TRV
Translation
King James Version
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.
Complete Jewish Bible
Charge, horses! Full speed ahead, chariots! Let the warriors attack! - Kush and Put, bearing their shields, and the Ludim, strung bows in hand.
Berean Standard Bible
Advance, O horses! Race furiously, O chariots! Let the warriors come forth— Cush and Put carrying their shields, men of Lydia drawing the bow.
American Standard Version
Go up, ye horses; and rage, ye chariots; and let the mighty men go forth: Cush and Put, that handle the shield; and the Ludim, that handle and bend the bow.
World English Bible Messianic
Go up, you horses; and rage, you chariots; and let the mighty men go out: Cush and Put, who handle the shield; and the Ludim, who handle and bend the bow.
Geneva Bible (1599)
Come vp, ye horses, and rage ye charets, and let the valiant men come foorth, the blacke Mores, and the Lybians that beare the shield, and the Lydians that handle and bend the bowe.
Young's Literal Translation
Go up, ye horses; and boast yourselves, ye chariots, And go forth, ye mighty, Cush and Phut handling the shield, And Lud handling--treading the bow.
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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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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 46:9 presents a vivid and dramatic summons to the formidable military forces of Egypt, including its diverse mercenary contingents, as they prepare for a decisive confrontation. This verse is intricately woven into a broader prophetic oracle detailing God's impending judgment against Egypt, specifically foreshadowing their catastrophic defeat at the Battle of Carchemish. It powerfully illustrates the immense, yet ultimately futile, human and military resources assembled, underscoring the overarching biblical truth of divine sovereignty over all earthly powers and the inevitable downfall of those who oppose His will.
CONTEXT
Literary Context: Jeremiah 46:9 is strategically positioned within the first major oracle against a foreign nation in the book of Jeremiah, specifically targeting Egypt (Jeremiah 46:1-26). Within this oracle, verses 2-12 focus explicitly on the Battle of Carchemish. The preceding verses (vv. 3-8) describe the chaotic and ultimately ineffectual preparations of the Egyptian army, employing a series of rhetorical questions that highlight their inability to withstand the coming onslaught. Verse 9 then shifts dramatically to an imperative, almost taunting, summons to the various components of Egypt's military machine—horses, chariots, and diverse mercenary units—to "come up" and "rage." This climactic depiction of their assembled might serves as a powerful setup for the detailed account of their subsequent rout and ignominious flight described in verses 10-12, emphasizing that their impressive mobilization will lead only to utter defeat.
Historical & Cultural Context: The historical backdrop for Jeremiah 46 is the pivotal Battle of Carchemish in 605 BC. At this critical juncture, Pharaoh Necho II of Egypt sought to bolster the remnants of the crumbling Assyrian Empire and contain the burgeoning power of Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar. The confrontation occurred at Carchemish, a strategically vital city on the Euphrates River. Egypt's military at this time was renowned for its strength but also heavily reliant on foreign mercenaries, a common practice among major ancient Near Eastern powers. The specific mention of "Ethiopians" (Cushites), "Libyans" (Put), and "Lydians" (Ludim) in this verse is historically precise. Cushites were esteemed for their infantry, Libyans for their shield-bearing prowess, and Lydians for their exceptional archery. Jeremiah's prophecy, delivered either shortly before or immediately after this battle, demonstrates profound divine insight into the specific composition and predetermined fate of this powerful, yet divinely doomed, coalition.
Key Themes: Jeremiah 46:9 profoundly contributes to several foundational themes within the book of Jeremiah and broader biblical theology. Firstly, it vividly illustrates the futility of human strength and alliances when juxtaposed with the sovereign will of God. Despite assembling a formidable and ethnically diverse army, Egypt's military might proved utterly insufficient to avert God's predetermined judgment, echoing the timeless truth articulated in Psalm 33:16-17, "No king is saved by the multitude of an army; a mighty man is not delivered by great strength. A horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength.". Secondly, the verse powerfully underscores divine sovereignty over nations. God is depicted as the ultimate orchestrator of history, meticulously overseeing the rise and fall of empires, often employing one nation (Babylon) as an instrument of judgment against another (Egypt). This demonstrates His absolute control over human history and political powers, a theme also prominently articulated in Isaiah 10:5, where Assyria is designated as the "rod of my anger" in God's hand. Finally, the precise detail within the prophecy, including the specific mercenary groups and their roles, highlights the veracity and divine origin of prophetic foretelling, thereby validating Jeremiah's authenticity as a true prophet of the Lord and God's omniscience in the affairs of humanity.
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Jeremiah 46:9 masterfully employs several potent literary devices to convey its message with dramatic force. The most prominent is the Imperative Mood, evident in commands like "Come up," "rage," and "let... come forth." This creates a powerful sense of urgent command and dramatic mobilization, as if the prophet himself is issuing the battle cry, or perhaps God is ironically commanding the assembly for its inevitable destruction. This also functions as a form of Apostrophe, directly addressing inanimate objects ("horses," "chariots") and distant peoples as if they are present and capable of responding, thereby heightening the vividness and immediacy of the scene. Personification is clearly seen in "rage, ye chariots," attributing human-like fury and destructive intent to the war machines, making them seem alive and menacing. The verse further utilizes Enumeration by listing specific foreign contingents (Ethiopians, Libyans, Lydians) and detailing their distinctive military roles. This not only adds to the realism and historical accuracy of the depiction but also emphasizes the vast and diverse resources Egypt could command. This detailed imagery collectively serves to underscore the formidable nature of the army that God is about to decisively defeat, thereby magnifying His unparalleled power and absolute sovereignty over all earthly might.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Jeremiah 46:9, by showcasing the immense but ultimately impotent military might of Egypt, serves as a profound theological statement on the limits of human power and the absolute sovereignty of God. It reinforces the timeless biblical truth that no earthly kingdom, no matter how vast its armies, how skilled its warriors, or how diverse its alliances, can successfully stand against the divine will. This passage powerfully illustrates that God orchestrates the rise and fall of nations, using them as instruments of His judgment or blessing, demonstrating that true security and lasting victory are found not in military prowess or strategic alliances, but in humble reliance upon the Lord. The detailed description of Egypt's forces, including its foreign mercenaries, ironically magnifies the power of the God who effortlessly brings them to ruin, proving that "the battle is the Lord's" (1 Samuel 17:47) and that human strength is but fleeting vapor before His eternal decree.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Jeremiah 46:9 offers a timeless and vital lesson for individuals and nations alike: true security, ultimate victory, and enduring peace are never found in human strength, material resources, or strategic alliances, but solely in the sovereign power and unfailing faithfulness of God. In a world that often places its confidence in military might, economic prowess, technological advancement, or political influence, this verse calls believers to a radical reorientation of trust. It challenges us to critically examine where our ultimate hope truly lies – is it in the "horses and chariots" of our own making, our own capabilities, or in the Lord who holds the destinies of all nations and individuals in His hand? Recognizing God's absolute control over history should inspire both profound humility and deep, abiding peace, knowing that His righteous purposes will ultimately prevail, regardless of the formidable obstacles or seemingly overwhelming forces we may face. It encourages us to pray fervently for our leaders and nations, that they might acknowledge God's supreme authority and seek His wisdom and guidance, rather than relying on their own limited strength and fallible strategies.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Who were the "Ethiopians," "Libyans," and "Lydians" mentioned in this verse, and why were they significant?
Answer: The "Ethiopians" (Hebrew: Kûwsh, H3568) refer to the Cushites, people from the region south of Egypt (modern-day Sudan and parts of Ethiopia), who were renowned in the ancient world for their formidable infantry and martial prowess. The "Libyans" (Hebrew: Pûwṭ, H6316) likely designate the people from North Africa, often associated with mercenary service as shield-bearers in ancient armies, providing a strong defensive line. The "Lydians" (Hebrew: Lûwdîy, H3866) were an Anatolian people from western Asia Minor, highly regarded for their exceptional archery skills. These groups were profoundly significant because they comprised a substantial and elite portion of the Egyptian army, serving as highly sought-after mercenaries who augmented Pharaoh's native forces. Their inclusion in Jeremiah's prophecy highlights the vast and diverse military resources Pharaoh Necho II could muster, yet their presence ultimately underscores the futility of even such a powerful and specialized coalition against God's predetermined judgment. Their specific roles (shield-bearers and archers) indicate the specialized contributions they brought to Egypt's military might, making the prophetic description remarkably precise and historically accurate.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Jeremiah 46:9, depicting the assembled might of Egypt's army, finds its ultimate Christ-centered fulfillment not in human military power, but in the triumph of God's eternal kingdom through the sacrificial work and sovereign reign of Jesus Christ. The futility of Egypt's "horses and chariots" against God's decree foreshadows the ultimate inadequacy of all earthly kingdoms and human strength to resist the King of Kings. While ancient empires relied on physical armies, Christ's kingdom is established through spiritual warfare and the transformative power of the Gospel, as profoundly described in 2 Corinthians 10:4, "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds!". The judgment pronounced upon Egypt prefigures the final judgment upon all nations and powers that oppose God, a judgment ultimately executed by Christ at His glorious second coming, when He will "strike down the nations" with the "sharp sword that comes from his mouth" (Revelation 19:15). The diverse mercenary forces, gathered under a human king, stand in stark contrast to the unified, Spirit-empowered church, gathered from every tribe, tongue, and nation under Christ, the true Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Ultimately, the narrative of human empires rising and falling under God's sovereign hand points inexorably to the eternal, unshakable kingdom of Christ, which will never be destroyed (Daniel 2:44), where all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him (Matthew 28:18).