Jeremiah 46:2

2 This message concerning Egypt was given in the fourth year of the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, the king of Judah, on the occasion of the battle of Carchemish when Pharaoh Neco, king of Egypt, and his army were defeated beside the Euphrates River by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.

Jeremiah 46:2 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 46:2

Against Egypt
This is the title of the first prophecy against Egypt; which is the first mentioned, because first accomplished; and because the Jews placed great confidence in and much relied on the Egyptians for help: against the army of Pharaohnecho king of Egypt;
who is by Herodotus

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FOOTNOTES:

F17 called Necos; he was the son and successor of Psammitichus, and was succeeded by his son Psammis; and he by Apries, the same with Pharaohhophra, ( Jeremiah 44:30 ) ; the Targum calls this king Pharaoh the lame: which was by the river Euphrates in Carchemish;
of which place (See Gill on Isaiah 10:9); this being in the land of the king of Assyria, as appears from the same place. Pharaohnecho, in Josiah's time, came up against him, in order to take it from him; but whether he did or no is not certain; see ( 2 Kings 23:29 ) ( 2 Chronicles 35:20 ) ; however, he appeared at the same place a second time, against the king of Babylon, into whose hands it was now very probably fallen, with the whole Assyrian monarchy; and here, in this second battle, his army was routed, as follows: which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon smote in the fourth year of
Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah;
when he took away from the king of Egypt all that belonged to him between the Nile and Euphrates, so that he came no more out of his land, ( 2 Kings 24:7 ) . Kimchi and Abarbinel think there was but one expedition of Pharaohnecho; and that the siege of Carchemish continued to the fourth year of Jehoiakim; when he met with an entire overthrow from the king of Babylon, which God suffered as a judgment on him for killing Josiah. This, according to Bishop Usher, was in the year of the world 3397, and before Christ 607; and, according to the Universal History, in the year of the world 3396, and before Christ 608.
F17 L. 2. sive Euterpe, c. 158.

Jeremiah 46:2 In-Context

1 The following messages were given to Jeremiah the prophet from the LORD concerning foreign nations.

2 This message concerning Egypt was given in the fourth year of the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, the king of Judah, on the occasion of the battle of Carchemish when Pharaoh Neco, king of Egypt, and his army were defeated beside the Euphrates River by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.

3 “Prepare your shields, and advance into battle!

4 Harness the horses, and mount the stallions. Take your positions. Put on your helmets. Sharpen your spears, and prepare your armor.

5 But what do I see? The Egyptian army flees in terror. The bravest of its fighting men run without a backward glance. They are terrorized at every turn,” says the LORD .

Footnotes

• [a]. This event occurred in 605, during the fourth year of Jehoiakim’s reign (according to the calendar system in which the new year begins in the spring).
• [b]. Hebrew Nebuchadrezzar, a variant spelling of Nebuchadnezzar; also in 46:13, 26 .