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Text -- Jeremiah 46:2-28 (NET)
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Context
The Prophecy about Egypt’s Defeat at Carchemish
46:2 He spoke about Egypt and the army of Pharaoh Necho king of Egypt which was encamped along the Euphrates River at Carchemish . Now this was the army that King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon defeated in the fourth year that Jehoiakim son of Josiah was ruling over Judah .
46:3 “Fall into ranks with your shields ready! Prepare to march into battle !
46:4 Harness the horses to the chariots! Mount your horses ! Put on your helmets and take your positions! Sharpen you spears ! Put on your armor !
46:5 What do I see ?” says the Lord . “The soldiers are terrified . They are retreating . They have been defeated . They are overcome with terror ; they desert quickly without looking back .
46:6 But even the swiftest cannot get away . Even the strongest cannot escape . There in the north by the Euphrates River they stumble and fall in defeat.
46:7 “Who is this that rises like the Nile , like its streams turbulent at flood stage?
46:8 Egypt rises like the Nile , like its streams turbulent at flood stage. Egypt says , ‘I will arise and cover the earth . I will destroy cities and the people who inhabit them.’
46:9 Go ahead and charge into battle , you horsemen ! Drive furiously , you charioteers ! Let the soldiers march out into battle, those from Ethiopia and Libya who carry shields , and those from Lydia who are armed with the bow .
46:10 But that day belongs to the Lord God who rules over all . It is the day when he will pay back his enemies . His sword will devour them until its appetite is satisfied ! It will drink their blood until it is full ! For the Lord God who rules over all will offer them up as a sacrifice in the land of the north by the Euphrates River .
46:11 Go up to Gilead and get medicinal ointment , you dear poor people of Egypt . But it will prove useless no matter how much medicine you use; there will be no healing for you.
46:12 The nations will hear of your devastating defeat . your cries of distress will echo throughout the earth . In the panic of their flight one soldier will trip over another and both of them will fall down defeated.”
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 .”
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Names, People and Places, Dictionary Themes and Topics
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Names, People and Places:
Dictionary Themes and Topics:
Egypt |
EZEKIEL, 1 |
ISAIAH, 1-7 |
Nebuchadnezzar |
JEREMIAH (2) |
NEBUCHADNEZZAR, OR NEBUCHADREZZAR |
Euphrates |
Babylon |
War |
Noph |
Pharaoh |
Memphis |
Locust |
Carchemish |
Balm |
No |
Migdol |
ARMOR; ARMS |
ARMY |
Brigandine |
more
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expand allCommentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes
NET Notes -> Jer 46:2; Jer 46:2; Jer 46:3; Jer 46:5; Jer 46:5; Jer 46:5; Jer 46:5; Jer 46:5; Jer 46:6; Jer 46:6; Jer 46:7; Jer 46:7; Jer 46:9; Jer 46:9; Jer 46:9; Jer 46:10; Jer 46:10; Jer 46:10; Jer 46:10; Jer 46:10; Jer 46:11; Jer 46:11; Jer 46:11; Jer 46:12; Jer 46:12; Jer 46:13; Jer 46:13; Jer 46:14; Jer 46:14; Jer 46:14; Jer 46:15; Jer 46:15; Jer 46:15; Jer 46:16; Jer 46:16; Jer 46:16; Jer 46:17; Jer 46:17; Jer 46:18; Jer 46:18; Jer 46:18; Jer 46:18; Jer 46:19; Jer 46:19; Jer 46:20; Jer 46:21; Jer 46:21; Jer 46:21; Jer 46:22; Jer 46:22; Jer 46:23; Jer 46:23; Jer 46:24; Jer 46:25; Jer 46:25; Jer 46:25; Jer 46:25; Jer 46:26; Jer 46:27; Jer 46:27; Jer 46:27; Jer 46:28; Jer 46:28
NET Notes: Jer 46:2 Heb “Concerning Egypt: Concerning the army of Pharaoh Necho king of Egypt which was beside the Euphrates River at Carchemish which Nebuchadnezza...
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NET Notes: Jer 46:3 This is often translated “prepare your shields, both small and large.” However, the idea of “prepare” is misleading because th...
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NET Notes: Jer 46:6 Heb “they stumble and fall.” However, the verbs here are used of a fatal fall, of a violent death in battle (see BDB 657 s.v. נ...
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NET Notes: Jer 46:7 The hubris of the Egyptian Pharaoh is referred to in vv. 7-8 as he compares his might to that of the Nile River whose annual flooding was responsible ...
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NET Notes: Jer 46:10 Heb “the Lord Yahweh of armies.” See the study note at 2:19 for the translation and significance of this title for God.
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NET Notes: Jer 46:12 The words “In the panic of their flight” and “defeated” are not in the text but are supplied in the translation to give clarit...
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NET Notes: Jer 46:13 Though there is much debate in the commentaries regarding the dating and reference of this prophecy, it most likely refers to a time shortly after 604...
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NET Notes: Jer 46:14 Heb “For the sword devours those who surround you.” The “sword” is again figurative of destructive forces. Here it is a refere...
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NET Notes: Jer 46:15 Heb “the Lord will thrust them down.” However, the Lord is speaking (cf. clearly in v. 18), so the first person is adopted for the sake of...
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NET Notes: Jer 46:16 Heb “to our native lands from before the sword of the oppressor.” The compound preposition “from before” is regularly used in ...
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NET Notes: Jer 46:17 Heb “he has let the appointed time pass him by.” It is unclear what is meant by the reference to “appointed time” other than t...
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NET Notes: Jer 46:18 Most of the commentaries point out that neither Tabor nor Carmel are all that tall in terms of sheer height. Mount Tabor, on the east end of the Jezre...
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NET Notes: Jer 46:19 For the verb here see HALOT 675 s.v. II נָצָה Nif and compare the usage in Jer 4:7; 9:11 and 2 Kgs 19:25. BDB derives th...
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NET Notes: Jer 46:20 Heb “Egypt is a beautiful heifer. A gadfly from the north will come against her.”The metaphors have been turned into similes for the sake ...
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NET Notes: Jer 46:21 The temporal use of the particle כִּי (ki; BDB 472 s.v. כִּי 2.a) seems more appropriate to the contex...
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NET Notes: Jer 46:22 Several commentators point out the irony of the snake slithering away (or hissing away) in retreat. The coiled serpent was a part of the royal insigni...
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NET Notes: Jer 46:23 The precise meaning of this verse is uncertain. The Hebrew text reads: “They [those who enter in great force] will cut down her forest, oracle o...
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NET Notes: Jer 46:25 Heb “Behold I will punish Amon of No and Pharaoh and Egypt and its gods and its kings and Pharaoh and all who trust in him.” There appears...
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NET Notes: Jer 46:27 Heb “For I will rescue you from far away, your descendants from the land of their captivity.”
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