteous pasture. Hebrew neweh-$edek, where naweh is normally the "pas-
ture" in which sheep graze, but in certain cases is applied metaphorically to
the land given to Israel as an inheritance from Yahweh (10:25; 23:3; 50:19).
The pastoral imagery derives ultimately from poems and narrative about the
Exodus and Wilderness Wanderings, especially Exod 15:13, where "your holy
pasture" (neweh qodseka) is a reference to Yahweh's tabernacle. But the "righ-
teous pasture" here is Jerusalem (Calvin), however much the imagery fails to
suit an urban center (cf. Exod 15:17). In 50:7, "The Righteous Pasture" be-
comes an epithet of Yahweh.
0 holy mountain. Or "mountain of the Holy One." Hebrew har haqqodes.
Another honorific title for Jerusalem, the mountain on which Yahweh's holy
Temple stands. This metaphor occurs often in the OT, particularly in First and
Second Isaiah (Isa 11:9; 27:13; 56:7; 57:13; 65:11, 25; 66:20) and the Psalms