# It is desolate, a place with neither man nor beast," in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem that are desolate having neither man nor beast
The word "land" is a metonym for the people who live on the land. AT: "I will again cause things to go well for the people who live on the land" or "I will cause the people who live on the land to live well again." See how similar words are translated in [Jeremiah 29:14](../29/12.md). (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
This refers to the time before the exile to Babylon. This can be made explicit. AT: "to what they were before I sent the Israelites into exile in Babylon" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])