The Open Book

and the Sealed Book

Jeremiah 32 in its Hebrew

and Greek Recensions

Andrew G. Shead

Journal for the Study of the Old Testament

Supplement Series 347

The Hebrew Bible and its Versions 3

To Jean

Copyright © 2002 Sheffield Academic Press

A Continuum imprint

Published by

Sheffield Academic Press Ltd.

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All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN 1-84127-274-4

Contents

Preface

Abbreviations

1. Introduction

1.1 Background

1.2 Scope

1.3 Method

1.4 Conclusions Foreshadowed

1.5 Arrangement of the Chapters

2. The Boundaries of Jeremianic Discourse

2.1 Markers of Direct Speech: Problems

2.2 Markers of Direct Speech: Analysis

2.3 The Macrosyntax of Jeremiah 32(M)

2.4 The Macrosyntax of Jeremiah 32[39] (G)

2.5 Jeremiah 32: An Embedded Discourse

In Chapters 3 to 6, a detailed list of the contents of each chapter is provided at the start (§§3.1; 4.1; 5.1; 6.1)

3. Jeremiah 32:1–15

3.1 Variants for Discussion

3.2 Comments on the Masoretic Text

3.3 Comments on the Septuagint

3.4 Quantitative Variants

3.5 Qualitative Variants

3.6 Variants of Special Interest

4. Jeremiah 32:16–25

4.1 Variants for Discussion

4.2 Comments on the Masoretic Text

4.3 Comments on the Septuagint

4.4 Quantitative Variants

4.5 Qualitative Variants

4.6 Variants of Special Interest

5. Jeremiah 32:26–35

5.1 Variants for Discussion

5.2 Comments on the Masoretic Text

5.3 Comments on the Septuagint

5.4 Quantitative Variants

5.5 Qualitative Variants

5.6 Variants of Special Interest

6. Jeremiah 32:36–44

6.1 Variants for Discussion

6.2 Comments on the Masoretic Text

6.3 Comments on the Septuagint

6.4 Quantitative Variants

6.5 Qualitative Variants

6.6 Variants of Special Interest: Disentangling Ancient Revisions

7. Conclusions and Discussion

7.1 Conclusions

7.2 Discussion: Breaking the Seal

Appendix

The Hebrew and Greek Texts of Jeremiah 32[39] Compared

Bibliography of Sources and Resources

Bibliography of Commentaries, Monographs and Articles

Index of Variants by Section Number

Index of References

Index of Authors

Preface

Take these books—this book of the purchase—that is, the sealed book and this open book, and put them in an earthen jar so that they may last many days (Jeremiah mt 32:14).

Aliud est enim vatem, aliud esse interpretem.

It is one thing to be a prophet, and another to be a translator (Jerome, Incipit Prologus in Pentateucho, line 29).

This monograph arose in part from a dissatisfaction with the extent to which literary considerations have tended to control the outcome of text-critical work in the Hebrew Bible. The ...