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Texts -- Jeremiah 46:13-28 (NET)

Context
The Lord Predicts that Nebuchadnezzar Will Attack and Plunder Egypt
46:13 The Lord spoke to the prophet Jeremiah about Nebuchadnezzar coming to attack the land of Egypt . 46:14 “Make an announcement throughout Egypt . Proclaim it in Migdol , Memphis , and Tahpanhes . ‘Take your positions and prepare to do battle. For the enemy army is destroying all the nations around you.’ 46:15 Why will your soldiers be defeated ? They will not stand because I, the Lord , will thrust them down . 46:16 I will make many stumble . They will fall over one another in their hurry to flee. They will say , ‘Get up ! Let’s go back to our own people . Let’s go back to our homelands because the enemy is coming to destroy us.’ 46:17 There at home they will say , ‘Pharaoh king of Egypt is just a big noise ! He has let the most opportune moment pass by .’ 46:18 I the King , whose name is the Lord who rules over all , swear this: I swear as surely as I live that a conqueror is coming. He will be as imposing as Mount Tabor is among the mountains , as Mount Carmel is against the backdrop of the sea . 46:19 Pack your bags for exile , you inhabitants of poor dear Egypt . For Memphis will be laid waste . It will lie in ruins and be uninhabited . 46:20 Egypt is like a beautiful young cow . But northern armies will attack her like swarms of stinging flies . 46:21 Even her mercenaries will prove to be like pampered, well-fed calves . For they too will turn and run away . They will not stand their ground when the time for them to be destroyed comes , the time for them to be punished . 46:22 Egypt will run away , hissing like a snake , as the enemy comes marching up in force . They will come against her with axes as if they were woodsmen chopping down trees . 46:23 The population of Egypt is like a vast, impenetrable forest . But I, the Lord , affirm that the enemy will cut them down . For those who chop them down will be more numerous than locusts . They will be too numerous to count . 46:24 Poor dear Egypt will be put to shame . She will be handed over to the people from the north .” 46:25 The Lord God of Israel who rules over all says , “I will punish Amon, the god of Thebes . I will punish Egypt , its gods , and its kings . I will punish Pharaoh and all who trust in him. 46:26 I will hand them over to Nebuchadnezzar and his troops , who want to kill them. But later on, people will live in Egypt again as they did in former times . I, the Lord , affirm it!”
A Promise of Hope for Israel
46:27 “You descendants of Jacob , my servants , do not be afraid ; do not be terrified , people of Israel . For I will rescue you and your descendants from the faraway lands where you are captives . The descendants of Jacob will return to their land and enjoy peace . They will be secure and no one will terrify them. 46:28 I, the Lord , tell you not to be afraid , you descendants of Jacob , my servant , for I am with you. Though I completely destroy all the nations where I scatter you, I will not completely destroy you. I will indeed discipline you but only in due measure . I will not allow you to go entirely unpunished .”

Pericope

NET
  • Jer 46:13-26 -- The Lord Predicts that Nebuchadnezzar Will Attack and Plunder Egypt
  • Jer 46:27-28 -- A Promise of Hope for Israel

Bible Dictionary

  • Egypt

    [ebd] the land of the Nile and the pyramids, the oldest kingdom of which we have any record, holds a place of great significance in Scripture. The Egyptians belonged to the white race, and their original home is still a matter of ...
    [nave] EGYPT The country of: Called Rahab, Psa. 87:4; 89:10; Land of Ham, Psa. 105:23; 106:22. Limits of, Ezek. 29:10. Fertility of, Gen. 13:10. Productions of, Num. 11:5; Psa. 78:47; Prov. 7:16; Isa. 19:5-9. Irrigation employ...

  • 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...

  • ISAIAH, 1-7

    [isbe] ISAIAH, 1-7 - i-za'-ya, i-zi'-a: 1. Name 2. Personal History 3. Call 4. Literary Genius and Style 5. Traditions concerning His Martyrdom 6. Period 7. Analysis and Contents 8. Isaiah's Prophecies Chronologically Arranged 9. T...

  • EZEKIEL, 1

    [isbe] EZEKIEL, 1 - e-ze'-ki-el: I. THE PROPHET AND HIS BOOK 1. The Person of Ezekiel Name, Captivity and Trials 2. The Book (1) Its Genuineness (2) Its Structure (3) Relation to Jeremiah (4) Fate of the Book and Its Place in the C...

  • Nebuchadnezzar

    [ebd] in the Babylonian orthography Nabu-kudur-uzur, which means "Nebo, protect the crown!" or the "frontiers." In an inscription he styles himself "Nebo's favourite." He was the son and successor of Nabopolassar, who delivered Ba...
    [nave] NEBUCHADNEZZAR, called also Nebuchadrezzar. King of Babylon, Jer. 21:2. Empire of. See: Babylon. His administration, Dan. 1-4. Conquests of: Of Jerusalem, 2 Kin. 24, 25; 1 Chr. 6:15; 2 Chr. 36:5-21; Ezra 1:7; Jer. 39. Of ...

  • Babylon

    [nave] BABYLON City of Built by Nimrod, Gen. 10:10. In the land of Shinar, Gen. 10:10; 11:2. Tower of, Gen. 11:1-9. Capital of the kingdom of Babylon, Dan. 4:30; 2 Kin. 25:13; 2 Chr. 36:6, 7, 10, 18, 20. Gates of, Isa. 45:1, 2...

  • NEBUCHADNEZZAR, OR NEBUCHADREZZAR

    [smith] (may Nebo protect the crown), was the greatest and most powerful of the Babylonian kings. His name is explained to mean "Nebo is the protector against misfortune." He was the son and successor of Nabopolassar, the founder of ...

  • 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...
    [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.

  • Memphis

    [ebd] only in Hos. 9:6, Hebrew Moph. In Isa. 19:13; Jer. 2:16; 46:14, 19; Ezek. 30:13, 16, it is mentioned under the name Noph. It was the capital of Lower, i.e., of Northern Egypt. From certain remains found half buried in the sa...
    [smith] (haven, of the good), a city of ancient Egypt, situated on that western bank of the Nile, about nine miles south of Cairo and five from the great pyramids and the sphinx. It is mentioned by (Isaiah 40:14,19) and Ezekiel, (Eze...
    [nave] MEMPHIS, called also Noph. A celebrated city of Egypt, Hos. 9:6. Prophecies concerning, Isa. 19:13; Jer. 2:16; 46:14, 19; Ezek. 30:16.

  • Locust

    [ebd] There are ten Hebrew words used in Scripture to signify locust. In the New Testament locusts are mentioned as forming part of the food of John the Baptist (Matt. 3:4; Mark 1:6). By the Mosaic law they were reckoned "clean," ...
    [isbe] LOCUST - lo'-kust: The translation of a large number of Hebrew and Greek words: 1. Names: (1) 'arbeh from the root rabhah, "to increase" (compare Arabic raba', "to increase"). (2) sal`am, from obsolete [?] cal`am, "to swallo...
    [smith] a well-known insect, of the grasshopper family, which commits terrible ravages on vegetation in the countries which it visits. "The common brown locust is about three inches in length, and the general form is that of a grassh...
    [nave] LOCUST Authorized as food, Lev. 11:22; used as, Matt. 3:4; Mark 1:6. Plague of, Ex. 10:1-19; Psa. 105:34, 35. Devastation by, Deut. 28:38; 1 Kin. 8:37; 2 Chr. 7:13; Isa. 33:4; Joel 1:4-7; Rev. 9:7-10. Sun obscured by, Joe...

  • War

    [nave] WAR Divine approval of, 2 Sam. 22:35. Civil, Judg. 12:1-6; 20; 2 Sam. 2:12-31; 3:1; 20; 1 Kin. 14:30; 16:21; Isa. 19:2; forbidden, 2 Chr. 11:4; averted, Josh. 22:11-34. Enemy harangued by general of opposing side, 2 Kin. 1...

  • No

    [ebd] or No-A'mon, the home of Amon, the name of Thebes, the ancient capital of what is called the Middle Empire, in Upper or Southern Egypt. "The multitude of No" (Jer. 46:25) is more correctly rendered, as in the Revised Version...
    [nave] NO, a city on the Nile, Jer. 46:25; Ezek. 30:14-16; Nah. 3:8.

  • 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...
    [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.

  • Carmel

    [isbe] CARMEL - kar'-mel (karmel, or, with article, ha-karmel, "fruit garden"; Josephus, ho Karmelos, Karmelion oros): (1) A beautifully wooded mountain range running for about 13 miles in a south-easterly direction from the promon...
    [nave] CARMEL 1. A fertile and picturesque mountain in Palestine, Song 7:5; Isa. 33:9; 35:2; Jer. 46:18; 50:19; Amos 1:2. Forests of, 2 Kin. 19:23. Caves of, Amos 9:3; Mic. 7:14. An idolatrous high place upon; Elijah builds an a...

  • Tahpanhes

    [isbe] TAHPANHES - ta'-pan-hez, ta-pan'-hez (usually in the Old Testament tachpanchec; Septuagint Taphnas; Coptic, Taphnes): The various spellings of the Hebrew text are fairly well indicated in the King James Version by Tahapanes ...
    [nave] TAHPANHES, called also Tahapanes and Tehaphnehes. A city in Egypt, Jer. 2:16; 43:7-9; 44:1; 46:14; Ezek. 30:18.

  • AMON

    [ebd] builder. (1.) The governor of Samaria in the time of Ahab. The prophet Micaiah was committed to his custody (1 Kings 22:26; 2 Chr. 18:25). (2.) The son of Manasseh, and fourteenth king of Judah. He restored idolatry, and set...
    [isbe] AMON - a'-mon ('amon): A name identical with that of the Egyptian local deity of Thebes (No); compare Jer 46:25. The foreign name given to a Hebrew prince is remarkable, as is also the fact that it is one of the two or three...

  • THEBES

    [smith] (Authorized Version No, the multitude of No. populous No), a chief cite of ancient Egypt, long the capital of the upper country, and the seat of the Diospolitan dynasties, that ruled over all Egypt at the era of its highest s...

  • NO-AMON

    [isbe] NO-AMON - no-a'-mon (no' 'amon, Egyptian nut, "a city," with the feminine ending t, and Amon, proper name of a god, City Amon, i.e. the "City," paragraph excellence, of the god Amon; translated in the King James Version "pop...
    [smith] (temple of Amon) (Nahum 3:8) No, (Jeremiah 46:25; Ezekiel 30:14,16) a city of Egypt, better known under the name of Thebes or Diospolis Magna, the ancient and splendid metropolis of upper Egypt The second part of the first fo...

  • HEIFER

    [ebd] Heb. 'eglah, (Deut. 21:4, 6; Jer. 46:20). Untrained to the yoke (Hos. 10:11); giving milk (Isa. 7:21); ploughing (Judg. 14:18); treading out grain (Jer. 50:11); unsubdued to the yoke an emblem of Judah (Isa. 15:5; Jer. 48:34...
    [isbe] HEIFER - hef'-er (parah, in Nu 19(see following article) and Hos 4:16; `eghlah, elsewhere in the Old Testament; damalis, in Heb 9:13):For the "heifer of three years old" in the King James Version, the Revised Version margin ...

  • Tabor

    [ebd] a height. (1.) Now Jebel et-Tur, a cone-like prominent mountain, 11 miles west of the Sea of Galilee. It is about 1,843 feet high. The view from the summit of it is said to be singularly extensive and grand. This is alluded ...
    [nave] TABOR 1. A mountain on the border of Issachar, Josh. 19:22; Judg. 8:18; Psa. 89:12; Jer. 46:18; Hos. 5:1. Assembling place of Barak's army, Judg. 4:6, 12, 14. 2. A plain of unknown location, 1 Sam. 10:3. 3. A Levitical ci...
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Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • 7:1-2 These verses contain both physical and metaphorical compliments. Verse 1 seems to refer to the Shulammite's body, but verse 2 goes beyond that. It seems to convey the idea that she was Solomon's drink and food, "that he...
  • 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...
  • The recurrence of the Hebrew word massa', translated "oracle"or "burden,"prescribes the boundaries of this section of text.140These chapters present the nations over which Immanuel is ruler, and they expand the idea of God's ...
  • This section of Isaiah on "The Lord's redemption of His servant [Israel]"(44:23-47:15) has included an announcement of redemption (44:23-28), the identification of the instrument of redemption, Cyrus (45:1-13), and a reminder...
  • The biblical records of the times in which Jeremiah ministered are 2 Kings 21-25 and 2 Chronicles 33-36. His contemporary prophets were Zephaniah and Habakkuk before the Exile, and Ezekiel and Daniel after it began.King Manas...
  • 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 Book of Jeremiah is not theologically organized in the sense that it develops a certain theological emphasis as it unfolds, as Isaiah does. Rather it presents certain theological truths in greater or lesser degree through...
  • 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...
  • 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....
  • The first series of prophetic announcements, reflections, and incidents that comprise this part of the book deals with Jeremiah's ministry to his own people.64The second main division of the book contains oracles against fore...
  • This prophecy about Israel's neighbors anticipates chapters 46-51, which contain oracles against Gentile nations.12:14 The Lord promised to judge Judah's neighbor nations that had robbed His people of what the Lord had given ...
  • 25:15 The Lord instructed Jeremiah to take from His hand, figuratively, a cup of His wrath and to cause all the nations to whom the Lord would send him to drink from it. The cup is a common figure for the wrath of God in Scri...
  • 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...
  • In Jeremiah, prophecies concerning foreign nations come at the end of the book. In the other major prophets, Isaiah and Ezekiel, they come after oracles against Israel and or Judah and before oracles dealing with Israel's res...
  • 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 ...
  • This oracle is similar to the one in Isaiah 15 and 16.555Other oracles against Moab appear in Ezekiel 25:8-11, Amos 2:1-3, and Zephaniah 2:9, but this is the longest one. It is very difficult to say when Jeremiah gave this or...
  • The Ammonites lived north of the Moabites, north of the Arnon River for most of their history, and east of the tribal territories of Gad and Reuben. However, the Ammonites had taken over some Israelite territory in Transjorda...
  • 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...
  • It is appropriate that this section appears at this point in Ezekiel, between the messages announcing judgment on Judah and Jerusalem for sin (chs. 4-24) and the messages announcing future blessings for Israel (chs. 33-48). I...
  • Ezekiel previously recorded an oracle against Ammon (21:28-32). Its placement there was evidently due to the presence of "sword of the Lord"terminology in that oracle, which the other prophecies in that chapter also contain.2...
  • 25:8 The residents of Moab and Seir (Edom) had regarded Judah as just one of the other nations even though the Judahites were blood relatives of theirs (cf. Jer. 48:27; Zeph. 2:8-9). This attitude reflected disrespect for Yah...
  • Ezekiel concluded his oracles against foreign nations with seven messages the Lord gave him concerning the fate of Egypt, one of Israel's most ancient and powerful enemies (cf. Isa. 31:1; Jer. 2:36; 46:1-26). God controls eve...
  • 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...
  • An oracle is a message of judgment. Amos proceeded to deliver eight of these, seven against Israel's neighbors including Judah (1:3-2:5) and one against Israel (2:6-6:14).12The order is significant. The nations mentioned firs...
  • Zephaniah's oracle against Ethiopia is very brief (cf. Isa. 18-20; Jer. 46; Ezek. 29-32).23Biblical Ethiopia occupied the territory now held by southern Egypt, Sudan, and northern Ethiopia. The Ethiopians were the southernmos...
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