Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 44:24
Moreover Jeremiah said unto all the people, and to all the women, Hear the word of the LORD, all Judah that [are] in the land of Egypt:
24. Here and in Jer 44:25 we return to Baruch’s memoirs.
all Judah Egypt ] LXX, probably rightly, omit.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Earnest as was the preceding expostulation, Jeremiah sees that it has produced no effect. He therefore utters his last warning, and with this last resistance to the sins of a debased and godless people, his earthly ministry closed.
Jer 44:25
And fulfilled with your hand – Your hands. Jeremiah pointed to their hands, in which they were carrying the crescent-shaped cakes which they had vowed to the goddess. Their idolatry therefore was an accomplished deed, as the symbols held in their hands testified.
Ye will surely accomplish – Or, Accomplish then your vows. It is not a prediction, but is ironical, and means that as they will take no warning, they must needs have their way.
Jer 44:26
My name shall no more be named … – God swears by His own great Name that He will be their national God no longer. Yahweh repudiates His covenant-relation toward them.
Jer 44:27
I will watch – I am watching over them, not for good, but for evil: like a panther Jer 5:6 lying in wait to spring upon passengers.
Shall be consumed – This is the result of Yahwehs repudiation of thee covenant. When He was their God He watched over them for good: now His protection is withdrawn, and He is their enemy, because of the wickedness whereby their rejection was made necessary. See the Jer 6:9 note.
Jer 44:28
Literally, And fugitives from the sword (see Jer 44:14) shall return from the land of Egypt to the land of Judah, mere of number, i. e., so few that they can be counted: and all the remnant of Jadah that are going etc. So unendurable shall be their sufferings in Egypt, that the men now abandoning Judaea in the hope of finding an asylum there shall be glad to return like runaways from a lost battle.
Whose words … – Whose word shall stand, from Me or from them, i. e., the one prediction, that their descent into Egypt would be their ruin, which they denied.
Jer 44:30
Pharaoh-Hophra came to the throne the year before Jerusalem was captured. He reigned for 19 years, probably the last 10 years as a prisoner. See the notes at Jer 37:5; notes at Jer 46:12.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
That is, all you men and women that belong to Judah, and are now come to inhabit in the land of Egypt.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
Moreover Jeremiah said unto all the people, and to all the women,…. To all the people in general, and to the women in particular, who had a principal concern in these idolatrous practices:
hear the word of the Lord, all Judah that [are] in the land of Egypt; all of the tribe of Judah that were in Egypt; not in Pathros only, but in other parts of Egypt; this distinguishes them from those of Judah that were in Babylon, and in other provinces; and tacitly points at their sin in going to Egypt, which was the leading step to then fresh acts of idolatry they had been guilty of; these are called upon to hear the word of the Lord: what the prophet had said before was what was upon his mind without immediate inspiration, or as a direct message from the Lord; but what follows is.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Announcement of the punishment for this idolatry. – Jer 44:24. “And Jeremiah said unto all the people, and unto all the women, Hear the word of Jahveh, all of Judah that are in the land of Egypt; Jer 44:25. Thus saith Jahve of hosts, the God of Israel: Ye and your wives have both spoken with your mouth, and fulfilled it with your hands, saying, We will assuredly perform our vows which we have vowed, by burning incense to the queen of heaven, and by pouring out libations to her: ye will by all means perform your vows, and carry out your vows. Jer 44:26. Therefore hear the word of Jahveh, all Judah that dwell in the land of Egypt: Behold, I have sworn by my great name, saith Jahveh, truly my name shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah, saying, ‘As the Lord Jahveh liveth,’ in all the land of Egypt. Jer 44:27. Behold, I will watch over them for evil, and not for good; and all the men of Judah that are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by famine, till they are annihilated. Jer 44:28. And those who escape the sword shall return out of the land of Egypt to the land of Judah, a small number; and all the remnant of Judah, that went to the land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall know whose word shall stand, mine or theirs. Jer 44:29. And this shall be the sign to you, saith Jahveh, that I will punish you in this place, that ye may know that my words shall surely rise up against you for evil: Jer 44:30. Thus hath Jahveh spoken, Behold, I will give Pharaoh-Hophra into the hand of his enemies, and into the hand of those who seek his life, just as I have given Zedekiah the king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, who was his enemy, and sought his life.”
After refuting the false assertion of the people, Jeremiah once more announces to them, on behalf of God, in the most solemn manner, the punishment of extermination by sword and famine in Egypt; this he does for the purpose of giving the greatest possible emphasis to his warning against persevering in idolatry. For substance, this announcement is similar to that of Jer 44:11-14, but the expression is stronger. Even in the summary account of their offences, Jer 44:25, the words are so chosen and arranged as to bring out clearly the determination of the people to persevere in worshipping the queen of heaven. “As for you and your wives, ye have spoken with your mouth and fulfilled it with your hand” (on the Vav consec. attached to , cf. Ewald, 344, b), i.e., ye have uttered vows and then carried them out; for ye say, We must keep the vows that we have vowed. It is to be observed that the verbs , and in the concluding portion and , are feminine, since the address chiefly applies to the wives, who clung most tenaciously to idolatry. In the clause ‘ , “ye will make your vows and perform them,” there is unmistakeable irony, in which the reference is to the wilfulness of the people in this idolatry. This is shown by the inf. abs. , which strengthens . “To establish vows,” i.e., to make them, was not a thing commanded, but left to one’s free determination. Hence, also, no appeal to the maxim that vows which have been made or uttered must be fulfilled, can justify the making of the vows. The form for is an unusual one; and the which the Hirik takes after it is occasioned by the form ; cf. Ewald, 196, c. – The announcement of the punishment is introduced by a solemn oath on the part of God. Jahveh swears by His great name, i.e., as the one who has shown Himself God by His mighty deeds – who has the power of keeping His word. The name is, of course, only a manifestation of His existence. as a particle used in swearing = certainly not. His name shall no more be named in the mouth of any Jew in the land of Egypt, i.e., be used in asseverations, because all the Jews in Egypt shall be exterminated. On the expression, “Behold, I will watch over them,” etc., cf. Jer 31:28 and Jer 21:10. In Jer 44:28, it is more exactly stated that only a few individuals shall escape the sword and return to Judah; thus, no one shall remain behind in Egypt. By this judgment, all the remnant of Judah that went to Egypt shall find out whose word – Jahveh’s or theirs – will endure, i.e., prove true. properly depends on , “the word from me or from them” (the people).
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
(24-28) Hear the word of the Lord . . .The appeal to the experience of the past is followed by a prediction of the future, addressed to the wives as well as to the husbands. The new sin would lead to a new punishment. A tone of irony is perceptible in the words, Ye will surely accomplish your vows. That, at all events, was a promise they were likely to keep, however faithless they might have shown themselves in keeping their vows to the God of their fathers. But the Lord of Israel meets that vow by another. By that great name (Gen. 22:16) of the Lord God (Jehovah Adonai), which they had slighted and profaned, He declares that it shall be profaned no more by the Egyptian exiles, not because they, of their own accord, would cease to use it, but because none of them should be left there. The small remnant that survived the sword and the famine should return to Judah as a witness of the judgment that had fallen on them, and of the truth of the prophets warning. The words of Jehovah should stand, while those of men should fail.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
4). A Further Word Confirming YHWH’s Judgment On All Jews Living In Egypt Because They Have Turned To Other Gods And Are Trusting In Pharaoh Hophra As Their Deliverer (24-39).
We have here the last prophetic words of Jeremiah of which we are aware, and they are as severe an indictment of the Judeans in Egypt as any that he gave against Jerusalem and Judah. Indeed the judgment he pronounces is so severe that the consequence will be that none will be left in Egypt to say ‘as the Lord YHWH lives’. It is a picture of the almost complete annihilation of the Jews at that time present in Egypt. Furthermore, in case they are looking to the Pharaoh of Egypt to help them, he warns them that far from being able to protect them, the great Pharaoh Hophra on whom they are relying will himself prove as helpless as their own King Zedekiah had been. Indeed it is his demise that will be a sign to them that all that YHWH has said concerning them will come about.
Jer 44:24
‘Moreover Jeremiah said to all the people, and to all the women, “Hear the word of YHWH, all Judah who are in the land of Egypt,”
Once again we have the stress on the fact that this is ‘the word of YHWH’. That does not simply mean that YHWH has said it. It stresses that YHWH will bring it about. YHWH’s word always goes forth to bring about what He has said. Compare Isa 55:10-11. Note that the words are spoken to ‘all Judah who are in the land of Egypt’, in other words all those in Egypt who saw themselves as Jews.
Jer 44:25
“Thus says YHWH of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, You and your wives have both spoken with your mouths, and with your hands have fulfilled it, saying, ‘We will surely perform our vows which we have vowed, to burn incense to the Queen of Heaven, and to pour out drink-offerings to her.’ Establish then your vows, and perform your vows.”
Jeremiah points out concerning their idolatry that they have both declared it openly with their mouths and by their actions have actually brought it about. And it applies both to them and their wives. None were innocent. They had said that they would assuredly fulfil the vows that they had made to burn incense to ‘meleketh hashamayim’, and that is what they had done. And they had also offered drink offerings to her. Note the stress on the vows that they had made. They had entered into specific covenant with her, ignoring their covenant with YHWH. As we have seen earlier reference to meleketh hashamayim is found only in this passage and in Jer 7:18. It is often equated with malkath hashamayim (‘the queen of Heaven’, the moon) but it may rather signify ‘the heavenly handiwork (mele’keth hashamayim)’ i.e. the stars. These were worshipped in different guises all over the Ancient Near East. Either way false gods were being worshipped alongside YHWH, something later confirmed by the Elephantine papyri where YHWH was being worshipped alongside Anath-bethel and Ishum-bethel, Anath being the mother goddess, thus being very similar to the false worship here and in Jerusalem (Jer 7:18).
“Establish then your vows, and perform your vows.” The command is full of significant sarcasm. It contains a veiled warning of what will happen if they do so. It is a warning that they are heading straight into trouble. In other words God is saying, ‘OK, do what you intend, but recognise at the same time how awful the consequences will be for you’. Note the emphasis both on their making their covenant with the false goddess (‘establish your vows’) and their carrying it into practise (‘perform your vows’), when they should have been doing both to YHWH.
Jer 44:26
“Therefore hear you the word of YHWH, all Judah who dwell in the land of Egypt: Behold, I have sworn by my great name, says YHWH, that my name will no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, ‘As the Lord YHWH lives.’ ”
Of course by their behaviour they were rejecting the Name of YHWH, for they were doing precisely what He had forbidden. Well they were making their vows, and now let them take note of the fact that He is making His vow. For He has sworn by His great Name, the Name that by their actions they have blasphemed, that His Name will be taken from among them. They will no more name His Name, nor will they say, ‘as the Lord YHWH lives’. And this will be because they are dead.
The point behind this is that to name the Name of YHWH puts men under special obligation to observe His covenant. Whilst they would no doubt have argued that they still held to the covenant and worshipped YHWH among other gods, YHWH was pointing out the impossibility of sustaining that position. To follow His covenant would necessarily have resulted in a rejecting of all other gods. Thus by their very compromise they were bringing on themselves YHWH’s judgment because of their hypocrisy. For YHWH would not allow such hypocrisy to continue where it involved His holy Name. They were either His or they were not. By His very nature they could not be ‘partly His’. The very point of saying that ‘the Lord YHWH lives’ was in order to bring out that He is the living God. It should therefore have made them recognise that He would brook no compromise, and therefore that as the living God He would act in judgment against them.
Jer 44:27
“Behold, I watch over them for evil, and not for good, and all the men of Judah who are in the land of Egypt will be consumed by the sword and by the famine, until there be an end of them.”
So, yes, He would continue to watch over them. But it would be for evil and not for good. He would bring on them what by their actions and words they were bringing on themselves. He would demonstrate that He was the living God. For He would arrange for all the Jews in Egypt (with a few exceptions) to be consumed either by war or by starvation, something that would go on until a complete end had been made of them. Both of these were the constant fear of men in ancient times. And they would occur because YHWH was no longer protecting them. He would leave them to the consequences of history.
Jer 44:28
“And those who escape the sword will return out of the land of Egypt into the land of Judah, few in number, and all the remnant of Judah, who are gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, will know whose word will stand, mine, or theirs.”
But even in this there was a saving purpose. For the aim was that the remnant who did escape would in the future be able to bear witness to the truth of what YHWH had said and done, and would be able to verify the fact that His word stood firm. So we note again that there will be a remnant who will escape in order to carry God’s promises forward. God does not leave Himself without a witness. We can compare YHWH’s words to Elijah about the ‘seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal’,
Jer 44:29
“And this will be the sign to you, the word of YHWH, that I will punish you in this place, that you may know that my words will surely stand against you for evil.”
YHWH then gives them a sign in terms of a future occurrence. His very declaration of the certainty of what is to happen in the future is to be seen as a sign. We can compare Exo 3:12 and Isa 7:14 in both of which God gave signs in terms of what would happen in the future. Thus here YHWH’s words of what would happen were themselves to be seen as the sign. And it was a sign of the certainty of their future punishment and a guarantee that His words would bring about evil on them. His very words, which had in the past done Israel so much good, would now ‘stand against them for evil’.
Jer 44:30
“Thus says YHWH, Behold, I will give Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt into the hand of his enemies, and into the hand of those who seek his life, as I gave Zedekiah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, who was his enemy, and sought his life.”
For the sign that He was giving was the guarantee of the downfall of the king of Egypt in whom they were trusting. The great Pharaoh must have seemed to them like a mighty bulwark. He was the guarantee of their security in Egypt. But let them now note the fact that YHWH was guaranteeing his sure end. On the word of YHWH Pharaoh Hofra would be given into the hands of those who sought his life. Thus He would prove not to be so invincible after all. And YHWH’s very declaration of the fact was a sign both that it would happen, and that Judah in Egypt were similarly doomed. Whilst in normal circumstances what someone says will happen cannot be seen as a sign, it was different in the case of YHWH. For His very saying it was a guarantee that it would happen.
Pharaoh Hofra (or Apries) ruled over Egypt from 589-570 BC. It was he who promised aid to King Zedekiah against the Babylonians but who, in spite of attempting to provide such aid, was unable to deliver on his promises, his army being thwarted and turned back by the Babylonians (Jer 37:5). Whether an actual battle took place we do not know. In 570 BC part of his army rebelled against him as a result of a disastrous campaign in Libya and for three years he had to be satisfied with ruling Egypt jointly alongside Pharaoh Amosis (Amahsis). At the end of the three years he was overthrown by Amosis and executed, and thus ‘given into the hands of his enemies who sought his life’. It was during the latter’s reign (in 568/7 BC) that Nebuchadrezzar invaded Egypt, probably on a reprisal raid. This is confirmed in a fragmentary Babylonian text. Egypt did, however, retain its independence and Amosis and Nebuchadrezzar would later establish a treaty relationship.
Reference to what happened to Zedekiah at the hands of Nebuchadrezzar is intended to bring out that it was YHWH who brought about the end of both Hophra and Zedekiah. The destinies of both were under His control. It may also indicate that Hophra had similarly offended YHWH, and was therefore dealt with in a similar way. But we are given no detail. There is no suggestion that Hophra himself directly suffered at the hands of Nebuchadrezzar. The emphasis is on the fact that he would not die peacefully. It is interesting that Hophra had once declared, ‘not even a god can remove me from my throne’.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
. The Positive Announcement of Severest Punishment
Jer 44:24-30
24Moreover Jeremiah said unto all the people, and to all the women, Hear the 25word of the Lord [Jehovahs word] all Judah that are in the land of Egypt. Thus saith the Lord of hosts [Jehovah Zebaoth] the God of Israel, saying: Ye and your wives have both25 spoken with your mouths, and fulfilled with your hand, saying, We will surely perform our vows that we have vowed, to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her; ye will surely accomplish26 26your vows, and surely perform your vows. Therefore hear ye the word of the Lord [Jehovahs word] all Judah that dwell in the land of Egypt; Behold, I have sworn by my great name, saith the Lord, that my name shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, The 27Lord God [Adonai Jehovah] liveth. Behold, I will watch over them for evil, and not for good; and all the men of Judah that are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed 28by the sword and by the famine, until there be an end of them. Yet a small number that escape27 the sword shall return out of the land of Egypt into the land of Judah, and all the remnant of Judah, that are gone into the land of 29Egypt to sojourn there, shall know whose words shall stand, mine, or theirs.28 And this shall be a sign unto you, saith the Lord, that I will punish29 you in this place, 30that ye may know that my words shall surely stand against you for evil: Thus saith the Lord: Behold, I will give Pharaoh-hophra, king of Egypt, into the hand of his enemies, and into the hand of them that seek his life; as I gave Zedekiah, king of Judah, into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar, king of Babylon, his enemy, and that sought his life.
EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL
As that which the land and people of Judah had experienced from the Chaldeans, was a punishment for their previous wickedness, so in the future also new calamities will be the recompense of their newly-repeated offences. The Jews persist in performing their idolatrous vows. Well, they shall do so (Jer 44:26). But they shall also hear, that there will soon be no longer a Jew in Egypt, who may even take the name of Jehovah into his mouth (Jer 44:26). For they shall be exterminated by sword and famine (Jer 44:27), and only a few shall return into the land of Judah, that this stubborn people may learn who is in a position to execute his will, Jehovah or they? (Jer 44:28). And this may serve for a token, that the Lord will make good His word, that Hophra, king of Egypt, will be given into the hand of his mortal enemies, just as Zedekiah was given into the hand of his enemy, the king of Babylon (Jer 44:29-30).
Jer 44:24-25. Moreover Jeremiah your vows. The women are here also expressly mentioned (see rems. on Jer 44:15). In Jer 44:25 even the predicate to ye and your wives, as well as the predicates in the concluding sentence of the verse has the feminine form.The sentence and fulfilled with your hand is to be regarded as a parenthesis, occasioned by the circumstance, that the discharge of the vows was already in progress at the very moment the prophet was speaking. We may conclude from this, that the words in Jer 44:24 sqq. were spoken later than the preceding context, viz., towards the close of the meeting.
Jer 44:26-28. Therefore hear or theirs. As you obstinately carry out your will, hear what the Lord will do to effect His. He has sworn by His great Name (comp. Jer 22:5; Jer 49:13; Jer 51:14), that a time will yet come, when no Jew in Egypt will any more take the name of Jehovah into his mouth as an oath (comp. Jer 4:2; Jer 5:2; Jer 12:16), simply for this reason, that there will be none there (Jer 44:27). In the form of asseveration the name of Jehovah would be still retained, although they had long since become devoted to the service of other gods. But Jehovah, who is an [jealous God], rejects honor and acknowledgment which He must share with others; and so His name shall no longer be heard from the mouth of any Jews in Egypt. Hitzig.In Behold, I will watch, there is evidently a reminiscence of Jer 1:12, so that the close of the prophecies is thus connected with the beginning.Only a few individuals will escape the sword and return home (comp. rems. on Jer 44:14).A small number. Comp. Gen 34:30; Deu 4:27; Psa 105:12.And thus Israel shall learn by this fact, whose word will stand ( . Comp. Jer 8:9; Gen 24:23; , Isa 14:24; Isa 7:7; Isa 46:10), theirs (Jer 44:17-18) or Jehovahs.
Jer 44:29-30. And this, shall be a sign sought his life. The Jews might think that in Egypt they were out of sight of their God, whose throne was in Jerusalem. To expel this delusion the prophet announces to them a sign, that the Lord has them well in view. When they see this sign it will be a pledge that the punishments threatened in Jer 44:26-28 will really overtake them. The sign will consist in this, that Hophra, the Egyptian king, will be given into the hands of his enemies, as Zedekiah was into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar. Now Herodotus certainly relates (II., 161 sqq.) that Apries [Manetho, , LXX., ], (i.e., Hophra) whom he calls after Psammetichus the most fortunate of the earlier kings, in consequence of an unsuccessful battle with the Cyrenians, had to experience a revolt of the Egyptians. Amasis, who was sent to treat with them, himself went over to the rebels, and Apries was compelled to fight the Egyptians under Amasis with an army consisting only of foreign auxiliaries. He was so presumptuous as to think, says Herodotus, that no God could cast him from his throne, so firmly was he seated upon it. He was, however, vanquished and taken captive. Amasis now indeed treated him very well in the palace, but the Egyptians took it ill that ho was so indulgent to his and their greatest enemy. Therefore Amasis delivered Apries up to the Egyptians, who strangled him (II., 169). If we compare this narrative with the passage under consideration, we find that they agree perfectly, not only in speaking of a surrender of Hophra into the hands of those who sought his life (comp. and , Jer 44:30 a, with the singular in hemistich b) but also in this, that the circumstance of the surrender of the king being predicted as a sign, appears to be thus well accounted for, in Apries having by his obstinate arrogance challenged the divine Nemesis. But how about the chronology? It has been assumed that the surrender of Apries occurred at too late a date for it to have served as a sign, or that Jeremiah could have lived to any proximate period. The death of Apries must certainly be placed in B. C., 570 (comp. Duncker, S. 930; M. Niebuhr, Ass. u. Bab., S. 217). We have remarked above on Jer 44:1, that the Jews are still designated as having come into the country (Jer 44:8; Jer 44:12; Jer 44:14), and therefore not as born in it, and a strong longing for the land of their fathers is still ascribed to them (Jer 44:14). But does this prevent us from supposing that they have been already about sixteen years in the country? There is nothing opposed to this in the text. This simply records that they had settled down at different places, and were now assembled for a festival in Upper Egypt. This might happen as well after sixteen years as after two, but better then, than in the first year. A longing for home is not yet altogether extinguished in the Jews even at the present day. Comp. Psalms 137As to the age of Jeremiahif he was a , about twenty, in the thirteenth year of Josiah (comp. Jer 1:2; Jer 1:6), he must have been about seventy-six or seventy-seven in the year B. C., 570. This is not impossible. What object could the subsequent insertion of this verse as a vaticinium post eventum, alleged by Hitzig and Graf, have had? There was no need for it (as there perhaps was for , Jer 44:14), and if it was not Jeremiahs custom to offer tokens, this would all the more have deterred from such an interpolation. Even if we grant that there are no other tokens of this kind to be found in Jeremiah, this does not involve the impossibility of his ever having given such a one. He might have a special reason for doing so here. I think I can perceive such a reason in the presumptuous declaration on the part of the king, recorded by Herodotus. This prediction of the fate impending over the king was the answer of the true God to this provocation. The point of the prediction is evidently directed against this latter. That which Jeremiah loudly proclaimed in an open assembly of the Jewish people could not remain hid. The king could and should hear it, even though he hell the old Jewish soothsayer in disdain. Only thus is it explained why Jeremiah gave a token just now, and why he gave just this. He was obliged to predict his fate to the king, in order that when this came, the hand of God might be recognized in it, and at the same time this prediction was to be a pledge to the Jewish people for the fulfilment of the judgment threatened by him. Let us remember how the mighty hand of the Lord was once displayed through Moses on Egypt and its king, in order that they might perceive that He was the Lord, and His the earth (Exo 7:5; Exo 7:17; Exo 8:22; Exo 9:14; Exo 9:29; Exo 10:2). After the lapse of a thousand years the last remnant of the theocratic nation return as fugitives to the same Egypt, from which the Lord had so gloriously conducted them. Israel had failed of the high goal, appointed for itbut the Lord had remained the same, and His last prophet like His first was commissioned to be the medium of announcement to the proud empires of the just judgments of the only true God, who does not allow Himself to be despised with impunity.
How now was the threatening fulfilled that the remnant of Judah in Egypt should perish by sword and famine, except a few who should return home (Jer 44:28), and none should be left, in Egypt who could take the name of Jehovah for an oath, on his lips (Jer 44:26)? In the first place it may here be mentioned, that it is a matter of indifference to this question, whether Nebuchadnezzar really came to Egypt and fulfilled the prophecy in Jer 43:8-13, or not. I leave entirely out of account the fabulous record of Megasthenes (in Strabo, XVI., p. 687, a;Joseph., Antiqq., X., 11, 1; c. Ap., I., 20), that Nebuchadnezzar subjugated not only Egypt, but also Lybia and Iberia, and came to the pillars of Hercules, yea even to Thrace and the Pontus (comp. Haevernick, Comm. on Ezek., S. 496 sqq., and the narratives confirming the conquest of Egypt in Arabian authors: Abulfeda, Hist. ante-Islam, p. 102. Fleischer, Abdollatif, Rel. de Egyp., p. 184, 247; ed. de Sacy). But Josephus, as is well known, relates also (Antiqq., X., 9, 7) that Nebuchadnezzar in the fifth year after the capture of Jerusalem himself led an army to Clo-Syria, and after the conquest of this country, made war also on the Ammonites and Moabites, and invaded Egypt. On this occasion he killed the king then reigning in Egypt, set up another in his stead, and again led Jews away captive to Babylonia. Now if whatever in this account relates to the Egyptian king be decidedly erroneous (Comp. M. Niebuhr, Ass. u. Bab., S. 215, Anm. 3), it is, however, still possible that Nebuchadnezzar, during the thirteen years siege or blockade of Tyre, which began directly after the conquest of Jerusalem, had the desire and the leisure to make an expedition through Clo-Syria and the East-Jordanic countries to Egypt. It would make no essential difference if he entrusted this expedition to one of his generals. The prophecy in Jer 43:8-13, may then have been fulfilled. Captive Jews and Egyptians may also have been really carried away on this occasion. Comp. Jer 52:30; M. Niebuhr, S. 215, et passim. But, as we have said, the question, what happened to the Jews still living in Egypt B. C., 570, is not affected by an expedition of the Chaldeans to Egypt ten or twelve years earlier.
It is surprising that in Jeremiah 44 the extermination of the Jews living in Egypt is so definitely prophesied, while some centuries later we find the Jews in Egypt very numerous, and Egypt a centre of the Jewish diaspora (comp. Herzog, R.-Enc., XVII. S. 285) Alexander the Great finds so many Jews in Egypt, that he peoples the city founded by him, and named after him, chiefly with them (comp. Herzog, R.-Enc., I., S. 235). How did these Jews come into Egypt? Till the time of Nehemiah (about B.C., 444), Judea was so thinly populated, that it certainly could not afford to send out colonists. The many Persian expeditions to Egypt (B. C., 525, 484, 460, 458, 373), may indeed have carried many single Jews with them. The same may also be said of the brief occupation of Palestine by Taches, king of Egypt (B. C., 361). It is related of Ochus, that in his expedition, undertaken B. C., 350 for the reconquest of Egypt, he dragged many Jews with him to Egypt. It is, however, added that he afterwards took part of them back to Babylon, and part of them he banished to Hyrcania. Comp. Herzfeld, Gesch. d. V. Isr., etc., [History of the Israelitish nation from the completion of the Second Temple to Simon Maccabeus], I., S. 118. It is recorded of Alexander the Great himself that on his expedition to Egypt he incorporated many Jews and Samaritans in his army (comp. Herzfeld, S. 120, et pass.), but it is scarcely probable that he left all these warriors behind in Egypt. When in Babylon, he wished to rebuild the temple of Belus, he had Jews in his army, as is related by Hecatus in Joseph., c. Ap., I., 22 (p. 1186 sqq., ed. Oberthuer). Whence then the great number of Jews that Alexander found already in Egypt? I believe we must seek them for the most part in the descendants of those who immigrated with Jeremiah. But then the prophecy was not fulfilled. May we not assume that the idolatrous practices ceased among the exiled Jews in Egypt, as well as among those in Babylon? And if this was the case, how can it be a question, what turning-point we must suppose between the idolatrous period, in which we still see them in Jeremiah 44, and the later one of fidelity to Jehovah? May not the powerful words of the aged and venerable Jeremiah, and the literal fulfilment of the prophecy uttered by him respecting the king (Jer 44:29-30) have produced an overpowering impression on their minds? According to tradition. (Hieron., adv. Jovin., 2, 37; Tertullian, Scorp. 8; Epiphan. , Opp., II., p. 239) Jeremiah was stoned by his countrymen in Tahpanhes. But this legend is surely without foundation. If they stoned him, they must have done it after the discourse in Jeremiah 44, which was not delivered in Tahpanhes (Jer 44:15). It is, however, also possible that the idolatrous inclination in them, as in their countrymen in Babylonia, was now exhausted, and that the Lord in view of their repentance, repented Him of the evil, which He had spoken against them (Jer 26:13; Jer 26:18).
Footnotes:
[25]Jer 44:25.On the Vau consecutive comp. Naegelsb. Gr., 88, 7, and Jer 3:9; Jer 6:19; Jer 33:24.
[26]Jer 44:25.On the form comp. Olsh., S 579; Ewald, 196, c; Ges., 72, 5, Anm.
[27]Jer 44:28. comp. Eze 6:8 : Naegelsb. Gr., 64, 5, c.
[28]Jer 44:28.The construction (comp. analogies in Graf) is found in this form here only. The two pronouns analyze the idea . Since, however, both members of the disjunctive question were to be distinctly expressed, the only way was either to say (comp. Joe 1:2), or as there are no independent possessive pronouns, to use the personal pronouns, which, however, could be employed only in the form of suffixes to the partitive prepositions.
[29]Jer 44:29. with as in Jer 44:13.
DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL
1. Obfirment animum suum ministri ecclesi hujus capitis meditatione, ne pertinacia auditorum se territuri patiantur, sed ut potius dehortando, objurgando, comminando intrepide instent ex prcepto apostoli 2Ti 4:2. Frster.
2. On Jer 44:2-13. A mirror of the stubborn heart of man! For centuries unceasingly warned by the prophetsand how warned! Not by sentimental talk, but by words of thunder and strokes of power,think only of Elijah, Elisha, Hosea, Isaiah, etc.!yet Judah bowed not his stubborn neck. Then at last when long-suffering love was exhausted, the judgment of just love was executed. And yet in the wretched remnant the old root of unbelief and disobedience remains still unbroken.
3. On Jer 44:9. Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar with a pestle as vetches, yet will his foolishness not depart from him (Pro 27:22). And he that sings songs to a heavy heart, it is like a torn garment in winter, and vinegar on nitre (Pro 25:20). Cramer.
4. On Jer 44:15. Hoc loco imaginem quandam conspicere licet seditionis, de qua Ethnicus: ,itemque confusionis plus quam cyclopic, de qua notum est illud tritum: . Frster.
5. On Jer 44:16. Ungodliness continually extends and even goes beyond itself. In the foregoing chapter they wish it to be considered as having to do only with Jeremiahs private person, but now they are become bolder so that they contradict him officially and thus God Himself, not considering that they know what he says to be spoken not on his own, but on Gods account, which is a great blasphemy of God. Cramer.
6. On Jer 44:17. The ungodly are blind. For they ascribe all their good fortune to their idolatry. When, however, a misfortune comes God and His word must be to blame, and they say: It is vain to serve God (Mal 3:14). The charge of the Papists is used again now-a-days. when times are dear and the country suffers such like chastisements, that it is the fault of the Gospel; since on the other hand their mass is regarded as a regular Egyptian Meleket, by which they think to obtain temporal and eternal blessings both for the living and the dead. Cramer.
7. On Jer 44:17. Non ovum ovo tam simile est atque huic Judorum orationi nostrorum hominum vox contendentium, sub papatu aureum fuisse sculum, cum tamen contrarium testentur histor de bellis, peste et fame in papatu, prsertim ea, qu incidit in annum Christi 1315, quo tempore fere tertia pars Germani partim fame, partim peste extincta. Hinc versus: Ut lateat nullum tempus famis, ecce cucullum Frster.
8. On Jer 44:17. Non mirum, quod urbes peste vexentur, cum sculapius et Dii ab iis procul absint, nam ex quo Jesus colitur, nihil jam utilitatis a Diis consequimur. Porphyrius. MS. note in my copy of Cramers Bible.
9. On Jer 44:19. There is no doubt that the inconstant, frivolous women were the first to be seduced into idolatry, as Eve (2Co 11:3). When these are taken captive, he then proceeds farther, and knows how to bring in the Adam also. Therefore keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom (Mic 7:5). Cramer.
10. On Jer 44:19. The harmony and complaisance of married people is never more easily secured than when it is against the Lord, and it is nothing unusual for domestic peace to be adduced as the cause of a lack of zeal in religion. It is an ancient custom; Ahab, Ahaziah and Solomon only followed Adam. The wife had to be deceived by a subtle serpent; the man was bound to keep peace in the family; she gave him and he ate. Zinzendorf.
11. On Jer 44:20. God remembers the good and the evil; the good that He may reward it, the evil that He may punish it. Cramer. [God will have the last word. The prophets may be run down, but God cannot. Henry.S. R. A]
12. On Jer 44:26. This is the severest punishment of all, that God takes away His holy name and word, as He says in Deu 32:20 : I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be. And this is the famine, not of bread, but of the word of God which they seek and yet do not find (Amo 8:11). Cramer.
13. On Jer 44:29-30. Between Moses and Jeremiah, between the exodus from Egypt and the return thither of the remnant, there lies a period of almost a thousand years, and what a history! But the Pharaoh, under whom Israel made the exodus, Menephthes (comp. Lepsius in Herz., R.-Enc, I., S. 146) is described by Herodotus as an arrogant and ungodly man (II., 111), just like Hophra. And at both times Israel was a poor despised heap in the land of Egypt. But the heathen were to know that the God of this despised heap is the only true God, and that their idols were naught, as also Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar and Darius the Mede had also to learn (Daniel 2-6.).
HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL
1. On Jer 44:1-14. The holy love of God: 1. long-suffering; 2. just.
2. On Jer 44:9-14. How ruinous a course it is to forget the chastisements of the Lord. This will be shown, if we ponder that this forgetfulness 1. implies chastisement already suffered, 2. proves its want of good results, 3. calls forth severer chastisements from God.
3. On Jer 44:15-18. The utmost alienation of a people from their God, shown in the example of the Jews in Egypt. 1. They place the benefits received to the account of their idols. 2. The evils suffered they place to the account of the Lord. 3. They renounce their obedience to the Lord. 4. They vow their service to their idols.
4. On Jer 44:26-27. The severest punishment which the Lord can bring upon a people, who have hitherto served Him. 1. It consists in this, that the Lord removes the candlestick of His word from among this people, i.e. that by depriving them of the means of grace, He brings Himself into forgetfulness among the people. 2. It is founded in this, that this people on their part have striven to forget the Lord. 3. It has the effect, that this people is given up to the powers of evil to their complete destruction.
Fuente: A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical by Lange
Here the Lord calls upon them to be prepared for the destruction of Egypt. No place, no kingdom shall give shelter to those whom God will punish. In their own land, or in the land of strangers, the Lord will find them out, and will punish them. There is no darkness nor shadow of death, where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves. Job 34:22 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Jer 44:24 Moreover Jeremiah said unto all the people, and to all the women, Hear the word of the LORD, all Judah that [are] in the land of Egypt:
Ver. 24. Hear the word of the Lord. ] Not my word only. See on Jer 44:20 .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Jer 44:24-30
24Then Jeremiah said to all the people, including all the women, Hear the word of the LORD, all Judah who are in the land of Egypt, 25thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, as follows: ‘As for you and your wives, you have spoken with your mouths and fulfilled it with your hands, saying, We will certainly perform our vows that we have vowed, to burn sacrifices to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her. Go ahead and confirm your vows, and certainly perform your vows!’ 26Nevertheless hear the word of the LORD, all Judah who are living in the land of Egypt, ‘Behold, I have sworn by My great name,’ says the LORD, ‘never shall My name be invoked again by the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, As the Lord GOD lives. 27Behold, I am watching over them for harm and not for good, and all the men of Judah who are in the land of Egypt will meet their end by the sword and by famine until they are completely gone. 28Those who escape the sword will return out of the land of Egypt to the land of Judah few in number. Then all the remnant of Judah who have gone to the land of Egypt to reside there will know whose word will stand, Mine or theirs. 29This will be the sign to you,’ declares the LORD, ‘that I am going to punish you in this place, so that you may know that My words will surely stand against you for harm.’ 30Thus says the LORD, ‘Behold, I am going to give over Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt to the hand of his enemies, to the hand of those who seek his life, just as I gave over Zedekiah king of Judah to the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, who was his enemy and was seeking his life.’
Jer 44:25 This verse repeats the committed promises of the Judean idol worshipers of Jer 44:17 to continue their rebellious worship practices (here two intensified IMPERFECT VERBS and matching INFINITIVE ABSOLUTES).
Jer 44:26 The committed vows of idolatry by the Judean families in Egypt are now matched by the commitment of YHWH to bring judgment on them (cf. Jer 44:27). They shall never call on His name again.
Jer 44:27 I am watching over them for harm and not for good The VERB (BDB 1052, KB 1638, Qal PARTICIPLE) is a recurrent theological word in Jeremiah (cf. Jer 1:12; Jer 31:28 [twice]) denoting YHWH’s focused attention to those who
1. do His will
2. disobey His will
Jer 44:29 My words will surely stand against you for harm The VERB (BDB 877, KB 1086) is an INFINITIVE ABSOLUTE and an IMPERFECT VERB denoting emphasis. This very form was used in Jer 44:25 related to the idolaters’ promise to continue to offer sacrifices. Now it is used of the certainty of YHWH’s judgment.
Jer 44:30 YHWH will judge Pharaoh Hophra (cf. Jer 43:9-13; Jer 46:25; also note Eze 29:3). Pharaoh Hophra (Herodotus called him Apries) reigned from 588 to 569 B.C., when he was killed in a rebellion led by one of his own officials. He was succeed by Amasus (569-525 B.C.).
Hophra was the Pharaoh who encouraged Zedekiah to rebel against Nebuchadnezzar. He was the one who sent the Egyptian army into Palestine during the siege of Jerusalem (cf. Jer 37:5).
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
Hear: Jer 44:16, Jer 42:15, 1Ki 22:19, Isa 1:10, Isa 28:14, Eze 2:7, Amo 7:16, Mat 11:15
all Judah: Jer 44:15, Jer 44:26, Jer 43:7, Eze 20:32, Eze 20:33
Reciprocal: Jer 2:4 – Hear ye Jer 7:2 – Hear
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 44:24. The people and the women are mentioned separately because the latter made the cakes to be used and the former accepted them to be offered to the Idol gods.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Jer 44:24-28. Jeremiah said, Hear all Judah that are in the land of Egypt That is, all you men and women that belong to Judah, and are now come to dwell in Egypt; ye and your wives have spoken The Hebrew word , rendered have spoken, is of the feminine gender, and implies that the women were first and principally concerned in this idolatry, and that the mens guilt lay chiefly in conniving at them, and suffering themselves to be seduced by them; saying, We will surely perform our vows, &c. They insist on their unlawful vows as obligations in conscience, which could not be dispensed with, just as Herod did on his unlawful oath, Mat 14:9 : as if, though to burn incense to the queen of heaven were a sin, yet their having vowed to do it were sufficient to justify them in the doing of it; whereas no man can, by his vow, make that lawful to himself, much less his duty, which God had before made sin. Ye will surely accomplish your vows, &c. You are resolved upon it, and there is no moving you from your resolution. Therefore hear ye the word of the Lord Hear what is Gods resolution. Behold, I have sworn by my great name, saith the Lord I also have made a solemn vow, in opposition to that wicked one of yours, and have confirmed it by an oath. I have sworn and will not repent: That my name shall no more be named by any man of Judah in the land of Egypt, &c. These Jews seem to have joined the worship of the true God with that of idols, as the Samaritans did before them, 2Ki 17:33. Thereupon God declares he will not receive any such polluted worship at their hands, (compare Eze 20:39,) nor suffer his name to be any longer profaned by such hypocrites, but will consume them by a sudden and general destruction Lowth. Behold, I will watch over them for evil God here represents himself as one who would be solicitous and industrious to bring evil upon them, as men, who are so in any business, watch all opportunities for doing it: as if he had said, No opportunity shall be let slip to bring some judgment upon them, until there be an end of them, and they be quite rooted out. Yet a small number that escape the sword shall return, &c. A very few, next to none in comparison of the great number that shall return out of the land of the Chaldeans: see note on Jer 44:14. And all the remnant of Judah shall know whose words shall stand, mine or theirs They said they should recover themselves when they returned to worship the queen of heaven. God says they shall hereby ruin themselves: and now the event will show who was in the right. The contest between God and sinners is, whose word shall stand, whose will shall be done, who shall prevail? Sinners say, We shall have peace, though we go on in sin: God says, Ye shall have no peace. And when God judges, he will overcome: his word shall stand, and not the sinners.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Jeremiah proclaimed a further message from Yahweh to them. If they continued to practice idolatry, they would all die. They would not be able to invoke the Lord’s name as their highest authority, as they had done ever since they had become a nation, because they would be dead. Again, the focus of this judgment was particularly the remnant that had recently fled from Judah and planned to return as soon as possible (cf. Jer 44:14).