The fords are the places where people are able to cross rivers (Good News Translation “the river crossing”).

The bulwarks: Either the same word or a different one of the same spelling means “reed pool” in all of its other occurrences in the Old Testament (Exo 7.19 [Revised Standard Version “ponds”]; 8.1; Psa 107.35; 114.8; Isa 14.23; 35.7; 41.16; 42.15.) The question is whether this is the same word or a word that means “fortress” (an Arabic word of similar spelling has this meaning). The meaning “swamp grass” or “reeds” is possible, since it would have been logical to set the grass on fire to cut off escape and to burn out persons hiding there. However, most versions prefer the meaning “fortresses.”

Good News Translation transforms the passive verbs have been seized and are burned into active forms: “The enemy have captured … and have set … on fire.”

The soldiers who are panicking are obviously “The Babylonian soldiers” (Good News Translation).

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 .