Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 2:16
Also the children of Noph and Tahapanes have broken the crown of thy head.
16. also ] even. The sense is, those in whom thou most trustedst.
Noph ] Memphis, formerly the capital of Lower (i.e. Northern) Egypt, the word Noph representing some colloquial Semitic or Egyptian pronunciation of the name. Its site was near what is now Cairo.
Tahpanhes ] now Tell Defneh, the Greek Daphnae Pelusii, which Herodotus mentions (Jer 2:30) as a town in which a garrison was maintained against the Syrians and Arabians. It bears an important part in the history contained in the later chapters of Jeremiah. Johanan and the other captains went there in spite of the prophet’s directions (Jer 43:7). It was on the eastern branch of the Nile, and commanded the road to Palestine, thus being a frontier post of great importance. The towns of Noph and Tahpanhes would both be well known to the Jews even in Josiah’s day, the former as a capital city, the latter from its position. The two places occur again in conjunction in Jer 44:1, Jer 46:14. The pyramids and extensive necropolis still draw multitudes of visitors to Memphis. The site of Tahpanhes has been excavated by Dr Flinders Petrie with interesting results relating to Ptolemaic and Roman times. See HDB. s.v.
have broken ] mg. fed on. The latter rendering represents the sense of the Hebrew verb according to the vowel points assigned it by the Massoretes, but the figure is too strange a one to be easily accepted. That of the text, on the other hand, would require different vocalisation ( yro‘uk for yir‘uk), but in this case too the figure is over strong for the circumstances; seeing what is meant is nothing more than some affliction coming from Egypt. At any rate it is best to render by a future rather than a present tense. There is however a third way of pointing the word which is far from improbable, though it also involves the transposing of two consonants, viz. y‘aruk, “will shave the crown of your head.” It is true that we must assume the existence of the Hebrew verb in that sense, but the supposition is scarcely a precarious one, as the Hebrew for ‘razor’ is apparently derived from this root. In that case the v. may be paraphrased thus: the Assyrians have ravaged thee. The Egyptians, to whom some of you are looking for help, will presently fleece you (as they did, 2Ki 23:35). A shaven head was the sign of disgrace or of mourning (Jer 47:5, Jer 48:37; Isa 3:17; Isa 3:24; Isa 15:2; Isa 22:12).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Noph, i. e., Napata, a town situated in the extreme south of Egypt. Some take it to be Memphis (see Isa 19:13 note).
Tahapanes – Daphne Pelusii, a bordertown toward Palestine.
Have broken the crown of thy head – literally, shall depasture the crown of thy head; i. e., make it bald; baldness was accounted by the Jews a sign of disgrace 2Ki 2:23, and also a mark of mourning Isa 15:2; Isa 22:12. The Egyptians in slaying Josiah, and capturing Jerusalem, brought ruin, disgrace, and sorrow upon the Jews.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 16. The children of Noph and Tahapanes] Noph and Tahapanes were two cities of Egypt, otherwise called Memphis and Daphni. It is well known that the good king was defeated by the Egyptians, and slain in battle. Thus was the crown of Judah’s head broken.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Noph and Tahapanes; two of the king of Egypts principal seats. Concerning Noph, sometimes called Memphis, now Cairo, see on Isa 19:13. Concerning Tahapanes, see Eze 30:18, probably taking its name from Tahpenes, queen of Egypt, 1Ki 11:19; called also Hanes: See Poole “Isa 30:4“. And the inhabitants and natives of these cities are called here their children, Isa 37:12. Broken the crown of thy head: they that take the Hebrew word in the notion of breaking understand this of destroying whatever is chief or principal among them, either of persons or things; wounds in the head being most dangerous. Or, defiling the chief of the land, either by their corporal adulteries, and so take the word under the notion of knowing, as Gen 19:5; or spiritual, namely, idolatries, Jer 44:17, or their cruel, tyrannical oppressions, trampling upon all their glory, expressed by riding over their heads, and that universally, in a most insulting manner. But the word may be better taken in the notion of feeding, as the word is used Jer 3:15, i.e. they have fed upon her most fruitful and pleasant, the top and head of all her pastures, that lay in the southern borders towards Egypt; see Jer 13:18-20; thus depriving them of all way of subsistence, Jer 12:10. In short, they shall make havoc of all that is excellent in thee, Isa 28:4. The sum is, Thy league, O Judea, with Egypt against the Chaldeans will be the cause of thy total ruin. For the kings of Judah had not rebelled against the Babylonians, but to gratify the Egyptians, in expectation of help from them.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
16. Noph . . . TahapanesMemphis,capital of Lower Egypt, on the west bank of the Nile, near thepyramids of Gizeh, opposite the site of modern Cairo. Daphne,on the Tanitic branch of the Nile, near Pelusium, on the frontier ofEgypt towards Palestine. Isa 30:4contracts it, Hanes. These two cities, one the capital, theother that with which the Jews came most in contact, stand for thewhole of Egypt. Tahapanes takes its name from a goddess,Tphnet [CHAMPOLLION].Memphis is from Man-nofri, “the abode of goodmen”; written in Hebrew, Moph (Ho9:6), or Noph. The reference is to the coming invasion ofJudah by Pharaoh-necho of Egypt, on his return from the Euphrates,when he deposed Jehoahaz and levied a heavy tribute on the land (2Ki23:33-35). Josiah’s death in battle with the same Pharaoh isprobably included (2Ki 23:29;2Ki 23:30).
have brokenrather,shall feed down the crown, c., that is, affect with thegreatest ignominy, such as baldness was regarded in the East(Jer 48:37 2Ki 2:23).Instead of “also,” translate, “even” theEgyptians, in whom thou dost trust, shall miserably disappoint thyexpectation [MAURER].Jehoiakim was twice leagued with them (2Ki 23:34;2Ki 23:35): when he received thecrown from them, and when he revolted from Nebuchadnezzar (2Ki 24:1;2Ki 24:2; 2Ki 24:7).The Chaldeans, having become masters of Asia, threatened Egypt.Judea, situated between the contending powers, was thus exposed tothe inroads of the one or other of the hostile armies; andunfortunately, except in Josiah’s reign, took side with Egypt,contrary to God’s warnings.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Also the children of Noph and Tahapanes,…. These were cities in Egypt. Noph is the same with Moph in Ho 9:6 and which we there rightly render Memphis; as Noph is here by the Targum, Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Arabic versions; and was formerly, as Pliny g says, the palace of the kings of Egypt. It is the same that is now called Alcairo, or Grand Cairo. According to Herodotus h, it was built by Menes, the first king of Egypt; and who also makes mention of a city of Egypt, called Momemphis i. Tahapanes is the same with Hanes in Isa 30:4, and here, in the Arabic version, is called Daphnes; and is thought by some to be the same with Daphnae Pelusiae, a city in Egypt. This Tahapanes was the metropolis of Egypt, and the seat of their kings; mention is made of Pharaoh’s house in it, in Jer 43:9, now the inhabitants of these, called the children of them, and who are put for the people of Egypt in general, were the allies of the Jews, and in whom they trusted for help, when attacked by their enemies, Isa 30:2 and yet
even these have broken the crown of thy head; which is interpreted, by the Targum, of slaying their mighty men, and spoiling their goods; perhaps it had its accomplishment when Pharaohnecho king of Egypt came out against the king of Assyria, and Josiah king of Judah went out to meet him, and was slain by him at Megiddo; and his son Jehoahaz he put in bonds, and carried him to Egypt, and put his brother upon the throne, and took tribute of gold and silver of him, 2Ki 23:29.
g Nat. Hist. l. 5. c. 9. h L. 2. vel Euterpe, c. 99. i lb. c. 163, 169.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
By way of amplification he adds, Also the sons of Noph and of Tephanes shall for thee break the head, or, the crown of the head. We shall hereafter see that the Israelites were wont to seek help from the Egyptians. The particle גם, g a m, may be thus explained, “Not only those who have been hitherto professed enemies to thee, but even thy friends, in whose help thou didst confide, shall turn their power against thee and break for thee thy head.” Some think that their degradation is here enhanced, because the Egyptians were an unwarlike people; and ancient historians say that men there followed the occupations of women; but as this is not mentioned in Scripture, and as the Egyptians are not thus spoken of in it, I prefer to follow the usual explanation, that the Egyptians, though confederate with Israel, would yet be adverse to them, and had been so already. By the head, some understand the chief men among the people of Israel: but we may render it thus, they will break for thee the head, as we say in our language, Ils to romperont la tete, or, Ils to frotteront la tete; and this, in my judgment, is the real meaning. (43)
(43) There have been many expositions of this latter clause, which may be seen in the Assembly’s Annotations, which were written, as to Isaiah and Jeremiah, by the learned Gataker. He gives the preference to the idea, that the crown of the head means the best and the principal part of the land, and to break the crown means the plunder of this portion. See Isa 28:4. This seems to correspond in meaning with the previous verse. It was the opinion of Blarney that an allusion is prophetically made to the slaying of Josiah by the Egyptians. The words literally are, —
They shall break thee, the crown of the head.
“
The crown of the head” seems to be explanatory of “thee;” it might then be rendered, —
They shall break thee, even the crown of thy head.
The Septuagint mistook one letter for another, and took the verb to be, ידעוך, “they knew thee,” instead of ירעוך “they shall break thee;” but what they made the last word to be, it is hard to know, for they rendered it, “and searched thee.” The Vulgate has followed the Septuagint; and the idea is a very indecent one: and there is nothing in the context to favor it. The Targum’s paraphrase is this, “They shall slay thy brave men, and plunder thy riches;” which countenances the idea evidently conveyed by the figurative terms of the Hebrew.
The next verse literally rendered is as follows, —
Is not this what thou wilt do for thyself, By thy forsaking of Jehovah thy God, At the time he was leading thee in the way?
The first verb is no doubt future, whether it be rendered in the second or third person. The sentence may be rendered in Welsh without “Is,” or the relative “what,” and word for word, —
(lang. cy) Ai nid hyn a wnai i’th hun ?
And the future is understood as the present. Blayney’s version is, —
Shall not this be done unto thee, Because thou hast forsaken Jehovah thy God, At the time that he led thee in the way?
—
Ed.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(16) Also the children of Noph . . .We pass from the language of poetry to that of history, and the actual enemies of Israel appear on the scene, not as the threatening danger in the north, but in the far south. The words indicate that the prophet set himself from the first, as Isaiah had done (Isa. 31:1), against the policy of an Egyptian alliance. The LXX. translators, following, we must believe, an Egyptian tradition, identify the Hebrew Noph with Memphis in northern Egypt; later critics, with Napata in the south. Its conjunction with Tahapanes, the Daphn of the Greeks, which was on the Pelusiac mouth of the Nile, and on the frontier, seems in favour of the former view.
Have broken.More accurately, shall feed on, lay waste, depasture, so as to produce baldness. Baldness among the Jews, as with other -Eastern nations, was a shame and reproach (Isa. 3:24; Isa. 15:2; Isa. 22:12; 2Ki. 2:23), and was therefore a natural symbol of the ignominy and ruin of a people.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
16. Noph (see Isa 19:13, and Eze 30:13; Eze 30:16) is an abbreviation of Menoph, which, in the Hebrew of Hos 9:6, takes the other abbreviated form of Moph. This was Memphis, situated on the west bank of the Nile, south of old Cairo. It was the ancient capital of Lower Egypt, and later of the whole kingdom. Tahapanes was situated on the Pelusiac arm of the Nile. The two names taken together are made to represent Egypt.
Have broken the crown The English version misses the sense. The verb means, not to break, but to feed on. The sense is, They shall depasture the crown of thy head; that is, they shall make it bare, leave it without a covering, a sign of disgrace and of sorrow. Jer 45:5; Jer 48:37.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Jer 2:16 Also the children of Noph and Tahapanes have broken the crown of thy head.
Ver. 16. Also the children of Noph and Tahapanes. ] Two chief cities of Egypt, the inhabitants whereof were said to be most effeminate and servile fellows; a even these shall overtop thee, knock thee down, as an ox by a blow on the brain pan, and make havoc of those things that thou holdest the chiefest and most desirable.
a Herodot., lib. ii.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Noph = Memphis, the capital of Lower Egypt, south of Cairo. Compare Jer 41:1. Isa 19:13.
Tahapanes. The Greek Daphnae, on the Pelusiac branch of the Nile. Compare Jer 43:7, Jer 43:11.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Also the: 2Ki 18:21, 2Ki 23:33, Isa 30:1-6, Isa 31:1-3
Noph: Jer 46:14, Jer 46:19, Isa 19:13, Eze 30:13, Eze 30:16
Tahapanes: Jer 43:7-9, Jer 44:1, Jer 46:14, Tahpanhes
have broken the crown: or, feed on thy crown, Deu 33:20, Isa 1:6, Isa 1:7, Isa 8:8
Reciprocal: Eze 30:18 – Tehaphnehes
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 2:16. Babylon was the country where the people of Israel were to be taken into captivity as a whole, but other places were permitted to make inroads and accomplish some gains. Noph (or Memphis) and Tahapanes were cities in Egypt and they are mentioned as having a share in the victories accomplished by their king Pharoah. The record of this event ts in 2Ki 23:33-35.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
2:16 Also the children of {z} Noph and Tahapanes have {a} broken the crown of thy head.
(z) That is, the Egyptians, for these were two great cities in Egypt.
(a) Have grievously vexed you at various times.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
The Egyptians had cropped Israel’s glory. Jeremiah personified Israel as a woman (fem. suffix). In the ancient world long hair was a glorious thing (cf. 2Sa 14:26). Perhaps Pharaoh Shishak’s invasion of Judah in 925 B.C. is in view here (1Ki 14:25-26). A more likely possibility is the slaying of King Josiah at Megiddo, when Pharaoh Neco took the crown (king) from the nation’s head in 609 B.C. (2Ki 23:29). In both instances Egypt had shorn Israel.
Memphis (Heb. Noph) was the ancient capital of Lower (Northern) Egypt, about 13 miles south of modern Cairo. Tahpanhes (Gr. Daphne) stood near Lake Manzaleh in northeastern Egypt. It was the first significant Egyptian town that travelers came to on a land journey from Judah to Egypt. It was about 150 miles across the desert from Gaza. Later, Jeremiah and other Hebrew refugees settled there (Jer 43:7-9).