“I hear many whispering.
‘Terror is all around!
Denounce him!
Let us denounce him!’
All my close friends
Are watching for me
To stumble.
‘Perhaps he can be enticed.
Then we can prevail against him.
We can take our revenge on him.’
But Yahweh is with me
Like a dreaded warrior.
Therefore my persecutors
Will stumble.
They will not prevail.
They will be greatly shamed.
They will not succeed.
Their eternal dishonor
Will never be forgotten.”
Jeremiah has heard the whispers about terror all around. They want to denounce him. Even his close friends are watching to see if he stumbles. They think that they might be able to prevail over him. They want to take out revenge on him. However, Yahweh is near, like a dreaded warrior, to protect him. Instead, his persecutors will stumble, fall, not prevail, and be greatly shamed. They will not succeed. In fact, their eternal dishonor will never be forgotten.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 