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.
¶ The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews which dwell in the land of Egypt, which dwell at Migdol, and at Tahpanhes, and at Noph, and in the country of Pathros, saying,
Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Ye have seen all the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, and upon all the cities of Judah; and, behold, this day they are a desolation, and no man dwelleth therein,
Because of their wickedness which they have committed to provoke me to anger, in that they went to burn incense, and to serve other gods, whom they knew not, neither they, ye, nor your fathers.
Wherefore my fury and mine anger was poured forth, and was kindled in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; and they are wasted and desolate, as at this day.
Therefore now thus saith the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel; Wherefore commit ye this great evil against your souls, to cut off from you man and woman, child and suckling, out of Judah, to leave you none to remain;
In that ye provoke me unto wrath with the works of your hands, burning incense unto other gods in the land of Egypt, whither ye be gone to dwell, that ye might cut yourselves off, and that ye might be a curse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth?
Have ye forgotten the wickedness of your fathers, and the wickedness of the kings of Judah, and the wickedness of their wives, and your own wickedness, and the wickedness of your wives, which they have committed in the land of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem?
They are not humbled even unto this day, neither have they feared, nor walked in my law, nor in my statutes, that I set before you and before your fathers.
And I will take the remnant of Judah, that have set their faces to go into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, and they shall all be consumed, and fall in the land of Egypt; they shall even be consumed by the sword and by the famine: they shall die, from the least even unto the greatest, by the sword and by the famine: and they shall be an execration, and an astonishment, and a curse, and a reproach.
So that none of the remnant of Judah, which are gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall escape or remain, that they should return into the land of Judah, to the which they have a desire to return to dwell there: for none shall return but such as shall escape.
¶ Then all the men which knew that their wives had burned incense unto other gods, and all the women that stood by, a great multitude, even all the people that dwelt in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, answered Jeremiah, saying,
But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense unto the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, as we have done, we, and our fathers, our kings, and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem: for then had we plenty of victuals, and were well, and saw no evil.
But since we left off to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, we have wanted all things, and have been consumed by the sword and by the famine.
And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven, and poured out drink offerings unto her, did we make her cakes to worship her, and pour out drink offerings unto her, without our men?
The incense that ye burned in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, ye, and your fathers, your kings, and your princes, and the people of the land, did not the LORD remember them, and came it not into his mind?
So that the LORD could no longer bear, because of the evil of your doings, and because of the abominations which ye have committed; therefore is your land a desolation, and an astonishment, and a curse, without an inhabitant, as at this day.
Because ye have burned incense, and because ye have sinned against the LORD, and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD, nor walked in his law, nor in his statutes, nor in his testimonies; therefore this evil is happened unto you, as at this day.
Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying; Ye and your wives have both spoken with your mouths, and fulfilled with your hand, saying, We will surely perform our vows that we have vowed, to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her: ye will surely accomplish your vows, and surely perform your vows.
Therefore hear ye the word of the LORD, all Judah that dwell in the land of Egypt; Behold, I have sworn by my great name, saith the LORD, that my name shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, The Lord GOD liveth.
Behold, I will watch over them for evil, and not for good: and all the men of Judah that are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by the famine, until there be an end of them.
Yet a small number that escape the sword shall return out of the land of Egypt into the land of Judah, and all the remnant of Judah, that are gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall know whose words shall stand, mine, or theirs.
And this shall be a sign unto you, saith the LORD, that I will punish you in this place, that ye may know that my words shall surely stand against you for evil:
Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will give Pharaohhophra king of Egypt into the hand of his enemies, and into the hand of them that seek his life; as I gave Zedekiah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, his enemy, and that 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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