THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET
JEREMIAH

Jeremiah 44

1Jeremiah, having shewn the desolation which had befallen Judah for idolatry, reproveth the Jews in Egypt for persisting therein, 11and prophesieth their destruction. 15Their inflexible obstinacy. 20Jeremiah threateneth them with severe judgments, 29and for a sign foretelleth the ruin of the king of Egypt.


1THE 1word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews which dwell in the land of Egypt, which dwell at 2Migdol, and at 3Tahpanhes, and at 4Noph, and in the country of 5Pathros, saying,

1 Namely, of the Lord.

2 See Exod. 14:2.

3 As Jer. 43:7.

4 See Isa. 19:13.

5 See Gen. 10 on verse 14.

2Thus saith the LORD of 6hosts, the God of Israel; Ye have seen all the 7evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, and upon all the cities of Judah; and, behold, this day they are a desolation, and no man dwelleth therein,

6 See 1 Kings 18 on verse 15.

7 Of punishment.

3Because of their wickedness which they have committed to provoke me to anger, in that they went to burn incense, and to serve other gods, whom they knew not, neither they, ye, nor your fathers.

4Howbeit I sent unto you all my servants the prophets, rising 8early and sending them, saying, Oh, do not 9this abominable thing that I hate.

8 See Jer. 7 on verse 13.

9 Hebr. the thing of this abomination.

5But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear to turn from their wickedness, to burn no incense unto other gods.

6Wherefore my fury and mine anger was poureda forth, and was kindled in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; and they are wasted and desolate, as at this day.

a Jer. 7:20; 42:18.

7Therefore now thus saith the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel; Wherefore commit ye this great 10evil against your 11souls, 12to cut off from you man and woman, 13child and suckling, out of Judah, to leave you none to remain;

10 Of guilt, that is, sin.

11 That is, to your own destruction, against yourselves, against your life, etc. Compare Num. 16 on verse 38.

12 All this, the Lord implies, you will cause by this your wickedness; you carry yourselves no otherwise, than as if ye had a mind and a desire to bring these miseries upon you; also in the sequel. Compare Jer. 18 on verse 16.

13 See of the Hebrew word Psalm 8 on verse 2.

8In that ye provoke me unto wrath with the works of your hands, burning incense unto other gods in the land of Egypt, whither ye be gone to dwell, that ye might 14cut yourselves off, and that ye might be a curse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth?

14 Or, might cut off all remnant unto yourselves.

9Have ye forgotten the 15wickedness of your fathers, and the wickedness of the kings of Judah, and the wickedness of their wives, and your own wickedness, and the wickedness of your wives, which 16they have committed in the land of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem?

15 Other, evils, that is, plagues. Also in the sequel. Yet compare the next verse.

16 Namely, the fathers, kings, etc. Other, the plagues which they (the enemies) have exercised in your land, the evil that they have committed there.

10They are not 17humbled even unto this day, 18neither have they feared, nor walked in my law, nor in my statutes, that I set before you and 19before your fathers.

17 That is, they are not softened, nor broken in heart; they have had no hearty sorrow and repentance, nor petitioned for mercy. See Psalm 51 on verse 17.

18 Compare Prov. 28 on verse 14; Jer. 3:8.

19 That is, which I clearly and publicly submitted unto you and to your fathers, in order that ye might order your conduct accordingly.

11¶Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, Ib will set my 20face against you for evil, and to cut off all Judah.

b Jer. 21:10; Amos 9:4.

20 Namely, My angry face; as if God said: As they obstinately set their face against all My commandments, so will I set my face against them for their destruction. Compare Lev. 17 on verse 10; Psalm 21 on verse 9.

12And I will take the remnant of Judah, that have set their 21faces to go into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, and they shall all be consumed, and fall in the land of Egypt; they shall even be consumed by the swordcand by the famine: they shall die, from the least even unto the greatest, by the sword and by the famine: and they shall be an 22execration,dand an astonishment, and a curse, and a reproach.

21 See Jer. 42 on verse 15.

c Jer. 42:15, 16, 17, 22.

22 See Jer. 42 on verse 18.

d curse

13For I will punish them that dwell in the land of Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence:

14So that none of the remnant of Judah, which are gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall 23escape or remain, that they should return into the land of Judah, 24to the which they have a desire to return to dwell there: for none shall return but such as shall 25escape.

23 Hebr. none escaped or remaining, as Jer. 42:17.

24 Hebr. whither they lift up their soul. See Jer. 22 on verse 27.

25 Hebr. the escaped ones, namely, some few godly persons who were carried against their will into Egypt; or otherwise, whom it shall please God to convert graciously and let them remain, to be witnesses of the truth of these His prophecies. Compare verse 28.

15¶Then all the men which knew that their wives had burned incense unto other gods, and all the women that stood by, a great multitude, even all the people that dwelt in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, answered Jeremiah, saying,

16As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the LORD, we will not hearken unto thee.

17But we will 26certainly do whatsoever 27thing goeth forth 28out of our own mouth, to burn incense unto the 29queene of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, as we have done, we, and our fathers, our kings, and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem: for then had we plenty of victuals, and were 30well, and 31saw no evil.

26 Or, altogether. Hebr. doing do.

27 Hebr. word, matter.

28 That is, we will perform our vows. See verse 25; Num. 30:2; Judges 11:36.

29 See the annotations at Jer. 7 on verse 18.

e Jer. 7:18.

30 Hebr. good, that is, merry. See Judges 16 on verse 25.

31 That is, no mishap or adversity befell us. See Job 7 on verse 7.

18But since we left off to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, we have wanted all things, and have been consumed by the sword and by the famine.

19And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven, and poured out drink offerings unto her, did we make her 32cakes 33to worship her, and pour out drink offerings unto her, 34without our men?

32 Or, pictured cakes. See Jer. 7 on verse 18.

33 Other, to represent her. Namely, curiously and painfully. The Hebrew word signifies properly to inflict pain and sorrow, from which consequently idolatrous images have their name, since they bring men to pain and sorrow (see 1 Sam. 31 on verse 9; 2 Sam. 5 on verse 21), and moreover, the word that is used here is taken for to picture curiously, and to form or frame an idol. Compare Job 10 on verse 8. Other, to honor her, likewise to move, to grief, trouble, and consequently to compassion.

34 That is, without the will and consent, or company and help of our men; as if that could excuse them; by their men understand their lawful husbands, as verses 15 and 25.

20¶Then Jeremiah said unto all the people, to the men, and to the women, and to all the people which had given him 35that answer, saying,

35 Hebr. one or the word.

21The incense that ye burned 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, did not the LORD remember them, and 36came it not into his mind?

36 That is, did He not lay it to heart, in order that He has punished you so sorely for it? Compare Jer. 7 on verse 31.

22So that the LORD could no longer bear, because of the evil of your doings, and because of the abominations which ye have committed; therefore is your land a desolation, and an 37astonishment, and a curse, without an inhabitant, as at this day.

37 See Jer. 18 on verse 16.

23Because ye have burned incense, and because ye have sinned against the LORD, and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD, nor walked in his law, nor in his statutes, nor in his testimonies; therefore this evil is happened unto you, as at this day.

24Moreover Jeremiah said unto all the people, and to all the women, Hear the word of the LORD, all Judah that are in the land of Egypt:

25Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying; Ye and your 38wives have both spoken with your mouths, and 39fulfilled with your hand, saying, We will 40surely perform our vows that we have vowed, to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her: 41ye will 42surely accomplish your vows, and 43surely perform your vows.

38 See verse 15. As if the Lord said: Ye are agreed together in this business; the one says it, and the other does it, ye help one another. Other, Ye and your wives, ye have, etc.

39 That is, actually performed.

40 Hebr. performing perform, doing do, that is, put in practice, perform without fault.

41 Your wives.

42 Hebr. confirming confirm. See Jer. 35:14, with the annotation.

43 Hebr. doing done.

26Therefore hear ye the word of the LORD, all Judah that dwell in the land of Egypt; Behold, I have sworn by my great name, saith the LORD, that my name shall no more be named in the mouth of any 44man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, The Lord GOD liveth.45

44 That is, people. See Job 12 on verse 10. Also in the next verse.

45 An abrupt kind of speech, very usual in oaths. See Deut. 1 on verse 35.

27Behold, I will 46watchf over them for evil, and not for good: and all the 47men of Judah that are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by the famine, until there be an end of them.

46 Or, be vigilant or wakeful. See Jer. 1:11, 12.

f Jer. 31:28.

47 Hebr. every man. See Jer. 4 on verse 3.

28Yet a 48small number that escape 49the sword shall return out of the land of Egypt into the land of Judah, and all the remnant of Judah, that 50are gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall 51know whose words shall stand, 52mine, or theirs.

48 Hebr. men of number. See Gen. 34 on verse 30, and compare verse 14.

49 Hebr. the escaped ones of the sword.

50 Other, were, meaning those who escaped.

51 That is, experience, perceive. Also in the next verse.

52 Hebr. of me or of them, that is, that which proceeded from Me, or that which proceeded from them.

29¶And 53this shall be a sign unto you, saith the LORD, that I will 54punish you in this place, that ye may know that my words shall 55surely stand against you for evil:

53 That is related in the following verse.

54 That is, will visit you. See Gen. 21 on verse 1.

55 Hebr. standing or rising up shall stand.

30Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will give Pharaoh-hophra56 king of Egypt into the hand of his enemies, and into the hand of them that seek his 57life; as I gave Zedekiah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, his enemy, and that sought his life.

56 Called by heathen writers Apries, by others Vaphres. This man was the grandchild of Pharaoh Necho, as Herodotus affirms in his second book.

57 Who seek to take away his life. See Exod. 4 on verse 19; 2 Sam. 4 on verse 8. Herodotus writes that he, being vanquished by his own subject Amasis, was at last delivered unto the Egyptians (who made an insurrection against him) and was strangled by them. Some conceive that this Apries caused the prophet Jeremiah to be killed, peradventure of this prophecy, and at the request of these wicked Jews, whom it may be he delivered unto them to be stoned.