The fruitful land apparently refers to the most fertile parts of Israel’s land (New American Bible, An American Translation “the garden land”; Revised English Bible “the farm-land”; Bright “the tilled land”), though the interpretation of Jerusalem Bible (“the wooded country”) is also a possibility. Elsewhere in Jeremiah the word is used in 2.7 (“plentiful”) and 48.33. “Fertile land” is the usual translation here.

In this context, a desert does not refer so much to an uninhabited area, as in many contexts, but to an area where nothing grows.

Were laid in ruins (Good News Translation “were in ruins”) translates the passive form of the verb rendered “to break down” in 1.10. This represents the textual choice of most translations, though some manuscripts and the Septuagint read “were destroyed by fire” (so Traduction œcuménique de la Bible).

Before the LORD (literally “from the face of the LORD”) and before his fierce anger (literally “from his fierce anger”) give the cause of the destruction: “because of the LORD’s fierce anger” (Good News Translation). Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch expresses this as “destroyed through the glowing anger of the Lord.” “Because the LORD had destroyed them in his fierce anger” is also possible. For fierce anger, see verse 8.

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 .