592 TRANSLATION, NOTES, AND COMMENTSancient Israel, see Hyatt 1943; G. R. Driver 1976; and the articles "Writing and
Writing Materials" in IDB R-Z, 909-21; and ABD 6: 999-1008. Egyptian
scribes are pictured seated or squatting, with a sheet of papyrus or other writing
material in one hand and a pen in the other; some are shown writing at desks
(Hyatt 1943: 71; J. A. Wilson 1965: fig. 5c; ANEP^2 72-73 ##230-32, 275-76;
IDB R-Z, 920). An Assyrian scribe on an early eighth-century B.C. wall paint-
ing is seen writing in a standing position with a brush on skin or papyrus
(ANEP^2 74 ##235, 276; IDB R-Z, 919). And a relief of Tiglath-pileser III from
Calah depicts two Assyrian scribes wriliug while standing as an Assyrian officer
reads a list of war booty from a tablet. The one scribe holds a roll of papyrus or
leather in his left hand, and in his right hand is a pen (Hyatt 1943: 73; G. R.
Driver 1976: plate 23 #2).- And Jeremiah commanded Baruch, saying: 'I am under restraint; I am not
able to enter the house of Yahweh.' It is usually assumed that Jeremiah is pre-
vented, probably by Temple priests, from entering the Temple area because of
his earlier preaching that necessitated a trial (chap. 26), or because of the
incident with Pashhur, which landed him overnight in the stocks (20: 1-6).
Duhm's suggestion that he was ritually impure should be discounted. Hebrew
anf <arur ("I am under restraint"), the LXX rendering ego phulassomai ("I am
under guard"), and the rendering of Aq and Symm, sunechomai ("I am con-
strained"), could all mean that Jeremiah deems a Temple visit unwise because
he will be under surveillance. The T has "I am shut up," which was carried
over into the AV but is widely rejected. Rashi, no doubt also following T, thinks
Jeremiah is in jail (cf. 33: 1; 39: 15), a view that does not find favor with Calvin.
The "I am in hiding" of NJV is also dubious, for Jeremiah is not known to have
gone into hiding until the next year (36: 19, 26). Calvin believes that Jeremiah
was prevented from entering the Temple by God, though he admits that hu-
man impediments may still have existed. He compares the restraint here to
what was later imposed on Paul and his traveling party when they were forbid-
den to go to Bithynia (Acts 16:7). So whether the restraint comes from God or
the Temple authorities, whether imposed by others or self-imposed-the point
is that Jeremiah finds himself unable to go to the Temple. Baruch, therefore,
must go in his stead.
And Jeremiah commanded Baruch. The verb ~wh ("command"), which oc-
curs again in v 8, is strong, but Jeremiah can and does command action from
others (51:59; cf. 27:4). Baruch here is in Jeremiah's employ, as also in 32:13, so
Jeremiah has the right to give him orders.
- So you, you shall enter. Hebrew uba>ta >atta. The LXX omits, which is
likely due to haplography (homoeoarcton: w ... w, or homoeoteleuton: h ... h).
Janzen ( 1973: 119) takes the minus as a possible haplography. Giesebrecht too
says the LXX omission is unjustified, noting that the words are present in CL, S,
T, and Vg. They should therefore be retained with MT (pace McKane).
and you shall read aloud ... you shall read them aloud. The prose has a chi-
asmus in the Hebrew where, as in much of the Jeremiah poetry, the verbs are
at the extremes: