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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 46:24 serves as a potent prophetic declaration of God's impending judgment upon Egypt, foretelling its humiliation and defeat at the hands of a northern power. This verse encapsulates the divine sovereignty over nations, revealing that even mighty empires are subject to the Lord's decrees and are instruments or objects of His righteous justice, demonstrating His ultimate control over the course of human history and the destinies of kingdoms.
CONTEXT
Literary Context: Jeremiah 46:24 is situated within a larger section of Jeremiah's prophecies against foreign nations, specifically chapter 46, which is entirely dedicated to the pronouncements against Egypt. This chapter begins with a detailed prophecy concerning the defeat of Pharaoh Neco's army by Nebuchadnezzar at the Battle of Carchemish (around 605 BC), as recounted in Jeremiah 46:2-12. Following this, the prophecy shifts to a broader declaration of Egypt's impending invasion and devastation by the "people of the north," identified as the Babylonians, culminating in a promise of restoration for Israel amidst these global judgments (e.g., Jeremiah 46:27-28). This verse, therefore, acts as a concise summary of the fate awaiting Egypt, emphasizing its inevitable downfall.
Historical & Cultural Context: At the time of Jeremiah's prophecy (late 7th to early 6th century BC), Egypt was a dominant regional power, often vying with Assyria and later Babylon for control of the Levant. Judah, situated precariously between these empires, frequently sought alliances with Egypt for protection against northern threats, a strategy often condemned by Jeremiah as a reliance on human strength rather than divine providence (e.g., Jeremiah 37:5-10). The "people of the north" unequivocally refers to the Neo-Babylonian Empire under Nebuchadnezzar, which was rapidly expanding its dominion. Historically, Nebuchadnezzar did invade Egypt in 568/567 BC, fulfilling this prophecy, though the extent of the conquest is debated among historians. The cultural understanding of national pride and military might in ancient Near Eastern empires makes Egypt's prophesied "confounding" and "delivery into the hand" of another power a profound humiliation and loss of status.
Key Themes: The verse significantly contributes to several overarching themes within Jeremiah and the prophetic literature. Foremost is the theme of Divine Judgment on Nations, demonstrating God's righteous wrath against nations for their pride, idolatry, and oppression, not just against Israel. This highlights that God's authority extends beyond His covenant people to encompass all of creation, as seen in the broader collection of oracles against foreign nations in Jeremiah 46-51. Another crucial theme is God's Absolute Sovereignty over human history and geopolitical events. No earthly power, however formidable, can thwart His purposes or escape His ultimate control. He raises up and casts down empires according to His divine plan, often using one nation as an instrument of judgment against another, as He did with Babylon against Judah (e.g., Jeremiah 25:9). Finally, the verse underscores the Reliability and Fulfillment of Prophecy, as Jeremiah's specific prediction of Egypt's defeat by a northern power came to pass, reinforcing the trustworthiness of God's word.
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
The verse effectively employs Personification by referring to Egypt as "the daughter of Egypt." This poetic device gives the nation human qualities, allowing for a more vivid portrayal of its impending shame and defeat. It transforms an abstract political entity into a relatable figure experiencing humiliation. Furthermore, the phrase "delivered into the hand" is a form of Metonymy or Synecdoche, where "hand" represents the power, control, and authority of the conquering nation. This emphasizes the complete subjugation and loss of autonomy Egypt will experience. The entire verse functions as a concise Prophetic Oracle, a direct declaration of future events spoken by divine inspiration, characterized by its declarative and authoritative tone, leaving no doubt about the certainty of the outcome.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Jeremiah 46:24 profoundly underscores the biblical truth of God's absolute sovereignty over all nations and human history. It reveals that no earthly power, however mighty or proud, stands outside the purview of His divine judgment and overarching plan. God orchestrates the rise and fall of empires, using even pagan nations as instruments of His justice or objects of His wrath, demonstrating that His kingdom is supreme and eternal. This verse serves as a timeless reminder that true security and hope are found not in human alliances or military strength, but in the unfailing power and righteous character of the Almighty God, who holds the destiny of all creation in His hands.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Jeremiah 46:24 offers profound spiritual lessons for believers today, reminding us that God remains sovereign over all global events, even amidst geopolitical turmoil and the shifting sands of power. In a world often characterized by anxiety over national security, economic instability, and the rise of formidable powers, this verse calls us to place our ultimate trust not in human governments, military might, or international alliances, but in the unchanging, all-powerful God. It encourages us to recognize that He is actively involved in history, executing His purposes and holding all nations accountable for their actions. This should inspire both a humble reliance on Him and a fervent prayer for justice and righteousness among the nations, knowing that His word will always come to pass, and His ultimate victory is assured.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What does "the daughter of Egypt" mean in this context?
Answer: "The daughter of Egypt" is a common poetic device in biblical literature, known as personification. It refers to the nation of Egypt as a whole, representing its people, its identity, and its collective fate. Similar phrases like "daughter of Zion" (for Jerusalem) or "daughter of Babylon" are used elsewhere in the Bible. In Jeremiah 46:24, it emphasizes that the entire nation of Egypt, with all its pride and power, would experience shame and defeat.
Who are "the people of the north" mentioned in this prophecy?
Answer: "The people of the north" is a prophetic designation that consistently refers to the Neo-Babylonian Empire under King Nebuchadnezzar. Geographically, Babylon was situated to the north of Judah and Egypt. Throughout Jeremiah's prophecies, the Babylonian Empire is God's chosen instrument to execute judgment on various nations, including Judah itself (e.g., Jeremiah 25:9). This specific prophecy in Jeremiah 46:24 foretells Babylon's invasion and subjugation of Egypt, which historically occurred in the early 6th century BC.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
While Jeremiah 46:24 speaks directly to God's judgment on ancient Egypt through the Babylonians, it finds its ultimate Christ-centered fulfillment in the broader biblical narrative of God's sovereign rule over all kingdoms, culminating in the establishment of Christ's eternal kingdom. The temporary defeat of earthly powers like Egypt by an instrument like Babylon foreshadows the definitive and final triumph of God's Messiah over all opposing forces. Just as Egypt was "confounded" and "delivered into the hand" of a human empire, so too will all earthly kingdoms and rebellious powers ultimately be subjugated under the reign of Christ. The New Testament reveals Jesus as the true King of kings and Lord of lords, who has been given "all authority in heaven and on earth" (Matthew 28:18). His first coming inaugurated His kingdom, and His second coming will see the complete and irreversible defeat of every enemy and the establishment of His righteous rule over all creation, as described in Revelation 19:11-16. Thus, the judgment on Egypt in Jeremiah points forward to the universal judgment and ultimate victory of the Lamb of God, who alone holds the power to humble the proud and establish a kingdom that will never be confounded or delivered into another's hand (Daniel 7:13-14).