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

412 TRANSLATION, NOTES, AND COMMENTS

part of what remains in the chapter (Weiser; Bright; Carroll; Jones). Weiser

noted that it precedes the important new covenant promise in 31: 31-34. Sec-

tions here in chap. 31 begin after v 1, where ML and MP have a setumah and

4QJerc a petu~ah. These mark the upper limit of Oracle II, which has also an

opening messenger formula in v 2. The unit as a whole is delimited at the bot-

tom end by a petu~ah in ML and a setumah in MP and 4QJerc (upon recon-

struction) after v 6 (Tov 1997: 197-98). The MA up to 31:3 5a is not extant.

Oracle I (v 1), where Yahweh is the speaker, is brief. An "at that time" intro-

duction identifies it as prose. In the larger poetic core it balances the covenant

formula in 30:22 (see Rhetoric and Composition for 30:4-7).

Oracle II (vv 2-6) is the first of three originally independent hope oracles

making up a unit within the poetic core: 1) vv 2-6; 2) vv 7-9; and 3) vv 10-14

(Condamin). This oracle comprises three stanzas of poetry with the following

repetitions and balancing key words:

v2

...... Yahweh .............. yhwh v3

II Again ...................... <ad v4

Again ...................... <ad

Again you'll plant ... on Samaria's mountains <od titte<f ... behare s6mer6n v 5

planters shall plant............ na{e'u note<fm

III ........................... v6

on Mount Ephraim behar ,eprayim

..... Yahweh our God yhwh

Although this oracle has an opening "thus said Yahweh" messenger formula
(v 2), it is widely recognized that Yahweh does not begin speaking until v 3b,
and then he speaks only up through v 5 ("I" pronouns; "virgin Israel" being ad-
dressed with feminine singular pronouns). Inv 6 Jeremiah brings in the voices
of watchmen who will call people to worship Yahweh in Zion. Textual uncer-
tainties create various problems within vv 2-3a, of which the speaker is only
one (see Notes). These verses must be Jeremiah speaking, because Yahweh is
referred to in the third person in v 3a. What we have then is another dialogue
oracle, the speaker breakdown of which is the following:

I

I-II

III

Jeremiah speaks

Yahweh speaks

Jeremiah speaks

vv 2-3a

vv 3b-5

v6