Jeremiah delivers God's word to the Jews in Egypt, reminding them of Judah's desolation due to their idolatry and warning against continuing this sin. Despite the warning, the people defiantly vow to continue worshipping the "queen of heaven," attributing past prosperity to it. Consequently, God declares that those who remain in Egypt and persist in idolatry will be consumed by sword and famine, with only a small remnant escaping.
This is the word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews living in the land of Egypt—in Migdol, Tahpanhes, and Memphis—and in the land of Pathros:
“This is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: You have seen all the disaster that I brought against Jerusalem and all the cities of Judah; and behold, they lie today in ruins and desolation
because of the evil they have done. They provoked Me to anger by continuing to burn incense and to serve other gods that neither they nor you nor your fathers ever knew.
Therefore My wrath and anger poured out and burned in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, so that they have become the desolate ruin they are today.
So now, this is what the LORD God of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: Why are you doing such great harm to yourselves by cutting off from Judah man and woman, child and infant, leaving yourselves without a remnant?
Why are you provoking Me to anger by the work of your hands by burning incense to other gods in the land of Egypt, where you have gone to reside? As a result, you will be cut off and will become an object of cursing and reproach among all the nations of the earth.
Have you forgotten the wickedness of your fathers and of the kings of Judah and their wives, as well as the wickedness that you and your wives committed in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?
To this day they have not humbled themselves or shown reverence, nor have they followed My instruction or the statutes that I set before you and your fathers.
And I will take away the remnant of Judah who have resolved to go to the land of Egypt to reside there; they will meet their end. They will all fall by the sword or be consumed by famine. From the least to the greatest, they will die by sword or famine; and they will become an object of cursing and horror, of vilification and reproach.
so that none of the remnant of Judah who have gone to reside in Egypt will escape or survive to return to the land of Judah, where they long to return and live; for none will return except a few fugitives.”
Then all the men who knew that their wives were burning incense to other gods, and all the women standing by—a great assembly—along with all the people living in the land of Egypt and in Pathros, said to Jeremiah,
Instead, we will do everything we vowed to do: We will burn incense to the Queen of Heaven and offer drink offerings to her, just as we, our fathers, our kings, and our officials did in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. At that time we had plenty of food and good things, and we saw no disaster.
But from the time we stopped burning incense to the Queen of Heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything and have been perishing by sword and famine.”
“Moreover,” said the women, “when we burned incense to the Queen of Heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, was it without our husbands’ knowledge that we made sacrificial cakes in her image and poured out drink offerings to her?”
“As for the incense you burned in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem—you, your fathers, your kings, your officials, and the people of the land—did the LORD not remember and bring this to mind?
So the LORD could no longer endure the evil deeds and detestable acts you committed, and your land became a desolation, a horror, and an object of cursing, without inhabitant, as it is this day.
Because you burned incense and sinned against the LORD, and did not obey the voice of the LORD or walk in His instruction, His statutes, and His testimonies, this disaster has befallen you, as you see today.”
This is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: As for you and your wives, you have spoken with your mouths and fulfilled with your hands your words: ‘We will surely perform our vows that we have made to burn incense to the Queen of Heaven and to pour out drink offerings to her.’ Go ahead, then, do what you have promised! Keep your vows!
Nevertheless, hear the word of the LORD, all you people of Judah living in Egypt: Behold, I have sworn by My great name, says the LORD, that never again will any man of Judah living in the land of Egypt invoke My name or say, ‘As surely as the Lord GOD lives.’
I am watching over them for harm and not for good, and every man of Judah who is in the land of Egypt will meet his end by sword or famine, until they are finished off.
Those who escape the sword will return from Egypt to Judah, few in number, and the whole remnant of Judah who went to dwell in the land of Egypt will know whose word will stand, Mine or theirs!
This will be a sign to you that I will punish you in this place, declares the LORD, so that you may know that My threats of harm against you will surely stand.
This is what the LORD says: Behold, I will deliver Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt into the hands of his enemies who seek his life, just as I delivered Zedekiah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the enemy who was seeking his life.”
Study Notes for Jeremiah 44
Verse 1
This chapter is Jeremiah’s final recorded prophetic address. Migdol, Tahpanhes, Noph (Memphis), and Pathros (Upper Egypt) show the wide dispersal of the Jewish refugees throughout Egypt, indicating the scope of the coming judgment.
Verse 3
The reason for Jerusalem's destruction was idolatry. The phrase 'whom they knew not' emphasizes that these foreign deities had no covenant relationship with Israel, contrasting with the God of Israel.
Verse 4
'Rising early and sending them' is a characteristic phrase in Jeremiah, emphasizing the persistent and tireless efforts God made through his prophets to warn the people.
Verse 7
'Against your souls' highlights the self-destructive nature of sin. By committing idolatry, the people were actively choosing behaviors that would lead to their own annihilation.
Verse 8
'A curse and a reproach' is covenant language (Deut. 28:37). The people sought safety in Egypt but found the curse promised to those who break the covenant.
Verse 12
The tragic irony is that this 'remnant' survived the Babylonian destruction only to face certain death in Egypt, proving that flight to Egypt was the ultimate act of disobedience.
Verse 14
This prophecy assures that the exiles’ hope of returning to Judah will be frustrated by divine judgment. Only a handful of 'escapers' (v. 28) will survive, likely those who flee Egypt before the coming judgment.
Verse 15
The response comes from a 'great multitude' of people residing even in Pathros (Upper Egypt), demonstrating the unified and widespread nature of the rebellion against God’s word.
Verse 17
'Queen of heaven' refers to a major Mesopotamian/Canaanite fertility goddess (Ishtar/Astarte). The people openly justify their idolatry by claiming that it brought them prosperity, a complete inversion of covenant theology.
Verse 18
The people present a historically false argument: they claim that the destruction of Judah happened *because* they stopped worshipping the Queen of Heaven, rather than because of their persistent idolatry (as Jeremiah stated in vv. 2-6).
Verse 19
The women defend their actions by noting the complicity of the men. This confirms that the cult of the Queen of Heaven was deeply embedded in Judahite society and involved communal, family-based worship.
Verse 20
Jeremiah’s reply redirects their focus, insisting that their past idolatry in Judah was the precise cause of their current desolation, not the cessation of that worship.
Verse 22
'The LORD could no longer bear' is anthropomorphic language emphasizing that God’s righteous patience had reached its limit due to their persistent sin and abominations.
Verse 26
God swears by his 'great name,' an oath of finality. This means the covenant relationship is severed for those in Egypt; they will no longer be able to invoke the name of the living God.
Verse 28
The ultimate test of prophecy: the destruction of the many and the survival of the few will prove that Jeremiah’s words (God’s words) stand, while the defiant claims of the people will be shown false.
Verse 30
Pharaoh Hophra (Apries) was overthrown and later killed by his own people (c. 570 BC). This specific, verifiable sign confirms God’s sovereign control over Egypt and validates Jeremiah’s entire prophecy.
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