Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 46:8
Egypt riseth up like a flood, and [his] waters are moved like the rivers; and he saith, I will go up, [and] will cover the earth; I will destroy the city and the inhabitants thereof.
8. and his waters toss themselves like the rivers ] The LXX omit, but, as the v. stands in MT., this clause is wanted for the parallelism.
he saith ] viz. Pharaoh, addressing his army.
the city and ] Unless, with LXX, we omit these words, we should probably understand the Hebrew substantive collectively, cities.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The prophet compareth the Egyptians, fleshed with their former victory obtained against Josiah at Megiddo, and now preparing to another expedition, to a flood, (with allusion probably to the river Nilus, whose waters used to rise to a great height,) both for the multitude of their soldiers, and for their rage; they were resolved to carry such numbers as should cover the earth, and to take Carchemish, or some other city which their design was against. It should seem both by this text, and that Exo 15:9,10, that the Egyptians were a people much given to vaunt and boast of the great things they would do, boasting when they were putting on their harness as if they were putting it off, not considering how uncertain the events of war were, nor yet that wherein they talked proudly there was one that could be above them.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
8. Answer to the question in Jer46:7.
waters . . . moved like theriversThe rise of the Nile is gentle; but at the mouth it,unlike most rivers, is much agitated, owing to the sandbanks impedingits course, and so it rushes into the sea like a cataract.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Egypt riseth up as a flood, and [his] waters are moved like the rivers,…. This is the answer to the above question; that it was Egypt that was seen; the king of Egypt, as the Syriac version; he with his army, as the Targum; and which was so numerous, that it seemed as if the whole country of Egypt, all the inhabitants of it, were come along with him; these rose up like the Nile, and moved like the several sluices of it, with great velocity and force, as if they would carry all before them:
and he saith, I will go up; Pharaohnecho king of Egypt said, I will go up from my own land to the north, to meet the king of Babylon:
[and] will cover the earth; with his army: even all, the north country, the whole Babylonish empire; which he affected to be master of, grasping at, universal monarchy:
I will destroy the city, and the inhabitants thereof; which Abarbinel restrains to the city Carchemish, where his army was smitten: but it is better to interpret, the singular by the plural, as the Targum does, “I will destroy cities”; since it was not a single city he came up to take, nor would this satisfy his ambitious temper.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
brings the answer to the question of astonishment: “Egypt approaches, its hosts cover the land like the waves of the Nile, to destroy cities and men.” On the form (with contracted from ), cf. Ewald, 192, d; Gesenius, 68, Rem. 1. is used in an indefinite general sense, “cities,” as in Jer 8:16. – In Jer 46:9, the imperat. stands as in Jer 46:3.: “Let the formidable army approach, – cavalry, chariots, and infantry, with all their splendidly equipped auxiliaries, – nevertheless it shall perish.” does not here mean “Mount the steeds,” which is against the parallelism, but “Get up (i.e., prance), ye horses;” this meaning is guaranteed by the Hiphil , as used in Nah 3:3. is an imitation of Nah 2:5. As auxiliaries, and very brave ones too ( ), are mentioned “Cush,” i.e., the Ethiopians; “Phut,” the Libyans; and “Ludim,” i.e., Hamitic, African Lydians, as in Eze 30:5. On the double construct in , “holding, bending bows,” cf. Ew. 280, c.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
Then he adds, Egypt is like rivers and like a lake: it made a noise with its forces, as though a river were rolling along its waters. But all this would be nothing, as he afterwards tells us he adds, he hath said, I will ascend, I will cover the land, I will destroy the city, etc. He puts city in the singular instead of the plural number; (134) I will destroy cities, he says, and all who dwell in them. He in short sets forth Pharaoh here as one who triumphed before he fought, because he could cover the land with the multitude of his footmen and horsemen. It now follows, —
(134) The city here is put in opposition to the land, — And it (Egypt) said, I will ascend, I will cover the land; I will destroy (every) city, and the dwellers in it.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
Jer 46:8 Egypt riseth up like a flood, and [his] waters are moved like the rivers; and he saith, I will go up, [and] will cover the earth; I will destroy the city and the inhabitants thereof.
Ver. 8. Egypt riseth up like a flood. ] Like the Nile. The Egyptians were an ancient, proud, luxurious people.
And he saith, I will go up and cover the earth.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
I will go up. Egypt at this time was so strong that Jeremiah’s prophecy seemed most unlikely to come to pass.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
riseth: Eze 29:3, Eze 32:2
I will go: Exo 15:9, Exo 15:10, Isa 10:13-16, Isa 37:24-26
Reciprocal: 2Sa 22:5 – the floods Psa 90:5 – Thou Psa 93:3 – The floods Psa 124:4 – the waters Isa 8:7 – the Lord bringeth Jer 47:2 – waters Dan 11:10 – overflow Amo 8:8 – rise
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 46:8. Not only did the Nile furnish Egypt with the necessities of physical life, but the people worshiped it as their chief god and believed that through it they could cover the earth and take possession of the cities. That is why the prediction shows the nation in a mood of defiance against the Babylonians.