Jeremiah 44

1 The word that was made to Jeremy, and to all the Jews, that dwelled in the land of Egypt (who lived in the land of Egypt), dwelling in Migdol, and in Tahpanhes, and in Memphis, and in the land of Pathros, and said,
2 The Lord of hosts, God of Israel, saith these things, Ye saw all this evil, which I brought (in) on Jerusalem, and on all the cities of Judah; and lo! those be forsaken today, and no dweller is in them (and lo! they be deserted now, and no one is living there);
3 for the malice which they did, to stir me to wrathfulness, and that they went, and made sacrifice, and worshipped alien gods, which they knew not, both ye, and they, and your fathers. (for the malice which they did, to stir me to anger, and that they went, and made sacrifice, and worshipped strange, or foreign, gods, which they knew not, neither ye, nor they, nor your fathers.)
4 And I sent to you all my servants (the) prophets; and I rose by night, and sent, and said, Do not ye do the word of such abomination (and I rose up at night, and sent, and said, Do not ye do such abominable things).
5 And they heard not, neither bowed down their ear, that they shall be converted from their evils, and should not make sacrifice to alien gods. (But they did not listen, nor bowed down their ear, so that they would be turned from their evil doings, and would not make sacrifice to strange, or foreign, gods.)
6 And mine indignation and my strong vengeance is welled together, and is kindled in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem; and they be turned into wilderness, and wasteness, by this day. (And my indignation and my strong vengeance was poured out, and was kindled in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem; and they were turned into wilderness, and waste, as they be today.)
7 And now the Lord of hosts, God of Israel, saith these things, Why do ye this great evil against your souls, that a man of you perish and a woman, a little child and (a) sucking (so that a man and a woman, and a little child and a suckling, all perish from among you), from the midst of Judah, (and) neither any residue thing (shall) be left in you,
8 that stir me to wrath by the works of your hands, in making sacrifice to alien gods in the land of Egypt, into which ye entered, that ye dwell there, and that ye perish, and be into cursing, and into shame to all the folks of earth? (and that ye stir me to anger by the works of your hands, in making sacrifice to strange, or to foreign, gods in the land of Egypt, into which ye have entered, so that ye live there, but where ye shall also perish, and shall be into cursing, and into shame to all the nations of the earth?)
9 Whether ye have forgotten the evils of your fathers, and the evils of the kings of Judah, and the evils of their wives, and your evils, and the evils of your wives, which they did in the land of Judah, and in the countries of Jerusalem? (and in the streets of Jerusalem?)
10 They be not cleansed unto this day, and they dreaded not, and they went not in the law of the Lord, and in my behests, which I gave before you, and before your fathers. (They be not cleansed unto this day, and they do not fear/and they do not show reverence, and they do not walk in the Law of the Lord, and in my commands, which I set before you, and before your fathers.)
11 Therefore the Lord of hosts, God of Israel, saith these things, Lo! I shall set my face in you into evil, and I shall lose all Judah, (And so the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saith these things, Lo! I shall set my face against you for evil, and I shall destroy all of Judah,)
12 and I shall take the remnants of Judah, that setted their faces, to go into the land of Egypt, and to dwell there; and (they) all shall be wasted in the land of Egypt, they shall fall down by sword, and shall be wasted in hunger (and shall be wasted by hunger), from the least unto the most, (yea,) they shall die by sword and (by) hunger, and (they) shall be into swearing, and into miracle, or wonder, and into cursing, and into shame.
13 And I shall visit on the dwellers of Egypt, as I visited on Jerusalem, in sword, and in hunger, and in pestilence. (And I shall punish those who live in Egypt, like I have punished those who be in Jerusalem, with the sword, and with hunger, and with pestilence.)
14 And none shall be, that shall escape, and be [the] residue of the remnants of (the) Jews, that go to be pilgrims in the land of Egypt, and to turn again to the land of Judah, to which they raise [up] their souls, that they turn again, and dwell there; they shall not turn again thither, no but they that fled. (And none of the remnants of the Jews, who went down to the land of Egypt as visitors, shall escape, and return to the land of Judah, to which they raise up their souls, that they should return, and live there; yea, they shall not return there, no but only the few who have already fled there.)
15 Forsooth all men answered to Jeremy, and knew, that their wives made sacrifice to alien gods, and all [the] women, of which a great multitude stood, and all the people of dwellers in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, and said, (But all the men, who knew that their wives made sacrifice to strange, or to foreign, gods, and all the women, of whom stood a great multitude, and all the people of those who lived in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, answered to Jeremiah, and said,)
16 We shall not hear of thee the word which thou speakest to us in the name of our Lord God, (We shall not listen to the word which thou speakest to us in the name of the Lord our God,)
17 but we doing shall do each word that shall go out of our mouth, that we make sacrifice to the queen of heaven, and that we offer to it moist sacrifices, as we did, and our fathers, our kings, and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem; and we were [full-]filled with loaves, and it was well to us, and we saw none evil. (but we doing shall keep each promise that went out of our mouths, that we make sacrifice to the queen of heaven, and that we offer wine offerings to her, like we used to do, yea, we, and our fathers, and our kings, and our princes, or our leaders, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem; for then we were filled full with loaves, and it was well with us, and we saw no evil.)
18 But from that time, in which we ceased to make sacrifice to the queen of heaven, and to offer to it moist sacrifices, we had need to all things, and we were wasted by sword and hunger. (But from the time, in which we ceased to make sacrifice to the queen of heaven, and to offer wine offerings to her, we had need for everything, and we were wasted by the sword and by hunger.)
19 That if we make sacrifice to the queen of heaven, and offer to it moist sacrifices, whether without our husbands (knowing it) we made to it cakes, to worship it, and loaves to be offered? (And the women said, And when we made sacrifice to the queen of heaven, and offered wine offerings to her, did we make the cakes for her, to worship her, and were the wine offerings offered, without our husbands knowing about it? Nay!)
20 And Jeremy said to all the people, against the men, and against the women, and against all the people, that answered to him the word, and he said, (And Jeremiah replied to all the people, yea, to the men, and the women, and all the people, who had answered this to him, and he said,)
21 Whether not the sacrifices which ye sacrificed in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, ye, and your fathers, your kings, and your princes, and the people of the land, stirred God to vengeance? The Lord had mind on these things, and it ascended on his heart; (Did the sacrifices which ye sacrificed in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, ye, and your fathers, and your kings, and your princes, or your leaders, and the people of the land, stir God to vengeance? Yea, the Lord remembered these things, and it ascended upon his heart;)
22 and the Lord might no more bear (it), for the malice of your studies, and for the abominations which ye did. And your land is made into desolation, and into wondering, and into curse, for no dweller is, as this day is. (and the Lord could no longer bear it, for the malice of your deeds, and for the abominations which ye did. And so your land was made into desolation, and into wondering, and into cursing, where no one liveth, as it is this day.)
23 Therefore for ye made sacrifice to idols, and sinned to the Lord, and heard not the voice of the Lord, and went not in the law, and in the commandments, and in the witnesses of him, therefore these evils befell to you, as this day is. (And so for ye made sacrifice to idols, and sinned against the Lord, and did not listen to, or obey, the voice of the Lord, and went not in the Law, and in the commandments, and in his testimonies, so these evils befell to you, as it is this day.)
24 Forsooth Jeremy said to all the people, and to all the women, All Judah, that be in the land of Egypt, hear ye the word of the Lord. (And Jeremiah said to all the people, and especially to all the women, All Judah, who be in the land of Egypt, hear ye the word of the Lord.)
25 The Lord of hosts, God of Israel, saith these things, and speaketh, Ye and your wives spake with your mouth(s), and [ful]filled with your hands, and said, Make we our vows which we vowed, that we make sacrifice to the queen of heaven, and offer to it moist sacrifices; ye [ful]filled your vows, and did those in work. (The Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, speaketh these things, and saith, Ye and your wives spoke with your mouths, and fulfilled with your hands, and said, Let us keep our vows which we vowed, that we make sacrifice to the queen of heaven, and offer wine offerings to her; and so ye have fulfilled your vows, and have accomplished them.)
26 Therefore, all Judah, that dwell in the land of Egypt, hear ye the word of the Lord; Lo! I swore in my great name, saith the Lord, that my name shall no more be called (on) by the mouth of each man Jew, saying, The Lord God liveth, in all the land of Egypt. (And so, all Judah, who live in the land of Egypt, hear ye the word of the Lord; Lo! I swore by my great name, saith the Lord, that my name shall no longer be called on by the mouth of any Jew, saying, As the Lord God liveth, in all the land of Egypt.)
27 Lo! I shall wake on them into evil, and not into good; and all the men of Judah, that be in the land of Egypt, shall be wasted, by sword and hunger, till they be wasted utterly. (Lo! I shall keep watch, to bring in evil upon thee, and not good; and all those of Judah, who be in the land of Egypt, shall be wasted, by the sword and by hunger, until they be utterly destroyed.)
28 And a few men that fled the sword, shall turn again from the land of Egypt into the land of Judah; and all the remnants of Judah, of them that enter(ed) into the land of Egypt, to dwell there, shall know, whose word shall be [ful]filled, mine either theirs. (And a few who fled the sword, shall return from the land of Egypt to the land of Judah; and all the remnant of Judah, of those who went to the land of Egypt, to live there, shall know, whose word shall be fulfilled, mine or theirs.)
29 And this shall be a sign to you, saith the Lord, that I shall visit on you in this place, that ye know, that verily my words shall be [ful]filled against you into evil. (And this shall be a sign to you, saith the Lord, that I shall punish you in this place, so that ye know, that my words shall truly be fulfilled against you for evil.)
30 The Lord saith these things, Lo! I shall betake Pharaoh(hophra), the king of Egypt, into the hand of his enemies, and into the hand of them that seek his life, as I betook Zedekiah, king of Judah, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, his enemy, and seeking his life. (The Lord saith these things, Lo! I shall deliver Pharaoh Hophra, the king of Egypt, into the hands of his enemies, and into the hands of those who seek his life, as I delivered Zedekiah, the king of Judah, into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, his enemy, who sought to take his life.)

Jeremiah 44 Commentary

Chapter 44

The Jews in Egypt persist in idolatry. (1-14) They refuse to reform. (15-19) Jeremiah then denounces destruction upon them. (20-30)

Verses 1-14 God reminds the Jews of the sins that brought desolations upon Judah. It becomes us to warn men of the danger of sin with all seriousness: Oh, do not do it! If you love God, do not, for it is provoking to him; if you love your own souls, do not, for it is destructive to them. Let conscience do this for us in the hour of temptation. The Jews whom God sent into the land of the Chaldeans, were there, by the power of God's grace, weaned from idolatry; but those who went by their own perverse will into the land of the Egyptians, were there more attached than ever to their idolatries. When we thrust ourselves without cause or call into places of temptation, it is just with God to leave us to ourselves. If we walk contrary to God, he will walk contrary to us. The most awful miseries to which men are exposed, are occasioned by the neglect of offered salvation.

Verses 15-19 These daring sinners do not attempt excuses, but declare they will do that which is forbidden. Those who disobey God, commonly grow worse and worse, and the heart is more hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Here is the real language of the rebellious heart. Even the afflictions which should have parted them from their sins, were taken so as to confirm them in their sins. It is sad when those who should quicken each other to what is good, and so help one another to heaven, harden each other in sin, and so ripen one another for hell. To mingle idolatry with Divine worship, and to reject the mediation of Christ, are provoking to God, and ruinous to men. All who worship images, or honour saints, and angels, and the queen of heaven, should recollect what came from the idolatrous practices of the Jews.

Verses 20-30 Whatever evil comes upon us, it is because we have sinned against the Lord; we should therefore stand in awe, and sin not. Since they were determined to persist in their idolatry, God would go on to punish them. What little remains of religion were among them, would be lost. The creature-comforts and confidences from which we promise ourselves most, may fail as soon as those from which we promise ourselves least; and all are what God makes them, not what we fancy them to be. Well-grounded hopes of our having a part in the Divine mercy, are always united with repentance and obedience.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO JEREMIAH 44

This chapter contains a sermon of Jeremiah's to the Jews in Egypt, reproving them for their idolatry there; their answer to it, expressing their resolution to continue in their idolatrous practices; and a denunciation of judgments upon them, of which a sign is given. The sermon begins with observing to them the destruction of Jerusalem, and the causes of it, idolatry and contempt of the prophets, Jer 44:1-6; then follows an expostulation with the present Jews for doing the same things, and exposing themselves and their posterity to the same punishment, Jer 44:7-10; upon which they are threatened with the sore judgments of God that should come upon them, and cut them off in general, Jer 44:11-14; yet such were the impudence and obstinacy of this people, that they declared they would not hearken to the prophet, but persist in their idolatry; it having been better with them when they practised it than when they left it, Jer 44:15-19; to which the prophet replies by observing, that for the idolatry of their fathers their land was become a desolation and a curse, as at this day, Jer 44:20-23; and assures them that destruction would come from the Lord upon them, which he had swore to, Jer 44:24-28; and a sign of it is given; the delivery of the king of Egypt into the hand of the king of Babylon, Jer 44:29,30.

Jeremiah 44 Commentaries

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.