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Jeremiah44

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.

Judgment Declared Against Jews in Egypt

1
This word came to Yirmeyahu concerning all the people from Y'hudah living in the land of Egypt - in Migdol, Tachpanches, Nof and the land of Patros: ​
2
"Here is what ADONAI-Tzva'ot, the God of Isra'el, says: 'You have seen all the disaster I inflicted on Yerushalayim and all the cities of Y'hudah; there they are today, ruined, with no one living in them.
3
It came about because of the wicked things they did to make me angry - sacrificing to and serving other gods, whom they did not know, neither they, nor you nor your ancestors. ​
4
I had sent you all my servants the prophets, sent them frequently, with the message, "Don't do this horrible thing which I hate!" ​
5
But they neither listened nor obeyed, so as to turn from their wickedness and stop offering to other gods.
6
Hence my fury and anger were poured out and ignited in the cities of Y'hudah and the streets of Yerushalayim; so that they became waste and desolate, as they are today.'
7
"Therefore now, ADONAI-Tzva'ot, the God of Isra'el, says this: 'Why are you committing this great sin against yourselves? The result can only be to cut you off from Y'hudah - men, women, children and babies - so that none of you remain. ​
8
For you continue provoking me with the products of your own hands, offering to other gods in the land of Egypt, where you have gone to live as aliens. It will lead only to your destruction and becoming an object of curses and reproaches among all the nations of the earth. ​
9
Have you forgotten the wicked deeds of your ancestors, the wicked deeds of the kings of Y'hudah, the wicked deeds of their wives, your own wicked deeds, and the wicked deeds of your wives, which they committed in the land of Y'hudah and in the streets of Yerushalayim?
10
To this day they remain unhumbled; they have not been afraid, and they have not lived according to my Torah or my regulations that I presented to you and your ancestors.'
11
"Therefore here is what ADONAI-Tzva'ot, the God of Isra'el, says: 'I will decree disaster for you and destroy all of Y'hudah.
12
I will take the remnant of Y'hudah, who determined to go to Egypt and live there as aliens, and they will all perish - in the land of Egypt they will fall and perish by sword and famine. They will die, from the least to the greatest, by sword and famine; and they will become an object of condemnation, astonishment, cursing and reproach. ​
13
Yes, I will punish those living in the land of Egypt, as I punished Yerushalayim, by sword, famine and plague;
14
so that none of the remnant of Y'hudah who went into the land of Egypt to live as aliens will escape or remain, to be able to return to the land of Y'hudah. They long to return and live there, but none will return except a few refugees.'" ​

The People Defiantly Reject God’s Warning

15
Then all the men who knew that their wives were offering incense to other gods, along with all the women standing by, a huge crowd, all the people living in Patros in the land of Egypt, answered Yirmeyahu: ​
16
"As for the word you have just spoken to us in the name of ADONAI, we will not listen to you.
17
Instead, we will certainly continue to fulfill every word our mouths have spoken: we will offer incense to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her, as we have done, we and our ancestors, our kings and our leaders, in the cities of Y'hudah and the streets of Yerushalayim. For then we had plenty of food; everything was fine, we didn't experience anything unpleasant. ​
18
But since we stopped offering to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything, and we have been destroyed by sword and famine." ​
19
[Then the wives added,] "Are we the ones who offer incense to the queen of heaven? Do we pour out drink offerings to her? And did we make cakes marked with her image for her and pour out drink offerings to her without our husbands' consent?" ​

Jeremiah Rebuts Their False Claims

20
Then Yirmeyahu said to all the people - to the men, the women, and all the people who had answered him back: ​
21
"The incense you offered in the cities of Y'hudah and in the streets of Yerushalayim - you, your ancestors, your kings, your leaders and the people of the land - ADONAI kept remembering and taking note of this [insult],
22
until ADONAI could no longer bear it, so evil and so detestable were your deeds. This is why your land has become a wasteland, an object for astonishment and cursing, uninhabited, as it is today. ​
23
It is because you offered incense, sinned against ADONAI, didn't listen to what ADONAI said, and didn't live by his Torah, regulations and instructions that this disaster has befallen you, as it is today."

Final Pronouncement of Destruction

24
In addition, Yirmeyahu said to all the people, but especially the women: "Hear the word of ADONAI, all Y'hudah who are in the land of Egypt;
25
this is what ADONAI-Tzva'ot, the God of Isra'el, says: 'You and your wives stated your intentions with your mouths and performed them with your hands - you said, "We will certainly fulfill our vows that we made to offer incense to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her."' Without doubt, you will indeed fulfill every point of your vows.
26
Therefore hear the word of ADONAI, all Y'hudah living in the land of Egypt: 'I swear by my own great name,' says ADONAI, 'that no man of Y'hudah will speak my name again in the land of Egypt, swearing, "As ADONAI, God, lives." ​
27
I am watching over them for harm, not for good. All the men of Y'hudah in the land of Egypt will be destroyed by sword and famine, until none of them is left.
28
Those who escape the sword will return from the land of Egypt to the land of Y'hudah few in number; and all the remnant of Y'hudah who went into the land of Egypt to live will know whose word will stand - mine or theirs! ​
29
Moreover, here is a sign for you,' says ADONAI, 'that I will punish you in this place, so that you can know that my threats of disaster against you will come true.'
30
ADONAI says, 'I will hand over Pharaoh Hofra king of Egypt to his enemies, to those seeking his life - just as I handed Tzidkiyahu king of Y'hudah over to N'vukhadretzar king of Bavel, his enemy, who sought 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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