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Commentary on Jeremiah 46 verses 13–28
In these verses we have,
I. Confusion and terror spoken to Egypt. The accomplishment of the prediction in the former part of the chapter disabled the Egyptians from making any attempts upon other nations; for what could they do when their army was routed? But still they remained strong at home, and none of their neighbours durst make any attempts upon them. Though the kings of Egypt came no more out of their land (Kg2 24:7), yet they kept safe and easy in their land; and what would they desire more than peaceably to enjoy their own? One would think all men should be content to do this, and not covet to invade their neighbours. But the measure of Egypt's iniquity is full, and now they shall not long enjoy their own; those that encroached on others shall not be themselves encroached on. The scope of the prophecy here is to show how the king of Babylon should shortly come and smite the land of Egypt, and bring the war into their own bosoms which they had formerly carried into his borders, Jer 46:13. This was fulfilled by the same hand with the former, even Nebuchadnezzar's, but many years after, twenty at least, and probably the prediction of it was long after the former prediction, and perhaps much about the same time with that other prediction of the same event which we had Jer 43:10.
1.Here is the alarm of war sounded in Egypt, to their great amazement (Jer 46:14), notice given to the country that the enemy is approaching, the sword is devouring round about in the neighbouring countries, and therefore it is time for the Egyptians to put themselves in a posture of defence, to prepare for war, that they may give the enemy a warm reception. This must be proclaimed in all parts of Egypt, particularly in Migdol, Noph, and Tahpanhes, because in these places especially the Jewish refugees, or fugitives rather, had planted themselves, in contempt of God's command (Jer 44:1), and let them hear what a sorry shelter Egypt is likely to be to them.
2.The retreat hereupon of the forces of other nations which the Egyptians had in their pay is here foretold. Some considerable number of those troops, it is probable, were posted upon the frontiers to guard them, where they were beaten off by the invaders and put to flights. Then were the valiant men swept away (Jer 46:15) as with a sweeping rain (it is the word that is used Pro 28:3); they can none of them stand their ground, because the Lord drives them from their respective posts; he drives them by his terrors; he drives them by enabling the Chaldeans to drive them. It is not possible that those should fix whom the wrath of God chases. He it was (Jer 46:16) that made many to fall, yea, when their day shall come to fall, the enemy needs not throw them down, they shall fall one upon another, every man shall be a stumbling-block to his fellow, to his follower; nay, if God please, they shall be made to fall upon one another, they shall be made to fall upon one another, every man's sword shall be against his fellow. Her hired men, the troops Egypt has in he service, are indeed in the midst of her like fatted bullocks, lusty men, able bodied and high spirited, who were likely for action and promised to make their part good against the enemy; but they are turned back; their hearts failed them, and, instead of fighting, they have fled away together. How could they withstand their fate when the day of their calamity had come, the day in which God will visit them in wrath? Some think they are compared to fatted bullocks for their luxury; they had wantoned in pleasures, so that they were very unfit for hardships, and therefore turned back and could not stand. In this consternation, (1.) They all made homeward towards their own country (Jer 46:16): They said, "Arise, and let us go again to our own people, where we may be safe from the oppressing sword of the Chaldeans, that bears down all before it." In times of exigence little confidence is to be put in mercenary troops, that fight purely for pay, and have no interest in theirs whom they fight for. (2.) They exclaimed vehemently against Pharaoh, to whose cowardice or bad management, it is probably, their defeat was owing. When he posted them there upon the borders of his country it is probably that he told them he would within such a time come himself with a gallant army of his own subjects to support them; but he failed them, and, when the enemy advanced, they found they had none to back them, so that they were perfectly abandoned to the fury of the invaders. No marvel then that they quitted their post and deserted the service, crying out, Pharaoh king of Egypt is but a noise (Jer 46:17); he can hector, and talk big of the mighty things he would do, but that is all; he brings nothing to pass. All his promises to those in alliance with him, or that are employed for him, vanish into smoke. He brings not the succours he engaged to bring, or not till it is too late: He has passed the time appointed; he did not keep his word, nor keep his day, and therefore they bid him farewell, they will never serve under him any more. Note, Those that make most noise in any business are frequently but a noise. Great talkers are little doers.
3.The formidable power of the Chaldean army is here described as bearing down all before it. The King of kings, whose name is the Lord of hosts, and before whom the mightiest kings on earth, though gods to us, are but as grasshoppers, he hath said it, he hath sworn it, As I live, saith this king, as Tabor overtops the mountains and Carmel overlooks the sea, so shall the king of Babylon overpower all the force of Egypt, such a command shall he have, such a sway shall he bear, Jer 46:18. He and his army shall come against Egypt with axes, as hewers of wood (Jer 46:22), and the Egyptians shall be no more able to resist them than the tree is to resist the man that comes with an axe to cut it down; so that Egypt shall be felled as a forest is by the hewers of wood, which (if there by many of them, and those well provided with instruments for the purpose) will be done in a little time. Egypt is very populous, full of towns and cities, like a forest, the trees of which cannot be searched or numbered, and very rich, full of hidden treasures, many of which will escape the searching eye of the Chaldean soldiers; but they shall make a great spoil in the country, for they are more than the locusts, that come in vast swarms and overrun a country, devouring every green thing (Joe 1:6, Joe 1:7), so shall the Chaldeans do, for they are innumerable. Note, The Lord of hosts hath numberless hosts at his command.
4.The desolation of Egypt hereby is foretold, and the waste that should be made of that rich country. Egypt is now like a very fair heifer, or calf (Jer 46:20), fat and shining, and not accustomed to the yoke of subjection, wanton as a heifer that is well fed, and very sportful. Some think here is an allusion to Apis, the bull or calf which the Egyptians worshipped, from whom the children of Israel learned to worship the golden calf. Egypt is as fair as a goddess, and adores herself, but destruction comes; cutting up comes (so some read it); it comes out of the north; thence the Chaldean soldiers shall come, as so many butchers or sacrificers, to kill and cut up this fair heifer. (1.) The Egyptians shall be brought down, shall be tamed, and their tune changed: The daughters of Egypt shall be confounded (Jer 46:24), shall be filled with astonishment. Their voice shall go like a serpent, that is, it shall be very low and submissive; they shall not low like a fair heifer, that makes a great noise, but hiss out of their holes like serpents. They shall not dare to make loud complaints of the cruelty of the conquerors, but vent their griefs in silent murmurs. They shall not now, as they used to do, answer roughly, but, with the poor, use entreaties and beg for their lives. (2.) They shall be carried away prisoners into their enemy's land (Jer 46:19): "O thou daughter! dwelling securely and delicately in Egypt, that fruitful pleasant country, do not think this will last always, but furnish thyself to go into captivity; instead of rich clothes, which will but tempt the enemy to strip thee, get plain and warm clothes; instead of fine shoes, provide strong ones; and inure thyself to hardship, that thou mayest bear it the better." Note, It concerns us, among all our preparations, to prepare for trouble. We provide for the entertainment of our friends, let us not neglect to provide for the entertainment of our enemies, nor among all our furniture omit furniture for captivity. The Egyptians must prepare to flee; for their cities shall be evacuated. Noph particularly shall be desolate, without an inhabitant, so general shall the slaughter and the captivity be. There are some penalties which, we say, the king and the multitude are exempted from, but here even these are obnoxious: The multitude of No shall be punished: it is called populous No, Nah 3:8. Though hand join in hand, yet they shall not escape; nor can any think to go off in the crowd. Be they ever so many, they shall find God will be too many for them. Their kings and all their petty princes shall fall; and their gods too (Jer 43:12, Jer 43:13), their idols and their great men. Those which they call their tutelar deities shall be no protection to them. Pharaoh shall be brought down, and all those that trust in him (Jer 46:25), particularly the Jews that came to sojourn in his country, trusting in him rather than in God. All these shall be delivered into the hands of the northern nations (Jer 46:24), into the hand not only of Nebuchadnezzar that mighty potentate, but into the hands of his servants, according to the curse on Ham's posterity, of which the Egyptians were, that they should be the servants of servants. These seek their lives, and into their hands they shall be delivered.
5.An intimation is given that in process of time Egypt shall recover itself again (Jer 46:26): Afterwards it shall be inhabited, shall be peopled again, whereas by this destruction it was almost dispeopled. Ezekiel foretels that this should be at the end of forty years, Eze 29:13. See what changes the nations of the earth are subject to, how they are emptied and increased again; and let not nations that prosper be secure, nor those that for the present are in thraldom despair.
II. Comfort and peace are here spoken to the Israel of God, Jer 46:27, Jer 46:28. Some understand it of those whom the king of Egypt had carried into captivity with Jehoahaz, but we read not of any that were carried away captives with him; it may therefore rather refer to the captives in Babylon, whom God had mercy in store for, or, more generally, to all the people of God, designed for their encouragement in the most difficult times, when the judgments of God are abroad among the nations. We had these words of comfort before, Jer 30:10, Jer 30:11. 1. Let the wicked of the earth tremble, they have cause for it; but fear not thou, O my servant Jacob! and be not dismayed, O Israel! and again, Fear thou not, O Jacob! God would not have his people to be a timorous people. 2. The wicked of the earth shall be put away like dross, not be looked after any more; but God's people, in order to their being saved, shall be found out and gathered though they be far off, shall be redeemed though they be held fast in captivity, and shall return. 3. The wicked is like the troubled sea when it cannot rest; they flee when none pursues. But Jacob, being at home in God, shall be at rest and at ease, and none shall make him afraid; for what time he is afraid he has a God to trust to. 4. The wicked God beholds afar off; but, wherever thou art, O Jacob! I am with thee, a very present help. 5. A full end shall be made of the nations that oppressed God's Israel, as Egypt and Babylon; but mercy shall be kept in store for the Israel of God: they shall be corrected, but not cast off; the correction shall be in measure, in respect of degree and continuance. Nations have their periods; the Jewish nation itself has come to an end as a nation; but the gospel church, God's spiritual Israel, still continues, and will to the end of time; in that this promise is to have its full accomplishment, that, though God correct it, he will never make a full end of it.
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SUMMARY
Jeremiah 46:13 delivers a precise divine oracle to the prophet Jeremiah, unequivocally declaring the LORD's intention to use Nebuchadrezzar, the formidable king of Babylon, as His instrument to invade and decisively conquer the land of Egypt. This prophetic word not only underscores God's absolute and meticulous sovereignty over all nations and historical events but also highlights His righteous judgment against Egypt, a powerful empire that frequently served as a deceptive source of hope and a rival to God's covenant people. The verse stands as a stark testament to the unwavering reliability of God's prophetic declarations and His ultimate, providential control over the rise and fall of earthly kingdoms.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
The primary literary device at play in Jeremiah 46:13 is Prophecy, specifically a Predictive Prophecy. The verse directly foretells a future historical event—Nebuchadrezzar's invasion and conquest of Egypt—with remarkable specificity, identifying the precise agent (Nebuchadrezzar), the target (Egypt), and the action (smite/conquer). This serves to powerfully demonstrate God's omniscience and His active, meticulous involvement in human history, asserting His absolute control over the rise and fall of empires. The opening phrase, "The word that the LORD spake," functions as a Divine Oracle Formula, a common prophetic convention that signals to the audience that the subsequent content is a direct, authoritative revelation from God, imbuing the message with ultimate certainty and infallibility. Furthermore, there is an element of Foreshadowing, as this specific prophecy against Egypt contributes to the broader narrative of God's universal judgment against all nations that oppose His will or His people, thereby setting the stage for the ultimate and comprehensive display of His universal sovereignty over all creation.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Jeremiah 46:13 profoundly illustrates God's unassailable sovereign control over all of human history and the intricate affairs of nations. It serves as a powerful and enduring reminder that no earthly power, regardless of its might, antiquity, or self-proclaimed independence, operates outside the meticulous purview of the Almighty. God is the ultimate orchestrator of global events; He raises up and brings down kingdoms, even employing pagan rulers like Nebuchadrezzar as instruments of His divine will, whether for purposes of righteous judgment or for the advancement of His broader redemptive plan. This profound truth offers both a solemn warning against national pride and a deep, abiding comfort to believers, assuring them that God is meticulously working out His eternal purpose, even amidst geopolitical turmoil, seemingly chaotic events, and the rise and fall of empires. The historical fulfillment of this specific prophecy, later confirmed by secular records, powerfully undergirds the trustworthiness and reliability of all of God's promises and warnings recorded in Scripture.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
This prophecy from Jeremiah 46:13 serves as a profound and unwavering anchor for our faith in a world perpetually characterized by political instability, shifting international alliances, and the dramatic rise and fall of global powers. It stands as a timeless reminder that our ultimate security, hope, and trust must never be placed in human leaders, national strength, economic might, or any fleeting worldly power, but solely and exclusively in the unchanging, sovereign God. When we observe the turmoil of nations, the conflicts between empires, or the anxieties of our present age, Jeremiah 46:13 powerfully calls us to remember that the LORD remains firmly on His throne, meticulously orchestrating all events according to His eternal purpose. This profound truth should inspire both a deep humility in the face of God's immense power and an immense, abiding comfort, knowing that He is actively working all things for the ultimate good of those who love Him, even through the seemingly chaotic or hostile actions of worldly forces. Our unwavering trust in God's revealed word and His providential hand should lead us to live with greater peace, unshakeable confidence, and unwavering devotion, regardless of the turbulent circumstances that may surround us.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why is Nebuchadnezzar's name spelled "Nebuchadrezzar" in this verse, while other biblical texts use "Nebuchadnezzar"?
Answer: The spelling "Nebuchadrezzar" (Hebrew: נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּר, Nᵉbûwkadneʼtstsar) is an alternative, and often considered a more precise, transliteration of the Babylonian king's original Akkadian name, Nabû-kudurri-uṣur. While "Nebuchadnezzar" is the more common spelling found in books like Daniel and parts of 2 Kings, "Nebuchadrezzar" appears frequently in Jeremiah and Ezekiel. Both spellings refer to the exact same historical figure, the powerful king of Babylon who famously destroyed Jerusalem. The variation reflects different Hebrew attempts to phonetically render the original Akkadian name, but the identity of the king and the historical events associated with him remain perfectly consistent throughout the biblical narrative, underscoring the accuracy of the biblical record in identifying key historical figures, as seen when God refers to him as "my servant" in Jeremiah 27:6.
How does this prophecy against Egypt relate to God's covenant with Israel?
Answer: This prophecy, like others directed against foreign nations, serves to profoundly underscore God's universal sovereignty and His ultimate control over all nations, even those seemingly outside His direct covenant with Israel. While God's primary focus was indeed on Judah's faithfulness and their covenant relationship, the judgment of Egypt demonstrates that God is not merely a tribal deity, but the Lord of all the earth and the supreme ruler over all humanity. Historically, Egypt had enslaved Israel for centuries (as recounted in Exodus 1) and later became a consistent source of false hope and idolatrous alliances for Judah, leading them away from trusting the LORD. By prophesying Egypt's downfall at the hands of Babylon, God was not only executing righteous justice upon a proud and oppressive nation but also teaching Judah a crucial and enduring lesson: reliance on worldly powers would inevitably lead to ruin, while true security and salvation lay only in Him. This judgment on Egypt was an integral part of God's larger plan to purify His people and to definitively demonstrate His unique power and faithfulness, just as He had done when He brought Israel out of Egypt with a mighty hand, as powerfully described in Exodus 14.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Jeremiah 46:13, with its solemn declaration of God's sovereign use of a pagan king to execute judgment upon a powerful nation, finds its ultimate fulfillment and deeper redemptive meaning in the person and redemptive work of Jesus Christ. The "word that the LORD spake" to Jeremiah profoundly foreshadows the ultimate Word, Jesus Christ Himself, who is the Word made flesh, through whom all things were created and by whom all things are eternally sustained. Just as Nebuchadrezzar was a precise instrument in God's hand to "smite the land of Egypt," so too does Christ embody God's ultimate power and absolute authority over all nations and all of human history. He is the true King of kings and Lord of lords, to whom every earthly power and authority will ultimately bow in submission. The judgment pronounced upon Egypt by God through Babylon points forward to the final, comprehensive, and righteous judgment that Christ will execute upon all unrighteousness, rebellion, and evil at His glorious second coming, as He is divinely appointed to judge the living and the dead. Furthermore, the "smiting" of Egypt, a powerful biblical symbol of worldly power, human pride, and opposition to God, finds its profound spiritual parallel in Christ's decisive and ultimate victory over sin, death, and the principalities and powers of darkness on the cross. Through His perfect sacrifice, He "smites" the dominion of sin, disarming the spiritual forces that hold humanity captive, thereby establishing an everlasting kingdom that will never be destroyed, as triumphantly prophesied in Daniel 2:44. Thus, Jeremiah's prophecy, while historically specific, ultimately directs our gaze to Christ, the one who perfectly embodies God's sovereign power, righteous judgment, and eternal redemptive purpose for all creation.