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Jeremiah 31:37-39
New English Translation
Jeremiah 31:37-39
New English Translation
37 The Lord says, “I will not reject all the descendants of Israel
because of all that they have done.[a]
That could only happen if the heavens above could be measured
or the foundations of the earth below could all be explored,”[b]
says the Lord.[c]
Jerusalem Will Be Enlarged
38 “Indeed a time is coming,”[d] says the Lord,[e] “when the city of Jerusalem will be rebuilt as my special city.[f] It will be built from the Tower of Hananel westward to the Corner Gate.[g] 39 The boundary line will extend beyond that, straight west from there to the Hill of Gareb and then turn southward to Goah.[h]
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Jeremiah 31:37 sn This answers Jeremiah’s question in 14:19.
- Jeremiah 31:37 tn Heb “If the heavens above could be measured or the foundations of the earth below be explored, then also I could reject all the seed of Israel for all they have done.”
- Jeremiah 31:37 tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”
- Jeremiah 31:38 tc The words “is coming” (בָּאִים, baʾim) are not in the written text (Kethib) but are supplied in the margin (Qere) in several Hebrew mss and in the versions. It is part of the idiom that also occurs in vv. 27, 31.sn On this idiom compare vv. 27, 31.
- Jeremiah 31:38 tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”
- Jeremiah 31:38 tn Heb “the city will be built to [or for] the Lord.” The words “of Jerusalem” are not in the text but are implicit from the context. They have been supplied in the translation for clarity. However, the word occurs in a first person speech, so the translation has accommodated the switch in person as it has in a number of other places (compare also NIV, TEV, ICV).
- Jeremiah 31:38 tn The word “westward” is not in the text but is supplied in the translation to give some orientation.sn The Tower of Hananel is referred to in Neh 3:1; 12:39; Zech 14:10. According to the directions given in Neh 3, it was in the northern wall, perhaps in the northeast corner, north of the temple mount. The Corner Gate is mentioned again in 2 Kgs 14:13; 2 Chr 25:23; 26:9; Zech 14:10. It is generally agreed to have been in the northwest corner of the city.
- Jeremiah 31:39 tn The words “west” and “southward” are not in the text but are supplied in the translation to give some orientation.sn The location of the Hill of Gareb and the place called Goah are not precisely known. However, it has been plausibly suggested from the other localities mentioned that the Hill of Gareb is the hill west of the Hinnom Valley mentioned in Josh 15:8. The location of Goah is generally placed south of that near the southwest corner of the Hinnom Valley, which is referred to in the next verse (Jer 31:40).
New English Translation (NET)
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