1 2 3 sn The Hebrew word translated here “things that go on in the sky” (אֹתוֹת, ’otot) refers both to unusual disturbances such as eclipses, comets, meteors, etc., but also to such things as the changes in the position of the sun, moon, and stars in conjunction with the changes in seasons (cf. Gen 1:14). The people of Assyria and Babylonia worshiped the sun, moon, and stars, thinking that these heavenly bodies had some hold over them. 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 sn This passage is carefully structured and placed to contrast the 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 sn The phrase the portion of Jacob’s descendants, which is applied to God here, has its background in the division of the land where each tribe received a portion of the land of Palestine except the tribe of Levi whose “portion” was the 33 34 35 sn For this rendering of the name for God and its significance see 2:19 and the study note there. 36 37 38 39 40 41 sn What is being referred to here is the feeling that was encouraged by the false prophets that the ill fortunes of the nation were just temporary setbacks and everything would soon get better (cf. 6:14; 8:11). 42 43 sn What is being referred to is the exile of the people of the land. This passage could refer to the exiles of 605 44 45 sn The idiom translated sought the 46 sn This verse uses the figure of rulers as shepherds and the people they ruled as sheep. It is a common figure in the Bible. See Ezek 34 for an extended development of this metaphor. 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58