Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 44:28
Yet a small number that escape 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 Egypt to sojourn there, shall know whose words shall stand, mine, or theirs.
This justifieth the restrained interpretation of none of the remnant, Jer 44:14; for here it is plainly said that some should escape and return; but for the rest, they should there perish, and by that it would appear whether Gods word or theirs should stand, and have its accomplishment; they promising themselves security, God threatening them with utter ruin and destruction.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
28. small number(see on Jer44:14; and Jer 42:17;Isa 27:13); compare”all-consumed” (Jer44:27). A band easily counted, whereas they were expectingto return triumphantly in large numbers.
shall knowmost of themexperimentally, and to their cost.
whose words . . . mine, ortheirsHebrew, “that from Me and them.”Jehovah’s words are His threats of destruction to the Jews; theirs,the assertion that they expected all goods from their gods (Jer44:17), c. “Mine” by which I predict ruin to them.”Theirs”; by which they give themselves free scope ininiquity.
shall stand (Ps33:11).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Yet a small number that shall escape the sword,…. The sword of the king of Babylon, and the other judgments, and which would be but very few; “men of number” k, as in the Hebrew text, which might easily be numbered; Jeremiah the prophet, and Baruch the son of Neriah, and some few righteous persons among them, as Kimchi and Abarbinel observe:
shall return out of the land of Egypt into the land of Judah; they shall make their escape out of the land of Egypt, whither they did not go willingly; and, by one providence or another, shall come back to their native country, the land of Judea, When the rest will not; which must be a distinguishing your to them:
and all the remnant of Judah, that are gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall know what words shall stand, mine or theirs; those that are left of the sword, famine, and pestilence, shall know experimentally, by facts laid down, whose words have their effect and accomplishment, stand firm and sure; whether theirs, that promised impunity and safety, peace and prosperity, in their idolatrous practices; or the Lord’s, which threatened with ruin and destruction. The Lord is true, and every man a liar; whatever devices are in a man’s heart, the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand.
k “viri numeri”, Montanus, &c.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
He at length adds that a few would escape. He had said before, (Jer 44:14) that there would be none, but added at the end of the verse, “but such as shall escape.” We said that this second clause is to be explained of the Jews who had been driven into exile in Babylon. But if it be applied to exiles in Egypt the meaning will be different. For the Prophet then said that none would escape, that none would remain alive: he thus doubtless took away every hope of deliverance with regard to those in Egypt. But he added, “but such as shall escape,” that is, such as should stealthily escape from the sword, as though they had never migrated into Egypt. And then in this different sense must necessarily be taken what the Prophet adds now, They who escape shall return But we must bear in mind that those remaining alive would not be numbered among the exiles, for they must have withdrawn themselves so as no longer to form a part of that people. They had before become fugitives, but when they departed from Egypt, that second flight made them to be no longer a residue in that land.
When, therefore, the Prophet declares that none of the residue would escape, we must understand the words as meaning, that there would be Jews no more in Egypt, as their memory would be obliterated. But when, in the second place, he mentions evaders, פליטים, pelithim, (the word which we have rendered, “They who shall escape,”) he means that those who escaped had now ceased to be counted among the residue, having in a manner of their own accord separated themselves from them, so that they were no longer to be reckoned among the fugitive exiles in Egypt. Then he says, that those who escape from the sword would return into the land of Judah; an event wholly different from what they looked for, for they expected to return to their own country in a triumphant manner. They intended indeed to dwell in Egypt only for a time; and they hoped to come afterwards into a free possession of the land, when the Chaldeans had gone far away. Thus they had promised to themselves a new kingdom, and were not disposed to return except in great pomp. As, then, such a restoration had been imagined by them, the Prophet says, that a few only would return into the land of Judah; and then that they would return, not to possess the land and enjoy it as their own inheritance, but that they would return, because there would be no safe corner where they might hide themselves. We hence see that this return is set up in opposition to the false imagination in which the Jews indulged; and he says that a few only would return.
And at length he adds, All the remnant of Judah who had entered into the land of Egypt, shall know whose word shall stand, mine, or theirs Here at length the sentence is completed, for I have said that it was the Prophet’s object to convince the Jews of their foolish and impious presumption, when in their perverseness they contended against God, as though he had said, “What do you mean, ye wretched beings? Is the truth of God to give way, or can you frustrate his purpose by your madness and obstinacy? And surely God will prove stronger than you.” He now then fully explains his meaning. By saying, all shall know, he does not refer to true and sincere knowledge, but to experience, that is, they shall at length really find out whose word is firm, mine or theirs.
This passage deserves special attention; we hence learn that we ought to acquiesce in God’s word, and wholly to receive it, and especially to beware of that diabolical obstinacy which the Prophet here condemns; for when we fight to the last, we must at the end necessarily fall; though we may a hundred times complain and clamor, yet God’s word will stand firm and will never yield to us. It follows, —
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
28. A small number shall return Literally, and fugitives from the sword shall return from the land of Egypt to the land of Judah, men of numbers, etc. The last phrase suggests the fewness of those who shall escape so few that they can be counted.
Whose words mine, or theirs Literally, the word from me or from them. The allusion is to the particular word given above.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Jer 44:28 Yet a small number that escape 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 Egypt to sojourn there, shall know whose words shall stand, mine, or theirs.
Ver. 28. Yet a small number. ] Methe mispar, men of number, a poor few: still God reserveth a remnant for royal use.
Shall know whose word shall stand.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
shall return, &c. So that the king’s daughters either returned to Judah or remained in Egypt.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
a small: Jer 44:14, Isa 10:19, Isa 10:22, Isa 27:12, Isa 27:13
shall know: Jer 44:16, Jer 44:17, Jer 44:25, Jer 44:26, Jer 44:29, Num 14:28, Num 14:29, Num 14:41, Psa 33:11, Isa 14:24-27, Isa 28:16-18, Isa 46:10, Isa 46:11, Lam 3:37, Lam 3:38, Zec 1:6, Mat 24:35
mine, or theirs: Heb. from me or them
Reciprocal: Lev 26:38 – General Num 11:23 – thou shalt 2Ki 10:10 – fall unto the earth Psa 119:21 – cursed Isa 4:2 – them that are escaped Isa 9:9 – And all Isa 19:17 – the land Isa 24:13 – there Isa 26:11 – they shall Isa 28:18 – your covenant Isa 37:31 – remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah Jer 36:28 – General Jer 39:16 – Behold Jer 42:17 – none Jer 44:7 – to leave Jer 44:13 – General Jer 51:50 – escaped Eze 6:8 – General Eze 6:10 – General Eze 7:16 – they Eze 12:28 – There shall Oba 1:17 – deliverance
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 44:28. These exceptions were commented upon at verse 14. Shall know whose words shall stand is the phrase that indicates these persons were destined to deliver the writings of Jeremiah to the world outside of Egypt.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
44:28 Yet a small number that escape the sword {o} shall return from the land of Egypt into the land of Judah, and all the remnant of Judah, that have gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall know whose words shall stand, mine, or theirs.
(o) We see therefore that God has a perpetual care over his, wherever they are scattered: for though they are but two or three, yet he will deliver them when he destroys his enemies.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Only a few of the Judean remnant living in Egypt would survive (cf. Jer 44:14). The Lord’s people then would know whose word was true. They had said that if they worshipped the Queen of Heaven, they would prosper, but He had said they would perish.
Many Jews continued to live in Egypt for hundreds of years after these events. [Note: See J. P. Lange, ed., A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, vol. 6: The Book of the Prophet Jeremiah Theologically and Homiletically Expounded, by E. W. Eduard Naegelsback, p. 356, for a brief history of Jewish life in Egypt until the time of Christ.] This may indicate that many of the Jews repented at Jeremiah’s preaching and that God spared them, but this is unlikely. Probably the Lord slew the Jews who had fled to Egypt with Johanan.