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Texts -- Jeremiah 44:1-29 (NET)

Context
The Lord Will Punish the Judean Exiles in Egypt for Their Idolatry
44:1 The Lord spoke to Jeremiah concerning all the Judeans who were living in the land of Egypt , those in Migdol , Tahpanhes , Memphis , and in the region of southern Egypt. 44:2 “The Lord God of Israel who rules over all says , ‘You have seen all the disaster I brought on Jerusalem and all the towns of Judah . Indeed , they now lie in ruins and are deserted . 44:3 This happened because of the wickedness the people living there did . They made me angry by worshiping and offering sacrifice to other gods whom neither they nor you nor your ancestors previously knew . 44:4 I sent my servants the prophets to you people over and over again warning you not to do this disgusting thing I hate . 44:5 But the people of Jerusalem and Judah would not listen or pay any attention . They would not stop the wickedness they were doing nor quit sacrificing to other gods . 44:6 So my anger and my wrath were poured out and burned like a fire through the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem . That is why they have become the desolate ruins that they are today .’ 44:7 “So now the Lord , the God who rules over all , the God of Israel , asks , ‘Why will you do such great harm to yourselves ? Why should every man , woman , child , and baby of yours be destroyed from the midst of Judah ? Why should you leave yourselves without a remnant ? 44:8 That is what will result from your making me angry by what you are doing . You are making me angry by sacrificing to other gods here in the land of Egypt where you live . You will be destroyed for doing that ! You will become an example used in curses and an object of ridicule among all the nations of the earth . 44:9 Have you forgotten all the wicked things that have been done in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem by your ancestors , by the kings of Judah and their wives , by you and your wives ? 44:10 To this day your people have shown no contrition ! They have not revered me nor followed the laws and statutes I commanded you and your ancestors .’ 44:11 “Because of this , the Lord God of Israel who rules over all says , ‘I am determined to bring disaster on you, even to the point of destroying all the Judeans here. 44:12 I will see to it that all the Judean remnant that was determined to go and live in the land of Egypt will be destroyed . Here in the land of Egypt they will fall in battle or perish from starvation . People of every class will die in war or from starvation . They will become an object of horror and ridicule , an example of those who have been cursed and that people use in pronouncing a curse . 44:13 I will punish those who live in the land of Egypt with war , starvation , and disease just as I punished Jerusalem . 44:14 None of the Judean remnant who have come to live in the land of Egypt will escape or survive to return to the land of Judah . Though they long to return and live there , none of them shall return except a few fugitives .’” 44:15 Then all the men who were aware that their wives were sacrificing to other gods , as well as all their wives , answered Jeremiah . There was a great crowd of them representing all the people who lived in northern and southern Egypt . They answered , 44:16 “We will not listen to what you claim the Lord has spoken to us! 44:17 Instead we will do everything we vowed we would do . We will sacrifice and pour out drink offerings to the goddess called the Queen of Heaven just as we and our ancestors , our kings , and our leaders previously did in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem . For then we had plenty of food , were well-off , and had no troubles . 44:18 But ever since we stopped sacrificing and pouring out drink offerings to the Queen of Heaven , we have been in great need . Our people have died in wars or of starvation .” 44:19 The women added, “We did indeed sacrifice and pour out drink offerings to the Queen of Heaven . But it was with the full knowledge and approval of our husbands that we made cakes in her image and poured out drink offerings to her.” 44:20 Then Jeremiah replied to all the people , both men and women , who responded to him in this way . 44:21 “The Lord did indeed remember and call to mind what you did! He remembered the sacrifices you and your ancestors , your kings , your leaders , and all the rest of the people of the land offered to other gods in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem . 44:22 Finally the Lord could no longer endure your wicked deeds and the disgusting things you did . That is why your land has become the desolate , uninhabited ruin that it is today . That is why it has become a proverbial example used in curses . 44:23 You have sacrificed to other gods! You have sinned against the Lord ! You have not obeyed the Lord ! You have not followed his laws , his statutes , and his decrees ! That is why this disaster that is evident to this day has happened to you.” 44:24 Then Jeremiah spoke to all the people , particularly to all the women . “Listen to what the Lord has to say all you people of Judah who are in Egypt . 44:25 The Lord God of Israel who rules over all says , ‘You women have confirmed by your actions what you vowed with your lips ! You said , “We will certainly carry out our vows to sacrifice and pour out drink offerings to the Queen of Heaven .” Well, then fulfill your vows ! Carry them out !’ 44:26 But listen to what the Lord has to say , all you people of Judah who are living in the land of Egypt . The Lord says , ‘I hereby swear by my own great name that none of the people of Judah who are living anywhere in Egypt will ever again invoke my name in their oaths ! Never again will any of them use it in an oath saying , “As surely as the Lord God lives ….” 44:27 I will indeed see to it that disaster , not prosperity , happens to them. All the people of Judah who are in the land of Egypt will die in war or from starvation until not one of them is left . 44:28 Some who survive in battle will return to the land of Judah from the land of Egypt . But they will be very few indeed! Then the Judean remnant who have come to live in the land of Egypt will know whose word proves true , mine or theirs .’ 44:29 Moreover the Lord says , ‘I will make something happen to prove that I will punish you in this place . I will do it so that you will know that my threats to bring disaster on you will prove true.

Pericope

NET
  • Jer 44:1-30 -- The Lord Will Punish the Judean Exiles in Egypt for Their Idolatry

Bible Dictionary

  • Noph

    [ebd] the Hebrew name of an Egyptian city (Isa. 19:13; Jer.2:16; 44:1; 46:14, 19; Ezek. 30:13, 16). In Hos. 9:6 the Hebrew name is Moph, and is translated "Memphis," which is its Greek and Latin form. It was one of the most ancien...
    [isbe] NOPH - nof (noph; in Hos 9:6 moph): A name for the Egyptian city Memphis (so the Septuagint), hence, thus rendered in the Revised Version (British and American) (Isa 19:13; Jer 2:16; 44:1; Ezek 30:13,16). See MEMPHIS.
    [nave] NOPH A city of Egypt, Jer. 2:16. Prophecy against Jews in, Jer. 44. Prophecies against, Isa. 19:13; Jer. 46:13-19; Ezek. 30:13-16.

  • LEVITICUS, 2

    [isbe] LEVITICUS, 2 - III. Origin. 1. Against the Wellhausen Hypothesis: As in the article ATONEMENT, DAY OF, sec. I, 2, (2), we took a stand against the modern attempts at splitting up the text, and in III, 1 against theory of the...

  • JEREMIAH (2)

    [isbe] JEREMIAH (2) - jer-e-mi'-a: 1. Name and Person 2. Life of Jeremiah 3. The Personal Character of Jeremiah 4. The Prophecies of Jeremiah 5. The Book of Jeremiah 6. Authenticity and Integrity of the Book 7. Relation to the Sept...

  • Idolatry

    [nave] IDOLATRY. Wicked Practices of Human sacrifices, Lev. 18:21; 20:2-5; Deut. 12:31; 18:10; 2 Kin. 3:26, 27; 16:3; 17:17, 18; 21:6; 23:10; 2 Chr. 28:3; 33:6; Psa. 106:37, 38; Isa. 57:5; Jer. 7:31; 19:4-7; 32:35; Ezek. 16:20, 2...

  • Pharaoh

    [nave] PHARAOH 1. King of Egypt at the time of Abraham, Gen. 12:14-20; Psa. 105:14. 2. Ruler of Egypt at the time of the famine. See: Egypt; Israelites. 3. Ruler of Egypt at the time of the deliverance and exodus of the children ...

  • Israel

    [nave] ISRAEL 1. A name given to Jacob, Gen. 32:24-32; 2 Kin. 17:34; Hos. 12:3, 4. 2. A name of the Christ in prophecy, Isa. 49:3. 3. A name given to the descendants of Jacob, a nation. Called also Israelites, and Hebrews, Gen. 4...

  • EGYPT

    [isbe] EGYPT - e'-jipt: I. THE COUNTRY 1. The Basis of the Land 2. The Nile Valley 3. Earliest Human Remains 4. Climate 5. Conditions of Life 6. The Nile 7. The Fauna 8. The Flora 9. The Prehistoric Races II. THE HISTORY 1. 1st and...

  • Queen

    [isbe] QUEEN - kwen: The Bible applies this term: (1) To the wife of a king ("queen consort") (malkah). In the Book of Esther it is the title given to Vashti (1:9) and Esther (2:22); compare Song 6:8 f. Another Hebrew word for quee...
    [nave] QUEEN The wife of a king, 1 Kin. 11:19. Crowned, Esth. 1:11; 2:17. Divorced, Esth. 1:10-22. Sits on the throne with the king, Neh. 2:6. Makes feasts for the women of the royal household, Esth. 1:9. Exerts an evil influe...

  • Moon

    [ebd] heb. yareah, from its paleness (Ezra 6:15), and lebanah, the "white" (Cant. 6:10; Isa. 24:23), was appointed by the Creator to be with the sun "for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years" (Gen. 1:14-16). A lunation ...
    [isbe] MOON - moon (yareach; meaning obscure--probably "wanderer"; by some given as "paleness"; selene): The moon was very early worshipped by the nations of the Far East as a divinity or the representative of one or more deities. ...
    [nave] MOON Created by God, Gen. 1:16; Psa. 8:3; 136:7-9. Its light, Job 31:26; Eccl. 12:2; Song 6:10; Jer. 31:35; 1 Cor. 15:41. Its influences, Deut. 33:14; Psa. 121:6. Seasons of (months), Psa. 104:19. Joseph's dream concerni...

  • Pathros

    [ebd] the name generally given to Upper Egypt (the Thebaid of the Greeks), as distinguished from Matsor, or Lower Egypt (Isa. 11:11; Jer. 44:1, 15; Ezek. 30:14), the two forming Mizraim. After the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuc...
    [isbe] PATHROS - path'-ros (pathros; Egyptian Pata resii, the "South land"; Septuagint ge Pathoures): The Hebrew form of the Egyptian name for Upper Egypt (Isa 11:11; Jer 44:1,15; Ezek 29:14; 30:14).
    [smith] (region of the south), a part of Egypt, and a Mizraite tribe whose people were called Pathrusim. In the list of the Mizraites the Pathrusim occur after the Naphtuhim and before the Caluhim; the latter being followed by the no...
    [nave] PATHROS, a part of Upper Egypt. Jewish captives in, Isa. 11:11; Jer. 44:1, 15; Ezek. 29:14. Prophecy against, Ezek. 30:14.

  • Sin

    [nave] SIN. Index of Sub-Topics Miscellany of Minor Sub-Topics; Unclassified Scriptures Relating to, Defining, and Illustrating; Confession of; Consequences of, Entailed Upon Children; Conviction of; Forgiveness of; Fruits of; Kn...

  • EZEKIEL, 2

    [isbe] EZEKIEL, 2 - II. Significance of Ezekiel in Israel's Religious History. Under the first head we will consider the formal characteristics and significance of the book; and the examination of its contents will form the subject...

  • Women

    [nave] WOMEN Creation of, Gen. 1:27; 2:21, 22. Named, Gen. 2:23. Fall of, and curse upon, Gen. 3:1-16; 2 Cor. 11:3; 1 Tim. 2:14. Promise to, Gen. 3:15. Had separate apartments in dwellings, Gen. 24:67; 31:33; Esth. 2:9, 11. Ve...

  • QUEEN OF HEAVEN

    [ebd] (Jer. 7:18; 44:17, 25), the moon, worshipped by the Assyrians as the receptive power in nature.
    [isbe] QUEEN OF HEAVEN - (melekheth ha-shamayim, although there is another reading, mele'kheth, "worship" or "goddess"): Occurs only in two passages: Jer 7:18; 44:17-19,25, where the prophet denounces the wrath of God upon the inha...

  • Remnant

    [nave] REMNANT Gen. 45:7; Deut. 3:11; 2 Kin. 19:4, 30, 31; 21:14; 2 Chr. 34:9, 21; 36:20; Ezra 9:8, 13, 14, 15; Neh. 1:2; Isa. 10:20, 21; 11:11, 16; 17:3; 28:5; 37:4, 31, 32; Jer. 6:9; 11:23; 23:3; 31:7; 40:11, 15; 42:2, 15, 19; 43...

  • Migdol

    [ebd] tower. (1.) A strongly-fortified place 12 miles from Pelusium, in the north of Egypt (Jer. 44:1; 46:14). This word is rendered "tower" in Ezek. 29:10, but the margin correctly retains the name Migdol, "from Migdol to Syene;"...
    [isbe] MIGDOL - mig'-dol, mig'-dol (mighdol; Magdolon): This name ("the tower") is applied to two places on the east frontier of Egypt. 1. Exodus 14:2; Numbers 33:7: In Ex 14:2; Nu 33:7, the Hebrew camp, on the march from Etham aft...
    [smith] (tower), the name of one of two places on the eastern frontier of Egypt. A Migdol is mentioned int he account of the exodus, (Exodus 14:2; Numbers 33:7,8) near the head of the Red Sea. A Migdol is spoken of by Jeremiah and E...
    [nave] MIGDOL 1. A place near the Red Sea where the Israelites encamped, Ex. 14:2; Num. 33:7, 8. 2. A city on the northeastern border of lower Egypt, Jer. 44:1; 46:14.

  • Disobedience to God

    [nave] DISOBEDIENCE TO GOD. Denunciations Against Num. 14:11, 12, 22-24; Num. 32:8-13; Deut. 18:19; Deut. 28:15-68 Lev. 26:14-46. Punishment of Of the Egyptians by plagues, See: Plagues. See also Sin, Punishment of. Instances...

  • Superstition

    [nave] SUPERSTITION, Acts 25:19. Instances of Israelites, supposing that their defeat in battle with the Philistines was due to their not having brought with them the ark of the covenant, 1 Sam. 4:3, with vs. 10,11. Philistines,...

  • Impenitence

    [nave] IMPENITENCE. Lev. 23:26-29; Lev. 26:21 vs. 22-24.; Deut. 29:19-21; 1 Sam. 15:23; Job 9:2, 4; Job 24:13; Job 33:14; Psa. 7:11, 12 v. 13.; Psa. 10:3; Psa. 32:9; Psa. 50:17, 21; Psa. 52:1, 7; Psa. 58:3-5; Psa. 68:21; Psa. 78:8...

  • Archaeology

    [nave] ARCHAEOLOGY The study of past human life, especially through the study of ancient artifacts or relics. References in the Bible are merely allusional Lev. 26:31, 33; Deut. 13:16; Josh. 8:28, 11:13; 1 Kin. 18:30; 1 Chr. 20:1; ...
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Resources/Books

Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • God sent Hezekiah the news of what He would do and why through Isaiah. The "virgin"daughter of Zion (v. 21) refers to Jerusalem as a city that a foreign foe had never violated. The "Holy One of Israel"(v. 22), a favorite name...
  • As was common in ancient Near Eastern judicial cases, Job concluded his summary defense with an oath of innocence. He did so in the form of a negative confession complete with self-imprecations.127He concluded with a challeng...
  • Baxter, J. Sidlow. Explore the Book. 6 vols. London: Marshall, Morgan, and Scott, 1965.Bromiley, Geoffrey W. God and Marriage. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1980.Bullock, C. Hassell. An Introduction to the Poe...
  • Isaiah next tried to move Ahaz to faith (vv. 10-12), then denounced the king for his failure to trust Yahweh (vv. 13-15), and finally forecast a calamity worse than the division of Israel's united kingdom (vv. 16-17).7:10 Evi...
  • Jeremiah's purpose was to call his hearers to repentance in view of God's judgment on Judah, which would come soon from an army from the north (chs. 2-45). Judgment was coming because God's people had forsaken Yahweh and had ...
  • The reader of Jeremiah must have a knowledge of the times in which this prophet lived and ministered to appreciate the message of this book. This is more important for understanding Jeremiah than it is for understanding any o...
  • I. Introduction ch. 1A. The introduction of Jeremiah 1:1-3B. The call of Jeremiah 1:4-191. The promise of divine enablement 1:4-102. Two confirming visions 1:11-19II. Prophecies about Judah chs. 2-45A. Warnings of judgment on...
  • Most of the prophetical books begin with some indication of authorship and date to put them in their historical contexts, and this is true of the Book of Jeremiah.1:1 The words (Heb. debarim, writings, prophecies, deeds, and ...
  • 1:4 The prophet now began speaking to his readers and telling them what the Lord had said to him. Throughout this book, an indication that the Lord had told Jeremiah something is often the sign of a new pericope, as here (cf....
  • This pericope continues Yahweh's instructions to Jeremiah preparing him to deliver the Temple Sermon (cf. vv. 1-2). Jeremiah may have received this message from the Lord at the same time or at some other time.7:16 The Lord to...
  • This section consists of four parts: a summary of Jeremiah's Temple Sermon (vv. 2-6), the prophet's arrest and trial (vv. 7-16), the elders' plea for his life (vv. 17-19, 24), and the incident involving Uriah and his executio...
  • 30:4 This oracle concerns all the Israelites, those of both the Northern and Southern Kingdoms.30:5-6 A time of great terror, dread, and unrest was coming. Men would behave as though they were in labor; they would hold themse...
  • The Book of Consolation contained messages of future hope for Judah (chs. 30-33). Now Jeremiah returned to document her present judgment. Chapters 34-45 continue the theme of judgment on Judah and Jerusalem from chapters 2-29...
  • One of the important theological lessons of this segment of the book, especially chapters 40-44, is that disobedience leads to judgment."One would think that the fall of Jerusalem would have taught Judah a lesson she would ne...
  • This chapter records an incident late in Jeremiah's ministry. How much later than chapter 43 is unknown. Many commentators suppose it dates from about 580 B.C. because it would have taken some time for the Judean refugees to ...
  • This chapter belongs after chapter 36 chronologically, either after 36:8 or 36:32. It serves as an appendix to the historical incidents recorded there. Perhaps the writer or final editor placed it here to show that Yahweh exe...
  • This chapter on Egypt contains three separate prophecies that Jeremiah delivered about the fate of that nation. Their purpose seems to have been to discourage King Jehoiakim (609-598 B.C.) and the pro-Egyptian party in Judah ...
  • Aharoni, Yohanan, and Michael Avi-Yonah. The Macmillan Bible Atlas. Revised ed. London: Collier Macmillan Publishers; and New York: Macmillan Publishers Co., 1977.Albright, William Foxwell. The Archaeology of Palestine. Revis...
  • 13:17 The Lord also directed Ezekiel to speak judgment to the female false prophets who were concocting their own messages and passing them off as divine revelations (cf. Isa. 3:16-4:1; 32:9-13; Amos 4:1-3).13:18 He was to an...
  • This prophecy continues the emphasis on judgment from the previous one and stresses the irrevocability of Jerusalem's destruction (cf. Jer. 7:16; 15:1-4).14:12-14 The Lord spoke to Ezekiel again. He revealed that Jerusalem's ...
  • Of the seven oracles against Egypt, this is the only one that is undated. Most of the commentators assumed that Ezekiel gave it in 587 B.C., the same year as the first, second, and third oracles. But he could have given it in...
  • 33:23-24 The Lord informed the prophet about the attitude of the Jews still in the land. The few Jews who still lived in the waste places of the Promised Land were claiming that since God had promised that land to Abraham the...
  • 3:1 Yahweh told Hosea to seek out in love the woman whom he formerly loved, Gomer, even though she was an adulteress.37His action would be similar to that of the Lord Himself who loved the Israelites even though they had beco...
  • 4:1 Amos opened this second message as he did the first (ch. 3), with the cry, "Hear this word."He addressed the wealthy women of Samaria, calling them "cows of Bashan."Bashan was a very luxuriant region of Transjordan east a...
  • The first verse (9:51) sets the agenda for all that follows until Jesus' Triumphal Entry. It was now time for Jesus to begin moving toward Jerusalem and the Cross. As He did so, He immediately encountered opposition (cf. Acts...
  • The writer identified himself for the original recipients of this epistle and greeted them to introduce himself to his readers.James (lit. Jacob) was probably the half-brother of the Lord Jesus Christ who evidently became a b...
  • 9:20 These three severe judgments (fire, smoke, and brimstone, vv. 17-18) will not move the remaining unbelievers as a whole to repent (cf. Exod. 7:13, 23; 8:15, 19, 32; 9:7, 12, 35; 10:20; 11:10)."In all cases in the apocaly...

Expositions Of Holy Scripture (Maclaren)

  • I sent unto you all my servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, saying, Oh, do not this abominable thing that I hate. --Jer. 44:4.THE long death-agony of the Jewish kingdom has come to an end. The frivolous levit...
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