Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 44:20
Then Jeremiah said unto all the people, to the men, and to the women, and to all the people which had given him [that] answer, saying,
20 23. Du., Erbt and Co. agree in considering that these vv. are a later addition, merely reproducing the thoughts contained in Jer 44:2-14.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
20 30. See introd. summary of the ch.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Then Jeremiah said unto all the people,…. Immediately, being influenced, directed, and assisted by the Spirit of God; though what he says, in Jer 44:21; he does not declare as coming from the Lord; but what was upon his mind, and was a full refutation of all that had been said: and which he delivered
to the men, and to the women, and to all the people which had given him [that] answer; in which they all agreed, though delivered by one; and to which he made a reply:
saying; as follows:
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Refutation of these statements of the people. – Jer 44:20. “And Jeremiah spake to all the people, to the men and women, and to all the people that had given him answer, saying, Jer 44:21. Did not the incense-burning which he performed in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, ye and your fathers, your kings and your princes, and the people of the land-did not Jahveh remember them, and did it not arise in His mind? Jer 44:22. And Jahveh could no longer endure it, because of the wickedness of your deeds, because of the abominations which ye committed; thus your land became a desolation, and a waste, and a curse, without an inhabitant, as at this day. Jer 44:23. Because ye burned incense and sinned against Jahveh, and did not hearken to the voice of Jahveh, and in His law, in His statutes, and in His testimonies ye walked not; therefore this evil hath befallen you, as at this day.” Jeremiah answers them that their idol-worship, by which they have provoked the Lord their God, is the very cause of the misfortune that has befallen them, because God could no longer endure this abomination which they would not forsake. is a noun, “the burning of incense,” which includes, besides, all the other elements of idolatrous worship hence the word is resumed, at the close, under the plur. , “these things.” is 3rd pers. sing. neut., lit., “it has come into His mind,” i.e., He has carefully considered it, and that in the way of punishment, for He could no longer endure such abomination. The imperf. is used for the historic tense (imperf. with consec.), because the would necessarily be separated from the verb by the ; and it is employed instead of the perfect, which we would be inclined to expect after the preceding , since that which is treated of is something that endures for a considerable time; cf. Ewald, 346, b. On the expression “because of the evil,” etc., cf. Jer 21:12; Jer 4:4, etc.; on the last clause in Jer 44:22, cf. Jer 44:6 and Jer 44:12.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
| Jeremiah’s Continued Remonstrance. | B. C. 587. |
20 Then Jeremiah said unto all the people, to the men, and to the women, and to all the people which had given him that answer, saying, 21 The incense that ye burned in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, ye, and your fathers, your kings, and your princes, and the people of the land, did not the LORD remember them, and came it not into his mind? 22 So that the LORD could no longer bear, because of the evil of your doings, and because of the abominations which ye have committed; therefore is your land a desolation, and an astonishment, and a curse, without an inhabitant, as at this day. 23 Because ye have burned incense, and because ye have sinned against the LORD, and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD, nor walked in his law, nor in his statutes, nor in his testimonies; therefore this evil is happened unto you, as at this day. 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: 25 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying; Ye and your wives have both 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 accomplish your vows, and surely perform your vows. 26 Therefore hear ye the word of the LORD, 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 Lord GOD liveth. 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 the famine, until there be an end of them. 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. 29 And this shall be a sign unto you, saith the LORD, that I will punish you in this place, that ye may know that my words shall surely stand against you for evil: 30 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.
Daring sinners may speak many a bold word and many a big word, but, after all, God will have the last word; for he will be justified when he speaks, and all flesh, even the proudest, shall be silent before him. Prophets may be run down, but God cannot; nay, here the prophet would not.
I. Jeremiah has something to say to them from himself, which he could say without a spirit of prophecy, and that was to rectify their mistake (a wilful mistake it was) concerning the calamities they had been under and the true intent and meaning of them. They said that these miseries came upon them because they had now left off burning incense to the queen of heaven. “No,” says he, “it was because you had formerly done it, not because you had now left it off.” When they gave him that answer, he immediately replied (v. 20) that the incense which they and their fathers had burnt to other gods did indeed go unpunished a great while, for God was long-suffering towards them, and during the day of his patience it was perhaps, as they said, well with them, and they saw no evil; but at length they grew so provoking that the Lord could no longer bear (v. 22), but began a controversy with them, whereupon some of them did a little reform; their sins left them, for so it might be said, rather than that they left their sins. But their old guilt being still upon the score, and their corrupt inclinations still the same, God remembered against them the idolatries of their fathers, their kings, and their princes, in the streets of Jerusalem, which they, instead of being ashamed of, gloried in as a justification of them in their idolatries; they all came into his mind (v. 21), all the abominations which they had committed (v. 22) and all their disobedience to the voice of the Lord (v. 23), all were brought to account; and therefore, to punish them for these, is their land a desolation and a curse, as at this day (v. 22); therefore, not for their late reformation, but for their old transgressions, has all this evil happened to them, as at this day, v. 23. Note, The right understanding of the cause of our troubles, one would think, should go far towards the cure of our sins. Whatever evil comes upon us, it is because we have sinned against the Lord, and should therefore stand in awe and sin not.
II. Jeremiah has something to say to them, to the women particularly, from the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, They have given their answer; now let them hear God’s reply, v. 24. Judah, that dwells in the land of Egypt, has God speaking to them, even there; that is their privilege. Let them observe what he says; that is their duty, v. 26. Now God, in his reply, tells them plainly,
1. That, since they were fully determined to persist in their idolatry, he was fully determined to proceed in his controversy with them; if they would go on to provoke him, he would go on to punish them, and see which would get the better at last. God repeats what they had said (v. 25): “You and your wives are agreed in this obstinacy; you have spoken with your mouths and fulfilled with your hands; you have said it, and you stand to it, have said it and go on to do accordingly, We will surely perform our vows that we have vowed, to burn incense to the queen of heaven,” as if, though it 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 duty, which God has already made sin. “Well” (says God), “you will accomplish, you will perform, your wicked vows: now hear what is my vow, what I have sworn by my great name;” and, if the Lord hath sworn, he will not repent, since they have sworn and will not repent. With the froward he will show himself froward, Ps. xviii. 26. (1.) He had sworn that what little remains of religion there were among them should be lost, v. 26. Though they joined with the Egyptians in their idolatries, yet they continued upon many occasions to make mention of the name of Jehovah, particularly in their solemn oaths; they said, Jehovah liveth, he is the living God, so they owned him to be, though they worshipped dead idols; they swear, The Lord liveth (ch. v. 2), but I fear they retained this form of swearing more in honour of their nation than of their God. But God declares that his name shall no more be thus named by any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt; that is, there shall be no Jews remaining to use this dialect of their country, or, if there be, they shall have forgotten it and shall learn to swear, as the Egyptians do, by the life of Pharaoh, not of Jehovah. Note, Those are very miserable whom God has so far left to themselves that they have quite forgotten their religion and lost all the remains of their good education. Or this may intimate that God would take it as an affront to him and would resent it accordingly, if they did make mention of his name and profess any relation to him. (2.) He hath sworn that what little remnant of people there was there should all be consumed (v. 27): I will watch over them for evil; no opportunity shall be let slip to bring some judgment upon them, until there be an end of them and they be rooted out. Note, To those whom God finds impenitent sinners he will be found an implacable Judge. And, when it comes to this, they shall know (v. 28) whose word shall stand, mind or theirs. They said that they should recover themselves when they returned to worship the queen of heaven; God said they should ruin themselves; and now the event will show which was in the right. The contest between God and sinners is whose word shall stand, whose will shall be done, and who shall get the better. Sinners say that they shall have peace though they go on; God says they shall have no peace. But when God judges he will overcome; God’s word shall stand, and not the sinner’s.
2. He tells them that a very few of them should escape the sword, and in process of time return into the land of Judah, a small number (v. 28), next to none, in comparison with the great numbers that should return out of the land of the Chaldeans. This seems designed to upbraid those who boasted of their numbers that concurred in sin; there were none to speak of that did not join in idolatry: “Well,” says God, “and there shall be as few that shall escape the sword and famine.“
3. He gives them a sign that all these threatenings shall be accomplished in their season, that they shall be consumed here in Egypt and shall quite perish: Pharaoh-hophra, the present king of Egypt, shall be delivered into the hand of his enemies that seek his life–of his own rebellious subjects (so some) under Amasis, who usurped his throne–of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon (so others), who invaded his kingdom; the former is related by Herodotus, the latter by Josephus. It is likely that this Pharaoh had tempted the Jews to idolatry by promises of his favour; however, they depended upon him for his protection, and it would be more than a presage of their ruin, it would be a step towards it, if he were gone. They expected more from him than from Zedekiah king of Judah; he was a more potent and politic prince. “But,” says God, “I will give him into the hand of his enemies, as I gave Zedekiah.” Note, Those creature-comforts and confidences that we promise ourselves most from may fail us as soon as those that we promise ourselves least from, for they are all what God makes them, not what we fancy them.
The sacred history records not the accomplishment of this prophecy, but its silence is sufficient; we hear no more of these Jews in Egypt, and therefore conclude them, according to this prediction, lost there; for no word of God shall fall to the ground.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
Vs. 20-30: JEREMIAH’S FINAL MESSAGE TO JUDAH
1. Jeremiah vehemently rejects the Jews’ interpretation of recent events!
2. It was because of their ABOMINABLE IDOLATRIES that the Lord poured out His judgment upon Judah and Jerusalem, (vs. 21-23; Jer 4:4-5; Jer 21:12; Jer 30:12-15; 1Ki 9:8-9).
3. Jeremiah acknowledges that both the Jewish men and women in Egypt have made vows to the “queen of heaven”; with sarcasm, he tells them to go ahead and perform with their hands what they have pledged with their lips, (vs. 24-25; comp. Eze 20:39).
4. Jehovah has also sworn by his great name that His name shall no more be spoken by any men of Judah who dwell in Egypt; He forbids them to swear by His holy name! (vs. 26-27; Psa 50:16-17; Eze 20:39; comp. Jer 5:2).
5. When the judgment of Jehovah falls, they will know whose word will stand theirs, or the Lord’s! (vs. 28; Psa 33:11; Isa 14:27; Isa 46:9-11; Zec 1:5-6).
6. As a sign that the threatened judgment upon their idolatry will stand (Pro 19:21), Jeremiah is commissioned to tell the Jews in Egypt that He will give Pharaoh-hophra, king of Egypt, into the hand of his enemies – just as He delivered Zedekiah into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, (vs. 29-30; Jer 43:9-13; Jer 46:24-26; Eze 29:3-7) – a sign that was fulfilled when the Pharaoh was supplanted by a young relative; he was slain in battle (566 B.C.) attempting to re-establish his authority over the land.
7 It should be pointed out that this was Jeremiah’s FINAL RECORDED PROPHECY to the people of Judah; through more than 40 trying years of prophetic ministry, he was faithful to Jehovah, ‘ to himself, and to the rebellious and gainsaying people whom he loved so dearly!
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
The Prophet refutes the impious objections by which the Jews had attempted to subvert and to render contemptible his doctrine, he then turns against them all that they had falsely boasted. They had at the beginning said, “Our kings, our princes, and our fathers, had before used these rites; and they have been delivered to us, as it were, by their hands.” To this Jeremiah answers, “This is certainly true, and for this reason it was that God became so severe a judge of their impiety, when he took away your fathers from the world, when he wholly destroyed the kingdom itself, when he demolished the city, and when at length he afflicted you with all kinds of evils: for except your kings, and your fathers, and your princes, had been impious towards God, he would have never treated them with so much severity; for he has promised to be a Father to the children of Abraham. God, then, must have been grievously offended with you, and your fathers, and your kings, when his wrath thus burned against them.”
There is, then, here a retort; for as we see that the Prophet turns against them what they had adduced against him. This is the sum of what is said.
He says that he spoke to the whole people, both men and women, and he repeats the whole people, because all had subscribed to the impious calumny. Then God says, “For this reason have I destroyed your city and you, even because ye burnt incense to-your idols.” The truth of what they had boasted is allowed, but it is turned to a meaning different from what they thought. For, as their fathers and their kings had imbibed superstitions, they supposed that they were doing right in following them; for, as we have said, hypocrites consider use and custom as sufficient reasons for disregarding the Law. Then, as to the fact itself, the Prophet admits that what they said was quite true, that this had been the cause of all their evils; for had not the kings and the whole people provoked the wrath of God, the temple would not have been demolished, nor the kingdom destroyed; God, in short, would not have alienated himself from his own people whom he had adopted. This is the meaning.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
C. A Prophetic Affirmation Jer. 44:20-30
TRANSLATION
(20) Then Jeremiah said unto all the people, to the men, the women and all the people who had answered him, (21) Did not the LORD remember and bring to mind the incense which you offered in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, you, your fathers, your kings, your princes and the people of the land? (22) The LORD was no longer able to bear your evil deeds and the abominations which you committed and so your land became a desolation, an astonishment, and a curse without inhabitant as it is today. (23) Because you offered incense and sinned against the LORD and did not obey the voice of the LORD and did not walk in His law, statutes, and testimonies therefore this present calamity has come upon you. (24) And Jeremiah said unto all the people and all the women, Hear the word of the LORD, all Judah which is in the land of Egypt! (25) Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: You have made pledges with your mouths and carried them out with your hands, saying, We will certainly perform our vows which we have made to offer incense to the queen of heaven and pour libations to her. By all means carry out your vows! By all means perform your vows! (26) Therefore hear the word of the LORD, all Judah who are living in the land of Egypt: I have sworn by My great name, says the LORD, that My name shall never again be pronounced by the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt who might be accustomed to saying, As the Lord GOD lives! (27) Behold, I am watching over you for misfortune, and not for wellbeing; and every man of Judah who is in the land of Egypt shall perish by the sword and famine until they are annihilated. (28) Those who escape the sword to return from the land of Egypt to the land of Judah shall be few in number and all the remnant of Judah who have come to the land of Egypt to sojourn shall know whose word shall be fulfilled, theirs or mine. (29) And this shall be the sign to you (oracle of the LORD) that I am about to bring punishment upon you in this place, in order that you might know that My words shall surely be fulfilled against you for misfortune. (30) Thus says the LORD: Behold, I will give Pharaoh Hophra, king of Egypt, into the hands of his enemies who seek his life as I gave Zedekiah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, his enemy, who was seeking his life.
COMMENTS
The last recorded words of Jeremiah come in response to the brazen remarks of the remnant in Egypt. Jeremiah does not wilt under pressure nor does he run from controversy. He stands eloquently alone against what must have been a smirking, jeering, shouting crowd. That the women were taking the lead in the whole affair can be seen in the fact that Jeremiah takes careful pains to include them in his closing remarks (Jer. 44:20; Jer. 44:24-25). Stooped by age and weakened by infirmity, the old warrior can still deliver a powerful oratorical blast. In fact one detects very little difference between this last message of Jeremiah and the first one he delivered some forty years earlier.
The final recorded message of Jeremiah contains a rebuttal to the apostates (Jer. 44:20-23); emphasizes punishment for the apostates (Jer. 44:24-28); and sets forth a sign for the apostates (Jer. 44:29-30).
1. Rebuttal to the apostates (Jer. 44:20-23)
Implicit in the preceding remarks of the assembly was the contention that the Lord had forgotten them. Because God did not immediately punish them for their idolatry back in the days of Manasseh did not mean that He had failed to take note of their sin. God did remember their iniquity, Jeremiah affirms (Jer. 44:21). Because of His longsuffering and patience He delayed the execution of the inevitable sentence until He could bear their sin no longer. Then, and only then, was the wrath of God poured out on Judah and that is why that land is desolation, an astonishment and a curse without inhabitant this very day (Jer. 44:22). It is because of your idolatry and flagrant disobedience to the word of God that you are in your present condition (Jer. 44:23).
2. Punishment of the apostates (Jer. 44:24-28)
The Jews in Egypt served their idols with greater loyalty than they had ever shown for the service of the Lord. with bitter sarcasm Jeremiah declares: you have made vows to worship the queen of heaven. Very well, then, fulfill your vows! (Jer. 44:25). Then Jeremiah, abandoning his sarcastic tone, becomes deadly serious. But if you perform those vows you have made your choice of deities. You have committed the ultimate rebellion and therefore you will experience the ultimate punishment. Jeremiah holds out two threats. First, God will withdraw His name from the lips of His people (Jer. 44:26). At least three different views have been taken as to the meaning of these words. Some think that the Jews will not be able to mention the name of the Lord because no Jews would be left alive in Egypt. Another view is that the Lord no longer regards Himself as their covenant God and therefore they have lost the right of calling upon His name. Still another view is that God punishes their apostasy by allowing them to sink into a state of secularism which does not even think of God. Of these interpretations the second is decidedly the best.
In the second threat God assures the remnant in Egypt that He will watch over them for evil and not for good (Jer. 44:27). What a dreadful thought! Just as God watches over His word to fulfill it (Jer. 1:12), so now He is watching over His people to see that they are punished for their apostasy. None of their pagan deities or religious rites will be able to divert the disaster which will befall them. All the Jews who live in the land of Egypt will die by the famine and the sword (Jer. 44:27).
Just as in Jer. 44:14 of this chapter, the assertion that all the Jews in Egypt would perish is here immediately qualified. A tiny remnant shall escape the general slaughter in Egypt and shall return to the land of Judah (Jer. 44:28). Even in this judgment-speech grace shines through. But why does Jeremiah in this stern sermon, want to mention the few individuals who will be saved? Surely this must be construed as an oblique appeal directed to each individual present. He is pleading with them to turn to the Lord. He can offer no hope to the Egyptian community of Jews as a whole, but he can hold out some hope to those who might turn in faith to the Lord. That is exactly what he seems to be doing in Jer. 44:28.
3. A sign for the apostates (Jer. 44:29-30)
Lest any of his hearers think that the message he has delivered originated in his own imagination Jeremiah offered the audience a sign which would confirm the prophetic character of his dire threats. God would shortly deliver Pharaoh Hophra into the hands of his political enemies just as he had delivered Zedekiah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar (Jer. 44:30). The Greek historian Herodotus[365] relates that Hophra was captured by Amasis, the succeeding Pharaoh, who had him strangled to death after ten years of captivity (about 560 B.C.). The captivity of Hophra took place about two or three years before the invasion of Egypt by Nebuchadnezzar to which reference has already been made. Jeremiah probably did not live to see either the sign or the prophecy of the Chaldean destruction fulfilled.
[365] Herodotus, II, 161, 169.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(20-23) Then Jeremiah said . . .The prophet makes an effective rejoinder to the assertion that the prosperity of past years had coincided with the idolatrous worship which he condemned. That prosperity had not been lasting, and though the long-suffering of God had borne with them, the judgments had at last come. The tenor of his argument was that which Augustine adopts in his treatise De Civitate Dei. See Note on Jer. 44:16.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
3). Jeremiah’s Makes An Immediate Reply By Reminding Them That YHWH Had Seen What They And Their Fathers Had Done And Had Acted In Judgment On Them For That Reason By Desolating Their Land And Making It A Spectacle To The World (20-23).
Jeremiah’s reply was to point out that it was the very fact that they had offered worship to other gods that had in the past been the cause of all their problems. It was that that had brought all God’s warnings of judgment on them from the prophets. It was precisely what God had had in mind when He had cause their cities to be destroyed and had made them a spectacle to the world.
Jer 44:20
‘Then Jeremiah said to all the people, to the men, and to the women, even to all the people who had given him that answer, saying,’
Note that Jeremiah’s reply is to ‘the men and the women’ who had been involved in the people’s response to him. All were involved and therefore all were guilty.
Jer 44:21
“The incense that you burned in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, you and your fathers, your kings and your princes, and the people of the land, did not YHWH remember them, and did it not come into his mind?”
He points out that it was the very incense burned in their cities to false gods that YHWH had remembered and had brought to mind. That was the very reason why He was angry with them, and was why judgment had come on them. And what was more they had all been involved, they themselves, their fathers, their rulers and all the people of the land.
Jer 44:22
“So that YHWH could not longer bear, because of the evil of your doings, and because of the abominations which you have committed, therefore is your land become a desolation, and an astonishment, and a curse, without inhabitant, as it is this day.”
Note that it was not just their false worship that YHWH could ‘no longer bear’, but also the evil practises that arose from it and went with it. The ‘abominations’ were their false worship (the word ‘abomination’ usually has idolatry in mind). But ‘the evil of their doings’ had in mind the actions and behaviour that went along with their false worship, sexual misbehaviour, violence and excess. And it was because of all these thing that their land had been desolated to such an extent that it had astonished all their neighbours around them. That was why their land had become a curse, subjected to the curses described in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28. It had been left ‘without inhabitant’.
Jer 44:23
“Because you have burned incense, and because you have sinned against YHWH, and have not obeyed the voice of YHWH, nor walked in his law, nor in his statutes, nor in his testimonies, therefore this evil is happened to you, as it is this day.”
Here Jeremiah analyses everything that has resulted in their judgment. This evil had happened to them precisely because they had:
Burned incense (to false gods) (compareJer 7:18; Exo 20:3-6).
Sinned against YHWH (compareJer 3:25; Jer 8:14; Jer 40:3; Jer 50:7; Jer 50:14).
Not obeyed the voice of YHWH (contrast Jer 42:5-6. Compare Exo 19:5; Deu 27:10. The idea of obeying or not obeying the voice of YHWH occurs 18 times in Jeremiah, e.g. Jer 3:13; Jer 3:25, etc. out of 61 times in the Old Testament).
Not walked in His law, nor His statutes, nor His testimonies (contrast Jer 42:3. Compare Exo 16:4; Exo 18:20; 1Ki 2:3).
In other words It had happened to them because they had rejected YHWH’s commands and had breached His covenant with them continually, living in deliberate disobedience and flagrantly refusing to walk in His ways, and cocking a snook at Him by their worship of other gods. Now at last His patience had come to an end. And these people especially had no grounds for complaint, for they had actually promised YHWH that they would do whatever He told them (Jer 42:3-6), and had then refused.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
c. The Rejoinder of the Prophet (Jer 4:20-30)
a. Refutation of the Popular Assertions
Jer 44:20-23
20Then Jeremiah said unto16 all the people, to the men, and to the women, and to 21all the people which had given him that answer, saying, Is it not so? The incense17 that ye burned in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, ye, and your fathers, your kings, and your princes, and the people of the land, did not the Lord remember them, and came it not into his mind? [Jehovah remembered 22it,18 and it came into his mind].19 So that the Lord [Jehovah] could no longer bear20 because of the evil of your doings,21 and because of the abominations which ye have committed; therefore is your land a desolation,22 and an astonishment [a waste] and 23a curse, without an inhabitant,23 as at this day. Because ye have burned incense, and because ye have sinned against the Lord, and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord, nor walked in his law, nor in his statutes, nor in his testimonies; therefore this evil is happened24 unto you, as at this day.
EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL
To the assertion of the people that it had gone well with them so long as they had served the queen of heaven, and that their misfortunes dated from their cessation of this service, the prophet answers with a non post hoc sed propter hoc. It was precisely on account of this idolatrous cult (Jer 44:21) which Jehovah could no longer suffer, that their misfortunes had come upon them (Jer 44:22). And for the sake of emphasis Jeremiah repeats this bitter truth once more (Jer 44:23).
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.
Footnotes:
[16]Jer 44:20.On the interchange of and comp. rems. on Jer 10:1.
[17]Jer 44:21.The Piel form , which occurs here only (comp. Olsh. 182, e) corresponds to the German Geracher [fumigating, incensing]. Observe also the emphatic position of the word at the beginning of the sentence [the incensing that ye did].
[18]Jer 44:21.The plural suffix in refers to the plural idea contained in the intensive form. Compare remarks on Jer 11:4.
[19]Jer 44:21.Comp. rems. on Jer 3:16.
[20]Jer 44:22. . The imperf. is evidently used here in an aoristic sense, but since the fact in question is removed from all objective human perception, it is consequently founded, notwithstanding its undoubted correctness, on a subjective conception, Comp. Isa 37:4; 1Ki 8:5.
[21]Jer 44:22.. With following, here only. It seems to be used in the absolute sense of endure, hold out, also in Isaiah 1. Proverbs 30.21 . Comp. Jer 4:4; Jer 21:12; Jer 23:2; Jer 23:22; Jer 24:2 sqq.; Jer 26:3.
[22]Jer 44:22.. Comp. Jer 44:6; Jer 44:12.
[23]Jer 44:22. . Comp. rems. on Jer 2:15.
[24]Jer 44:23. Comp. Olsh. S. 449, 478.Ges., 74, Anm. 1; Ewald, 194, b.
Fuente: A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical by Lange
Here the Lord compels them to look back, and trace the causes or all their past calamity. The idolatry of themselves, and their fathers, had already brought upon them, and their land, the awful judgments which had prompted them to flee into Egypt.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Jer 44:20 Then Jeremiah said unto all the people, to the men, and to the women, and to all the people which had given him [that] answer, saying,
Ver. 20. Then Jeremiah said unto all the people. ] The prophet, without any special command from God, moved with a spirit of zeal, confuteth that blasphemy of theirs, and showeth plainly that idolatry maketh no people happy, but the contrary; though this be an old plea, or rather cavil, answered fully long since by Cyprian against Demetrian, Augustine De Civit. Dei, and Orosius.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Jer 44:20-23
20Then Jeremiah said to all the people, to the men and women-even to all the people who were giving him such an answer-saying, 21As for the smoking sacrifices that you burned in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, you and your forefathers, your kings and your princes, and the people of the land, did not the LORD remember them and did not all this come into His mind? 22So the LORD was no longer able to endure it, because of the evil of your deeds, because of the abominations which you have committed; thus your land has become a ruin, an object of horror and a curse, without an inhabitant, as it is this day. 23Because you have burned sacrifices and have sinned against the LORD and not obeyed the voice of the LORD or walked in His law, His statutes or His testimonies, therefore this calamity has befallen you, as it has this day.
Jer 44:20-30 This is the last message of Jeremiah recorded in the book. He was in Egypt and was confronted again with widespread idolatry by the Judeans, a total disregard for YHWH’s revelation/covenant.
Jer 44:22 This is similar to the warnings of Jer 25:9; Jer 25:11; Jer 25:18; Jer 25:38; Jer 29:18; Jer 42:18; Jer 44:13.
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
men. Hebrew, plural of geber. App-14.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Jer 44:20-30
Jer 44:20-23
JEREMIAH REFUTES THEIR FALSE ARGUMENT
Then Jeremiah said unto all the people, to the men, and to the women, even to all the people that had given him that answer, saying, The incense that ye burned in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, ye and your fathers, your kings and your princes, and the people of the land, did not Jehovah remember them, and came it not into his mind? so that Jehovah could not longer bear, because of the evil of your doings, and because of the abominations which ye have committed; therefore is your land become a desolation, and an astonishment, and a curse, without inhabitant, as it is this day. Because ye have burned incense, and because ye have sinned against Jehovah, and have not obeyed the voice of Jehovah, nor walked in his law, nor in his statutes, nor in his testimonies; therefore this evil is happened unto you, as it is this day.
Did not Jehovah remember them.?
(Jer 44:21). This is the equivalent of Jeremiah’s asking, Do you think all of those people really got by with their shameless worship of the Queen of Heaven? If you do, take a look at their land as it is this very day!
This was the only refutation that the false arguments of the Queen’s worshippers really needed, if they had only had the sense to appreciate it. Alas, it is true, as Hegel said in his Philosophy of History (1807), “What experience and history teach is this: people and governments never have learned anything from human history, or acted upon the principles deduced from it.” Just so it was with those Jews who went sojourning in Egypt; they became ensnared in the shameless idolatry of Egypt and lost their relationship with the Creator.
Jer 44:24-30
JEREMIAH’S SIGN THAT GOD WOULD KEEP HIS WORD
Moreover Jeremiah said unto all the people, and to all the women, Hear the word of Jehovah, all Judah that are in the land of Egypt: Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, Ye and your wives have both spoken with your mouths, and with your hands have fulfilled it, 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: establish then your vows, and perform your vows. Therefore hear ye the word of Jehovah, all Judah that dwell in the land of Egypt: Behold, I have sworn by my great name, saith Jehovah, that my name shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, As the Lord Jehovah liveth. Behold, I 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 the famine, until there be an end of them. And they that escape the sword shall return out of the land of Egypt into the land of Judah, few in number; and all the remnant of Judah, that are gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall know whose word shall stand, mine, or theirs. And this shall be the sign unto you, saith Jehovah, that I will punish you in this place, that ye may know that my words shall surely stand against you for evil: Thus saith Jehovah, 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, who was his enemy, and sought his life.
And with your hands have confirmed it…
(Jer 44:25). This suggests that Jeremiah might have been looking at the cakes then in the hands of the women who had come to worship the Queen of Heaven.
Establish then your vows, and perform your vows…
(Jer 44:25). This does not mean that Jeremiah approved of their false worship. It is the equivalent of his saying, Very well, go ahead with your vows, but be prepared to accept the consequences.
The burning of incense…
(Jer 44:24). This action, frequently spoken of throughout the chapter is not limited to any single action, but, It includes, besides, all the other elements of idolatrous worship. This figure of speech, used throughout both the Old Testament and the New Testament is called synecdoche.
My name shall no more be named…
(Jer 44:26). This would be true because of two things. (1) The syncretistic worship of both God and the pagan deity would result in God’s name being used less and less frequently until it disappeared altogether (the invariable result of syncretism), and (2) No Jews will be left alive in Egypt.
I will give Pharaoh-Hophra…
etc. (Jer 44:30). The sign which Jeremiah here promised was: (1) the capture of Pharaoh-Hophra by his deadly enemies, (2) his imprisonment, and (3) his death, three elements in God’s punishment of Zedekiah.
“In the writings of Herodotus, Pharaoh-Hophra is called Apries; he was defeated by the people of Cyrene, and a mutiny followed, after which Amasis became Pharaoh; after treating Hophra kindly for some years, Amasis finally gave him over to his enemies, by whom he was strangled. Thus, the words of Jeremiah here were literally fulfilled.”
It is not known if Jeremiah lived to see the fulfillment of God’s word in this matter or not. We do know that at some time while in Egypt, Jeremiah was slain by those who hated him because of the sacred word of God which he faithfully delivered to the people.
A Prophetic Affirmation Jer 44:20-30
The last recorded words of Jeremiah come in response to the brazen remarks of the remnant in Egypt. Jeremiah does not wilt under pressure nor does he run from controversy. He stands eloquently alone against what must have been a smirking, jeering, shouting crowd. That the women were taking the lead in the whole affair can be seen in the fact that Jeremiah takes careful pains to include them in his closing remarks (Jer 44:20; Jer 44:24-25). Stooped by age and weakened by infirmity, the old warrior can still deliver a powerful oratorical blast. In fact one detects very little difference between this last message of Jeremiah and the first one he delivered some forty years earlier.
The final recorded message of Jeremiah contains a rebuttal to the apostates (Jer 44:20-23); emphasizes punishment for the apostates (Jer 44:24-28); and sets forth a sign for the apostates (Jer 44:29-30).
1. Rebuttal to the apostates (Jer 44:20-23)
Implicit in the preceding remarks of the assembly was the contention that the Lord had forgotten them. Because God did not immediately punish them for their idolatry back in the days of Manasseh did not mean that He had failed to take note of their sin. God did remember their iniquity, Jeremiah affirms (Jer 44:21). Because of His longsuffering and patience He delayed the execution of the inevitable sentence until He could bear their sin no longer. Then, and only then, was the wrath of God poured out on Judah and that is why that land is desolation, an astonishment and a curse without inhabitant this very day (Jer 44:22). It is because of your idolatry and flagrant disobedience to the word of God that you are in your present condition (Jer 44:23).
2. Punishment of the apostates (Jer 44:24-28)
The Jews in Egypt served their idols with greater loyalty than they had ever shown for the service of the Lord. with bitter sarcasm Jeremiah declares: you have made vows to worship the queen of heaven. Very well, then, fulfill your vows! (Jer 44:25). Then Jeremiah, abandoning his sarcastic tone, becomes deadly serious. But if you perform those vows you have made your choice of deities. You have committed the ultimate rebellion and therefore you will experience the ultimate punishment. Jeremiah holds out two threats. First, God will withdraw His name from the lips of His people (Jer 44:26). At least three different views have been taken as to the meaning of these words. Some think that the Jews will not be able to mention the name of the Lord because no Jews would be left alive in Egypt. Another view is that the Lord no longer regards Himself as their covenant God and therefore they have lost the right of calling upon His name. Still another view is that God punishes their apostasy by allowing them to sink into a state of secularism which does not even think of God. Of these interpretations the second is decidedly the best.
In the second threat God assures the remnant in Egypt that He will watch over them for evil and not for good (Jer 44:27). What a dreadful thought! Just as God watches over His word to fulfill it (Jer 1:12), so now He is watching over His people to see that they are punished for their apostasy. None of their pagan deities or religious rites will be able to divert the disaster which will befall them. All the Jews who live in the land of Egypt will die by the famine and the sword (Jer 44:27).
Just as in Jer 44:14 of this chapter, the assertion that all the Jews in Egypt would perish is here immediately qualified. A tiny remnant shall escape the general slaughter in Egypt and shall return to the land of Judah (Jer 44:28). Even in this judgment-speech grace shines through. But why does Jeremiah in this stern sermon, want to mention the few individuals who will be saved? Surely this must be construed as an oblique appeal directed to each individual present. He is pleading with them to turn to the Lord. He can offer no hope to the Egyptian community of Jews as a whole, but he can hold out some hope to those who might turn in faith to the Lord. That is exactly what he seems to be doing in Jer 44:28.
3. A sign for the apostates (Jer 44:29-30)
Lest any of his hearers think that the message he has delivered originated in his own imagination Jeremiah offered the audience a sign which would confirm the prophetic character of his dire threats. God would shortly deliver Pharaoh Hophra into the hands of his political enemies just as he had delivered Zedekiah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar (Jer 44:30). The Greek historian Herodotus (Herodotus, II, 161, 169.) relates that Hophra was captured by Amasis, the succeeding Pharaoh, who had him strangled to death after ten years of captivity (about 560 B.C.). The captivity of Hophra took place about two or three years before the invasion of Egypt by Nebuchadnezzar to which reference has already been made. Jeremiah probably did not live to see either the sign or the prophecy of the Chaldean destruction fulfilled.
The Flight to Egypt – Jer 40:7 to Jer 45:5
Open It
1. Whom do you know who has been too trusting and suffered because he or she refused to believe ill of another person?
2. What traditional superstitions were you taught as you were growing up?
Explore It
3. How did the governor appointed by the Babylonians reassure the small fighting force that remained in the land after the Babylonians withdrew? (Jer 40:7-10)
4.How did the remnant of people in the land of Judah grow and begin to prosper? (Jer 40:11-12)
5. What warning did some of the commanders give to Gedaliah, the appointed governor? (Jer 40:13-14)
6. How did Johanan propose to solve the threat against Gedaliah, which he perceived as potentially disastrous to the whole remnant? (Jer 40:15)
7. How did Gedaliah respond to Johanans desire to protect him? (Jer 40:16)
8. What devious plan was carried out by Ishmael and his followers? (Jer 41:1-3)
9. What evil deeds did Ishmael add to his murder of Gedaliah? (Jer 41:4-10)
10. What transpired when Johanan caught up to Ishmael? (Jer 41:11-15)
11. What did Johanan assume the remaining faithful people would have to do since Gedaliah had been murdered? (Jer 41:16-18)
12. What request did Johanan and the people with him make of the prophet Jeremiah? (Jer 42:1-3)
13. What promises did Jeremiah and the people make to one another? (Jer 42:4-6)
14. What positive commands and reassuring words did Jeremiah bring from God? (Jer 42:7-12)
15. What warning did God have for the people in anticipation of their intended disobedience? (Jer 42:13-18)
16. Of what fatal mistake did Jeremiah accuse the remnant of Judah? (Jer 42:19-22)
17. How did Johanan and the other leaders rationalize their disobedience? (Jer 43:1-3)
18. Who were the people who entered Egypt, some of them against their will? (Jer 43:4-7)
19. When he was at Tahpanhes with the others, what symbolic action did God tell Jeremiah to take, and what was the meaning? (Jer 43:8-13)
20. For what sin did God, through Jeremiah, remind the people that He had punished Judah and Jerusalem? (Jer 44:1-6)
21. Why was Jeremiah amazed that the remnant had not learned a lesson from all that had happened before? (Jer 44:7-10)
22. What did God say He would do to all those determined to go to Egypt for protection? (Jer 44:11-14)
23. What superstitious belief did the people cite as they defied Jeremiah openly? (Jer 44:15-19)
24. How did Jeremiah proceed to correct their thinking about the real cause of their misfortune? (Jer 44:20-23)
25. With what vow did God answer the peoples vow to continue worshiping the “Queen of Heaven”? (Jer 44:24-28)
26. What did God promise to do to the pharaoh of Egypt, whom the Israelites considered an ally against Babylon? (Jer 44:29-30)
27. Why was the scribe, Baruch, feeling sorry for himself? (Jer 45:1-3)
28. How did God respond to Baruchs self-pity? (Jer 45:4-5)
Get It
29. What mistake on the part of a well-meaning governor kept the remnant of poor people and fugitive soldiers from prospering after the Babylonian conquest?
30. How did reliance on their own wisdom and preconceptions about Gods answer get Johanan and his fellow leaders into trouble?
31. What (other than fear of the Babylonians) led the people to ignore God and His prophet, Jeremiah?
32. Why did Jeremiah call the disobedience of the people who insisted on fleeing to Egypt a fatal mistake?
33. Why do people swear oaths that they dont really intend to keep?
34. Why are some people willing to attribute their misfortune to Gods indifference or powerlessness rather than to their own sins?
35. When have you felt discouraged because of how long you have endured hardship in doing the right thing?
36. What blessings will follow if we allow Gods loving-kindness to be our reward for faithfulness?
Apply It
37. In what area of your life do you need to pray for Gods perspective on human evil?
38. What initial steps can you take to refocus on the eternal rather than the earthly rewards when you face discouragement in serving the Lord?
Questions On Jeremiah Chapters Forty-Four & Forty-Five
By Brent Kercheville
1 Who is the prophecy of chapter 44 directed to (Jer 44:1)?
2 What is Gods message to these people (Jer 44:2-10)? What sin have they committed?
3 What is the result of their sin (Jer 44:10-14)?
4 What is the response of the people to Gods message (Jer 44:15-19)? What lesson do we learn?
5 What is Jeremiahs response to the peoples reaction (Jer 44:20-30)?
6 What is the message to Baruch (Jer 45:1-5)? What lessons do we learn from this?
TRANSFORMATION:
How does this relationship change your relationship with God?
What did you learn about him?
What will you do differently in your life?
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Reciprocal: 2Ch 28:23 – But they were Rom 6:21 – What
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 44:20. When Jeremiah replied to these people he spoke to the men and to the women. That indicated that he regarded both sexes as guilty of the corrupt practices.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Jer 44:20-23. Then Jeremiah said, The incense that ye burned, &c. In these verses the prophet shows that they interpreted the dispensations of Gods providence toward them in a sense directly contrary to their true intent and meaning. They concluded that their omission of late to burn incense to the queen of heaven was the cause of the calamities which had befallen them; but the prophet shows them that the true cause was, not their leaving off that practice, but their being formerly guilty of it. This their idolatry, with their other sins, did indeed go unpunished a great while: for God was longsuffering toward them, and during the time of his patience it was perhaps, as they said, well with them, and they saw no evil; but at length they became so provoking that, as the prophet tells them, Jer 44:22, the Lord could no longer bear, but began a controversy with them. Upon this, it seems, some of them did in a degree reform their conduct: but their old guilt being uncancelled, and their corrupt inclinations being still the same, God remembered against them the idolatries of their fathers, their kings, and their princes, which they, instead of being ashamed of, gloried in: all these, he intimates, Jer 44:21, came into his mind, with all the abominations which they had committed, Jer 44:22, and all their disobedience to the voice of the Lord, Jer 44:23 : all was brought to account; and to punish them for these was their land made a desolation, an astonishment, and a curse, as they saw it to be. Therefore Not for their late reformation, he assures them, but for their old transgressions, had all that evil happened to them.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
The prophet reminded the people that Yahweh had devastated their homeland because of their idolatry. What they and their forefathers had done had not escaped His notice. It was a direct result of their accumulated sins. Covenant unfaithfulness had resulted in their present calamity.