Jeremiah 46:7

7 Who is this that rises like the Nile, like a river flooding its banks?

Jeremiah 46:7 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 46:7

Who [is] this [that] cometh up as a flood
These are either the words of the prophet, who having a vision in prophecy of the march of the Egyptian army from the south to the north, which he compares to a flood; in allusion to the river Nile, which used to overflow its banks, and spread itself over the land; because of the vast numbers of which it consisted; because of the noise it made, and, because of its rapidity and force, threatening to bear all down before it; as wondering, asks, who it was, whose army it was, and to whom it belonged? or they are the words of God, who puts this question, in order to, give an answer to it, and thereby upbraid the Egyptians with their arrogance, pride, and vanity; which would all come to nothing: whose waters are moved as the rivers?
whose numerous armies came with a great noise and force, like the openings of the Nile, the seven gates of it; which were very boisterous, especially in hard gales of wind: it is no unusual thing for large armies to be compared to floods and rivers, which move forcibly and swiftly, and make a large spread; see ( Isaiah 8:7 Isaiah 8:8 ) ( Ezekiel 26:3 Ezekiel 26:19 ) . The Targum is,

``who is this that comes up with his army as a cloud, and covers the earth, and as a fountain of water, whose waters are moved?''

Jeremiah 46:7 In-Context

5 "But what do I see?" asks the Lord. "They are turning back in terror. Their soldiers are beaten back; overcome with fear, they run as fast as they can and do not look back.
6 Those who run fast cannot get away; the soldiers cannot escape. In the north, by the Euphrates, they stumble and fall.
7 Who is this that rises like the Nile, like a river flooding its banks?
8 It is Egypt, rising like the Nile, like a river flooding its banks. Egypt said, "I will rise and cover the world; I will destroy cities and the people who live there.
9 Command the horses to go and the chariots to roll! Send out the soldiers: men from Ethiopia and Libya, carrying shields, and skilled archers from Lydia.' "
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.