Concerning Edom: As with the messages about the other nations, this one begins with this title, which can be translated “This is the message about Edom.”

Thus says the LORD: See 2.2.

LORD of hosts: See 2.19.

Is wisdom no more in Teman?: Teman was a district in Edom, here used of the entire land. Some scholars assume that Edom was especially known for its wisdom, while other scholars do not hold this to be true. In either case, the question assumes that the people of Edom have not conducted themselves very wisely. Since the form of this question is a very awkward expression for English speakers, Good News Translation restructures to “Have the people of Edom lost their good judgment?” Another possible rendering is “Isn’t there any wise person left in Teman?” Or translators can use an affirmation: “It seems that no one is left in Teman who has good judgment.”

Counsel is taken by Good News Translation to mean “persons who give counsel or advice,” and so it has the rendering “Can their advisers no longer tell them what to do?”

Has their wisdom vanished?: If it would be unnatural in a language to speak of wisdom vanishing, then translators can say something like “Have all the wise people left?” or “Is there no wise person left?”

Repeating the question three times would tend to make it extremely emphatic for the Hebrew reader; however, in other languages this would diminish the effect of the question. Translators should do what would be appropriate in their case.

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 .