Jeremiah 46:13-26

13 The word that the Lord spoke to Jeremiah the prophet about the coming of ¹Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to strike the land of Egypt:

14 “Declare in Egypt, and proclaim in ²Migdol; proclaim in ³Memphis and ⁴Tahpanhes; say, ⁵‘Stand ready and be prepared, for ⁶the sword shall devour around you. ’

15 Why are your mighty ones face down? They do not stand^[a] because the Lord thrust them down.

16 He made many stumble, ⁷and they fell, and they said one to another, ‘Arise, and let us go back to our own people and to the land of our birth, ⁸because of the sword of the oppressor. ’

17 Call the name of ⁹Pharaoh, king of Egypt, ‘Noisy one who lets the hour go by. ’

18 ¹⁰“As I live, declares the King, ¹¹whose name is the Lord of hosts, like ¹²Tabor among the mountains and like ¹³Carmel by the sea, shall one come.

19 ¹⁴Prepare yourselves baggage for exile, O ¹⁵inhabitants of Egypt! For ¹⁶Memphis shall become a waste, a ruin, ¹⁷without inhabitant.

20 “A beautiful ¹⁸heifer is Egypt, but a biting fly ¹⁹from the north has come upon her.

21 Even her hired soldiers in her midst are like ²⁰fattened calves; yes, they have turned and fled together; they did not stand, for the day of their calamity has come upon them, ²¹the time of their punishment.

22 “She makes ²²a sound like a serpent gliding away; for her enemies march in force and come against her with axes ²³like those who fell trees.

23 ²⁴They shall cut down her forest, declares the Lord, though it is impenetrable, because ²⁵they are more numerous than locusts; they are without number.

24 The daughter of Egypt shall be put to shame; she shall be delivered into the hand of ²⁶a people from the north. ”

25 The Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, said: “Behold, I am bringing punishment upon ²⁷Amon of ²⁸Thebes, and Pharaoh and Egypt ²⁹and her gods and her kings, upon Pharaoh and those who trust in him.

26 ³⁰I will deliver them into the hand of those who seek their life, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and his officers. ³¹Afterward Egypt shall be inhabited ³²as in the days of old, declares the Lord.

Jeremiah 46:13-26 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JEREMIAH 46

This chapter contains two prophecies relating to Egypt; one concerning the overthrow of Pharaohnecho, king of it, which was quickly accomplished; and the other concerning the destruction of the land, fulfilled many years after, and both by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and the chapter is concluded with a word of comfort to the people of Israel. It begins with a general title to prophecies in this and the five following chapters, Jer 46:1; then follows a particular prophecy of the route of Pharaoh's army; of the place where, and time when, Jer 46:2; the preparations of the Egyptians for the battle, with a variety of warlike instruments, Jer 46:3,4; the consternation, flight, and destruction of them, Jer 46:5,6; notwithstanding their confidence of getting the victory, Jer 46:7-9; the reason of it, because it was the day of the Lord's vengeance on them, and therefore their ruin was inevitable, Jer 46:10,11; the consequence of which was shame and confusion, Jer 46:12; next follows another prophecy of the destruction of the land itself by Nebuchadnezzar, Jer 46:13; the places that should be destroyed, Jer 46:14,19,25; the multitude that should be slain, Jer 46:15-17; a description of the calamity; the instrument, manner, and consequence of it, Jer 46:20-24; the certainty of it, Jer 46:18,25,26; and the whole is closed with a promise of the return of the Jews, and of their salvation; though they should not be without divine corrections, Jer 46:27,28.

Cross References

• 1. 46:13 ch. 43:10, 11; 44:30; [Isa. 19:4; Ezek. 29:10]
• 2. 46:14 See ch. 44:1
• 3. 46:14 See ch. 44:1
• 4. 46:14 See ch. 44:1
• 5. 46:14 [ver. 3, 4]
• 6. 46:14 [ver. 10]
• 7. 46:16 Lev. 26:37
• 8. 46:16 ch. 50:16
• 9. 46:17 [Isa. 30:7]
• 10. 46:18 See ch. 4:2
• 11. 46:18 ch. 48:15; 51:57; Isa. 47:4; 48:2
• 12. 46:18 Judg. 4:6
• 13. 46:18 1 Kgs. 18:42, 44
• 14. 46:19 [Ezek. 12:3]
• 15. 46:19 [ch. 48:18]
• 16. 46:19 See ch. 44:1
• 17. 46:19 See ch. 4:7
• 18. 46:20 [Hos. 10:11]
• 19. 46:20 ver. 6, 10, 24; See ch. 1:13
• 20. 46:21 Amos 6:4; Mal. 4:2
• 21. 46:21 ch. 50:27
• 22. 46:22 [Isa. 29:4]
• 23. 46:22 [Isa. 10:34; 14:8]
• 24. 46:23 [See ver. 22 above]
• 25. 46:23 [Judg. 6:5; 7:12]
• 26. 46:24 [See ver. 20 above]
• 27. 46:25 [Nah. 3:8]
• 28. 46:25 Ezek. 30:14, 15, 16
• 29. 46:25 See ch. 43:12
• 30. 46:26 ch. 44:30; Ezek. 30:4; 32:11
• 31. 46:26 Ezek. 29:13, 14; See Isa. 19:22-25
• 32. 46:26 Isa. 51:9

Footnotes

• [a] 46:15 Hebrew 'He does not stand'