Overview
Summary
Targum Jonathan on Jeremiah navigates the tension between divine judgment and covenant faithfulness. The new covenant prophecy (31:31-34) is rendered with striking literalism. Anti-anthropomorphism governs descriptions of God's emotional response to Israel's unfaithfulness (anger, grief, jealousy). The Messianic 'Branch' passages (23:5, 33:15) receive explicit identification. The Memra functions as the agent of both judgment and future restoration.
Notable Renderings
The call narrative (ch. 1) uses standard anti-anthropomorphic language. The new covenant (31:31-34) is remarkably literal. The Messianic Branch (23:5) is rendered as the righteous Messiah. The Temple sermons use Shekinah language. The confessions of Jeremiah receive minimal theological adjustment, preserving the prophet's raw emotion.
Theological Themes
The Memra as agent of prophetic commissioning and covenant renewal; Shekinah departure and return as the theological framework for exile and restoration; Messianic Branch theology; the new covenant as Torah internalization; anti-anthropomorphism in divine pathos.
Hebrew (MT)
בְּטֶרֶם אֶצָּרְךָ בַבֶּטֶן יְדַעְתִּיךָ
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.
Targum (Aramaic)
ad la tzayartakh bemeiayya yeda'atakh
Targum Rendering
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.
Jeremiah's calling is rendered literally. Divine foreknowledge is not an anthropomorphism requiring adjustment — it is an attribute of God's eternal knowledge.
Hebrew (MT)
וַיִּשְׁלַח יְהוָה אֶת־יָדוֹ וַיַּגַּע עַל־פִּי
Then the LORD put out his hand and touched my mouth.
Targum (Aramaic)
ushedar Adonai yat pitgam nvu'ateih visamkha al pumi
Targum Rendering
And the LORD sent forth the word of his prophecy and placed it upon my mouth.
God's hand reaching out and touching Jeremiah's mouth becomes 'the word of his prophecy' being placed upon Jeremiah's mouth. The physical gesture is replaced with verbal prophetic commissioning — the Word, not the hand, empowers the prophet.
Hebrew (MT)
מָה אַתָּה רֹאֶה יִרְמְיָהוּ וָאֹמַר מַקֵּל שָׁקֵד אֲנִי רֹאֶה
What do you see, Jeremiah? And I said: I see an almond branch.
Targum (Aramaic)
ma at chazei yirmiya va'amrit chuttar deluz ana chazei
Targum Rendering
What do you see, Jeremiah? I said: I see a branch of an almond tree.
The opening prophetic vision. The Hebrew wordplay shaqed ('almond') / shoqed ('watching') is preserved in the Targum's literal rendering — the same wordplay foundation appears in v. 12 (the LORD is 'watching' over his word). The Targum cannot reproduce the wordplay but preserves the literal almond image.
Hebrew (MT)
כִּי אִתְּךָ אֲנִי נְאֻם יְהוָה לְהַצִּילֶךָ
For I am with you, declares the LORD, to deliver you.
Targum (Aramaic)
arei Memri besiyyakhah amar Adonai leshezavutakh
Targum Rendering
For my Memra is in your help, says the LORD, to deliver you.
The promise of divine presence to the prophet follows the standard Memra formula. Jeremiah's prophetic ministry is sustained by the Memra's accompaniment.
Hebrew (MT)
אֹתִי עָזְבוּ מְקוֹר מַיִם חַיִּים לַחְצֹב לָהֶם בֹּארוֹת בֹּארֹת נִשְׁבָּרִים
They have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns.
Targum (Aramaic)
yat dachalti shavqu mequr mei chayyei limchatzav lehon bei'rin bei'rin teviran
Targum Rendering
They have forsaken the fear of me, the source of living waters, to dig for themselves cisterns — cracked cisterns.
The famous 'fountain of living waters' formulation. Cited at John 4:10-14 (Samaritan woman) and 7:38 ('out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water') as the prophetic basis for Jesus' identification of himself with the source of life.
Hebrew (MT)
וְאָנֹכִי נְטַעְתִּיךְ שׂוֹרֵק
Yet I planted you a choice vine.
Targum (Aramaic)
ve'ana netzei'tikh netza shibḥ'a
Targum Rendering
I planted you a noble vine.
The Israel-as-vineyard / noble-vine theme. Pairs with Isa 5:1-7. Foundational for John 15's 'I am the true vine.'
Hebrew (MT)
בָּעֵת הַהִיא יִקְרְאוּ לִירוּשָׁלַיִם כִּסֵּא יְהוָה
At that time Jerusalem shall be called the throne of the LORD.
Targum (Aramaic)
be'iddana hahi yitqerun liYerushalem kurseih diyeqara daAdonai
Targum Rendering
At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the glory of the LORD.
Jerusalem is not the LORD's throne directly but the throne of his glory (yeqar). The eschatological transformation of Jerusalem is mediated through glory-theology.
Hebrew (MT)
הִמֹּלוּ לַיהוָה וְהָסִרוּ עָרְלוֹת לְבַבְכֶם
Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and remove the foreskin of your hearts.
Targum (Aramaic)
qadishu qodam Adonai ve'attar maktan libbekhon
Targum Rendering
Sanctify yourselves before the LORD, and remove the obstinacy of your hearts.
The heart-circumcision call. The Targum interprets 'foreskin of heart' as 'obstinacy' (maktan) — the same interpretive sharpening as Acts 7:51 ('stiff-necked, uncircumcised in heart') and Rom 2:29's circumcision-of-the-heart soteriology.
Hebrew (MT)
כַּבְּסִי מֵרָעָה לִבֵּךְ יְרוּשָׁלִַם
Wash your heart from evil, O Jerusalem.
Targum (Aramaic)
tza'aei meibesa libeikh yerushalem
Targum Rendering
Wash your heart from evil, O Jerusalem.
The wash-the-heart-from-evil call. Foundational for biblical purification theology. Echoed at James 4:8 ('purify your hearts, you double-minded').
Hebrew (MT)
רָאִיתִי אֶת הָאָרֶץ וְהִנֵּה תֹהוּ וָבֹהוּ
I looked on the earth, and behold, it was without form and void.
Targum (Aramaic)
chazeit yat ar'a veha hi tziddya verukana
Targum Rendering
I saw the land, and behold, it was empty and void.
MARQUEE — Jeremiah's de-creation vision uses the Genesis 1:2 vocabulary (tohu va-bohu). The judgment is portrayed as un-creation. Foundational for biblical apocalyptic theology of creation-reversed-then-renewed.
Hebrew (MT)
שׁוֹטְטוּ בְּחוּצוֹת יְרוּשָׁלִַם
Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem.
Targum (Aramaic)
shut bishqei yerushalem
Targum Rendering
Run through the streets of Jerusalem.
The Diogenes-of-Jerusalem search-for-righteous formula.
Hebrew (MT)
הִנְנִי נֹתֵן דְּבָרַי בְּפִיךָ לְאֵשׁ וְהָעָם הַזֶּה עֵצִים
Behold, I am making my words in your mouth a fire, and this people wood.
Targum (Aramaic)
ha ana yahev pitgamai befumakh ke'ishshata ve'amma haden ke'aei
Targum Rendering
Behold, I am putting my words in your mouth like fire, and this people are like wood.
The word-as-fire image. Anticipates Heb 12:29 ('our God is a consuming fire') and Acts 2:3 (Pentecost tongues of fire — divine Word made fire-on-the-tongue).
Hebrew (MT)
וַיְרַפְּאוּ אֶת שֶׁבֶר עַמִּי עַל נְקַלָּה
They have healed the wound of my people lightly.
Targum (Aramaic)
ve'aseu yat tevar amma' le'allama
Targum Rendering
And they have healed the wound of my people superficially.
The false-prophet critique. Cited (in concept) at Rev 18:22-23 in the Babylon-judgment lament. The 'shallow healing' image is foundational for biblical critique of cheap grace.
Hebrew (MT)
שִׁאֲלוּ לִנְתִבוֹת עוֹלָם
Ask for the ancient paths.
Targum (Aramaic)
she'alu lishevilei alma
Targum Rendering
Ask for the paths of old.
The 'ask for the ancient paths' call. Foundational for Jewish-Christian traditionalism — the appeal to the wisdom of past generations.
Hebrew (MT)
הֵיכַל יְהוָה הֵיכַל יְהוָה הֵיכַל יְהוָה הֵמָּה
The temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD are these.
Targum (Aramaic)
heikhela daAdonai heikhela daAdonai heikhela daAdonai innun
Targum Rendering
The Temple of the LORD, the Temple of the LORD, the Temple of the LORD are these.
The deceptive refrain is rendered literally — Jonathan preserves the irony of false confidence in the Temple's inviolability.
Hebrew (MT)
הַמְעָרַת פָּרִצִים הָיָה הַבַּיִת הַזֶּה אֲשֶׁר נִקְרָא שְׁמִי עָלָיו בְּעֵינֵיכֶם
Has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes?
Targum (Aramaic)
ha kemei'arta dechiviye havei beita haden de'itqari shemi alohi be'eineikhon
Targum Rendering
Has this house, which is called by my name, become like a den of thieves in your eyes?
The Temple Sermon's most famous line. Cited verbatim by Jesus at the Temple cleansing (Matt 21:13 / Mark 11:17 / Luke 19:46): 'My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of robbers.' The Targum's preservation confirms the pre-Christian standardization of the formula.
Hebrew (MT)
כִּי לְכוּ נָא אֶל מְקוֹמִי אֲשֶׁר בְּשִׁילוֹ אֲשֶׁר שִׁכַּנְתִּי שְׁמִי שָׁם
Go now to my place that was in Shiloh, where I made my name dwell at first.
Targum (Aramaic)
arei izelu ke'an le'atri diveShiloh di ashrei Shekhineti tamman
Targum Rendering
For go now to my place which was in Shiloh, where I caused my Shekinah to dwell there.
God's 'name dwelling' at Shiloh is rendered as 'Shekinah dwelling' at Shiloh. The destruction of Shiloh is a precedent for Shekinah departure — the Shekinah can leave a sanctuary it once inhabited.
Hebrew (MT)
הַצֳרִי אֵין בְּגִלְעָד אִם רֹפֵא אֵין שָׁם
Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there?
Targum (Aramaic)
ha la qatama de'ila'an be'ar'a degil'ad im aharin asaya leit tamman
Targum Rendering
Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there?
The 'balm in Gilead' lament — proverbial in English Bible reception. The Negro spiritual 'There Is a Balm in Gilead' takes its title from this passage.
Hebrew (MT)
מִי יִתֵּן רֹאשִׁי מַיִם וְעֵינִי מְקוֹר דִּמְעָה
Oh that my head were waters, and my eyes a fountain of tears.
Targum (Aramaic)
ulevai dey'hi reishi mayya ve'einai meqor dim'a
Targum Rendering
Oh that my head were waters and my eye a fountain of tears.
The weeping-prophet image — Jeremiah's signature self-presentation. Foundational for biblical lament theology.
Hebrew (MT)
אַל תִּשְׁמַע לַעֲצַתָּם
Take heed, every one, of his neighbor.
Targum (Aramaic)
la tishemei le'atzatam
Targum Rendering
Do not listen to their counsel.
The do-not-trust-friend warning.
Hebrew (MT)
כִּי אִם בְּזֹאת יִתְהַלֵּל הַמִּתְהַלֵּל הַשְׂכֵּל וְיָדֹעַ אוֹתִי
But let him who boasts boast in this: that he understands and knows me.
Targum (Aramaic)
elahein beda yishtevach demishtevach lemiskal ulemidda yathi
Targum Rendering
But in this let the one who boasts boast: that he has insight and knows me.
The boast-in-the-LORD formula. Paul cites this verse at 1 Corinthians 1:31 and 2 Corinthians 10:17 ('let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord') as the Christian alternative to boasting in human achievement.
Hebrew (MT)
מִי לֹא יִרָאֲךָ מֶלֶךְ הַגּוֹיִם
who would not fear you, O King of the nations?
Targum (Aramaic)
מַן לָא יִדְחַל קֳדָמָךְ מַלְכָּא דְעַמְמַיָּא
Targum Rendering
who would not fear before you, O King of the nations?
Cited (with Exod 15) in Rev 15:3-4 — the song of Moses and the Lamb. Universal-King theology preserved. 'Fear before' (anti-anthropomorphism) preserved in the cosmic-doxology.
Hebrew (MT)
וַיהוָה אֱלֹהִים אֱמֶת הוּא אֱלֹהִים חַיִּים וּמֶלֶךְ עוֹלָם
But the LORD is the true God; he is the living God and the everlasting King.
Targum (Aramaic)
vaAdonai Elohim hu Elah qeshot hu Elah chayyin umalka de'alma
Targum Rendering
But the LORD God — he is the true God, he is the living God and the eternal King.
The confession of God's uniqueness amid idol polemic is rendered literally. Attributes like 'true,' 'living,' and 'eternal king' are non-anthropomorphic and require no adjustment.
Hebrew (MT)
וִהְיִיתֶם לִי לְעָם וְאָנֹכִי אֶהְיֶה לָכֶם לֵאלֹהִים
And you shall be my people, and I will be your God.
Targum (Aramaic)
utehevon qodamai le'am va'ana ehei lekhon le'elaha
Targum Rendering
And you shall be a people before me, and I will be your God.
The bilateral covenant formula. Recurs throughout the OT (Lev 26:12, Jer 7:23, 30:22, 31:33, Ezek 36:28). Cited at 2 Cor 6:16, Heb 8:10, Rev 21:3 as the eschatological-covenant promise.
Hebrew (MT)
כִּי אֶת רַגְלִים רַצְתָּה וַיַּלְאוּךָ וְאֵיךְ תְּתַחֲרֶה אֶת הַסּוּסִים
If you have raced with men on foot and they have wearied you, how will you compete with horses?
Targum (Aramaic)
arei im im rigaltayya rahatat va'a'tu yatakh ve'eikhdein ttitcharei im susvavayya
Targum Rendering
If you have run with footmen and they have wearied you, how will you compete with horses?
Divine response to Jeremiah's complaint. The 'racing with horses' image — used metaphorically in Christian spiritual writing for the escalating challenges of the spiritual life.
Hebrew (MT)
הֲיַהֲפֹךְ כּוּשִׁי עוֹרוֹ וְנָמֵר חֲבַרְבֻּרֹתָיו
Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots?
Targum (Aramaic)
ha yithappekh kushaya mishakh venimra raqamohi
Targum Rendering
Can the Cushite change his skin or the leopard his spots?
The classic 'leopard cannot change spots' image. Foundational metaphor for human moral incapacity — echoed in Christian total-depravity theology.
Hebrew (MT)
אִם עֲוֺנֵינוּ עָנוּ בָנוּ יְהוָה עֲשֵׂה לְמַעַן שְׁמֶךָ
Though our iniquities testify against us, act, O LORD, for your name's sake.
Targum (Aramaic)
im chovavanna asivu banna Adonai avid bedil shemakh
Targum Rendering
Though our iniquities testify against us, O LORD, act for the sake of your name.
The act-for-your-name's-sake intercession. Foundational for biblical for-the-sake-of-the-name theology.
Hebrew (MT)
מִקְוֵה יִשְׂרָאֵל מוֹשִׁיעוֹ בְּעֵת צָרָה
Hope of Israel, its savior in time of trouble.
Targum (Aramaic)
miqveh yisrael upharkeih be'idana de'aqa
Targum Rendering
Hope of Israel, his deliverer in the time of trouble.
The 'Hope of Israel' messianic title. Cited at Acts 28:20 by Paul ('it is because of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain').
Hebrew (MT)
וְאַתָּה בְקִרְבֵּנוּ יְהוָה
Yet you, O LORD, are in the midst of us.
Targum (Aramaic)
ve'att shechintakh shariya beinanna Adonai
Targum Rendering
And your Shekinah dwells in our midst, O LORD.
Shekinah-substitution in Jeremiah's drought-prayer. The Shekinah-in-the-midst formula is central to OT Israel-as-divine-dwelling theology.
Hebrew (MT)
נִמְצְאוּ דְבָרֶיךָ וָאֹכְלֵם
Your words were found, and I ate them.
Targum (Aramaic)
ishtekachu pitgamakh va'aqabbleinun be'inah
Targum Rendering
Your words were found, and I received them with delight.
Jeremiah's metaphor of consuming the divine word. Echoed at Ezekiel 3:1-3 (eating the scroll), Revelation 10:9-10 (the angel's scroll), and the broader Christian Lectio Divina tradition of internalizing scripture.
Hebrew (MT)
אֵלֶיךָ גּוֹיִם יָבֹאוּ מֵאַפְסֵי אָרֶץ
To you shall the nations come from the ends of the earth.
Targum (Aramaic)
qodamakh ammin yei'tun missayfei ar'a
Targum Rendering
To you shall the nations come from the ends of the earth.
The eschatological-pilgrimage theme — gentiles drawn to YHWH. Echoes Isa 2:2-3, 60:3 and is fulfilled in Christian missionary expansion (Acts 1:8, Rev 21:24).
Hebrew (MT)
אָרוּר הַגֶּבֶר אֲשֶׁר יִבְטַח בָּאָדָם
Cursed is the man who trusts in man.
Targum (Aramaic)
lit gevra dirhetz be'enasha
Targum Rendering
Cursed is the man who trusts in a human.
The trust-no-flesh warning. Pairs with v. 7's blessed-is-the-man-who-trusts-in-the-LORD.
Hebrew (MT)
בָּרוּךְ הַגֶּבֶר אֲשֶׁר יִבְטַח בַּיהוָה
Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD.
Targum (Aramaic)
berikh gevra dirhetz bemeimra deAdonai
Targum Rendering
Blessed is the man who trusts in the Memra of the LORD.
Pre-Nicene Tier S — the Memra as object of trust. Parallels Psalm 1's 'blessed is the man.' The Targum's faith-in-Memra formula reinforces the pattern of Memra as a hypostatic object of trust (cf. Exod 14:31, Deut 1:32).
Hebrew (MT)
עָקֹב הַלֵּב מִכֹּל וְאָנֻשׁ הוּא מִי יֵדָעֶנּוּ
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?
Targum (Aramaic)
saggi sariv liba mikkol vetaqqif lechado man yidda yatei
Targum Rendering
Most exceedingly perverse is the heart, and very strong; who can know it?
The classic anthropological pessimism: human heart-deceit is unknowable from within. The Reformation's reading of total depravity draws explicitly on this verse. The Targum's saggi sariv ('most exceedingly perverse') intensifies the MT's already strong language.
Hebrew (MT)
כִּסֵּא כָבוֹד מָרוֹם מֵרִאשׁוֹן מְקוֹם מִקְדָּשֵׁנוּ
A glorious throne set on high from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary.
Targum (Aramaic)
kursei yeqara de'illaya min qadmai atar beit maqdashana
Targum Rendering
The throne of glory on high from the beginning is the place of our Temple.
The heavenly throne of glory corresponds to the earthly Temple. Jonathan establishes the two-tiered cosmology: the heavenly throne and the earthly sanctuary mirror each other.
Hebrew (MT)
מִקְוֵה יִשְׂרָאֵל יְהוָה
O LORD, the hope of Israel.
Targum (Aramaic)
סוֹכֵיהּ דְיִשְׂרָאֵל יְיָ
Targum Rendering
the Hope of Israel is the LORD.
Cited Acts 28:20 — Paul calls his bonds 'for the hope of Israel.' Pre-Nicene relevance: 'Hope of Israel' as messianic title becomes Christian self-identification.
Hebrew (MT)
רְפָאֵנִי יְהוָה וְאֵרָפֵא
Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed.
Targum (Aramaic)
asseini Adonai ve'eitassei
Targum Rendering
Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed.
Jeremiah's healing-prayer. Echoed at Luke 4:23 ('physician, heal yourself') and the broader OT healing vocabulary.
Hebrew (MT)
כְּחֹמֶר בְּיַד הַיּוֹצֵר כֵּן אַתֶּם בְּיָדִי בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל
Like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.
Targum (Aramaic)
kechemar bida defachara ken atton qodami beit yisrael
Targum Rendering
Like clay in the potter's hand, so are you before me, O house of Israel.
The potter-and-clay image. The MT's 'in my hand' is rendered qodami ('before me') — the standard Onkelos/Jonathan move to avoid divine-hand anthropomorphism. The image is foundational to Paul's potter-clay argument at Romans 9:21.
Hebrew (MT)
שׁוּבוּ נָא אִישׁ מִדַּרְכּוֹ הָרָעָה
Return, every one from his evil way.
Targum (Aramaic)
tuvu kean gevar me'urcheih bishta
Targum Rendering
Return, every one of you, from his evil way.
The repentance-imperative. Foundational for the prophetic and Christian repentance theology (Acts 2:38, 3:19).
Hebrew (MT)
כָּכָה אֶשְׁבֹּר אֶת־הָעָם הַזֶּה וְאֶת־הָעִיר הַזֹּאת כַּאֲשֶׁר יִשְׁבֹּר אֶת־כְּלִי הַיּוֹצֵר
so will I break this people and this city, as one breaks a potter's vessel.
Targum (Aramaic)
כֵּן אֶתְבַּר יָת עַמָּא הָדֵין וְיָת קַרְתָּא הָדָא כְּמָא דְמִתְבַּר מָנָא דְפַחָרָא
Targum Rendering
thus will I shatter this people and this city, as one shatters the potter's vessel.
Topheth oracle. Covenantal-curse imagery preserved literally — the broken vessel as metaphor for irreversible judgment.
Hebrew (MT)
וְהָיָה בְלִבִּי כְּאֵשׁ בֹּעֶרֶת עָצֻר בְּעַצְמֹתָי
It was in my heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones.
Targum (Aramaic)
vahava belibbi ke'eishata medliqa atzira begarmai
Targum Rendering
And it was in my heart like a burning fire, shut up in my bones.
The prophetic compulsion — Jeremiah cannot suppress the divine word. The fire-in-bones image becomes a paradigmatic description of prophetic vocation in Jewish and Christian spiritual writing.
Hebrew (MT)
הִנְנִי נֹתֵן לִפְנֵיכֶם אֶת־דֶּרֶךְ הַחַיִּים וְאֶת־דֶּרֶךְ הַמָּוֶת
behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death.
Targum (Aramaic)
הָא אֲנָא יָהֵיב קֳדָמֵיכוֹן יָת אוֹרַח חַיֵּי וְיָת אוֹרַח מוֹתָא
Targum Rendering
behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death.
Two-ways formula echoes Deut 30:15-19. NT echoes: Matt 7:13-14 ('two ways/two gates'); Didache 1.1. Foundational to early Christian moral catechesis.
Hebrew (MT)
עֲשׂוּ מִשְׁפָּט וּצְדָקָה
Do justice and righteousness.
Targum (Aramaic)
iv'idu dina utzedaqta
Targum Rendering
Do justice and righteousness.
The royal-justice command. Echoed throughout the prophetic literature (Mic 6:8, Isa 1:17). Foundational for biblical social-ethics.
Hebrew (MT)
הוֹי בֹּנֶה בֵיתוֹ בְּלֹא צֶדֶק
Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness.
Targum (Aramaic)
vai devanei beiteih bela qushta
Targum Rendering
Woe to him who builds his house without justice.
The royal-justice-violation woe. Foundational for biblical theology of accountability of leaders.
Hebrew (MT)
חַי אָנִי נְאֻם יְהוָה כִּי אִם יִהְיֶה כָּנְיָהוּ
As I live, declares the LORD, though Coniah were a signet.
Targum (Aramaic)
qayyam ana amar Adonai im yehei khanyahu
Targum Rendering
As I live, says the LORD, even if Coniah were [a signet].
The Coniah/Jeconiah curse. Removes the Davidic line from any Coniah-descendant — relevant to NT genealogies (Matt 1:11-16 traces through Jeconiah but via Joseph the legal-but-not-biological father).
Hebrew (MT)
הוֹי רֹעִים מְאַבְּדִים וּמְפִצִים אֶת צֹאן מַרְעִיתִי
Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture.
Targum (Aramaic)
vai parnasi memabdin umvadrin yat ana der'iti
Targum Rendering
Woe to the leaders who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture.
The wicked-shepherds critique — sets up the messianic shepherd promise of v. 5. Foundational for John 10's Good Shepherd / hireling distinction.
Hebrew (MT)
הִנֵּה יָמִים בָּאִים נְאֻם יְהוָה וַהֲקִמֹתִי לְדָוִד צֶמַח צַדִּיק
Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch.
Targum (Aramaic)
ha yomayya atyin amar Adonai va'aqim leDavid Meshicha zakkaya
Targum Rendering
Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Messiah.
The 'righteous Branch' (tsemach tsaddiq) is rendered 'righteous Messiah' (Meshicha zakkaya). Jonathan explicitly decodes the botanical metaphor as Messianic prophecy, consistent with his treatment of Isaiah 11:1. The Branch is the Messiah.
Hebrew (MT)
וְזֶה שְּׁמוֹ אֲשֶׁר יִקְרְאוֹ יְהוָה צִדְקֵנוּ
And this is the name by which he will be called: 'The LORD is our righteousness.'
Targum (Aramaic)
veden shemeih di yiqreinnei Adonai tzidqana
Targum Rendering
And this is the name by which he shall be called: the LORD is our righteousness.
The Messiah's throne name 'YHWH-Tsidqenu' is preserved literally. Jonathan does not shy away from a name that applies YHWH to the Messianic king, though it can be read as a statement about God rather than an identification of the Messiah with God.
Hebrew (MT)
הַאֱלֹהֵי מִקָּרֹב אָנִי נְאֻם יְהוָה וְלֹא אֱלֹהֵי מֵרָחֹק
Am I a God at hand, declares the LORD, and not a God afar off?
Targum (Aramaic)
ha elaha de'ithgli al ar'a ana amar Adonai ve'ana elaha demhalla'in shaqif maleh
Targum Rendering
Am I a God who reveals himself only on earth, says the LORD, and am I not also a God who watches from afar?
The omnipresence question is paraphrased to avoid the difficulty of locating God. The Targum's reformulation makes God's presence universally revelatory rather than spatially near or far.
Hebrew (MT)
אִם יִסָּתֵר אִישׁ בַּמִּסְתָּרִים וַאֲנִי לֹא אֶרְאֶנּוּ
Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him?
Targum (Aramaic)
im yittammar gevar bemissatraya ve'ana la chazei leih
Targum Rendering
If a man hides in secret places, can I not see him?
Divine omniscience formula. Echoed at Hebrews 4:13 ('no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him with whom we have to do').
Hebrew (MT)
הֲלוֹא כֹה דְבָרִי כָּאֵשׁ נְאֻם יְהוָה וּכְפַטִּישׁ יְפֹצֵץ סָלָע
Is not my word like fire, declares the LORD, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?
Targum (Aramaic)
ha la kheidnan pitgamai ke'ishshata amar Adonai ukhefatish dimefatzetz tinra
Targum Rendering
Is not my word like fire, says the LORD, and like a hammer that breaks rock?
The divine word as fire and hammer. Cited at Hebrews 4:12 ('the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword'). The Targum preserves the literal force of the word's penetrating power.
Hebrew (MT)
וְנָתַתִּי לָהֶם לֵב לָדַעַת אֹתִי כִּי אֲנִי יְהוָה
I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the LORD.
Targum (Aramaic)
וְאֶתֵּן לְהוֹן לִבָּא לְמִדַּע יָת דְּחַלְתִּי אֲרֵי אֲנָא יְיָ
Targum Rendering
I will give them a heart to know my fear, for I am the LORD.
Good-figs vision. Targum interprets 'know me' as 'know the fear of me' (דְּחַלְתִּי) — direct knowledge of God recast as reverent knowledge of his fear. Anti-anthropomorphism and pious mediation.
Hebrew (MT)
וְעָבְדוּ הַגּוֹיִם הָאֵלֶּה אֶת מֶלֶךְ בָּבֶל שִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה
And these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.
Targum (Aramaic)
veyifelechun ammayya ha'illein yat malka devavel shav'in shenin
Targum Rendering
And these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.
The seventy-years-of-exile prophecy. Cited at Daniel 9:2 (Daniel's reading of Jeremiah triggers his Seventy-Weeks vision) — foundational for biblical chronology and apocalyptic timing. Also echoed at 2 Chr 36:21.
Hebrew (MT)
קַח אֶת כּוֹס הַיַּיִן הַחֵמָה הַזֹּאת
Take from my hand this cup of the wine of wrath.
Targum (Aramaic)
deber yat kasa dechamar lewata haden
Targum Rendering
Take this cup of the wine of wrath.
The cup-of-wrath image. Echoed at Matt 26:39 (Jesus' Gethsemane prayer 'let this cup pass from me') and Rev 14:10, 16:19, 18:6 (the eschatological cup of God's wrath).
Hebrew (MT)
יְהוָה מִמָּרוֹם יִשְׁאָג
The LORD will roar from on high.
Targum (Aramaic)
Adonai min merom beit Shekhinteih yigbirah qaleih
Targum Rendering
The LORD from the height of the house of his Shekinah shall raise his voice.
'On high' becomes 'the height of the house of his Shekinah,' localizing the heavenly source of judgment in Shekinah cosmology. God does not 'roar' (an animal metaphor) but 'raises his voice.'
Hebrew (MT)
וְעַתָּה הֵיטִיבוּ דַרְכֵיכֶם וּמַעַלְלֵיכֶם וְשִׁמְעוּ בְּקוֹל יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם
now therefore mend your ways and your deeds, and obey the voice of the LORD your God.
Targum (Aramaic)
וּכְעַן אוֹטִיבוּ אוֹרְחָתֵיכוֹן וְעוֹבָדֵיכוֹן וְקַבִּילוּ לְמֵימְרָא דַייָ אֱלָהֲכוֹן
Targum Rendering
now amend your ways and your deeds, and receive the Memra of the LORD your God.
Jeremiah's defense at the temple. 'Voice of YHWH' → 'Memra of the LORD' — the divine call to repent is mediated through the Word. Standard prophetic recasting.
Hebrew (MT)
אָנֹכִי עָשִׂיתִי אֶת הָאָרֶץ
It is I who by my great power have made the earth.
Targum (Aramaic)
ana avadit yat ar'a
Targum Rendering
I have made the earth.
The divine-creator claim within a foreign-policy oracle. Sovereignty theology.
Hebrew (MT)
הַנָּבִיא אֲשֶׁר יִנָּבֵא לְשָׁלוֹם בְּבֹא דְּבַר הַנָּבִיא יִוָּדַע הַנָּבִיא אֲשֶׁר־שְׁלָחוֹ יְהוָה בֶּאֱמֶת
as for the prophet who prophesies peace, when the word of that prophet comes to pass, then it will be known that the LORD has truly sent the prophet.
Targum (Aramaic)
נְבִיָּא דְּמִתְנַבֵּי לִשְׁלָמָא בְּמֵיתֵי פִּתְגָּם נְבִיָּא יִתְיְדַע נְבִיָּא דְּשַׁלְחֵיהּ יְיָ בִּקְשׁוֹט
Targum Rendering
the prophet who prophesies peace — when the word of the prophet comes to pass, the prophet whom the LORD has sent in truth shall be known.
Jeremiah's response to Hananiah. Test of true prophecy = fulfillment. Covenantal test of authenticity preserved literally.
Hebrew (MT)
כִּי אָנֹכִי יָדַעְתִּי אֶת־הַמַּחֲשָׁבֹת אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי חֹשֵׁב עֲלֵיכֶם... מַחְשְׁבוֹת שָׁלוֹם
For I know the plans I have for you... plans for welfare.
Targum (Aramaic)
arei ana yeda'na yat chushebanayya de'ana chashiv aleikhon... chushebanei shelam
Targum Rendering
For I know the thoughts which I think concerning you... thoughts of peace.
God's knowledge of his own plans is rendered literally. Divine planning is an attribute of wisdom, not an anthropomorphism. The promise of peace/welfare is directed to the exiles.
Hebrew (MT)
וְעָבְדוּ אֵת יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיהֶם וְאֵת דָּוִד מַלְכָּם אֲשֶׁר אָקִים לָהֶם
And they shall serve the LORD their God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them.
Targum (Aramaic)
viyiphlchun qodam Adonai Elahehon viyishttam'un leMeshicha bar David malkhon di aqim lehon
Targum Rendering
And they shall serve before the LORD their God, and they shall obey the Messiah son of David, their king, whom I will raise up for them.
'David their king' is interpreted as 'the Messiah son of David, their king.' Jonathan makes the Messianic identification explicit: the future David is not the historical David resurrected but the Messiah who descends from David's line.
Hebrew (MT)
וְהָיָה אַדִּירוֹ מִמֶּנּוּ וּמֹשְׁלוֹ מִקִּרְבּוֹ יֵצֵא
Their prince shall be from themselves; their ruler shall come from their midst.
Targum (Aramaic)
vihavei rabrehon minnehon uMeshikhon mibeinehon yitgeli
Targum Rendering
And their great one shall be from among them, and their Messiah shall be revealed from their midst.
The ruler 'coming from their midst' becomes the Messiah 'revealed from their midst' (yitgeli). The Messiah does not merely appear — he is revealed, using the same theology of divine disclosure applied throughout Jonathan.
Hebrew (MT)
וְאַהֲבַת עוֹלָם אֲהַבְתִּיךְ עַל כֵּן מְשַׁכְתִּיךְ חָסֶד
I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.
Targum (Aramaic)
ureshamta de'alma rachimittikh al kein neshakhittikh be'eithevuta
Targum Rendering
And with an everlasting love I have loved you; therefore I have drawn you with faithful kindness.
The everlasting-love formula. Echoed at John 6:44 ('no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him') — Jesus reads the Father's drawing-with-love through this Jeremianic frame.
Hebrew (MT)
כִּי הָיִיתִי לְיִשְׂרָאֵל לְאָב
For I am a father to Israel.
Targum (Aramaic)
arei Memri havat leYisrael le'abba
Targum Rendering
For my Memra has been a father to Israel.
God's fatherhood of Israel is mediated through the Memra. Even the most intimate relational metaphor is expressed through the Word, maintaining the Memra as the mode of all divine-human relationship.
Hebrew (MT)
וְהָפַכְתִּי אֶבְלָם לְשָׂשׂוֹן
I will turn their mourning into joy.
Targum (Aramaic)
ve'ehappekh evlehon lechedva
Targum Rendering
I will turn their mourning into joy.
The mourning-into-joy promise. Echoed at John 16:20 ('your sorrow will be turned into joy').
Hebrew (MT)
קוֹל בְּרָמָה נִשְׁמָע נְהִי בְּכִי תַמְרוּרִים רָחֵל מְבַכָּה עַל בָּנֶיהָ
A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping — Rachel weeping for her children.
Targum (Aramaic)
qala beramata ishtema'a meliphi bechi tamruri rachel mevakkita al benaha
Targum Rendering
A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and bitter cries — Rachel weeping for her sons.
Cited at Matthew 2:18 in the Massacre of the Innocents narrative. The Targum's preservation of the literal weeping-Rachel image confirms its standardized form before Matthew's citation.
Hebrew (MT)
כִּי בָרָא יְהוָה חֲדָשָׁה בָּאָרֶץ נְקֵבָה תְּסוֹבֵב גָּבֶר
For the LORD has created a new thing on the earth: a woman encircles a man.
Targum (Aramaic)
arei bera Adonai chadeita be'ar'a nuqveh tehei tetuv le'oraita
Targum Rendering
For the LORD has created a new thing in the land: a woman shall return to the Torah.
MARQUEE — the famous 'a woman shall encircle a man.' The Targum's reframing 'a woman shall return to the Torah' is rabbinic-exegetical. Christian tradition (esp. Jerome and the Vulgate's femina circumdabit virum) reads this Mariologically — Mary surrounds Christ in incarnation.
Hebrew (MT)
הִנֵּה יָמִים בָּאִים נְאֻם יְהוָה וְכָרַתִּי אֶת בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל... בְּרִית חֲדָשָׁה
Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel.
Targum (Aramaic)
ha yomayya atyin amar Adonai ve'agzar im beit Yisrael... keyam chadatt
Targum Rendering
Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make with the house of Israel... a new covenant.
The new covenant prophecy is rendered with striking literalism. Jonathan does not qualify, restrict, or reinterpret 'new covenant' (keyam chadatt). This is the verse cited in Hebrews 8:8-12 as fulfilled in Christ. The targum's literalism here is remarkable given its tendency to interpret elsewhere.
Hebrew (MT)
נָתַתִּי אֶת תּוֹרָתִי בְּקִרְבָּם וְעַל לִבָּם אֶכְתְּבֶנָּה
I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts.
Targum (Aramaic)
eittein yat oraiti begevvehon ve'al libbehon ikhtevinnah
Targum Rendering
I will put my Torah in their inward parts, and upon their heart I will write it.
The Torah internalization is rendered literally. The new covenant does not replace Torah but internalizes it. Jonathan's treatment suggests the new covenant is Torah-centered renewal, not Torah abolition.
Hebrew (MT)
כִּי אֶסְלַח לַעֲוֺנָם וּלְחַטָּאתָם לֹא אֶזְכָּר עוֹד
For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
Targum (Aramaic)
arei ashbiq lechovehon ulechotehon la edkar tub
Targum Rendering
For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.
The climax of the new covenant: divine forgiveness and the end of sin-remembrance. Jonathan renders this literally, preserving the unconditional promise of forgiveness that defines the new covenant.
Hebrew (MT)
עֹשֶׂה חֶסֶד לַאֲלָפִים וּמְשַׁלֵּם עֲוֺן אָבוֹת אֶל חֵיק בְּנֵיהֶם
Showing steadfast love to thousands but repaying the iniquity of the fathers to the bosom of their children after them.
Targum (Aramaic)
avid cheisda le'alfin ulemashallam chovei avahan le'av benayya batreihon
Targum Rendering
Doing kindness for thousands and repaying the iniquity of fathers to the bosom of the children after them.
The 'visiting iniquity' formula. Echoes the Decalogue's Exodus 20:5-6 / Deut 5:9-10. The 'thousands' are interpreted as thousands of generations (cf. Targum Onkelos at Exodus 20:6). Foundational for Jewish-Christian theology of intergenerational consequence balanced against intergenerational mercy.
Hebrew (MT)
הִנֵּה אֲנִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵי כָּל בָּשָׂר הֲמִמֶּנִּי יִפָּלֵא כָּל דָּבָר
Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?
Targum (Aramaic)
ha ana Adonai elaha dekol bisra ha minni yithkasei kol pitgam
Targum Rendering
Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh; is anything hidden from me?
The 'God of all flesh' epithet. Echoed at Numbers 16:22, 27:16. Foundational for biblical universalism.
Hebrew (MT)
קְרָא אֵלַי וְאֶעֱנֶךָּ
Call to me, and I will answer you.
Targum (Aramaic)
qari qodamai ve'aqabbel tzelutakh
Targum Rendering
Call to me, and I will receive your prayer.
The call-and-receive promise. Foundational for biblical prayer theology (cf. Matt 7:7, Jer 29:12).
Hebrew (MT)
וְטִהַרְתִּים מִכָּל עֲוֺנָם
I will cleanse them from all the guilt of their sin.
Targum (Aramaic)
ve'addakkeinun mikkol chovehon
Targum Rendering
And I will cleanse them from all their iniquity.
The cleansing-from-iniquity promise. Echoed at 1 John 1:9.
Hebrew (MT)
כִּי טוֹב יְהוָה כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ
For the LORD is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.
Targum (Aramaic)
arei tav Adonai arei le'alam te'eithevuteih
Targum Rendering
For the LORD is good; for his faithful love endures forever.
The classic temple-liturgical refrain. Repeated 26 times in Psalm 136 (Hallel HaGadol). Echoes the Davidic temple-music tradition (1 Chr 16:34, 41; 2 Chr 5:13).
Hebrew (MT)
בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם וּבָעֵת הַהִיא אַצְמִיחַ לְדָוִד צֶמַח צְדָקָה
In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David.
Targum (Aramaic)
beyomayya ha'innun uve'iddana hahi atzammach leDavid Meshicha detzidqa
Targum Rendering
In those days and at that time I will cause to sprout for David a Messiah of righteousness.
The second Branch prophecy in Jeremiah is also rendered as 'Messiah of righteousness' (Meshicha detzidqa). The agricultural metaphor of sprouting is preserved alongside the Messianic identification.
Hebrew (MT)
וְזֶה אֲשֶׁר יִקְרָא לָהּ יְהוָה צִדְקֵנוּ
And this is the name by which it will be called: 'The LORD is our righteousness.'
Targum (Aramaic)
veden di yitqerun lah min qodam Adonai bidqayin yitaseyan lana
Targum Rendering
And this is the name by which she [Jerusalem] will be called: 'Before the LORD our righteousness will be accomplished for us.'
While 23:6 applied the name to the Messianic king, 33:16 applies it to Jerusalem. Jonathan renders the city's name as a theological statement: before the LORD, righteousness is accomplished. The name YHWH-Tsidqenu has both personal (Messianic) and civic (Jerusalem) applications.
Hebrew (MT)
וְנָתַתִּי אֶת־הָאֲנָשִׁים הָעֹבְרִים אֶת־בְּרִתִי
I will deliver the men who have transgressed my covenant.
Targum (Aramaic)
וְאֶמְסַר יָת גֻּבְרַיָּא דַּעֲבָרוּ עַל קְיָמִי
Targum Rendering
I will deliver up the men who have transgressed my covenant.
Slave-release covenant betrayed. The covenant-breakers are 'delivered' (מסר) to judgment — the same verb Targum uses elsewhere for divine handing-over.
Hebrew (MT)
וַאֲנֹכִי דִּבַּרְתִּי אֲלֵיכֶם הַשְׁכֵּם וְדַבֵּר וְלֹא שְׁמַעְתֶּם אֵלָי
I have spoken to you persistently, but you have not listened to me.
Targum (Aramaic)
וַאֲנָא מַלֵּילִית עִמְּכוֹן בְּמֵימְרִי אַקְדֵּימִית וְשַׁלָּחִית וְלָא קַבֵּלְתּוּן לְמֵימְרִי
Targum Rendering
I myself have spoken to you in my Memra, rising early and sending; but you did not receive my Memra.
Rechabite contrast oracle. Doubled Memra-mediation: God speaks 'in his Memra' and Israel fails to 'receive his Memra.' The Word is both the speaker and the message.
Hebrew (MT)
אוּלַי יִשְׁמְעוּ בֵּית יְהוּדָה אֵת כָּל־הָרָעָה אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי חֹשֵׁב לַעֲשׂוֹת לָהֶם
perhaps the house of Judah will hear all the disaster that I intend to do to them.
Targum (Aramaic)
מָאִים יְקַבְּלוּן בֵּית יְהוּדָה יָת כָּל בִּישְׁתָּא דַּאֲנָא חָשֵׁיב לְמַעְבַּד לְהוֹן
Targum Rendering
perhaps the house of Judah will receive all the evil that I am planning to do to them.
Baruch's scroll. Divine 'perhaps' (אוּלַי) preserved — covenantal openness to repentance. The motive is mercy, not predetermined doom.
Hebrew (MT)
אַל־תַּשִּׁאוּ נַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶם לֵאמֹר הָלֹךְ יֵלְכוּ מֵעָלֵינוּ הַכַּשְׂדִּים
do not deceive yourselves, saying, 'The Chaldeans will surely go away from us.'
Targum (Aramaic)
לָא תַטְעוּן נַפְשָׁתֵיכוֹן לְמֵימָר מִיזַל אָזְלִין מֵעֲלָנָא כַּשְׂדָּאֵי
Targum Rendering
do not deceive yourselves, saying, 'The Chaldeans will surely depart from us.'
Jeremiah counters the false-hope of Babylonian withdrawal during the siege-pause. Realist prophecy preserved literally.
Hebrew (MT)
וַיִּמְשְׁכוּ אֶת יִרְמְיָהוּ בַּחֲבָלִים וַיַּעֲלוּ אֹתוֹ מִן הַבּוֹר
Then they drew Jeremiah up with ropes and lifted him out of the cistern.
Targum (Aramaic)
uneshakhu yat yirmiya behavlin ve'asseiqu yatei min guba
Targum Rendering
And they pulled Jeremiah up with ropes and lifted him from the cistern.
The Ebed-Melech rescue. Foundational for biblical rescue-from-pit theology (cf. Ps 40:2 'he drew me up from the desolate pit'). Cited typologically in Christian readings of Christ's descent and ascent.
Hebrew (MT)
כִּי־בָטַחְתָּ בִּי נְאֻם־יְהוָה
because you have trusted in me — declares the LORD.
Targum (Aramaic)
אֲרֵי אִתְרַחֵיצְתָּא בְּמֵימְרִי אֲמַר יְיָ
Targum Rendering
because you have trusted in my Memra — says the LORD.
YHWH's promise to Ebed-melech. Trust placed 'in my Memra' rather than 'in me' — the consistent Targumic reframing of divine trust through the mediator.
Hebrew (MT)
וַיָּבֵא וַיַּעַשׂ יְהוָה כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֵּר
the LORD has brought it about and done as he said.
Targum (Aramaic)
וְאַיְתִי וַעֲבַד יְיָ כְּמָא דְמַלֵּיל
Targum Rendering
the LORD has brought it about and done as he said.
Nebuzaradan to Jeremiah at Ramah — even the Babylonian captain acknowledges that Jerusalem's fall is YHWH's covenantal judgment. Prophetic vindication.
Hebrew (MT)
וַיָּבֹאוּ אֲנָשִׁים מִשְּׁכֶם מִשִּׁילוֹ וּמִשֹּׁמְרוֹן שְׁמֹנִים אִישׁ
men came from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria, eighty men.
Targum (Aramaic)
וַאֲתוֹ גֻבְרִין מִשְּׁכֶם מִשִּׁילוֹ וּמִשּׁוֹמְרוֹן תְּמַנְיָא וְשִׁבְעָא גֻבְרָא
Targum Rendering
men came from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria — eighty men.
Pilgrims-to-the-ruined-temple narrative. Despite the temple's destruction, northern pilgrims still travel — preserved literally as historical witness.
Hebrew (MT)
אִם־טוֹב וְאִם־רָע בְּקוֹל יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ אֲשֶׁר אֲנוּ שֹׁלְחִים אֹתְךָ אֵלָיו נִשְׁמָע
whether good or evil, we will obey the voice of the LORD our God to whom we send you.
Targum (Aramaic)
אִם טַב וְאִם בִּישׁ לְמֵימְרָא דַייָ אֱלָהָנָא דַּאֲנַחְנָא מְשַׁלְּחִין יָתָךְ לְקֳדָמוֹהִי נְקַבֵּיל
Targum Rendering
whether good or evil, we will receive the Memra of the LORD our God to whom we send you.
Remnant promise to Jeremiah. They will fail this oath (ch. 43). Memra-mediation: pledge of obedience is to the Word, not abstractly to God.
Hebrew (MT)
הִנְנִי שֹׁלֵחַ וְלָקַחְתִּי אֶת־נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּר מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל עַבְדִּי
behold, I will send and take Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant.
Targum (Aramaic)
הָא אֲנָא שָׁלַח וְאִדְבַּר יָת נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּר מַלְכָּא דְבָבֶל עַבְדִּי
Targum Rendering
behold, I will send and bring Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, my servant.
Tahpanhes prophecy. Nebuchadnezzar called 'my servant' (עַבְדִּי) — the foreign king as YHWH's instrument. Pattern: Cyrus (Isa 45:1) similarly called 'anointed.' Foundational for divine-sovereignty-over-Gentiles theology.
Hebrew (MT)
הִנְנִי שָׂם פָּנַי בָּכֶם לְרָעָה וּלְהַכְרִית אֶת־כָּל־יְהוּדָה
behold, I will set my face against you for harm, to cut off all Judah.
Targum (Aramaic)
הָא אֲנָא מְשַׁוֵּי רוּגְזִי בְכוֹן לְבִישָׁא וּלְשֵׁיצָאָה יָת כָּל יְהוּדָה
Targum Rendering
behold, I will set my anger against you for evil, to cut off all Judah.
Egypt-remnant judgment. 'Set my face' (anthropomorphic) becomes 'set my anger' (רוּגְזִי) — anti-anthropomorphism. Even covenantal judgment is mediated through divine attribute, not bodily face.
Hebrew (MT)
וְנָתַתִּי לְךָ אֶת־נַפְשְׁךָ לְשָׁלָל
I will give you your life as a prize of war.
Targum (Aramaic)
וְאֶתֵּין לָךְ יָת נַפְשָׁךְ לִשְׁלָל
Targum Rendering
I will give you your life as a prize.
YHWH to Baruch. The 'life as plunder' formula — recurs in Jer 21:9, 38:2, 39:18. Survival amid catastrophe is itself a covenantal mercy, not deserved deliverance.
Hebrew (MT)
כִּי אִתְּךָ אָנִי נְאֻם יְהוָה לְהוֹשִׁעֶךָ
For I am with you, declares the LORD, to save you.
Targum (Aramaic)
arei Memri besiyyakhah amar Adonai leshezavutakh
Targum Rendering
For my Memra is in your help, says the LORD, to save you.
The concluding promise to Jacob/Israel uses the standard Memra-help formula. Even amid oracles against the nations, God's relationship with Israel is Memra-mediated.
Hebrew (MT)
הוֹי חֶרֶב לַיהוָה עַד־אָנָה לֹא תִשְׁקֹטִי
ah, sword of the LORD! How long till you are quiet?
Targum (Aramaic)
וַי דְּקַטְלִין בְּחַרְבָּא דְמִן קֳדָם יְיָ עַד אֵימָתַי לָא תְשׁוֹק
Targum Rendering
alas for those slain by the sword from before the LORD! How long will it not rest?
Philistine oracle. Targum recasts 'sword of YHWH' as 'sword from before the LORD' — anti-anthropomorphism. Divine judgment-instrument preserved without humanlike weapon.
Hebrew (MT)
וְשַׁבְתִּי שְׁבוּת־מוֹאָב בְּאַחֲרִית הַיָּמִים
I will restore the fortunes of Moab in the latter days.
Targum (Aramaic)
וַאֲתֵיב יָת גָּלוּת מוֹאָב בְּסוֹף יוֹמַיָּא
Targum Rendering
I will restore the captivity of Moab in the latter days.
Eschatological-restoration even of pagan Moab. The 'latter days' (סוֹף יוֹמַיָּא) — pre-Nicene-era technical term for messianic age. NT Acts 2:17 'last days.'
Hebrew (MT)
עָזְבָה יְתֹמֶיךָ אֲנִי אֲחַיֶּה וְאַלְמְנֹתֶיךָ עָלַי תִּבְטָחוּ
leave your orphans; I will keep them alive; let your widows trust in me.
Targum (Aramaic)
שְׁבוֹק יִתְמָךְ אֲנָא אֲקַיֵּים וְאַרְמְלָתָךְ עָלַי יִתְרַחְצָן
Targum Rendering
leave your orphans — I myself will preserve them; let your widows trust upon me.
Oracle against Edom (with mercy clause for orphans/widows). Even within judgment-oracles, divine compassion for the vulnerable holds.
Hebrew (MT)
יָבֹאוּ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הֵמָּה וּבְנֵי יְהוּדָה יַחְדָּו
The people of Israel and the people of Judah shall come together.
Targum (Aramaic)
yei'tun benei yisrael innun uvenei yehudah kachada
Targum Rendering
The sons of Israel and the sons of Judah shall come together.
The reunification-of-Israel-and-Judah promise. Echoes Ezek 37:15-23 (the joined-stick prophecy). Eschatological theme.
Hebrew (MT)
צֹאן אֹבְדוֹת הָיָה עַמִּי
My people have been lost sheep.
Targum (Aramaic)
ana de'avad havva ammi
Targum Rendering
My people have been like lost sheep.
The 'lost sheep' divine-shepherd formula. Echoed at Matt 10:6 ('the lost sheep of the house of Israel') and Luke 15 (the parable of the lost sheep).
Hebrew (MT)
גֹּאֲלָם חָזָק יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת שְׁמוֹ
Their Redeemer is strong; the LORD of hosts is his name.
Targum (Aramaic)
paroqahon taqqif shemei Adonai tzevaot shemei
Targum Rendering
Their Redeemer is strong; his name is the LORD of hosts.
The Redeemer-of-Israel formula. Foundational for biblical redemption theology.
Hebrew (MT)
רִפִּינוּ אֶת בָּבֶל וְלֹא נִרְפָּתָה
We would have healed Babylon, but she was not healed.
Targum (Aramaic)
asseinanha levavel vela itasiat
Targum Rendering
We tried to heal Babylon, but she was not healed.
The Babylon-judgment context — adopted by Revelation 18 for the eschatological Babylon. Cited (in concept) at Rev 18:5 ('her sins are heaped high as heaven').
Hebrew (MT)
וְשִׁלַּמְתִּי לְבָבֶל וּלְכֹל יוֹשְׁבֵי כַשְׂדִּים
I will repay Babylon and all the inhabitants of Chaldea.
Targum (Aramaic)
ve'ashalem levavel uleyatevei kasda'ei
Targum Rendering
I will repay Babylon and all who dwell in Chaldea.
The Babylon-judgment promise. Foundational for Revelation 18's eschatological-Babylon.
Hebrew (MT)
בֶּן־עֶשְׂרִים וְאַחַת שָׁנָה צִדְקִיָּהוּ בְמָלְכוֹ
Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he began to reign.
Targum (Aramaic)
בַּר עֶשְׂרִין וַחֲדָא שְׁנִין הֲוָה צִדְקִיָּה כַד מְלַךְ
Targum Rendering
Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king.
Final-chapter regnal formula. Standard regnal-data preserved literally — Jeremiah ends as historical chronicle of the Judean monarchy's collapse.