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

180 TRANSLATION, NOTES, AND COMMENTS

Berridge 1970: 181), of which there are many examples in chaps 11-20. Jere-

miah then is speaker of the confession and Yahweh speaker of the two oracles

(Weiser; Rudolph; Holladay). Yahweh is not the speaking voice in v 11 (pace

Kraus 1964: 29; Bright; Boadt). The whole is a familiar Jeremiah-type dialogue,

where Jeremiah unburdens himself to Yahweh, and Yahweh answers him by

divine oracle-here two oracles, one indicting the prophets, the other judging

them. Berridge ( 1970: 181-83) thinks the dialogue actually occurred in reverse

order, i.e., Yahweh first gave his indictment and judgment, and then Jeremiah

lamented in response to Yahweh's "holy words" (v 9c). But according to this

view, the lament goes unanswered. This reconstruction appears to read more

than is necessary into the "holy words" of the confession, which could refer to

any divine pronouncement. The term "words" (dibre) could even be the

"words of the covenant" (dibre habberft) contained in Deuteronomy 1-28

(Deut 28:69[Eng 29: l ]; cf. 1:1 ). Additionally, the usual order in Jeremianic dis-

course is first the confession, then the divine answer.

Jeremiah's confession is well ordered with repetitions, balancing terms, and

a concluding couplet, similar to those appearing in 4:26 and 25:38:

My heart ........................

all my bones ......................

............ like a man ..........

and like a mighty man ..............

before Yahweh

and before his holy words

lib bf

kol-<a$m6tay

ke>fs

ukegeber

mippene yhwh

umippene dibre qodso

v9

The oracle following is also nicely structured, having these repetitions and bal-

ancing key words:

II Indeed ........... v 10

......... the land

III Indeed ......... the land .....

· · .. · .................... evil

IV Indeed even................. v 11

even ..........................

Even .........................

..................... their evil

The confession is linked to the first oracle by the following repetitions:

I have become... hayftf ... v9

... and like a mighty man ... ... ukegeber

before ..... mippene ...

and before ...... umippene ...