Jeremiah 22:1-3

New English Translation

Footnotes

1. Jeremiah 22:1 tn The word “me” is not in the text. It is, however, implicit and is supplied in the translation for clarity.
2. Jeremiah 22:1 sn The allusion here is to going down from the temple to the palace, which was on a lower eminence. See 36:12 in its context.
3. Jeremiah 22:1 tn Heb “And speak there this word:” The translation is intended to eliminate an awkward and lengthy sentence.
4. Jeremiah 22:2 tn Heb “who sits on David’s throne.”
5. Jeremiah 22:2 tn Heb “Hear the word of the Lord, O king of Judah who sits on the throne of David, you, and your officials, and your people who pass through these gates.”
6. Jeremiah 22:3 tn Heb “from the hand [or power] of.”
7. Jeremiah 22:3 tn Heb “aliens, orphans, or widows,” treating the terms as generic or collective. However, the term “alien” carries faulty connotations, and the term “orphan” is not totally appropriate because the Hebrew term does not necessarily mean that both parents have died.sn These were classes of people who had no one to look out for their rights. The laws of Israel, however, were careful to see that their rights were guarded (cf. Deut 10:18) and that provision was made for meeting their needs (cf. Deut 24:19-21). The Lord promised to protect them (cf. Ps 146:9), and a curse was called down on any who deprived them of justice (cf. Deut 27:19).
8. Jeremiah 22:3 tn Heb “Do not shed innocent blood.”sn Do not kill innocent people. For an example of one of the last kings who did this, see Jer 36:20-23. Manasseh was notorious for having done this, and the book of 2 Kgs attributes the ultimate destruction of Judah to this crime and his sin of worshiping false gods (2 Kgs 21:16; 24:4).