28And those who escape the sword shall return from the land of Egypt to the land of Judah, few in number, and all the remnant of Judah who have come to the land of Egypt to settle shall know whose words will stand, mine or theirs!
the Hebrew and Greek that is translated with “sword” in English is translated in Tepeuxila Cuicatec as “machete that is sharp on two sides,” in Lalana Chinantec as “machete” and in San Mateo del Mar Huave as “knife.” (Source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
The name that is transliterated as “Judah” or “Judea” in English (referring to the son of Jacob, the tribe, and the territory) is translated in Spanish Sign Language as “lion” (referring to Genesis 49:9 and Revelation 5:5). This sign for lion is reserved for regions and kingdoms. (Source: John Elwode in The Bible Translator 2008, p. 78ff. and Steve Parkhurst)
And those who escape the sword: There is an apparent contradiction between verse 27, which suggests the Jewish community will be totally wiped out, and this verse, which promises that some will return safely. However, Hebrew is fond of using “all” in a less than inclusive sense for the sake of emphasis, and in fact this verse agrees with verse 14 in referring to some people who escape.
The first half of this verse may be translated with Good News Translation as “But a few of you will escape death and return from Egypt to Judah.” Another way to express it is “Some of you will escape being killed, and will go back to Judah from Egypt. But you will be few in number.”
All the remnant of Judah: See 6.9.
Whose word will stand is an idiomatic expression meaning “whose words will come true.”
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 .
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