Jeremiah 43:4-13

4 And Johanan, the son of Kareah, and all the princes of warriors, and all the people, heard not the voice of the Lord, that they dwell in the land of Judah. (And so Johanan, the son of Kareah, and all the leaders of the warriors, and all the people, did not obey the voice of the Lord, that they should remain in the land of Judah.)

5 But Johanan, the son of Kareah, and all the princes of warriors, took all of the remnants of Judah, that turned again from all folks, to which they were scattered before, that they should dwell in the land of Judah; (But Johanan, the son of Kareah, and all the leaders of the warriors, took all the remnant of Judah, who returned from all the nations, to which they were scattered before, so that they could live in the land of Judah;)

6 they took men, and women, and little children, and the daughters of the king, and each person, whom Nebuzaradan, the prince of [the] chivalry, had left with Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan. And they took Jeremy, the prophet, and Baruch, the son of Neriah, (yea, they took the men, and the women, and the little children, and the king's daughters, and each person, whom Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, had left with Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan. And they took the prophet Jeremiah, and Baruch, the son of Neriah,)

7 and they entered into the land of Egypt; for they obeyed not to the voice of the Lord (for they did not obey the voice of the Lord), and they came unto Tahpanhes.

8 And the word of the Lord was made to Jeremy in Tahpanhes, and said,

9 Take in thine hand great stones, and hide thou those in a den, which is under the wall of tilestone, in the gate of the house of Pharaoh, in Tahpanhes, while all the Jews see it. (Take some great stones in thy hands, and hide thou them in the clay, which is under the wall made out of tilestone, or out of bricks, at the gate of the house of Pharaoh, in Tahpanhes, and let the people of Judah, or the Jews, see thee do it.)

10 And thou shalt say to them, The Lord of hosts, God of Israel, saith these things, Lo! I shall send (for), and I shall take (in hand) Nebuchadnezzar, my servant, the king of Babylon; and I shall set his throne on these stones, which I [have] hid; and he shall set his seat on those stones (yea, he shall set his throne upon these stones).

11 And he shall come, and smite the land of Egypt (and shall strike the land of Egypt), (those) which in(to) death into death, and (those) which in(to) captivity into captivity, and (those) which in(to) sword into sword.

12 And he shall kindle (a) fire in the temples of [the] gods of Egypt, and he shall burn those temples, and shall lead them prisoners, (that is, he shall carry off the gods of those temples as prey); and the land of Egypt shall be wrapped, as a shepherd is wrapped in his mantle; and he shall go out from thence in peace.

13 And he shall all-break the images of the house of the sun, that be in the land of Egypt; and he shall burn in fire the temples of the gods of Egypt. (And he shall all-break the idols of Bethshemesh, that be in the land of Egypt; and he shall burn down the temples of the gods of Egypt.)

Jeremiah 43:4-13 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JEREMIAH 43

This chapter contains the answer of the princes and people to the prophet's message; a relation of their going into Egypt; and a prophecy of the destruction of that land. The persons that gave the answer are described, some by name, and all by their character; and the time of their giving it is mentioned, in which they charge the prophet with a falsehood; impute the whole to an instigation of Baruch, and an ill design of his, and so were disobedient to the command of God, Jer 43:1-4; and went into Egypt, and carried all with them, of every rank, age, and sex, and even Baruch, and the prophet too, and came to Tahpanhes, the seat of the kings of Egypt, Jer 43:5-7; upon this a prophecy is delivered out, concerning the destruction of that country, which is signified by a symbol explained; the person, the instrument of it, is mentioned by name, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; the devastation he should make is expressed by slaying with the sword, and carrying into captivity; by burning the temples of their gods, and breaking their images in pieces, Jer 43:8-13.