The verb translated smitten may mean either “hit” (that is, “punish”) or “strike down” (that is, “kill”). Thus smitten your children may mean either “punished you [but you refused to be corrected]” or “killed some of your people [but the rest of you refused to learn anything from it].” Good News Translation, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, and New International Version (“I punished your people”) follow the first alternative, while Jerusalem Bible (“I have struck down your sons”) and New English Bible (“I struck down your sons”) seem to prefer the second alternative. Either interpretation is possible, though that represented by Good News Translation, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, and New International Version seems more satisfactory in the context; that is, the pronouns your … they in this first half of the verse are best understood to refer to the same people referred to by your … your in the second half of the verse.
Good News Translation renders In vain as “but it did no good.” “To no effect” and “With no results” are other ways to express the meaning.
Notice that children does not mean just the children or youngsters, but stands for “the people.” Whether translators express smitten as “punished” or “killed,” the verse should not give the impression that the LORD did something only to the children; he did something to the people.
They took no correction is expressed clearly by Good News Translation as “you would not let me correct you.” It is also possible to say “you would not accept the warning” (Bible en français courant) or “you did not learn anything from it.”
Your own sword devoured your prophets is correctly interpreted by Good News Translation to mean “you have murdered your prophets.” It may be best to translate your prophets as “the prophets I sent to you” or “the men I sent to speak my message to you.” It is quite likely that Jeremiah has in mind such events as described in 2Kgs 21.16; according to Jewish tradition Isaiah is said to have been murdered during this persecution. If sword is not known, translators can use some other knife-like war instrument such as “battle machete” or “big fighting knife.” But, as seen in Good News Translation, in this verse sword represents killing.
Like a ravening lion: See verse 15 for lion. Ravening could be “ferocious,” “raging,” or “rapacious.” The image is of a lion looking for something to kill and eat. Translators who are working in areas where lions are not known at all should consider substituting some animal that readers would be familiar with which attacks and kills its food, and preferably which is also in the cat family, such as a puma or panther. But since this is only a figure or illustration here, the exact animal is not important.
Although Good News Translation has expressed the meaning of the verse quite clearly, many translators want to keep the image of the sword if possible. The problem is that it often seems odd to have a sword devour or eat. Possible translations include “Like attacking lions you put the prophets I sent you to the sword,” “With your swords you killed my prophets with the ferocity of a hungry lion,” and “With the speed of an attacking lion your swords killed the prophets I sent you.”
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 .