Clarke's Commentary on the Bible: Borun is to thee a knave child. - Old MS. Bible. This is the old English word for man or servant; and is so used by Wiclif, Revelation 12:6.
what has the word "knave child" to do with the original Hebrew text ?
You see if I read this verse from your same source it would have never caught my attention, my guess that you have the simplified version.
whatever version ,remains the same CLEAR meaning " good news of a new born male to Jeremiah's father "
Barnes' Notes on the Bible:There is a man child conceived - Hebrew גבר geber - "a man;" compare John 16:21. The word "conceived" Dr. Good renders "brought forth" So Herder translates it. The Septuagint, Ἰδοὺ ἄρσεν Idou arsen - "lo, a male" The common translation expresses the true sense of the original. The joy at the birth of a male in Oriental countries is much greater than that at the birth of a female.
Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleCursed be the man who brought tidings to my father,.... The word signifies commonly good tidings, as the news of a child born, and especially a man child, is to its parent. The Septuagint use the same word the angel did, when he brought the tidings of the birth of Christ, Luke 2:10.
NIV - Cursed be the man who brought
my father the news, who made him very glad, saying, “
A child is born to you—a son!â€
ASV - 15 Cursed be the man who brought tidings to
my father, saying, “A
manchild is born unto thee,†making him very glad.
AMP bible.15 Cursed be the man who brought the tidings to
my father, saying,
A son is born to you!—making him very glad.
NLT - I curse the messenger who told
my father, “Good news—you have
a son!â€
YLT [/b]Cursed [is] the man who bore tidings [to] my father, saying, `Born to thee hath been
a child -- a male,' Making him very glad!
CJB A curse on the man who brought the news
to my father, “
A son has been born to you!†—thus making him very happy.
Cursed be the one who delivered the news
to my father, “You have
a son!â€â€” filling him with joy.
I also looked into other commentaries :Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament
In the curse on the man that brought the father the news of the birth, the stress lies on the clause, "who made him very glad,"
so what?!
Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible:
What is the meaning of this? Does there proceed out of the same mouth blessing and cursing? Could he that said so cheerfully (v. 13), Sing unto the Lord, praise you the Lord, say so passionately (v. 14), Cursed be the day wherein I was born? How shall we reconcile these?.
Valid questions, You read the commentaries ,yet ignore what Matthew Henry and all the other commentators suggested:
1- that the words could have been transposed.
2- the Prophet describes what had passed through his own mind, the experience of good men proves that such sudden changes occur. The Prophet, indeed, acknowledged God's kindness in saving his life, and invited others to join him in praising him: yet when he considered his circumstances, he gave way to his own natural feelings.
3- when in great anguish of spirit; very likely when so ill used by Pashur, as before related; but here repeated, to show in what distress he had been, and what reason there was for praise and thanksgiving; for the words may be connected with the preceding, thus, "for he hath delivered from the hand of evil doers the soul of the poor, who said" (l), in the time of his distress, "cursed be the day", &c; but, whenever it was spoke, it showed the impatience of the prophet, the weakness of his faith, and the greatness of his folly, to curse a day, and his birth day too, as Job did, when under affliction, Job 3:1.
4- The cursing of the day of his birth, or of his life, after the preceding exaltation to hopeful assurance is not psychologically inconceivable. It may well be understood, if we but think of the two parts of the lamentation as not following one another in the prophet's soul in such immediate succession as they do in the text; if we regard them as spiritual struggles, separated by an interval of time, through which the prophet must successively pass. In vanquishing the temptation that arose from the plots of his enemies against his life, Jeremiah had a strong support in the promise which the Lord gave him at his call, that those who strove against him should not prevail against him; and the deliverance out of the hand of Pashur which he had just experience, must have given him an actual proof that the Lord was fulfilling His promise. The feeling of this might fill the trembling heart with strength to conquer his temptation, and to elevate himself again, in the joyful confidence of faith, to the praising of the Lord, who delivers the soul of the poor from the hand of the ungodly. But the power of the temptation was not finally vanquished by the renewal of his confidence that the Lord will defend him against all his foes. The unsuccess of his mission might stir up sore struggles in his soul, and not only rob him of all heart to continue his labours, but excite bitter discontent with a life full or hardship and sorrow - a discontent which found vent in his cursing the day of his birth.
it is well known to us in the eastern region that our men find it shameful to even let the brother of the wife be around during delivery of a baby, it was always the duty of women and Jeremiah should have said what is accustomed.
1- How do you know that the man who congratulated Jeremiah's father of a new born male child, attended the delivery ?! why should we think that Jeremiah's father was waiting beside the place where his wife delivered the baby Jeremiah?
the man who brought the news of birth could have heard it from those delivered the baby then brought t to Jeremiah,isn't it?
2- should we rewrite the text of Jeremiah or accept what it actually says "even if it might seem absurd" ?
It is difficult to comprehend, no matter what the context was, how suddenly from singing and praising the Lord he started cursing himself and the man who brought the news
Even if we ignore the solutions to such difficulty proposed by the commentaries I quoted ,still it is improper to impose a conjectural baseless meaning on the text.
Prophets are chosen people with good morals and patience. Prophet Joseph was persecuted by his brothers then he stayed in the prison for so many years, he never cursed, he was patient he was the symbol of virtues .
Was Jeremiah a prophet ? may be.
Does the book of Jeremiah belong the corpus of the scripture that the Quran affirms to be the word of God? no .
