Jeremiah 42:16

16 then the sword you fear will overtake you there, and the famine you dread will follow you into Egypt, and there you will die.

Jeremiah 42:16 in Other Translations

KJV
16 Then it shall come to pass, that the sword, which ye feared, shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine, whereof ye were afraid, shall follow close after you there in Egypt; and there ye shall die.
ESV
16 then the sword that you fear shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine of which you are afraid shall follow close after you to Egypt, and there you shall die.
NLT
16 the very war and famine you fear will catch up to you, and you will die there.
MSG
16 then the very wars you fear will catch up with you in Egypt and the starvation you dread will track you down in Egypt. You'll die there!
CSB
16 then the sword you fear will overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine you are worried about will follow on your heels there to Egypt, and you will die there.

Jeremiah 42:16 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 42:16

Then it shall come to pass
That the various judgments following should come upon them: [that] the sword, which ye feared, shall overtake you there in the land
of Egypt;
that is, the sword; of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, which they feared they should fall by in Judea; this should come after them in Egypt, and there overtake them, as it did; Egypt being destroyed by the king of Babylon, as it was foretold it should, ( Jeremiah 46:25 Jeremiah 46:26 ) ; and the famine, whereof you were afraid, shalt follow close after you
there in Egypt;
the famine they were afraid would come upon them in Judea, should pursue them, overtake them, seize on them, and cleave unto them, in Egypt; thus the evils they thought to escape, by moving from one place, should befall them in another; there is no fleeing from the presence, power, and hand of God: and there ye shall die;
either by the sword, or by famine, or by pestilence, as in the ( Jeremiah 42:17 ) .

Jeremiah 42:16 In-Context

14 and if you say, ‘No, we will go and live in Egypt, where we will not see war or hear the trumpet or be hungry for bread,’
15 then hear the word of the LORD, you remnant of Judah. This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you are determined to go to Egypt and you do go to settle there,
16 then the sword you fear will overtake you there, and the famine you dread will follow you into Egypt, and there you will die.
17 Indeed, all who are determined to go to Egypt to settle there will die by the sword, famine and plague; not one of them will survive or escape the disaster I will bring on them.’
18 This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘As my anger and wrath have been poured out on those who lived in Jerusalem, so will my wrath be poured out on you when you go to Egypt. You will be a curse and an object of horror, a curse and an object of reproach; you will never see this place again.’

Cross References 4

  • 1. S Leviticus 26:33; Ezekiel 11:8; Ezekiel 14:17
  • 2. S Jeremiah 41:18
  • 3. S Genesis 41:55
  • 4. S Genesis 2:17; 2 Chronicles 25:4; S Job 21:20; Ezekiel 3:19; Ezekiel 18:4
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