O inhabitant of Lebanon is a reference to the king of Judah, whose palace contained many cedar pillars (see verses 6-7). For the first clause of this verse, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has “You are enthroned as high as Lebanon and dwell in a palace of cedar pillars.” Since the king is specifically being addressed in this verse, translators can have “You, O king, who are enthroned….” Another possibility is to use the third person, as in “The one who is enthroned….”

For cedars see verse 7.

How you will groan: Hebrew Old Testament Text Project is undecided whether the form of the text to be preferred should be groan (Septuagint, Vulgate, Syriac) or “be pitied” (Hebrew text; see the Revised Standard Version footnote). The English versions tend to favor “groan.”

When pangs come upon you, pain as of a woman in travail: See 6.24. Note also 4.31; 13.21. This last part of the verse can be expressed as “You will be in pain, and will groan [or, cry out] like a woman in childbirth.”

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 .