English · CJB

Jeremiah47

Jeremiah receives a prophecy from the LORD against the Philistines, foretelling their utter destruction. An overwhelming invasion, likened to a flood from the north, will devastate their land and cities. This divine judgment will bring terror and ruin upon Gaza and Ashkelon, as the LORD's appointed 'sword' executes His will.

Prophecy Against the Philistines

1
This word of ADONAI came to Yirmeyahu the prophet concerning the P'lishtim before Pharaoh attacked 'Azah: ​

Invasion and Overwhelming Destruction

2
"Here is what ADONAI says: 'Water is rising out of the north; it will become a flooding stream, flooding the land and all that is in it, the city and its inhabitants. The people are crying out in alarm, everyone in the land is weeping ​
3
at the thunderous pound of his stallions' hoofs, at his rattling chariots' rumbling wheels. Fathers fail to turn back for their children; instead, their hands hang limp,
4
because the day has come for destroying all the P'lishtim, for cutting off from Tzor and Tzidon the last of their allies; for ADONAI is destroying the P'lishtim, the remnant from the island of Kaftor. ​
5
'Azah is shaved bald, Ashkelon reduced to silence. Those of you who remain in their valley, how long will you go on gashing yourselves?'" ​

The Irrevocable Divine Judgment

6
Oh, sword of ADONAI, how long till you can be quiet? Put yourself back in your scabbard! Stop! Be still! ​
7
But how can you be still? For ADONAI has given it orders against Ashkelon, against the seacoast; he has assigned it its task there. ​

Study Notes for Jeremiah 47

Verse 1

This prophecy is dated by an event involving Pharaoh’s military action against Gaza. The Pharaoh is likely Necho II or Hophra, placing this judgment within the era of rising Babylonian dominance (late 7th or early 6th century B.C.).

Verse 2

The metaphor of 'waters rise up out of the north' is common in Jeremiah, representing the overwhelming military force of the Neo-Babylonian empire, which served as God’s instrument of judgment.

Verse 4

The judgment is comprehensive, cutting off the Philistines’ potential allies (Tyre and Sidon). The reference to 'Caphtor' emphasizes the Philistines’ historical origin as Sea Peoples who settled the coastal region.

Verse 5

Baldness and self-cutting were extreme, ritualistic signs of grief and despair in the ancient Near East, emphasizing the totality of the Philistine loss. Ashkelon and Gaza are the primary cities facing destruction.

Verse 6

This verse introduces a dramatic lament, likely voiced by the prophet or those witnessing the horror, pleading with the destructive force ('the sword of the LORD') to stop its appointed work.

Verse 7

The rhetorical question provides the definitive answer: the judgment cannot be recalled because it is a deliberate, divine commission. God himself has appointed the destruction against the coastal region.

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