Verses 35-37 use illustrations from nature to show how impossible it is for the LORD to forsake his people. As such, they serve as a conclusion to the promises of the previous verses and as a transition to the promise of verses 38-40. As elsewhere in the Old Testament, the themes of God as Creator and God as Redeemer are brought together.

Thus says the LORD: See 2.2. In this verse, if translators begin with this clause, they may need to indicate that the rest of the verse is telling more about who the LORD is before actually giving his words; for example, “Hear what the LORD says, the LORD who gives the sun….” It might then be helpful to end the verse by “These are his words.”

The fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night: Some scholars prefer to omit the fixed order on the grounds that it disturbs the meter of the line and is lacking in the Septuagint. Moreover, a parallel expression is used in verse 36, and the same scholars that feel this should be omitted assume that it may have been brought in from verse 36. It is, however, possible to translate these words in a natural way. Revised English Bible has “the moon and stars in their courses for a light by night” and New Jerusalem Bible “who regulates moon and stars to shine by night.”

Who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar: These same words occur in Isa 51.15, where they are also followed by the LORD of hosts is his name. Who stirs up the sea may also be translated “who stills the sea,” since a verb of the same root has that meaning (see Job 26.12). However, this is not the preference of most Old Testament scholars.

The LORD of hosts: See 2.19.

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 .