Verses 11-12 picture the LORD’s judgment as a sirocco, the dry hot wind that sweeps in from the eastern desert and brings paralyzing heat into the country. These winds may last anywhere from three days to two weeks, and they have devastating effects upon people, animals, and vegetation.
At that time refers to the day of the LORD’s judgment, as does “In that day” in verse 9.
It will be said is a typical Hebrew way of speaking of the LORD without mentioning the sacred name; the meaning is “the LORD will say.” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch indicates this by use of the first person pronoun, which in the context refers back to the LORD: “Then I will say to this people and to Jerusalem….” To this people and to Jerusalem is best taken to mean “to the people of Jerusalem” (see verse 10).
A hot wind is translated “a scorching wind” by Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, and Revised English Bible. It would perhaps be difficult to find an adjective that would translate the word hot in this particular context. As previously indicated, the sirocco brings a dry, suffocating heat that cannot long be endured. Another possibility for translators is “burning.”
For bare heights, see 3.2; for desert refer to “wilderness” in 2.2.
The daughter of my people is a poetic way of saying “my people,” as the Traduction œcuménique de la Bible footnote makes clear (see also Jer 6.14, 26; 8.11, 19, 21-22; 9.1, 7; 14.17). This is one of Jeremiah’s favorite ways of referring to the people, and it indicates endearment. Certainly translators should not use some term that refers only to women or young women.
As may be seen from a reading of Revised Standard Version, the verb of this sentence, “comes,” does not appear until verse 12, where it connects back with the double subject a hot wind (verse 11) and “a wind too full” (verse 12). Such a construction is difficult for many readers, and so Good News Translation introduces the verb at its normally expected place in the sentence, “a scorching wind is blowing,” and then repeats both the subject and verb in verse 12 with “the wind that comes….”
Winnow or cleanse: The two verbs are probably to be taken of the same activity. After the grain was cut, the stalks were placed on the threshing floor where by one of several means the kernels of grain were separated from the straw. Then the grain had to be winnowed. This was accomplished by using a pitch fork or a shovel to throw the grain into the air so that the wind would carry away the refuse, allowing the kernels to fall into a pile. This work was generally done in the late afternoon or early evening, when the wind normally blew. Jeremiah is here saying that the LORD’s judgment upon his people will be too strong for cleansing or purifying them; rather it will be a destructive wind that brings judgment (verse 12). Many translations begin a new sentence at this point; for example, “It will not be a wind to blow away the chaff or the dust from anything, but….”
Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Jeremiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2003. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .