Jer 6:4-6 | NET2full | STEP | They will say, ‘ Prepare to do battle against it! Come on ! Let’s attack it at noon !’ But later they will say, ‘ Woe to us! For the day is almost over , and the shadows of evening are getting long .

‏ Jeremiah 6:4-6

4 They will say, ^{▼▼tn These words are not in the text but are implicit in the connection. They are supplied in the translation for clarity.} ‘Prepare to do battle ^{▼▼tn Heb “Sanctify war.” This is probably an idiom from early Israel’s holy wars in which religious rites were to precede the battle.} against it!
Come on! Let’s attack it at noon!’
But later they will say, ^{▼▼tn These words are not in the text but are supplied in the translation for clarity. Some commentaries and English versions see these not as the words of the enemy but as those of the Israelites expressing their fear that the enemy will launch a night attack against them and further destroy them. The connection with the next verse, however, fits better with them if they are the words of the enemy.} ‘Woe to us! ^{▼▼tn For the usage of this phrase see the translator’s note on 4:13. The usage of this particle here is a little exaggerated. They have lost the most advantageous time for attack but they are scarcely in a hopeless or doomed situation. The equivalent in English slang is “Bad news!”}
For the day is almost over,
and the shadows of evening are getting long.
5 So come on, let’s go ahead and attack it by night
and destroy all its fortified buildings.’
6 All this is because ^{▼▼tn Heb “For.” The translation attempts to make the connection clearer.} the Lord of Heaven’s Armies ^{▼▼tn Heb “Yahweh of Armies.”} ^{▼▼sn For an explanation of the significance of this title see the study note on 2:19.} has said:
‘Cut down the trees around Jerusalem
and build up a siege ramp against its walls. ^{▼▼tn Heb “Cut down its trees and build up a siege ramp against Jerusalem.” The referent has been moved forward from the second line for clarity.}
This is the city that is to be punished. ^{▼▼tn Or “has been appointed.” The meaning of this line is uncertain. The LXX reads, “Woe, city of falsehood!” The MT presents a masculine singular verb with a feminine singular subject. The verb פָּקַד (paqad) in the Hophal verbal stem elsewhere means “to be appointed, designated.” It is used of officials who have been appointed to tasks or of leaving something deposited with someone. Hence many follow the Greek, which presupposes הוֹי עִיר הַשֶּׁקֶר (hoy ʿir hasheqer) instead of הִיא הָעִיר הָפְקַד (hiʾ haʿir hofqad). The Greek is the easier reading in light of the parallelism, and it would be hard to explain how the MT arose from it. KBL suggests reading a noun meaning “licentiousness” that occurs elsewhere only in Mishnaic Hebrew, hence “this is the city, the licentious one” (attributive apposition; cf. KBL 775 s.v. פֶּקֶר). Perhaps the Hophal perfect (הָפְקַד, hofqad) should be revocalized as a Niphal infinitive absolute (הִפָּקֹד, hippaqod), which would solve both anomalies in the MT since the Niphal is used in this nuance and the infinitive absolute can function in place of a finite verb (cf. GKC 346 §113.ee and ff). This change, however, is mere speculation and is supported by no Hebrew ms.}
Nothing but oppression happens in it. ^{▼▼tn Heb “All of it oppression in its midst.”}