Yirmeyah 42

1 2 Then all the army officers, and Yochanan Ben Kareach, and Yezanyah Ben Hoshayah, and kol HaAm from the katon even unto the gadol, came near,

2 And said unto Yirmeyah HaNavi, Let, now, techinnatenu (our supplication) be accepted before thee, and pray on our behalf unto Hashem Eloheicha, even on behalf of all this she’erit (remnant); (for we are left but a few of many, as thine eyes canst see;)

3 That Hashem Eloheicha may show us the derech wherein we should walk, and the thing that we should do.

4 Then Yirmeyah HaNavi said unto them, I have heard you; hineni, I will pray unto Hashem Eloheichem according to your devarim; and it shall come to pass, that whatsoever thing Hashem shall answer you, I will declare it unto you; I will keep nothing back from you.

5 Then they said to Yirmeyah, Hashem be an ed emes v’ne’eman (true and faithful witness) against us, if we do not act even according to all things for the which Hashem Eloheicha shall send thee to us.

6 Whether it be tov, or whether it be rah, we will obey the voice of Hashem Eloheinu, to Whom we send thee; that it may be well with us, when we obey the voice of Hashem Eloheinu.

7 And it came to pass after aseret yamim (ten days), that the Devar Hashem came unto Yirmeyah.

8 Then he called Yochanan Ben Kareach, and all the army officers which were with him, and kol HaAm from the katon even to the gadol,

9 And said unto them, Thus saith Hashem Elohei Yisroel, unto Whom ye sent me to present your techinnah before Him;

10 If ye will still abide in this land, then will I build you up, and not pull you down, and I will plant you, and not uproot you; for I relent Me of the ra’ah that I have brought upon you.

11 Be not afraid of Melech Bavel, of whom ye are afraid; be not afraid of him, saith Hashem; for I am with you to save you, and to deliver you from his yad.

12 And I will show rachamim unto you, that he will have compassion upon you, and cause you to return to your own land.

13 But if ye say, We will not dwell in this land, disobeying the voice of Hashem Eloheichem,

14 Saying, No; but we will go into Eretz Mitzrayim, where we shall see no milchamah, nor hear the sound of the shofar, nor have hunger for lechem; and there will we dwell;

15 And now therefore hear the Devar Hashem, ye She’erit Yehudah (Remnant of Judah). Thus saith Hashem Tzva’os Elohei Yisroel: If ye wholly set your faces to go to Mitzrayim, and go to sojourn there,

16 Then it shall come to pass, that the cherev, which ye feared, shall overtake you there in Eretz Mitzrayim, and the ra’av (famine), whereof ye were afraid, shall follow close after you there in Mitzrayim; and there ye shall die.

17 So shall it be with all the anashim that set their faces to go into Mitzrayim to sojourn there; they shall die by the cherev, by the ra’av (famine), and by the dever; and none of them shall remain or escape from the ra’ah (disaster) that I will bring upon them.

18 For thus saith Hashem Tzva’os Elohei Yisroel: As Mine anger and My wrath hath been poured forth upon the inhabitants of Yerushalayim, so shall My wrath be poured forth upon you, when ye shall enter into Mitzrayim; and ye shall be an oath, and a horror, and a kelalah (curse), and a cherpah; and ye shall see this makom no more.

19 Hashem hath said concerning you, O ye she’erit Yehudah; Go ye not into Mitzrayim; know certainly that I have warned you, this day.

20 For ye acted deceitfully, erring in your nafshot, when ye sent me unto Hashem Eloheichem, saying, Pray on our behalf unto Hashem Eloheinu; and according unto all that Hashem Eloheinu shall say, so declare unto us, and we will do it.

21 And now I have this day declared it to you; but ye have not obeyed the voice of Hashem Eloheichem, nor anything for the which He hath sent me unto you.

22 Now therefore know certainly that ye shall die by the cherev, by the ra’av (famine), and by the dever, in the makom where ye desire to go and to sojourn.

Yirmeyah 42 Commentary

Chapter 42

Johanan desires Jeremiah to ask counsel of God. (1-6) They are assured of safety in Judea, but of destruction in Egypt. (7-22)

Verses 1-6 To serve a turn, Jeremiah is sought out, and the captains ask for his assistance. In every difficult, doubtful case, we must look to God for direction; and we may still, in faith, pray to be guided by a spirit of wisdom in our hearts, and the leadings of Providence. We do not truly desire to know the mind of God, if we do not fully resolve to comply with it when we know it. Many promise to do what the Lord requires, while they hope to have their pride flattered, and their favourite lusts spared. Yet something betrays the state of their hearts.

Verses 7-22 If we would know the mind of the Lord in doubtful cases, we must wait as well as pray. God is ever ready to return in mercy to those he has afflicted; and he never rejects any who rely on his promises. He has declared enough to silence even the causeless fears of his people, which discourge them in the way of duty. Whatever loss or suffering we may fear from obedience, is provided against in God's word; and he will protect and deliver all who trust in him and serve him. It is folly to quit our place, especially to quit a holy land, because we meet with trouble in it. And the evils we think to escape by sin, we certainly bring upon ourselves. We may apply this to the common troubles of life; and those who think to avoid them by changing their place, will find that the grievances common to men will meet them wherever they go. Sinners who dissemble with God in solemn professions especially should be rebuked with sharpness; for their actions speak more plainly than words. We know not what is good for ourselves; and what we are most fond of, and have our hearts most set upon, often proves hurtful, and sometimes fatal.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO JEREMIAH CAHPTER 42

This chapter contains a request of the Jews to Jeremiah, to pray to the Lord for them to direct them, and the Lord's answer to it. The request is made by the captains and all the people, Jer 42:1-3; which Jeremiah undertook to present to the Lord, Jer 42:4; they promising to go according to the direction that should be given, Jer 42:5,6. After ten days an answer is returned, and the prophet calls the captains and people together to hear it, Jer 42:7,8; the purport of which was, that if they continued in the land of Judah, it would be well with them, and they would be safe, Jer 42:9-12; but if they went into Egypt, they should die by the sword, famine, and pestilence, and be a curse and reproach, and never see their own land more, Jer 42:13-18; they are charged with dissimulation and disobedience, Jer 42:19-21; and the chapter is concluded with an assurance of their perishing by the above judgments in the place they were desirous of dwelling in, Jer 42:22.