TRV
Translation
King James Version
And now what hast thou to do in the way of Egypt, to drink the waters of Sihor? or what hast thou to do in the way of Assyria, to drink the waters of the river?
Complete Jewish Bible
If you go to Egypt, what's in it for you? Drinking water from the Nile? If you go to Ashur, what's in it for you? Drinking water from the [Euphrates] River?
Berean Standard Bible
Now what will you gain on your way to Egypt to drink the waters of the Nile? What will you gain on your way to Assyria to drink the waters of the Euphrates?
American Standard Version
And now what hast thou to do in the way to Egypt, to drink the waters of the Shihor? or what hast thou to do in the way to Assyria, to drink the waters of the River?
World English Bible Messianic
Now what have you to do in the way to Egypt, to drink the waters of the Shihor? Or what have you to do in the way to Assyria, to drink the waters of the River?
Geneva Bible (1599)
And what hast thou now to do in the way of Egypt? to drinke the water of Nilus? or what makest thou in the way of Asshur? to drinke the water of the Riuer?
Young's Literal Translation
And now, what--to thee in the way of Egypt, To drink the waters of Sihor? And what--to thee in the way of Asshur, To drink the waters of the River?
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Commentary on Jeremiah 2 verses 14–19
14 ¶ Is Israel a servant? is he a homeborn slave? why is he spoiled?
15 The young lions roared upon him, and yelled, and they made his land waste: his cities are burned without inhabitant.
16 Also the children of Noph and Tahapanes have broken the crown of thy head.
17 Hast thou not procured this unto thyself, in that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, when he led thee by the way?
18 And now what hast thou to do in the way of Egypt, to drink the waters of Sihor? or what hast thou to do in the way of Assyria, to drink the waters of the river?
19 Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord GOD of hosts.
The prophet, further to evince the folly of their forsaking God, shows them what mischiefs they had already brought upon themselves by so doing; it had already cost them dear, for to this were owing all the calamities their country was now groaning under, which were but an earnest of more and greater if they repented not. See how they smarted for their folly.
I. Their neighbours, who were their professed enemies, prevailed against them, and this was owing to their sin. 1. They were enslaved and lost their liberty (Jer 2:14): Is Israel a servant? No; Israel is my son, my first-born, Exo 4:22. They are children; they are heirs. Nay, their extraction is noble; they are the seed of Abraham, God's friend, and of Jacob his chosen. Is he a home-born slave? No; he is not the son of the bond-woman, but of the free. They were designed for dominion, not for servitude. Every thing in their constitution carried about it the marks of freedom and honour. Why then is he spoiled of his liberty? Why is he used as a servant, as a home-born slave? Why does he make himself a slave to his lusts, to his idols, to that which does not profit? Jer 2:11. What a thing is this, that such a birthright should be sold for a mess of pottage, such a crown profaned and laid in the dust! Why is he made a slave to the oppressor? God provided that a Hebrew servant should be free the seventh year, and that their slaves should be of the heathen, not of their brethren, Lev 25:44, Lev 25:46. But, notwithstanding this, the princes made slaves of their subjects, and masters made slaves of their servants (Jer 34:11), and so made their country mean and miserable, which God had made happy and honourable. The neighbouring princes and powers broke in upon them, and made some of them slaves even in their own country, and perhaps sold others for slaves into foreign countries. And how came they thus to lose their liberties? For their iniquities they sold themselves, Isa 50:1. We may apply this spiritually. Is the soul of man a servant? Is it a home-born slave? No, it is not. Why then is it spoiled? It is because it has sold its own liberty and enslaved itself to divers lusts and passions, which is a lamentation, and should be for a lamentation. 2. They were impoverished and had lost their wealth. God brought them into a plentiful country (Jer 2:7), but all their neighbours made a prey of it (Jer 2:15): Young lions roar aloud over him and yell; they are a continual terror to him. Sometimes one potent enemy, and sometimes another, and sometimes many in confederacy, fall upon him, and triumph over him. They carry off the fruits of his land, and make that waste, and burn his cities, when first they have plundered them, so that they remain without inhabitant, either because there are no houses to dwell in or because those that should dwell in them are carried into captivity. 3. They were abused, and insulted over, and beaten by every body (Jer 2:16): "Even the children of Noph and Tahapanes, despicable people, not famed for military courage nor strength, have broken the crown of thy head, or fed upon it. In all their struggles with thee they have been too hard for thee, and thou hast always come off with a broken head. The principal part of thy country, that which lay next Jerusalem, has been and is a prey to them." How calamitous the condition of Judah had been of late in the reign of Manasseh we find, Ch2 33:11, and perhaps it had not now much recovered itself. 4. All this was owing to their sin (Jer 2:17): Hast thou not procured this unto thyself? By their sinful confederacies with the nations, and especially their conformity to them in their idolatrous customs and usages, they had made themselves very mean and contemptible, as all those do that have made a profession of religion and afterwards throw it off. Nothing now appeared of that which, by their constitution, made them both honourable and formidable, and therefore nobody either respected them or feared them. But this was not all; they had provoked God to give them up into the hands of their enemies, and to make them a scourge to them and give them success against them; and "thus thou hast procured it to thyself, in that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God, revolted from thy allegiance to him and so thrown thyself out of his protection; for protection and allegiance go together." Whatever trouble we are in at any time we may thank ourselves for it; for we bring it upon our own head by our forsaking God: "Thou hast forsaken thy God at the time that he was leading thee by the way" (so it should be read); "Then when he was leading thee on to a happy peace and settlement, and thou wast within a step of it, then thou forsookest him, and so didst put a bar in thy own door."
II. Their neighbours, that were their pretended friends, deceived them, distressed them, and helped them not, and this also was owing to their sin. 1. They did in vain seek to Egypt and Assyria for help (Jer 2:18): "What hast thou to do in the way of Egypt? When thou art under apprehensions of danger thou art running to Egypt for help, Isa 30:1, Isa 30:2; Isa 31:1. Thou art for drinking the waters of Sihor," that is, Nilus. "Thou reliest upon their multitude, and refreshest thy self with the fair promises they make thee. At other times thou art in the way of Assyria, sending or going with all speed to fetch recruits thence, and thinkest to satisfy thyself with the waters of the river Euphrates; what hast thou to do there? What wilt thou get by applying to them? They shall help in vain, shall be broken reeds to thee, and what thou thoughtest would be to thee as a river will be but a broken cistern." 2. This also was because of their sin. The judgment shall unavoidably come upon them which their sin has deserved; and then to what purpose is it to call in help against it? Jer 2:19. "Thy own wickedness shall correct thee, and then it is impossible for them to save thee; know and see therefore, upon the whole matter, that it is an evil thing that thou hast forsaken God, for it is that which makes thy enemies enemies indeed, and thy friends friends in vain." Observe here, (1.) The nature of sin; it is forsaking the Lord as our God; it is the soul's alienation from him and aversion to him. Cleaving to sin is leaving God. (2.) The cause of sin; it is because his fear is not in us. It is for want of a good principle in us, particularly for want of the fear of God; this is at the bottom of our apostasy from him; men forsake their duty to God because they stand in no awe of him nor have any dread of his displeasure. (3.) The malignity of sin; it is an evil thing and a bitter. Sin is an evil thing, only evil, an evil that has no good in it, an evil that is the root and cause of all other evil; it is evil indeed, for it is not only the greatest contrariety to the divine nature, but the greatest corruption of the human nature. It is bitter; a state of sin is the gall of bitterness, and every sinful way will be bitterness in the latter end; the wages of it is death, and death is bitter. (4.) The fatal consequences of sin; as it is in itself evil and bitter, so it has a direct tendency to make us miserable: "Thy own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee, not only destroy and ruin thee hereafter, but correct and reprove thee now; they will certainly bring trouble upon thee; and punishment will so inevitably follow the sin that the sin shall itself be said to punish thee. Nay, the punishment, in its kind and circumstances, shall so directly answer to the sin, that thou mayest read the sin in the punishment; and the justice of the punishment shall be so plain that thou shalt not have a word to say for thyself; thy own wickedness shall convince thee and stop thy mouth for ever and thou shalt be forced to own that the Lord is righteous." (5.) The use and application of all this: "Know therefore, and see it, and repent of thy sin, that so the iniquity which is thy correction may not be thy ruin."
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 14–19. Public domain.
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Pachomius the GreatAD 348
PARALIPOMENA 19
Truly, I fear that our parents according to the flesh will be found to condemn us and to quote the words of Scripture, “How have you become wretched, greatly put to shame? Great is your affliction; a fire is kindled on you; your branches have become useless.” For this cause they have become a prey. The lions have roared at it and have given out their voice against it. For this reason, the beloved are like the abhorred and the crown of your head is taken away. Cities that face the south, how are you shut off? There is nobody to give access to you. Let indeed the wicked be removed, that he may not see the glory of the Lord.
Pachomius the GreatAD 348
INSTRUCTIONS 1:31
My child, flee to God, for it is he who created you. It was for you that he underwent these sufferings. For he said, “I gave my back to the whips and my cheek to the slaps. I did not turn my face away from the shame of spittle.” O mortal, what is the good of your going to Egypt, to drink the water of the Geon that is churned up?
Athanasius of AlexandriaAD 373
FESTAL LETTERS 7:5
For the fool does not know that those who depart far from God shall perish. And besides, there is the restraint of the prophetic admonition that says, ‘What have you to do in the way of Egypt, to drink the waters of Gihon? And what have you to do in the way of Ashur, to drink the waters of the rivers?”
JeromeAD 420
Commentary on Jeremiah
(Verse 18.) And now, what do you want, on the way of Egypt, to drink the water of Shior? And what do you want on the way of the Assyrians, to drink the water of the river? Concerning Shior, we have interpreted it as turbid, because the Hebrew word signifies that. The common edition has it as Geon. Therefore, because he had previously mentioned the sons of Memphis and Taphnis, who had violated Israel up to the crown: now he more clearly mentions Egypt itself. There is no doubt that the Nile has turbid waters, and it signifies the river of the Assyrians, as Scripture says, that the promised land extends from the river of Egypt to the great river Euphrates. But those who abandon Christ, the source of life, and dig for themselves the pits of heretics who cannot contain the waters of doctrine, must necessarily submit to the lions who reduce their land to a wasteland and destroy all the Churches. They will be polluted even to the top, and drink turbid waters from the streams of the Assyrian river and the North wind, from which evil is kindled upon the earth.
Augustine of HippoAD 430
LETTER 125
If we are not false servants of God, if there is in us a spark of that fire whereby “charity seeks not its own,” we certainly should make our good works appear, not only before God but even before people, for fear that, while drinking of quiet waters in our own conscience, we should be constrained by careless feet to drive the sheep of the Lord to drink the troubled waters.
Isaac of NinevehAD 700
ASCETICAL HOMILIES 40
The intellect especially strays when the eyes wander and the belly is at ease.… If you patiently endure in the desert, you will not be tempted, for there you will see no women, nor [will you encounter] anything harmful to your mode of life, nor will you hear unseemly cries. “And what hast thou to do with the way of Egypt, to drink the water of Geon?” Understand what I say. Show the enemy your patience and experience in small matters so that he does not seek great things from you. Let these small matters be a pattern for you, that through your struggles in small things you may lay a trap for him and give him no leisure to contrive great snares for you.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
Jeremiah 2:18 serves as a piercing rhetorical indictment against Judah, exposing their profound spiritual infidelity and misplaced trust. It questions the wisdom and efficacy of their desperate pursuit of political alliances with powerful foreign nations—Egypt and Assyria—rather than relying exclusively on the Lord their God. Through the vivid imagery of "drinking waters" from these foreign sources, the verse underscores the futility and spiritual danger of seeking security, sustenance, and salvation from human systems and powers, contrasting it sharply with the life-giving provision found only in the living God.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Jeremiah 2:18 masterfully employs several potent literary devices to convey its message with striking force and clarity. The most prominent is Rhetorical Question, utilized twice ("what hast thou to do...?"). These questions are not posed to elicit information but to make a forceful, condemnatory declaration, highlighting the utter foolishness, spiritual absurdity, and ultimate futility of Judah's actions. The implied answer is a resounding "nothing," emphasizing that these alliances will yield no true benefit or security. Parallelism is also central to the verse's structure and impact, with the two clauses mirroring each other precisely in structure and meaning ("the way of Egypt...to drink the waters of Sihor" and "the way of Assyria...to drink the waters of the river"). This deliberate repetition amplifies the indictment, demonstrating that Judah's misplaced trust is a pervasive and consistent problem, not an isolated incident, underscoring their chronic unfaithfulness. Furthermore, the verse makes rich use of Symbolism. "Waters" symbolize life, sustenance, and security, while "Sihor" (the Nile) and "the river" (the Euphrates) symbolize the specific foreign powers, Egypt and Assyria, and their perceived ability to provide these things. The act of "drinking" symbolizes drawing life, benefit, and allegiance from these sources. This vivid, tangible imagery contrasts sharply with the "fountain of living waters" that God is (as stated in Jeremiah 2:13), underscoring the barrenness, spiritual defilement, and ultimate disappointment of relying on human solutions.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Jeremiah 2:18 powerfully articulates the fundamental theological principle that God's covenant people are to trust in Him alone for their security, provision, and well-being, rather than seeking alliances or solutions from worldly powers. It exposes the spiritual idolatry inherent in such misplaced trust, where human strength, political maneuvering, or worldly resources are prioritized over divine faithfulness and sovereignty. This verse serves as a stark reminder that turning away from God, the true and inexhaustible source of life, inevitably leads to a fruitless, unsatisfying, and ultimately destructive search for satisfaction in "broken cisterns" that cannot hold water. The theological message is unequivocally clear: true security, lasting peace, and genuine well-being are found only in an exclusive, unwavering, and wholehearted reliance on the covenant-keeping God.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Jeremiah 2:18 offers a timeless and profoundly relevant challenge to every generation and individual: where do we truly seek our sustenance, security, and satisfaction? In a world that constantly beckons us to place our trust in human systems, financial stability, political ideologies, personal achievements, or even self-sufficiency, this verse calls us to a rigorous examination of the "waters" we are drinking. Just as Judah's alliances with Egypt and Assyria proved to be "broken cisterns" leading to shame, disappointment, and ruin, so too can our modern-day dependencies on worldly sources fail to provide lasting peace, genuine fulfillment, or true security. The divine call is to return to the Lord, the "fountain of living waters," and to find our complete sufficiency, identity, and hope in Him alone. This means consciously choosing to rely on God's wisdom, provision, and sovereign guidance in every area of life—our careers, finances, relationships, health, and future—rather than seeking solutions that bypass or diminish His ultimate authority and goodness. It is a call to a radical, daily reorientation of trust from the temporal to the eternal, from the created to the Creator.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What did the "waters of Sihor" and "the waters of the river" symbolize?
Answer: The "waters of Sihor" refer to the Nile River, the lifeblood of Egypt, symbolizing Egypt's power, prosperity, and perceived ability to provide sustenance, military support, and political stability. "The waters of the river" refers to the Euphrates River, which was strongly associated with the Assyrian Empire (and later Babylon), symbolizing Assyria's imperial might, vast resources, and dominant influence. In Jeremiah 2:18, "drinking" these waters is a powerful metaphor for Judah's act of seeking political alliances, military aid, and overall security from these foreign nations, rather than relying exclusively on the Lord God. It represents Judah's profound misplaced trust in human power and worldly resources over divine faithfulness.
Why was Judah seeking alliances with Egypt and Assyria, and why was this problematic from God's perspective?
Answer: Judah, as a geographically small kingdom situated precariously between these two dominant empires, often sought alliances with either Egypt or Assyria (or later Babylon) as a geopolitical strategy to protect itself from the other or to gain a perceived advantage. They believed these powerful nations could provide military protection and ensure their national stability. However, from God's perspective, this was profoundly problematic because it demonstrated a deep lack of faith and a direct violation of their covenant relationship with Him. God had explicitly promised to be their sole protector and provider, showering them with blessings for obedience (Deuteronomy 28:1-14). By seeking help from foreign powers, Judah was essentially forsaking God, the "fountain of living waters," and turning to "broken cisterns" that could not ultimately deliver true security or satisfaction (Jeremiah 2:13). This act of seeking foreign alliances was seen as spiritual adultery, a betrayal of their unique and exclusive relationship with Yahweh, their divine "husband."
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Jeremiah 2:18 finds its ultimate and profound fulfillment in Christ by highlighting humanity's inherent, pervasive tendency to seek life, security, and satisfaction from "broken cisterns"—a tendency perfectly and eternally remedied in Jesus. Judah's folly in turning to Egypt and Assyria for "waters" foreshadows humanity's universal quest for meaning, satisfaction, and salvation in worldly systems, philosophies, self-effort, or material possessions, rather than in the true and only source of life. Jesus, however, declares Himself to be the "fountain of living water" (John 4:10-14), offering spiritual sustenance that truly satisfies and leads to eternal life, unlike the fleeting, deceptive, and ultimately disappointing "waters" of this world. He is the ultimate fulfillment of God's promise to be the sole provider and protector for His people, the one in whom all divine promises find their "Yes" and "Amen" (2-corinthians/1-20). In Christ, we find true security, not in geopolitical alliances or human strength, but in His atoning sacrifice and glorious resurrection, which decisively broke the power of sin and death. He is the "Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29), the one in whom "all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell" (Colossians 1:19), and the only "way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6). Thus, the rhetorical question of Jeremiah 2:18 finds its conclusive answer in Christ: "What hast thou to do" with the barren, broken cisterns of the world when the living water flows freely, abundantly, and eternally from Him?