Jeremiah 44:20-30

Calamity for the Jews

20 Then Jeremiah said to all the people, to the men and women -even to all the people who were giving him such an answer -saying,

21 "As for the ¹smoking sacrifices that you burned in the cities of Judah and in the ²streets of Jerusalem, you and your forefathers, your kings and your princes, and the people of the land, did not the LORD ³remember them and did not all this come into His mind?

22 "So the LORD was ⁴no longer able to endure it, ⁵because * of the evil of your deeds, because * of the abominations which you have committed; thus your land has become a ⁶ruin, an object of horror and a curse, without an inhabitant, as it is this day.

23 "Because * you have burned sacrifices and have sinned against the LORD and ⁷not obeyed the voice of the LORD or ⁸walked in His law, His statutes or His testimonies, therefore * this ⁹calamity has befallen you, as it has this day."

24 Then Jeremiah said to all the people, including all the women, "¹⁰Hear the word of the LORD, all Judah who are ¹¹in the land of Egypt,

25 thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, as follows: 'As for you and your wives, you have spoken with your mouths and fulfilled it with your hands, saying, "We will ¹²certainly perform our vows that we have vowed, to burn sacrifices to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her." ¹³Go ahead and confirm your vows, and certainly perform your vows!'

26 "Nevertheless hear the word of the LORD, all Judah who are living in the land of Egypt, 'Behold, I have ¹⁴sworn by My great name,' says the LORD, '¹⁵never shall My name be invoked again by the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, "¹⁶As the Lord GOD lives."

27 'Behold, I am watching over them ¹⁷for harm and not for good, and ¹⁸all the men of Judah who are in the land of Egypt will meet their end by the sword and by famine until they are completely gone.

28 '¹⁹Those who escape the sword will return out of the land of Egypt to the land of Judah ²⁰few in number. Then all the remnant of Judah who have gone to the land of Egypt to reside there will know ²¹whose word will stand, Mine or theirs.

29 'This will be the ²²sign to you,' declares the LORD, 'that I am going to punish you in this place, so that you may know that ²³My words will surely stand against you for harm.'

30 "Thus says the LORD, 'Behold, I am going to give over ²⁴Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt to the hand of his enemies, to the hand of those who seek his life, just as I gave over ²⁵Zedekiah king of Judah to the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, who was his enemy and was seeking his life.' "

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Jeremiah 44:20-30 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JEREMIAH 44

This chapter contains a sermon of Jeremiah's to the Jews in Egypt, reproving them for their idolatry there; their answer to it, expressing their resolution to continue in their idolatrous practices; and a denunciation of judgments upon them, of which a sign is given. The sermon begins with observing to them the destruction of Jerusalem, and the causes of it, idolatry and contempt of the prophets, Jer 44:1-6; then follows an expostulation with the present Jews for doing the same things, and exposing themselves and their posterity to the same punishment, Jer 44:7-10; upon which they are threatened with the sore judgments of God that should come upon them, and cut them off in general, Jer 44:11-14; yet such were the impudence and obstinacy of this people, that they declared they would not hearken to the prophet, but persist in their idolatry; it having been better with them when they practised it than when they left it, Jer 44:15-19; to which the prophet replies by observing, that for the idolatry of their fathers their land was become a desolation and a curse, as at this day, Jer 44:20-23; and assures them that destruction would come from the Lord upon them, which he had swore to, Jer 44:24-28; and a sign of it is given; the delivery of the king of Egypt into the hand of the king of Babylon, Jer 44:29,30.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 25

1. Ezekiel 8:10, 11
2. Jeremiah 11:13; Jeremiah 44:9, 17
3. Psalms 79:8; Isaiah 64:9; Jeremiah 14:10; Hosea 7:2; Amos 8:7
4. Isaiah 7:13; Isaiah 43:24; Malachi 2:17
5. Jeremiah 4:4; Jeremiah 21:12; Jeremiah 30:14
6. Genesis 19:13; Psalms 107:33, 34; Jer 25:11, 18, 38; Jeremiah 29:18; Jeremiah 42:18; Jeremiah 44:12
7. Jeremiah 7:13-15; Jeremiah 40:3
8. Jeremiah 44:10; Psalms 119:136, 150
9. 1 Kings 9:9; Nehemiah 13:18; Jeremiah 44:2; Daniel 9:11, 12
10. Jeremiah 42:15; Jeremiah 44:16
11. Jeremiah 43:7; Jeremiah 44:15, 26
12. Jeremiah 44:17; Matthew 14:9; Acts 23:12
13. Ezekiel 20:39
14. Genesis 22:16; Deuteronomy 32:40, 41; Jeremiah 22:5; Amos 6:8; Hebrews 6:13
15. Psalms 50:16; Ezekiel 20:39
16. Isaiah 48:1, 2; Jeremiah 5:2
17. Jeremiah 1:10; Jeremiah 31:28; Jeremiah 39:16
18. 2 Kings 21:14; Jeremiah 44:14
19. Jeremiah 44:14
20. Isaiah 10:19; Isaiah 27:12, 13
21. Psalms 33:11; Isaiah 14:27; Isaiah 46:10, 11; Zechariah 1:6
22. Isaiah 7:11, 14; Isaiah 8:18; Jeremiah 44:30; Matt 24:15, 16, 32
23. Proverbs 19:21; Isaiah 40:8
24. Jeremiah 43:9-13; Jeremiah 46:25; Ezekiel 29:3; Ezekiel 30:21
25. 2 Kings 25:4-7; Jeremiah 34:21; Jeremiah 39:5-7

Footnotes 10

[a]. Or "incense"
[b]. Lit "heart"
[c]. Or "incense"
[d]. Or "incense"
[e]. Lit "Surely cause to stand"
[f]. Lit "Therefore"
[g]. Heb "YHWH," usually rendered LORD
[h]. Lit "be finished"
[i]. Lit "come to an end"
[j]. Lit "men of number"