TRV
Translation
King James Version
Against Egypt, against the army of Pharaohnecho king of Egypt, which was by the river Euphrates in Carchemish, which Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon smote in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah.
KJV (with Strong's)
Against Egypt H4714, against the army H2428 of Pharaohnecho H6549 king H4428 of Egypt H4714, which was by the river H5104 Euphrates H6578 in Carchemish H3751, which Nebuchadrezzar H5019 king H4428 of Babylon H894 smote H5221 in the fourth H7243 year H8141 of Jehoiakim H3079 the son H1121 of Josiah H2977 king H4428 of Judah H3063.
Complete Jewish Bible
Concerning Egypt, against the army of Pharaoh N'kho, king of Egypt, stationed by the Euphrates River in Kark'mish, which N'vukhadretzar king of Bavel attacked in the fourth year of Y'hoyakim son of Yoshiyahu, king of Y'hudah:
Berean Standard Bible
concerning Egypt and the army of Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt, which was defeated at Carchemish on the Euphrates River by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah:
American Standard Version
Of Egypt: concerning the army of Pharaoh-neco king of Egypt, which was by the river Euphrates in Carchemish, which Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon smote in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah.
World English Bible Messianic
Of Egypt: concerning the army of Pharaoh Necoh king of Egypt, which was by the river Euphrates in Carchemish, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon struck in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah.
Geneva Bible (1599)
As against Egypt, against ye armie of Pharaoh Necho King of Egypt, which was by the riuer Perath in Carchemish, which Nebuchad-nezzar King of Babel smote in the fourth yere of Iehoiakim the sonne of Iosiah King of Iudah.
Young's Literal Translation
For Egypt, concerning the force of Pharaoh-Necho king of Egypt, that hath been by the river Phrat, in Carchemish, that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon hath smitten, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah:
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Commentary on Jeremiah 46 verses 1–12
1 ¶ The word of the LORD which came to Jeremiah the prophet against the Gentiles;
2 Against Egypt, against the army of Pharaohnecho king of Egypt, which was by the river Euphrates in Carchemish, which Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon smote in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah.
3 Order ye the buckler and shield, and draw near to battle.
4 Harness the horses; and get up, ye horsemen, and stand forth with your helmets; furbish the spears, and put on the brigandines.
5 Wherefore have I seen them dismayed and turned away back? and their mighty ones are beaten down, and are fled apace, and look not back: for fear was round about, saith the LORD.
6 Let not the swift flee away, nor the mighty man escape; they shall stumble, and fall toward the north by the river Euphrates.
7 Who is this that cometh up as a flood, whose waters are moved as the rivers?
8 Egypt riseth up like a flood, and his waters are moved like the rivers; and he saith, I will go up, and will cover the earth; I will destroy the city and the inhabitants thereof.
9 Come up, ye horses; and rage, ye chariots; and let the mighty men come forth; the Ethiopians and the Libyans, that handle the shield; and the Lydians, that handle and bend the bow.
10 For this is the day of the Lord GOD of hosts, a day of vengeance, that he may avenge him of his adversaries: and the sword shall devour, and it shall be satiate and made drunk with their blood: for the Lord GOD of hosts hath a sacrifice in the north country by the river Euphrates.
11 Go up into Gilead, and take balm, O virgin, the daughter of Egypt: in vain shalt thou use many medicines; for thou shalt not be cured.
12 ¶ The nations have heard of thy shame, and thy cry hath filled the land: for the mighty man hath stumbled against the mighty, and they are fallen both together.
The first verse is the title of that part of this book, which relates to the neighbouring nations, and follows here. It is the word of the Lord which came to Jeremiah against the Gentiles; for God is King and Judge of nations, knows and will call to an account those who know him not nor take any notice of him. Both Isaiah and Ezekiel prophesied against these nations that Jeremiah here has a separate saying to, and with reference to the same events. In the Old Testament we have the word of the Lord against the Gentiles; in the New Testament we have the word of the Lord for the Gentiles, that those who were afar off are made nigh.
He begins with Egypt, because they were of old Israel's oppressors and of late their deceivers, when they put confidence in them. In these verses he foretells the overthrow of the army of Pharaoh-necho, by Nebuchadnezzar, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, which was so complete a victory to the king of Babylon that thereby he recovered from the river of Egypt to the river Euphrates, all that pertained to the king of Egypt, and so weakened him that he came not again any more out of his land (as we find, Kg2 24:7), and so made him pay dearly for his expedition against the king of Assyria four years before, in which he slew Josiah, Kg2 23:29. This is the event that is here foretold in lofty expressions of triumph over Egypt thus foiled, which Jeremiah would speak of with a particular pleasure, because the death of Josiah, which he had lamented, was now avenged on Pharaoh-necho. Now here,
I. The Egyptians are upbraided with the mighty preparations they made for this expedition, in which the prophet calls to them to do their utmost, for so they would: "Come then, order the buckler, let the weapons of war be got ready," Jer 46:3. Egypt was famous for horses - let them be harnessed and the cavalry well mounted: Get up, you horsemen, and stand forth, etc., Jer 46:4. See what preparations the children of men make, with abundance of care and trouble and at a vast expense, to kill one another, as if they did not die fast enough of themselves. He compares their marching out upon this expedition to the rising of their river Nile (Jer 46:7, Jer 46:8): Egypt now rises up like a flood, scorning to keep within its own banks and threatening to overflow all the neighbouring lands. It is a very formidable army that the Egyptians bring into the field upon this occasion. The prophet summons them (Jer 46:9): Come up, you horses; rage, you chariots. He challenges them to bring all their confederate troops together, the Ethiopians, that descended from the same stock with the Egyptians (Gen 10:6), and were their neighbours and allies, the Libyans and Lydians, both seated in Africa, to the west of Egypt, and from them the Egyptians fetched their auxiliary forces. Let them strengthen themselves with all the art and interest they have, yet it shall be all in vain; they shall be shamefully defeated notwithstanding, for God will fight against them, and against him there is no wisdom nor counsel, Pro 21:30, Pro 21:31. It concerns those that go forth to war not only to order the buckler, and harness the horses, but to repent of their sins, and pray to God for his presence with them, and that they may have it to keep themselves from every wicked thing.
II. They are upbraided with the great expectations they had from this expedition, which were quite contrary to what God intended in bringing them together. They knew their own thoughts, and God knew them, and sat in heaven and laughed at them,; but they knew not the thoughts of the Lord, for he gathers them as sheaves into the floor, Mic 4:11, Mic 4:12. Egypt saith (Jer 46:8): I will go up; I will cover the earth, and none shall hinder me; I will destroy the city, whatever city it is that stands in my way. Like Pharaoh of old, I will pursue, I will overtake. The Egyptians say that they shall have a day of it, but God saith that it shall be his day: The is the day of the Lord God of hosts (Jer 46:10), the day in which he will be exalted in the overthrow of the Egyptians. They meant one thing, but God meant another; they designed it for the advancement of their dignity and the enlargement of their dominion, but God designed it for the great abasement and weakening of their kingdom. It is a day of vengeance for Josiah's death; it is a day of sacrifice to divine justice, to which multitudes of the sinners of Egypt shall fall as victims. Note, When men think to magnify themselves by pushing on unrighteous enterprises, let them expect that God will glorify himself by blasting them and cutting them off.
III. They are upbraided with their cowardice and inglorious flight when they come to an engagement (Jer 46:5, Jer 46:6): "Wherefore have I seen them, notwithstanding all these mighty and vast preparations and all these expressions of bravery and resolution, when the Chaldean army faces them, dismayed, turned back, quite disheartened, and no spirit left in them." 1. They make a shameful retreat. Even their mighty ones, who, one would think, should have stood their ground, flee a flight, flee by consent, make the best of their way, flee in confusion and with the utmost precipitation; they have neither time nor heart to look back, but fear is round about them, for they apprehend it so. And yet, 2. They cannot make their escape. They have the shame of flying, and yet not the satisfaction of saving themselves by flight; they might as well have stood their ground and died upon the spot; for even the swift shall not flee away. The lightness of their heels shall fail them when it comes to the trial, as well as the stoutness of their hearts; the mighty shall not escape, nay, they are beaten down and broken to pieces. They shall stumble in their flight, and fall towards the north, towards their enemy's country; for such confusion were they in when they took to their feet that instead of making homeward, as men usually do in that case, they made forward. Note, The race is not to the swift nor the battle to the strong. Valiant men are not always victorious.
IV. They are upbraided with their utter inability ever to recover this blow, which should be fatal to their nation, Jer 46:11, Jer 46:12. The damsel, the daughter of Egypt, that lived in great pomp and state, is sorely wounded by this defeat. Let her now seek for balm in Gilead and physicians there; let her use all the medicines her wise men can prescribe for the healing of this hurt, and the repairing of the loss sustained by this defeat; but all in vain; no cure shall be to them; they shall never be able to bring such a powerful army as this into the field again. "The nations that rang of thy glory and strength have now heard of thy shame, how shamefully thou wast routed and how thou are weakened by it." It needs not be spread by the triumphs of the conquerors, the shrieks and outcries of the conquered will proclaim it: Thy cry hath filled the country about. For, when they fled several ways, one mighty man stumbled upon another and dashed against another, such confusion were they in, so that both together became a pray to the pursuers, an easy prey. A thousand such dreadful accidents there should be, which should fill the country with the cry of those that were overcome. Let not the mighty man therefore glory in his might, for the time may come when it will stand him in no stead.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 1–12. Public domain.
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Theodoret of CyrusAD 458
ON JEREMIAH 9:46
After completing his prophecies concerning the people of Israel, he foretells what will happen to the other nations, teaching that he is Creator, God and Lord of all. First, he recounts those things that pertain to Egypt and teaches the time of this prophecy. The prediction was fulfilled after the death of the pharaoh Neco. Neco killed Josiah by the Euphrates River and was himself killed by the king of the Babylonians.
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 46:2 serves as a precise historical and chronological anchor for the subsequent prophetic oracle against Egypt. It meticulously records the decisive Battle of Carchemish in 605 BC, a pivotal geopolitical event where the ascendant Neo-Babylonian Empire under Nebuchadnezzar comprehensively defeated the Egyptian forces led by Pharaoh Necho II. This verse not only establishes the concrete historical context upon which Jeremiah's divine pronouncements are founded but also underscores the dramatic shift in global power from Egypt to Babylon, a transition with profound and immediate implications for the kingdom of Judah.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Jeremiah 46:2 primarily functions as a concise yet highly detailed Historical Narrative, serving as a factual preamble to the ensuing prophecy. The verse employs remarkable Geographical and Chronological Precision, meticulously naming the key actors (Egypt, Pharaoh Necho, Nebuchadnezzar, Jehoiakim, Josiah), the specific location (Euphrates, Carchemish), and the exact timing ("the fourth year of Jehoiakim"). This granular level of detail lends significant credibility and authority to the prophetic message that follows, demonstrating that God's word is rooted in concrete, verifiable historical realities. It also functions as a Prophetic Introduction, setting the historical stage for the divine oracle against Egypt in the remainder of Jeremiah 46. The use of the verb "smote" highlights a strong Verbal Action, emphasizing the decisive and destructive nature of the Babylonian victory, conveying the totality of the defeat.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
This verse powerfully illustrates God's absolute sovereignty over the rise and fall of nations and the entire course of human history. Even the most powerful earthly rulers, like Pharaoh Necho and Nebuchadnezzar, are ultimately instruments in God's hands, unknowingly fulfilling His divine purposes. The Battle of Carchemish, a seemingly secular geopolitical event, is presented as a divinely ordained turning point that reshaped the ancient world and positioned Babylon as the agent of God's judgment, first upon Egypt and then upon Judah. This demonstrates that God is not a distant observer but an active participant in the affairs of humanity, orchestrating events to bring about His will, whether through judgment, the discipline of His people, or the preparation for future redemption.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Jeremiah 46:2 offers profound reassurance and a compelling call to trust in God's unfailing control, even amidst global turmoil and apparent chaos. In an age marked by shifting geopolitical landscapes, persistent conflicts, and the rise and fall of various powers, this verse serves as a potent reminder that no earthly authority or event operates outside the sovereign will of God. Just as He orchestrated the defeat of Egypt and the rise of Babylon for His specific purposes, so too does He meticulously guide the course of nations today. This truth should inspire a deep sense of peace and security, knowing that our ultimate hope and stability rest not in political systems, economic forecasts, or military might, but in the unchanging, all-powerful God who works all things according to the counsel of His will. It challenges us to look beyond immediate circumstances and discern God's hand at work in the broader sweep of history, cultivating a perspective rooted in divine providence rather than human anxiety or despair.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What was the significance of the Battle of Carchemish?
Answer: The Battle of Carchemish, fought in 605 BC, was a profoundly significant event that dramatically reshaped the geopolitical landscape of the ancient Near East. It marked the decisive defeat of the Egyptian army under Pharaoh Necho II by the rapidly ascending Neo-Babylonian forces led by Nebuchadnezzar II. This victory effectively ended Egypt's attempts to reassert its dominance in the Levant and firmly established Babylon as the new preeminent superpower in the region. For Judah, this battle was a critical turning point, signifying the shift from Egyptian influence to inevitable Babylonian control, directly leading to events like the first deportation to Babylon (as mentioned in Daniel 1:1-2) and ultimately the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple.
Who were Pharaoh Necho II and Nebuchadnezzar II?
Answer: Pharaoh Necho II was an Egyptian pharaoh of the Twenty-sixth Dynasty, reigning from 610-595 BC. He was a powerful and ambitious ruler who sought to expand Egypt's influence into the Levant following the decline of the Assyrian Empire. He is also historically notable for his earlier defeat and killing of King Josiah of Judah at Megiddo (2 Kings 23:29). Nebuchadnezzar II was the most powerful and influential king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, reigning from 605-562 BC. He was the primary architect of Babylon's imperial expansion, responsible for the destruction of Jerusalem, the Temple, and the subsequent deportation of the Jews to Babylon. He is a central figure in the biblical books of Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel, representing God's chosen instrument of judgment against Judah and other nations.
Why is the "fourth year of Jehoiakim" important?
Answer: The "fourth year of Jehoiakim" (605 BC) is a crucial chronological marker for several interconnected reasons. Firstly, it precisely dates the Battle of Carchemish, thereby grounding Jeremiah's prophecy in a verifiable historical event. Secondly, it was the pivotal year when Nebuchadnezzar ascended to the Babylonian throne, initiating his long and impactful reign as the supreme ruler of the ancient Near East. Thirdly, and most significantly for Judah, this was the very year Jeremiah delivered his sweeping prophecy of seventy years of desolation and Babylonian captivity for Judah, as meticulously recorded in Jeremiah 25:1-11. This precise synchronization of major international historical events with divine prophecy underscores the Bible's remarkable accuracy and the intricate way God's sovereign plan unfolds within the fabric of human history.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
While Jeremiah 46:2 describes a specific historical battle between earthly kings and empires, it profoundly points to the ultimate triumph of God's sovereign King, Jesus Christ, over all opposing powers. Just as Nebuchadnezzar, though unaware, acted as an instrument of God's will to "smite" the army of Pharaoh Necho, so too does Christ, the true King of kings, decisively defeat all spiritual and temporal enemies. The rise and fall of earthly empires, as seen in the dramatic shift from Egyptian to Babylonian dominance, foreshadows the ultimate establishment of an eternal kingdom that will never be destroyed, a kingdom inaugurated by Jesus Christ Himself. The earthly battles and judgments described in Jeremiah serve as a prelude to the spiritual warfare waged by Christ, who, through His sacrificial death and glorious resurrection, "disarmed the powers and authorities" (Colossians 2:15) and "destroyed the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil" (Hebrews 2:14). Ultimately, all earthly kingdoms will bow before the reign of the Lamb of God, whose victory is absolute and whose kingdom is everlasting, as declared in Revelation 11:15.