by Ptr. Art Calaguas
Shalom.
The war between Israel and the Hamas has now come to its 100th day since the brutal Hamas attack last October 7, 2023. Meanwhile, the US and the UK have struck the Houthi rebels in Yemen to disable them from hitting commercial ships passing through the Red Sea. The Hezbollah in Lebanon and are still firing missiles into Israel. As I write this, more than a hundred kidnapped people, including the remaining 19 women and children including a baby are still held hostage in Gaza. We continue to pray for the release of all hostages and a just end to this war.
Jeremiah 17:18 is the other place that Dr. Meredith Kline identified in the Old Testament (OT) which he says needs a review to keep the verse more in tune with God’s character and righteous “scales of justice.” It follows Jeremiah 16 where verse 18 was pointed to by Dr. Kline as requiring a retranslation. Jeremiah 17 is similar in context to the previous chapter as it continues to speak of the LORD’s judgment against Judah. Chapter 17 has Jeremiah condemning the sin of Judah and Jerusalem but also praying for their deliverance, and his as well. In Verse 18 the prophet asks God to destroy those who persecute him; translated as asking for their “double” destruction.
The Hebrew text shows that the same word מִשְׁנֵ֤ה (“mishneh”) is used. The Hebrew text of Jeremiah 17:18 is given below:
יֵבֹ֤שׁוּ רֹדְפַי֙ וְאַל־אֵבֹ֣שָׁה אָ֔נִי יֵחַ֣תּוּ הֵ֔מָּה וְאַל־אֵחַ֖תָּה אָ֑נִי הָבִ֤יא עֲלֵיהֶם֙ יֹ֣ום רָעָ֔ה וּמִשְׁנֶ֥ה שִׁבָּרֹ֖ון שָׁבְרֵֽם׃
Also employing a quick survey of the English translations of Jeremiah 17:18 reveals that the highlighted word מִשְׁנֵ֤ה (“mishneh” prefixed with a conjunction וּ “vav” in the text) also has been translated as “double” or “twofold” or in 26 out of 32 different Bibles found in https://biblehub.com/jeremiah/17-18.htm. For example, the New International Version (NIV) representing the majority translates it this way:
18Let my persecutors be put to shame, but keep me from shame; let them be terrified, but keep me from terror. Bring on them the day of disaster; destroy them with double destruction.
The Aramaic Bible in Plain English also uses the same word:
18My persecutors shall be ashamed and I shall not be ashamed. They shall be broken and I shall not be broken. Bring upon them the day of evil, and break them with double ruin.
The New American Standard Bible (NASB 1995) uses a different word:
18Let those who persecute me be put to shame, but as for me, let me not be put to shame; Let them be dismayed, but let me not be dismayed. Bring on them a day of disaster, And crush them with twofold destruction!
The Literal Standard Version and Young’s Literal Translation has it this way:
18Let my pursuers be ashamed, | And do not let me be ashamed—me! Let them be frightened, | And do not let me be frightened—me! Bring in on them a day of calamity, | And destroy them a second time [with] destruction.
The Christian Standard Bible (CSB) and Holman CSB are among the other translations that have used a different translation option:
18Let my persecutors be put to shame, but don’t let me be put to shame. Let them be terrified, but don’t let me be terrified. Bring on them the day of disaster; shatter them with total destruction.
The GOD’S WORD Translation uses another word for “total” as shown below:
18Put my persecutors to shame, but do not let me be put to shame. Terrify them, but do not let me be terrified. Bring the day of disaster on them, and destroy them completely.
The Good News Translation also seems to mean “total” about the destruction:
18Bring disgrace on those who persecute me, but spare me, LORD. Fill them with terror, but do not terrify me. Bring disaster on them and break them to pieces.
The Contemporary English Version (CEV) uses another approach:
18Keep me from failure and disgrace, but make my enemies fail and be disgraced. Send destruction to make their worst fears come true.
Finally, the New English Translation (NET) Bible appears to get it:
18May those who persecute me be disgraced. Do not let me be disgraced. May they be dismayed. Do not let me be dismayed. Bring days of disaster on them. Bring on them the destruction they deserve.
From the foregoing, and referring to Dr. Kline’s earlier treatment of the Hebrew כִּפְלַ֖יִם (“kiphlayim” from כֶּפֶל “kephel”) in Isaiah 40:2 and מִשְׁנֵ֤ה (“mishneh”) in Jeremiah 16:18 being used to mean a commensurate or appropriate equivalent punishment, it would also behoove us to use this same translation option for Jeremiah 17:18. After all, destruction is also a form of God’s punishment for his wayward people; more so for those persecuting his prophets.
To reiterate, God is righteous and fair. He will always execute the right judgment with wisdom and hand down the appropriate measure of divine punishment. The NET Bible’s translation of Psalm 36:6 should be an instructive guide in all cases (as it speaks about the LORD’s character):
6Your justice is like the highest mountains, your fairness like the deepest sea; you preserve mankind and the animal kingdom.
Hence, my formal equivalence translation of Jeremiah 17:18 using Dr. Kline’s suggested word meaning of (matching) equivalent follows:
18They will be ashamed, (whoever is) persecuting me, and let me not be ashamed – me; they will be shattered, and let me not be shattered – me; bring upon them a day of harm, even an equivalent crushing, break them!
We will continue with the Greek side of this.
God bless us all.