Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 46:6
Let not the swift flee away, nor the mighty man escape; they shall stumble, and fall toward the north by the river Euphrates.
Translate it: The swift shall not flee away, and the hero shall not escape: in the north on the bank of the river Euphrates they shall stumble and fall.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 6. Let not the swift flee away] Even the swiftest shall not be able to escape.
They shall – fall toward the north] By the Euphrates, which was northward of Judea. Here the Egyptian army was routed with great slaughter.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
That is, it is in vain for the swift to flee away, the mighty men shall not escape, but they shall stumble and fall at Carchemish, which was near the river Euphrates, and northward from Egypt.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
6. Let notequivalent to thestrongest negation. Let not any of the Egyptian warriors thinkto escape by swiftness or by might.
toward the norththatis, in respect to Egypt or Judea. In the northward region, by theEuphrates (see Jer 46:2).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Let not the swift flee away, nor the mighty men escape,…. Those that were swift of foot, like Asahel, or carried but light armour, let not such trust to their swiftness or light carriage; nor let the mighty man think to escape by reason of his great strength, to make his way through the enemy, and get out of his hands. Or this may be rendered as future, “the swift shall not flee away”, c. t so the Targum neither the one nor the other shall escape by the nimbleness of their heels, or the stoutness of their hearts:
they shall stumble and fall toward the north, by the river Euphrates; which lay north of Judea, where the prophet was, to whom this word came; and also was to the north of Egypt, whose destruction is here threatened: the place where this route and slaughter would be made was Carchemish, which was situated by that river; on the north side of which city, according to Abarbinel, the battle was; and which sense is mentioned by Kimchi, which the other follows.
t “non fugiet”, Pagninus, Montanus; “non effugiet”, Munster, Tigurine version.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
He then says first that they would gain power, but he speaks presently of their fall, unless it be thought that the same thing is repeated: and the beginning of the verse may be read affirmatively, “The swift shall not flee,” etc. But as the particle אל, al, is often used in a prohibitory sense, the verse may be evidently explained as spoken by God, and thus it may be read in connection with the previous verse, Let not the swift flee, nor the brave escape For God here declares authoritatively, that celerity and courage would be of no avail to the Egyptians, because the swiftest would be taken by their enemies, and the bravest would fall. (133)
He says, In the land of the north, on the bank of the river We know that Babylon and Assyria and Chaldea and those countries, were northward with respect to Judea. Whenever then the Prophets speak of the Babylonians, they call them Northlanders; but Egypt was to the south, as it is clear from many parts of Scripture. But as the Prophet here speaks of the Egyptians, he rightly makes Chaldea to be northward. Then he says, On the bank of the river Euphrates they shall stumble, or fall. The meaning is, that the event of war is in the power of God, so that he would tear in pieces and lay prostrate or scatter the Egyptians, however well equipped they might be, and trust in their own strength.
We must also observe, that whatever subsidies men pro-cum for themselves in order to protect their safety, they are nothing when God is opposed to them. The Prophet indeed mentions only two things; but he means that though men may excel in many things and possess many endowments, they must yet perish, when that is God’s will: flight cannot save the swift, nor strength the valiant. It follows —
(133) It is more consistent with the passage to render the verbs in the future tense, —
Not flee shall the swift, Nor escape shall the strong; In the north, by the side of the river Euphrates, Have they stumbled and fallen.
—
Ed.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
The Command To Let None Escape ( Jer 46:6 ).
The Babylonians are commanded to ensure that their victory is complete and that due judgment is visited on the Egyptians. All is under God’s control.
Jer 46:6
‘Do not let the swift flee away,
Nor the mighty man escape!
In the north by the river Euphrates,
Have they stumbled and fallen.’
The victorious army is seen as under YHWH’s direction. They are commanded to prevent the elite of the Egyptian army from escaping. They are to prevent the swift from fleeing way, and to prevent the mighty men from making their escape. The victory, and the judgment, must be complete. There must be no opportunity for them to reform and fight again. And so it was. For in the North, by the River Euphrates, the Egyptian army stumbled and fell.
A Description Of The Preceding Arrogance Of The Egyptian Army (46-7-8).
It was not what proud Egypt had expected. They had come up from Egypt with all confidence, a confidence seemingly justified by their establishment of their (brief) empire.
Jer 46:7-8
‘Who is this who rises up like the Nile,
Whose waters toss themselves like the rivers?’
Egypt rises up like the Nile,
And his waters toss themselves like the rivers,
And he says, “I will rise up, I will cover the earth,
I will destroy cities and their inhabitants.”
This consequence was far from what the Egyptians had foreseen. They had seen themselves in terms of the all-conquering Nile. When the Nile flooded its banks everything gave way before it, and it formed rivers which swept all before them. Thus the Egyptian army saw themselves in a similar way. They too would cross their borders triumphantly, and all would give way before them. And their Pharaoh’s boast was that he and his army would cover the earth, and would destroy cities with their inhabitants. None would stand before them.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Jer 46:6. Let not the swift flee away The words imply that it was God’s command that none of the Egyptian army should escape. The river Euphrates was northward of Judaea: so Babylon is described as lying northward, being situate upon that river. See Joseph. Antiq. lib. 10: cap. 7.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Jer 46:6 Let not the swift flee away, nor the mighty man escape; they shall stumble, and fall toward the north by the river Euphrates.
Ver. 6. Let not the swift fly away, ] i.e., Think to save themselves by flight.
Nor the mighty man escape,
Toward the north,
a Herod., lib. ii., .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
mighty man. Hebrew. geber. App-14.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
not: Jdg 4:15-21, Psa 33:16, Psa 33:17, Psa 147:10, Psa 147:11, Ecc 9:11, Isa 30:16, Isa 30:17, Amo 2:14, Amo 2:15, Amo 9:1-3
stumble: Jer 46:12, Jer 20:11, Jer 50:32, Psa 27:2, Isa 8:15, Dan 11:19, Dan 11:22
toward: Jer 46:10, Jer 1:14, Jer 4:6, Jer 6:1, Jer 25:9
Reciprocal: Jer 46:20 – it cometh Jer 47:2 – out of
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 46:6. Let not . . , flee away is a prediction in the style of the language used by the prophets, and means the people of Egypt will not succeed in
their attempts to escape capture by the Babylonians. Fall toward the north denotes they will be overcome by the nation whose capital is on the Euphrates River. AS to the reason for referring to the “north see the note at Isa 14:31 volume 3 of this COMMENTARY.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
46:6 Let not the swift flee away, nor the mighty man escape; they shall stumble, and fall toward the {e} north by the river Euphrates.
(e) The Babylonians will discomfit them at the river Euphrates.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
He warned the Babylonians not to allow any of the Egyptians to escape.