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Jeremiah42

After Jerusalem's fall, a remnant of Judah, led by Johanan, seeks Jeremiah's prayer for divine guidance on where to settle, promising obedience. The LORD, through Jeremiah, commands them to remain in Judah, assuring protection from Babylon and restoration. However, He warns that going to Egypt, driven by fear of war and famine, will result in their death by those very evils, as His wrath will pursue them there. The LORD reveals their hearts were dissembling, as they had already intended to disobey.

The Remnant Seeks God's Will

1
Then all the captains of the forces, and Yochanan the son of Kareah, and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least even to the greatest, came near, ​
2
and said to Jeremiah the prophet, Please let our supplication be presented before you, and pray for us to the LORD your God, even for all this remnant; for we are left but a few of many, as your eyes do see us: ​
3
that the LORD your God may show us the way in which we should walk, and the thing that we should do.
4
Then Jeremiah the prophet said to them, I have heard you; behold, I will pray to the LORD your God according to your words; and it shall happen that whatever thing the LORD shall answer you, I will declare it to you; I will keep nothing back from you. ​
5
Then they said to Jeremiah, the LORD be a true and faithful witness among us, if we don’t do according to all the word with which the LORD your God shall send you to us. ​
6
Whether it be good, or whether it be evil, we will obey the voice of the LORD our God, to whom we send you; that it may be well with us, when we obey the voice of the LORD our God.
7
After ten days, the LORD’s word came to Jeremiah. ​

God Commands Them to Remain in Judah

8
Then called he Yochanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces who were with him, and all the people from the least even to the greatest,
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and said to them, Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your supplication before him:
10
If you will still live in this land, then I will build you, and not pull you down, and I will plant you, and not pluck you up; for I grieve over the distress that I have brought on you. ​
11
Don’t be afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom you are afraid; don’t be afraid of him, says the LORD: for I am with you to save you, and to deliver you from his hand. ​
12
I will grant you mercy, that he may have mercy on you, and cause you to return to your own land. ​

The Warning Against Fleeing to Egypt

13
But if you say, We will not dwell in this land; so that you don’t obey the LORD your God’s voice,
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saying, No; but we will go into the land of Egypt, where we shall see no war, nor hear the sound of the shofar, nor have hunger of bread; and there will we dwell: ​
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now therefore hear the LORD’s word, O remnant of Judah: Thus says the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, If you indeed set your faces to enter into Egypt, and go to live there;
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then it shall happen, that the sword, which you fear, shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt; and the famine, about which you are afraid, shall follow close behind you there in Egypt; and there you shall die. ​
17
So shall it be with all the men who set their faces to go into Egypt to live there: they shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence; and none of them shall remain or escape from the evil that I will bring on them.
18
For thus says the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel: As my anger and my wrath has been poured out on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so shall my wrath be poured out on you, when you shall enter into Egypt; and you shall be an object of horror, and an astonishment, and a curse, and a reproach; and you shall see this place no more. ​

Judgment for Disguised Disobedience

19
The LORD has spoken concerning you, remnant of Judah, Don’t you go into Egypt: know certainly that I have testified to you this day. ​
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For you have dealt deceitfully against your own souls; for you sent me to the LORD your God, saying, Pray for us to the LORD our God; and according to all that the LORD our God shall say, so declare to us, and we will do it: ​
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and I have this day declared it to you; but you have not obeyed the LORD your God’s voice in anything for which he has sent me to you.
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Now therefore know certainly that you shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, in the place where you desire to go to live there. ​

Study Notes for Jeremiah 42

Verse 1

This chapter follows the assassination of Gedaliah (41:2) and details the remnant's desire for direction. Johanan and the captains represent the surviving military and civil leadership left in Judah.

Verse 2

The group refers to themselves as a 'remnant,' recognizing their drastically reduced numbers following the Babylonian siege and deportations. They appeal to Jeremiah because of his established relationship with the LORD.

Verse 4

Jeremiah assures them of his prophetic integrity, promising to deliver God’s answer completely, whether the message is favorable or difficult (cf. Ezek. 2:7).

Verse 5

The people swear a solemn oath, calling God as a 'true and faithful witness.' This covenantal pledge makes their subsequent disobedience (revealed in Ch. 43) a severe act of rebellion and perjury.

Verse 7

The ten-day wait demonstrates the sovereignty of God’s revelation. Jeremiah did not deliver an immediate, convenient answer but waited patiently for the authentic word of the LORD.

Verse 10

The imagery of 'build' and 'plant' reverses the language of judgment that dominated Jeremiah’s early ministry (Jer. 1:10). This promise offers restoration and security if they trust God’s sovereignty over Babylon.

Verse 11

The LORD directly addresses their primary motivation for fleeing: fear of Babylonian reprisal. God promises divine protection, asserting that the fear of man should not override obedience to God.

Verse 12

God promises to show them mercy by influencing Nebuchadnezzar (the king of Babylon) to be merciful toward them. This highlights God’s control over all earthly powers, even agents of judgment.

Verse 14

Egypt was historically viewed as a place of refuge, but relying on Egypt rather than God had been a consistent source of spiritual failure for Judah's leaders (cf. Isa. 30:1-3).

Verse 16

This is a profound statement of judgment: the very dangers they sought to escape (sword and famine) will follow them, demonstrating that safety is found only in obedience, not geography.

Verse 18

To enter Egypt is to step out of the promised land and into the zone of God’s 'anger and fury.' They will become an 'execration' (a cursed object), receiving the same judgment Jerusalem faced.

Verse 19

Jeremiah emphasizes that this warning is certain and final: 'know certainly that I have admonished you this day.' The choice is now clearly laid out.

Verse 20

Jeremiah exposes their hypocrisy. The leadership had already 'dissembled in their hearts' (acted deceitfully), meaning their request for prayer was merely an attempt to gain divine sanction for their own pre-determined plan to flee.

Verse 22

The final warning confirms the fatal consequences of their choice. They will die by the three elements of judgment (sword, famine, pestilence) in the place where they sought life.

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