Jeremiah 44:1

1 The Message that Jeremiah received for all the Judeans who lived in the land of Egypt, who had their homes in Migdol, Tahpanhes, Noph, and the land of Pathros:

Jeremiah 44:1 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 44:1

The word which came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews which
dwell in the land of Egypt
Or, "unto all the Jews" F20; the word came to him, that it might be delivered to them; or, "against all the Jews" F21; they having gone into Egypt contrary to the will of God, and committing idolatry; and the word or sermon is full of threatenings and judgments denounced upon them: which dwell at Migdol, and at Tahpanhes, and at Noph, and in the
country of Pathros:
this prophecy was delivered after the Jews were come to Tahpanhes, or Daphne; see ( Jeremiah 43:7 ) ; and had divided themselves, and were settled in different parts of the kingdom: some continued at Tahpanhes, where were the king's court and palace: others went to Migdol, a place near the Red sea, just at the entrance into Egypt, from the land of Canaan, ( Exodus 14:2 ) ; called, by Herodotus, Magdolus F23; and by Adrichomius F24 said to be distant about a mile and a quarter from Pelusium, or Sin, the strength of Egypt, ( Ezekiel 30:15 ) ; others took up their residence at Noph, generally thought to be the city of Memphis. The Targum calls it Mappas; the same which is now called Grand Cairo; or, however, this city is near the place where Memphis stood: others dwelt in the country of Pathros, which perhaps had its name from Pathrusim, a son of Mizraim, ( Genesis 10:13 Genesis 10:14 ) . It is thought by Bochart and others to be the country of Thebais in Egypt, the same with the Nomos Phanturites, or Phaturites, of Pliny F25; and in this country Jeremiah seems to have been when this word came to him, ( Jeremiah 44:15 ) ; and from hence sent or carried it to the other places: saying; as follows:


FOOTNOTES:

F20 (Mydwhyh lk la) "ad omnes Judaeos", V. L. Castalio, Cocceius, Schmidt; "erga omnes", Pagninus, Montanus.
F21 "Contra omnes Judaeos", Junius & Tremellius; "de, [vel] contra", Piscator.
F23 Euterpe, sive l. 2. c. 159.
F24 Theatrum Terrae Sanct. p. 121.
F25 Nat. Hist. l. 5. c. 9.

Jeremiah 44:1 In-Context

1 The Message that Jeremiah received for all the Judeans who lived in the land of Egypt, who had their homes in Migdol, Tahpanhes, Noph, and the land of Pathros:
2 "This is what God-of-the-Angel-Armies, the God of Israel, says: 'You saw with your own eyes the terrible doom that I brought down on Jerusalem and the Judean cities. Look at what's left: ghost towns of rubble and smoking ruins,
3 and all because they took up with evil ways, making me angry by going off to offer sacrifices and worship the latest in gods - no-gods that neither they nor you nor your ancestors knew the first thing about.
4 Morning after morning and long into the night I kept after you, sending you all those prophets, my servants, begging you, "Please, please - don't do this, don't fool around in this loathsome gutter of gods that I hate with a passion."
5 But do you think anyone paid the least bit of attention or repented of evil or quit offering sacrifices to the no-gods? Not one.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.