Jeremiah 42:3

3 that the Lord your God may tell us the way we should walk and the thing we should do."

Jeremiah 42:3 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 42:3

That the Lord thy God may show us the way wherein we may walk,
&c.] Not the way of their duty as to religious worship, or their moral conversation, which was the way of God's commandments, and had been shown them, and they knew it; but which way they should steer their course for their safety; they had departed from Mizpah of themselves, and had taken up their dwelling at Geruthchimham, in the way to Egypt; whither they had set their faces, and where their hearts were, only they wanted the Lord's sanction for it, pretending they would be directed by him: and the thing that we should do;
the steps they should take in order to proceed; and what they should do before they left their own country, and went into another.

Jeremiah 42:3 In-Context

1 Then all the commanders of the armies, along with Johanan son of Kareah, Jazaniah son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least to the greatest, approached

2 Jeremiah the prophet and said, "May our petition come before you; pray to the Lord your God on our behalf, on behalf of this entire remnant (for few of us remain out of the many, as you can see with your own eyes),

3 that the Lord your God may tell us the way we should walk and the thing we should do."

4 So Jeremiah the prophet said to them, "I have heard. I will now pray to the Lord your God according to your words, and every word that the Lord answers you I will tell you; I won't withhold a word from you."

5 And they said to Jeremiah, "As for every word the Lord your God sends you to [tell] us, if we don't act accordingly, may the Lord be a true and faithful witness against us.