When people interpret mercy as the fruit of idolatry and judgment as the cost of obedience, they harden themselves against the very word meant to save them.
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Jeremiah 44
Judah in Egypt: Stubborn Idolatry and the Last Warning
When people interpret mercy as the fruit of idolatry and judgment as the cost of obedience, they harden themselves against the very word meant to save them.
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Jeremiah, the prophet of the Lord, speaking to the Judean remnant in Egypt after Jerusalem's fall and the remnant's disobedient flight from Judah.
The Judeans living in Egypt, including those in Migdol, Tahpanhes, Memphis, and Upper Egypt, with particular attention to both men and women participating in idolatrous worship.
Egypt, after the remnant rejected the Lord's command to remain in Judah and fled there under Johanan and the other leaders. The chapter addresses Judeans settled in multiple Egyptian locations.
Social Pressure
- The remnant is traumatized by Jerusalem's fall, displaced from the land, surrounded by Egyptian religious culture, and tempted to reinterpret recent history through the lens of visible prosperity and survival rather than covenant truth.
This chapter belongs to Jeremiah's final post-fall remnant confrontation. It shows that the exile crisis is not only geographical displacement but heart-level rebellion. Even after judgment, the people cling to false worship and resist the Lord's word.
Chapter Summary
When people interpret mercy as the fruit of idolatry and judgment as the cost of obedience, they harden themselves against the very word meant to save them.
Overview
Jeremiah 44 argues that the remnant's deepest danger is not exile, Babylon, Egypt, or political weakness, but hardened idolatry that refuses to interpret reality by the Lord's word. The ruins of Judah stand as evidence that idolatry provoked judgment, yet the remnant in Egypt repeats the same sin and defends it as the source of prosperity. Their rebellion is not merely ritual error but a complete theological inversion: they call idolatry blessing and obedience loss.
Jeremiah corrects their false memory and announces that the Lord's word, not their interpretation of events, will stand. Pharaoh's coming humiliation will prove that Egypt's power cannot protect those who reject the Lord.
Context
Jeremiah, the prophet of the Lord, speaking to the Judean remnant in Egypt after Jerusalem's fall and the remnant's disobedient flight from Judah.
The Judeans living in Egypt, including those in Migdol, Tahpanhes, Memphis, and Upper Egypt, with particular attention to both men and women participating in idolatrous worship.
Egypt, after the remnant rejected the Lord's command to remain in Judah and fled there under Johanan and the other leaders. The chapter addresses Judeans settled in multiple Egyptian locations.
Key Hebrew Terms
מִגְדֹּל
Sense tower or fortress
Definition An Egyptian location where Judeans were living.
Why it matters Its mention shows that the Judean remnant had spread across multiple Egyptian settlements.
Sense Tahpanhes, an Egyptian city
Definition A major Egyptian location associated with Jeremiah's earlier sign-act in Jeremiah 43.
Why it matters The Judeans who fled to Egypt are addressed in the same region where Jeremiah had announced Babylon's coming judgment.
Sense Memphis, an Egyptian city
Definition A prominent Egyptian city, here named as one of the places where Judeans lived.
Why it matters Memphis signals the spread of the Judean remnant within Egypt and the reach of the Lord's warning.
Sense Pathros, region of Upper Egypt
Definition A region in southern Egypt.
Why it matters The address to Judeans in Upper Egypt shows that the prophetic indictment covers the whole dispersed remnant in Egypt.
מְלֶכֶת הַשָּׁמַיִם
Sense Queen of Heaven
Definition An idolatrous title for a female heavenly deity honored by incense, drink offerings, and cakes.
References Jeremiah 44:17-19, 44:25
Why it matters The people's explicit vow to continue serving the Queen of Heaven is the clearest sign of their hardened rebellion.
פַּרְעֹה חָפְרַע
Sense Pharaoh Hophra, king of Egypt
Definition The Egyptian king whose downfall is given as a sign that the LORD's judgment against the Judeans in Egypt will stand.
Why it matters Hophra's fall undermines the remnant's trust in Egyptian protection.
צִדְקִיָּהוּ
Sense Zedekiah, king of Judah
Definition Judah's final king before Jerusalem's fall, handed over to Nebuchadnezzar.
Why it matters The comparison between Pharaoh Hophra and Zedekiah shows that Egypt's king will fall under divine judgment just as Judah's king did.
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The Hebrew noun דָּבָר (dāḇār) can name a word, message, statement, command, matter, affair, case, event, or deed. English translations often render it differently because Hebrew can use the noun for what is spoken and for the subject, occurrence, or business under discussion. Genesis 15:1 displays that range within one verse: “after these events” and “the word of the Lord” both represent forms of H1697. The shared noun does not erase the difference between an event and a divine message.
Legal and administrative settings make the broader range especially clear. Exodus 18:16 uses dāḇār for a dispute brought to Moses. Deuteronomy 17:8 uses it for a difficult case requiring adjudication. First Kings 14:19 speaks of the acts of Jeroboam that were recorded. These occurrences do not need to be spiritualized into hidden revelation. They refer to matters, cases, and deeds whose nature comes from the surrounding sentence.
Other passages place dāḇār within divine revelation. First Samuel 3:1 says the word of the Lord was rare in those days, preparing for God’s call of Samuel. Isaiah 40:8 contrasts fading grass and flowers with the enduring word of Israel’s God. In such expressions, the authority and permanence belong to the Lord and to what He communicates, not to the noun as an independent verbal force. A human matter called dāḇār does not become divine merely because the same lexical identity can occur in “the word of the Lord.”
The New Testament explicitly quotes Isaiah 40:8 in 1 Peter 1:24-25 and identifies the enduring word with the good news proclaimed to believers. That canonical bridge is stronger than a generalized equation between dāḇār and every Greek use of logos or rhēma. Faithful teaching can trace God’s speaking, promise, command, prophetic revelation, and gospel proclamation while preserving the noun’s ordinary senses. It should not claim that Hebrew thought collapses words and deeds, that every spoken word creates reality, or that knowing dāḇār uncovers a mystical power absent from translation.
Sense word, matter, event, thing
Definition A word, speech, matter, or event, often used for the authoritative word of the LORD.
References Jeremiah 44:1, 44:28
Why it matters The chapter climaxes with the question of whose word will stand, the Lord's or the people's.
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H6999, qāṭar, is a Hebrew verb for making incense or an offering smoke upon an altar. It can describe the daily fragrant incense commanded for Israel's sanctuary service, the burning of sacrificial portions, or offerings made to other gods. The physical action does not certify faithful worship. The object, altar, worshiper, command, covenant setting, and surrounding conduct determine whether the smoke belongs to obedient service, corrupt worship, arrogant presumption, or exploitation.
Exodus 30 assigns Aaron the regular burning of incense before the Lord near the testimony and mercy seat. The rite belongs to a commanded pattern of priestly service; the verb alone does not turn smoke into a universal spiritual technology. First Samuel 2 shows sacrificial procedure being abused when priests' servants demand meat before the fat is burned and threaten worshipers with force.
Correct ritual vocabulary cannot excuse coercion, greed, or contempt for God's offering. Other narratives make the object of worship decisive. Solomon's turn toward other gods includes altars and incense offered to them. Hezekiah destroys the bronze serpent when a gift once associated with deliverance becomes an object of incense. These passages warn that history, beauty, usefulness, or religious memory cannot make an object worthy of worship.
Yet they do not authorize indiscriminate destruction of art, cultural objects, or another person's property. The narrative identifies covenant idolatry and royal reform within its own authority. Uzziah's attempt to burn incense arises after power feeds arrogance. Consecrated priests resist him, showing that zeal and royal status do not erase accountable boundaries.
This episode should expose leaders who place themselves above correction, but it must not be used to recreate Israel's priestly arrangement unchanged in every church or to deny the access believers have through Christ. Jeremiah 44 connects incense to persistent disobedience, false worship, and disaster, while Malachi 1 anticipates the Lord's name becoming great among the nations with pure offerings.
Both passages require their prophetic arguments. H6999 cannot make any fragrant act acceptable, predict judgment against a modern group, or settle the form of Christian worship by itself. The verb therefore asks more than whether worship feels sacred. Faithful worship receives God's revelation, centers the One to whom worship is due, protects people from exploitation, honors accountable service, and refuses to turn gifts, leaders, or institutions into rivals to God.
Sense to burn incense, make sacrificial smoke
Definition To burn incense or offer fragrant smoke in worship.
References Jeremiah 44:3, 44:5, 44:8, 44:17-19, 44:21, 44:25
Why it matters Burning incense to other gods is the recurring practice that exposes Judah's idolatry and provokes judgment.
אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים
Sense other gods
Definition False deities worshiped in violation of exclusive covenant allegiance to the LORD.
References Jeremiah 44:3, 44:5, 44:8, 44:15
Why it matters The repeated phrase clarifies that Judah's disaster and the Egypt remnant's danger are rooted in direct covenant betrayal.
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שָׁמַע (šāmaʿ) is a high-frequency Hebrew verb for hearing, listening, paying attention, understanding, heeding, obeying, receiving news, or causing something to be heard. Adam hears a sound, people hear reports, languages are or are not understood, God hears cries and prayer, communities are summoned to listen, and commands may be heeded or refused. Responsive obedience is an important contextual sense, especially in covenant instruction, but the verb does not erase the distinction between auditory perception and obedient action in every verse.
The Shema begins, 'Hear, Israel,' and continues with confession of the Lord and a call to covenant love and teaching. Exodus says God hears enslaved Israel's groaning, and many prayers trust that God hears. Prophets can speak to people who hear words but do not respond, making the gap between sound and obedience explicit. Wisdom commends listening before answering and receiving counsel. These settings show attention, understanding, response, justice, and relationship without making hearing a single inward act.
Human authority must still be evaluated. Israel can wrongly heed fear or refuse a faithful warning; Tamar's brother does not listen to her and violates her; false prophets demand an audience; rulers and communities ignore truth. 'Listen and obey' language cannot authorize abuse, override consent, or make a leader's claim equal to God's word. Deaf and hard-of-hearing people, auditory-processing differences, language barriers, and communication disabilities must not be treated as spiritual deficits.
Sense to hear, listen, obey
Definition To hear with responsiveness, often implying obedience.
References Jeremiah 44:5, 44:16, 44:23
Why it matters The people repeatedly refuse to listen to the Lord's prophets, making their judgment a response to rejected revelation.
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רַע (raʿ) describes what is bad, evil, wicked, harmful, unpleasant, inferior, distressing, or disastrous. It can evaluate moral agency and conduct, but it can also name poor conditions, harmful outcomes, bad news, affliction, or calamity. The English word evil often sounds exclusively moral, so translation and teaching must ask what noun, action, person, event, or experience is being evaluated in each passage.
Genesis uses raʿ for the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and later for pervasive human wickedness. The exact force of knowing good and evil has been interpreted in several ways; the phrase should not be reduced to one theory about autonomous moral judgment without argument. Historical and prophetic books repeatedly call idolatry, injustice, violence, and covenant rebellion evil in the Lord's sight. Wisdom urges people to turn from evil and pursue good while refusing the claim that every calamitous experience proves personal wrongdoing.
Isaiah 45:7 says the Lord creates darkness and raʿ in a parallel with peace or well-being. In that oracle the term concerns calamity or disaster under God's sovereign judgment, not a claim that God commits moral wickedness. Job 2:10 likewise contrasts receiving good with receiving adversity and then refuses the friends' simplistic blame of the sufferer. These distinctions do not minimize moral evil; they prevent the word's broader semantic range from being used either to accuse God of sin or to accuse every suffering person of causing their distress.
Sense evil, disaster, calamity
Definition Can refer to moral evil or calamity depending on context.
References Jeremiah 44:2, 44:7, 44:11, 44:27, 44:29
Why it matters The chapter uses disaster language to describe the judgment brought upon Judah and threatened against the remnant in Egypt.
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The Hebrew verb kaas describes causing or experiencing vexation, grief, indignation, or anger. Its contexts identify more than a passing feeling. Hannah's rival repeatedly provokes her until she weeps and cannot eat; Asa becomes enraged at truthful correction, imprisons the seer, and oppresses others; Ecclesiastes warns against being quickly provoked; and Israel's idolatry is said to provoke the Lord.
The verb can therefore name inflicted distress, inward agitation, abusive retaliation, or covenant offense according to its subject and object. Scripture neither treats every angry feeling as identical nor allows anger to justify cruelty. Responsible teaching asks who is provoking whom, what conduct produced the response, how power is used, and what harm follows.
It protects people targeted by taunting or retaliation, gives grief honest language, and calls those with authority to receive correction without punishing the speaker. It must not be used to shame trauma responses, demand silent endurance of abuse, or portray divine anger as permission for human vengeance.
Sense to provoke, anger, vex
Definition To provoke anger or grief, often used of Israel provoking the LORD by idolatry.
References Jeremiah 44:3, 44:8
Why it matters The people's idolatry is not neutral spiritual experimentation; it provokes the Lord's holy anger.
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תּוֹרָה (torah) can name instruction, a particular ruling, priestly teaching, the law associated with Moses, or the Torah as a recognized body of Scripture. Context determines the scope. The noun should not be defined only from a proposed connection with the verb 'to instruct' and then made to mean whatever a teacher prefers. In Deuteronomy, torah shapes Israel's covenant life.
Psalm 119 delights in God's instruction as trustworthy guidance. Isaiah envisions instruction going out from Zion, Ezra devotes himself to studying, practicing, and teaching the Torah, and Jeremiah 31 promises God's torah written within. These passages resist two opposite reductions. Torah is not a ladder by which sinners earn God's favor, but neither is it an obsolete burden with nothing to teach.
The New Testament presents Jesus as fulfilling the Law and Prophets and teaches believers to read Israel's Scriptures through His person and work. Responsible application distinguishes Israel's covenant setting, enduring revelation of God's character and purposes, and the commands' fulfillment in Christ rather than forcing every statute directly onto the church.
Sense instruction, law, teaching
Definition Instruction or law, especially the LORD's covenant instruction.
References Jeremiah 44:10, 44:23
Why it matters The remnant's failure is measured against the Lord's law, not merely Jeremiah's private opinion.
Form in passage Pual · Perfect · 3rd Person · Common · Plural What is this?
Sense to crush, humble, be contrite
Definition To be crushed or humbled; in context, to humble oneself before God.
References Jeremiah 44:10
Why it matters The Lord says the people have not humbled themselves even after judgment, exposing the hardness of their hearts.
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יָרֵא (yare) is the Hebrew verb for fearing, being afraid, or standing in reverence. Its sense depends on the object and setting: it can describe ordinary fear, dread before danger, or reverent fear of God. The local Hebrew index currently counts about 329 H3372 occurrences in the OT.
Genesis 22:12 uses the verb when the angel tells Abraham, 'now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.' In this scene Abraham's fear of God is demonstrated through costly obedience during the test. The verse does not reduce fear of God to this single action, but it joins reverence and obedience closely.
Deuteronomy 10:12 places fearing the Lord alongside walking in his ways, loving him, serving him wholeheartedly, and keeping his commands. The verb therefore belongs within a full covenant response rather than functioning as a synonym for panic.
Psalm 130:4 uses a passive form of the verb in the confession, 'with you there is forgiveness, so that you may be feared.' Forgiveness does not make reverence unnecessary; in the psalm it provides a reason for God's people to stand in awe of him and hope in his word.
The related noun יִרְאָה (yirah, H3374) carries the fear-of-the-Lord formula in wisdom texts such as Proverbs 1:7 and 9:10. Those related forms illuminate this verb, but they remain distinct lexical identities.
For the preacher, יָרֵא helps distinguish disabling dread from the reverent fear of God that expresses itself in trust and obedience, while allowing each passage to determine the precise sense.
Form in passage Qal · Perfect · 3rd Person · Common · Plural What is this?
Sense to fear, revere, be afraid
Definition To fear or revere, depending on context.
References Jeremiah 44:10
Why it matters The people do not fear the Lord rightly, even though they fear earthly threats and trust false powers.
שִׂים פָּנִים
Sense to set the face toward or against
Definition A Hebrew idiom for determined attention, often in judgment when set against someone.
References Jeremiah 44:11
Why it matters The Lord setting his face against the remnant in Egypt signals resolute judgment.
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חֶרֶב is the common Hebrew noun for a sword and can also refer to a dagger, knife, or the sword as a figure for warfare, death, or judgment. The local Hebrew index currently counts about 413 occurrences. Its theological force varies widely: human armies wield swords, prophetic texts announce the sword as judgment, Genesis 3:24 places a flaming sword at Eden, and Isaiah 2:4 envisions swords refashioned as farming tools. The object itself does not carry one continuous redemptive meaning through every text.
Genesis 3:24 says the cherubim and flaming, turning sword guard the way to the tree of life after the humans are expelled. The sword enforces exclusion and guards access; the verse does not specify that it is merely protective rather than punitive, nor does it ask what later figure will “remove” it. Those larger questions require canonical argument beyond this occurrence.
Deuteronomy 32:41-42 depicts the Lord’s glittering sword within a poetic announcement of vengeance and judgment. Isaiah 49:2 compares the servant’s mouth to a sharp sword, emphasizing the effective, penetrating character of his commissioned speech. Isaiah 2:4 and Micah 4:3 envision nations turning swords into plowshares under the Lord’s just instruction and rule. These passages use the same noun in distinct images of weapon, judgment, speech, and disarmament.
For teaching, חֶרֶב can expose the destructiveness of human violence, the seriousness of divine judgment, the power of prophetic speech, and the hope of peace. Christian connections to Jesus’ suffering, God’s word, or Revelation’s sword imagery should rest on the New Testament’s explicit quotations and images rather than an allegory in which Eden’s sword falls on Christ.
Sense sword, warfare, violent death
Definition A sword or symbol of war and violent judgment.
References Jeremiah 44:12-13, 44:18, 44:27
Why it matters Sword is part of the judgment triad that follows the remnant into Egypt.
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H7458 is a Hebrew noun for hunger, famine, or severe scarcity of food, and Amos 8 uses it figuratively for deprivation of hearing the Lord's words. Genesis 41 connects famine with prudent preparation, Ruth shows famine driving migration, and 2 Kings exposes siege-created deprivation. The noun names real communal crisis and must not be reduced to a private spiritual lesson.
It does not prove that hungry people caused their suffering, authorize hoarding, or justify withholding aid until recipients meet religious conditions. H7458 helps teachers address disaster planning, war, displacement, food access, economic injustice, lament, and the need to hear God's word while rejecting victim blame, prosperity formulas, exploitative pricing, coercive charity, and the spiritualizing of hunger that ignores bodies.
Sense hunger, famine
Definition Severe hunger or famine, often part of covenant judgment.
References Jeremiah 44:12-13, 44:18, 44:27
Why it matters The people wrongly claim they lacked food when they stopped idol worship, but the Lord says famine is judgment for rebellion.
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The Hebrew noun dever names plague or pestilence, often appearing with famine and sword in covenant warnings and prophetic judgment. It can describe widespread deadly disease among people or livestock, a danger brought into prayer, or a force from which the psalmist seeks deliverance. David's census narrative records enormous loss from plague, Solomon's temple prayer anticipates plague and sickness among many forms of distress, Jeremiah gives a specific survival instruction during Jerusalem's siege, and Hosea sets plague language beside ransom from Sheol and redemption from death.
These texts do not authorize teachers to declare that a modern outbreak proves the personal guilt of patients or a targeted community. A canonical judgment setting is not a substitute for epidemiology, medical diagnosis, or public-health evidence. Psalm 91 invites trust but must not be used to promise infection immunity or reject vaccination, treatment, ventilation, isolation, or other prudent care.
Responsible teaching grieves the dead, protects vulnerable people, follows verified health guidance, supports workers and families, and speaks of judgment only within the passage's stated covenant and prophetic frame.
Sense pestilence, plague
Definition A deadly plague or pestilence, often used in judgment contexts.
References Jeremiah 44:13
Why it matters Plague completes the recurring judgment triad that the remnant cannot escape in Egypt.
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H7611 names a remainder or surviving portion, often people left after judgment, war, exile, or another severe reduction, and sometimes the group through whom hope continues. The noun carries the history that produced the remainder, so a remnant may be endangered, chastened, preserved, repentant, or still accountable rather than automatically pure. In 2Kgs. 19.
31, Isaiah promises that a remnant will go out from Jerusalem and that the zeal of the Lord will accomplish the deliverance. In 2Chr. 36. 20, those who survive the sword are carried to Babylon and serve there until Persian rule, so survival includes exile and loss. H7611 opens teaching on hope after devastation without minimizing the losses that make a remnant small, wounded, displaced, or dependent on mercy.
It corrects remnant pride that treats minority status as proof of purity and disaster teaching that speaks of preservation without grief, justice, or repentance. H7611 joins grief and hope: a remnant escapes from Jerusalem and takes root, survivors of Babylonian conquest live under exile, and Amos calls a morally compromised people to seek good because the Lord may show grace to Josephs remnant.
For H7611, responsible teaching keeps lexical meaning, passage context, canonical synthesis, and present application distinguishable. The noun does not guarantee that every small group is faithful, erase the dead and displaced, or authorize survivors to claim unaccountable spiritual status.
Sense remnant, remainder, survivors
Definition Those who remain after judgment or disaster.
References Jeremiah 44:12, 44:14, 44:28
Why it matters The chapter is about the remnant in Egypt, but it shows that being a survivor does not equal covenant faithfulness.
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נֶדֶר (neder) is a vow, a solemn promise made to God that commits the speaker to a stated act, offering, abstention, or dedication. Some vows are conditional, as in Jacob's Bethel promise; others concern offerings, Nazirite dedication, gratitude, or worship. The noun does not mean that every vow is wise, required, or acceptable merely because it invokes God.
Deuteronomy 23:21-23 says that a vow must not be delayed once made, while refraining from vowing is not sin. Ecclesiastes 5 similarly warns against rash speech and unfulfilled promises. These texts value truthful fulfillment and also commend restraint: worshipers should not manufacture spiritual obligations through impulsive words, bargaining, or public pressure.
Narratives display both faithful and dangerous vows. Hannah's vow is fulfilled in the dedication of Samuel, the sailors in Jonah 1:16 make vows after fearing the Lord, and Judges 11 records Jephthah's devastating vow and its aftermath. The latter passage is not a model inviting imitation or proof that God approves every vowed act. A vow cannot make evil good or override God's prior commands.
Sense vow
Definition A solemn promise, often religious in nature.
References Jeremiah 44:25
Why it matters The people use vow language for idolatrous devotion, showing that religious seriousness can still be rebellion when directed toward false gods.
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שֵׁם (šēm) is the ordinary Hebrew noun for a name or designation. It names people, children, ancestors, places, cities, objects, peoples, kings, and deities throughout the Hebrew Bible. In context, a name can also carry reputation, renown, memorial, remembered identity, authority, or the public standing associated with the one named. These extensions are real, but the word does not mean full identity, character, presence, or access in every occurrence.
Divine-name texts carry particular covenant weight. God discloses a name to Moses, places the divine name on Israel in blessing, chooses a place for the name, forbids misuse, acts for the sake of the name, and promises that the name will be known and honored. Calling on the Lord's name is covenantal invocation, not a technique in which pronunciation compels divine action. English titles, Hebrew forms, translation conventions, and uncertain historical pronunciation must not become tests of salvation or spiritual access.
Human naming can welcome, remember, rename, stigmatize, erase, or seek honor. Babel seeks a name against dispersion; Abram receives a new name within covenant promise; Absalom erects a monument to preserve his name; Isaiah promises faithful outsiders a lasting name. These texts require attention to agency and power. Scripture does not authorize mocking names, exposing private identities, forced renaming, reputational attack, or using a divine-name claim to control another person.
Sense name, reputation, identity
Definition Name as personal designation, reputation, or revealed identity.
References Jeremiah 44:26
Why it matters The Lord swears by his great name and declares that these Judeans will no longer invoke it in Egypt, showing judgment on hypocritical identity.
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The Hebrew verb קוּם (qûm) can describe getting up, rising, standing, arising for action, remaining valid, establishing something, appointing someone, restoring what has fallen, or causing another to rise. The subject, object, stem, and surrounding action determine the sense. Abraham gets up from beside Sarah’s body in Genesis 23:3, Moses sets out with Joshua in Exodus 24:13, and Joshua is commanded to arise and cross the Jordan. These ordinary movements remind readers that the verb does not carry one spiritual meaning wherever it appears.
The moral direction also comes from context. Cain rises against Abel and kills him, while Leviticus 19:32 commands rising in the presence of the elderly as an act joined to honor and fear of God. Deuteronomy 22:4 requires helping a neighbor lift a fallen animal. The same lexical identity can therefore describe aggression, respect, movement, and practical assistance without approving every act of rising.
Other passages use qûm for establishment or effective standing. God establishes His covenant with Noah. Deuteronomy 19:15 says a legal matter must be established by adequate testimony. Numbers 23:19 asks whether God could speak and fail to fulfill what He promises. Judges 2:16 says the Lord raised up judges. Isaiah 58:12 speaks of restoring ancient foundations. In such settings, English “rise” may not communicate the function of the Hebrew form.
Selected prophetic and wisdom texts give rising a further horizon. Isaiah 26:19 declares that the dead will live and their bodies will rise. Proverbs 24:16 depicts the righteous person getting up after repeated falls. These passages can nourish resurrection hope and perseverance, but not every occurrence predicts resurrection or promises quick recovery. Faithful teaching should not turn “rise up” into a demand for relentless productivity, unsafe confrontation, or able-bodied performance. Qûm may call someone to act, receive help, rebuild, honor, testify, or trust God to establish what human strength cannot secure.
Form in passage Qal · Imperfect · 3rd Person · Masculine · Singular What is this?
Sense to arise, stand, be established
Definition To stand, rise, or be confirmed.
References Jeremiah 44:28
Why it matters The chapter's decisive issue is whose word will stand, the Lord's or the people's.
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נָתַן (nātan) is one of the Hebrew Bible's most frequent verbs, commonly meaning to give but also to put, set, appoint, assign, or hand over. Genesis 1:17 says God set the lights in the expanse, Genesis 3:6 says the woman gave fruit to her husband, and Genesis 18:7 says Abraham gave a calf to a servant for preparation. These ordinary uses show why no theological conclusion follows from the verb alone; giver, gift, recipient, purpose, and result must all be identified.
Divine giving becomes central in covenant promises. In Genesis 12:7 God promises to give Abram's offspring the land, and Genesis 15:18 places that gift within covenant. Deuteronomy 6:10 recalls the land sworn to the ancestors. Yet gift does not mean unrestricted possession or moral entitlement: the surrounding covenant includes worship, obedience, justice, memory, and judgment. Second Samuel 12:8 recounts what God gave David precisely while exposing David's abuse of power and taking of what was not his.
Other passages broaden divine giving. Solomon asks for a discerning heart in 1 Kings 3:9. Isaiah 9:6 announces a child given to the people. Jeremiah 29:11 speaks of giving an exiled community a future and hope within a letter that also names a long wait in Babylon. Ezekiel 36:26 promises a new heart and spirit within Israel's restoration. These gifts can inform Christian hope, but none turns nātan into a promise that every desire, possession, office, or favorable outcome has been individually guaranteed by God.
Sense to give, hand over, deliver
Definition To give or hand over into another's power.
References Jeremiah 44:30
Why it matters Pharaoh Hophra being handed over like Zedekiah shows that Egypt's king is subject to the same Lord who judged Judah's king.
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Hebrew Verb Morphology
Prophetic Perfect — This chapter may contain prophetic perfect constructions (40 perfective verbs in prophetic context with messianic/eschatological thread signals): Jer 44:1, Jer 44:2, Jer 44:3, Jer 44:4, Jer 44:5 and 16 more. Perfective verbs may declare future events as grammatically completed, expressing divine certainty rather than past time.
| v.1 | H1961הָיָהQal · Perfect · Indicative |
| v.10 | H1792דָּכָאPual · Perfect · IndicativeH3372יָרֵאQal · Perfect · IndicativeH1980הָלַךְQal · Perfect · IndicativeH5414נָתַןQal · Perfect · Indicative |
| v.11 | H559אָמַרQal · Perfect · IndicativeH7760שׂוּםQal · Participle |
| v.12 | H7760שׂוּםQal · Perfect · IndicativeH5307נָפַלQal · Imperfect · Indicative/jussiveH8552תָּמַםQal · Imperfect · Indicative/jussiveH4191מוּתQal · Imperfect · Indicative/jussive |
| v.13 | H6485פָּקַדQal · Perfect · Indicative |
| v.14 | H1961הָיָהQal · Imperfect · Indicative/jussiveH5375נָשָׂאPiel · ParticipleH7725שׁוּבQal · Imperfect · Indicative/jussive |
| v.15 | H6999קָטַרPiel · Participle |
| v.16 | H1696דָבַרPiel · Perfect · IndicativeH8085שָׁמַעQal · Participle |
| v.17 | H6213עָשָׂהQal · Infinitive absoluteH6213עָשָׂהQal · Imperfect · Indicative/cohortativeH3318יָצָאQal · Perfect · IndicativeH6213עָשָׂהQal · Perfect · IndicativeH7200רָאָהQal · Perfect · Indicative |
| v.18 | H2308חָדַלQal · Perfect · IndicativeH2637חָסֵרQal · Perfect · IndicativeH8552תָּמַםQal · Perfect · Indicative |
| v.19 | H6999קָטַרPiel · ParticipleH6213עָשָׂהQal · Perfect · Indicative |
| v.2 | H559אָמַרQal · Perfect · IndicativeH7200רָאָהQal · Perfect · IndicativeH935בּוֹאHiphil · Perfect · IndicativeH3427יָשַׁבQal · Participle |
| v.21 | H6999קָטַרPiel · Perfect · IndicativeH2142זָכַרQal · Perfect · Indicative |
| v.22 | H3201יָכֹלQal · Imperfect · Indicative/jussiveH6213עָשָׂהQal · Perfect · IndicativeH3427יָשַׁבQal · Participle |
| v.23 | H6999קָטַרPiel · Perfect · IndicativeH2398חָטָאQal · Perfect · IndicativeH8085שָׁמַעQal · Perfect · IndicativeH1980הָלַךְQal · Perfect · IndicativeH7122קָרָאQal · Perfect · Indicative |
| v.24 | H8085שָׁמַעQal · Imperative · Imperative |
| v.25 | H559אָמַרQal · Perfect · IndicativeH4390מָלֵאPiel · Perfect · IndicativeH6213עָשָׂהQal · Infinitive absoluteH6213עָשָׂהQal · Imperfect · Indicative/cohortativeH5087נָדַרQal · Perfect · IndicativeH6965קוּםHiphil · Infinitive absoluteH6965קוּםHiphil · ImperfectiveH6213עָשָׂהQal · Imperfect · Indicative/jussive |
| v.26 | H8085שָׁמַעQal · Imperative · ImperativeH7650שָׁבַעNiphal · Perfect · IndicativeH559אָמַרQal · Perfect · IndicativeH1961הָיָהQal · Imperfect · Indicative/jussiveH7121קָרָאNiphal · Participle passiveH559אָמַרQal · Participle |
| v.27 | H8245שָׁקַדQal · Participle |
| v.28 | H6965קוּםQal · Imperfect · Indicative/jussive |
| v.29 | H6485פָּקַדQal · ParticipleH3045יָדַעQal · Imperfect · Indicative/jussiveH6965קוּםQal · Infinitive absoluteH6965קוּםQal · Imperfect · Indicative/jussive |
| v.3 | H6213עָשָׂהQal · Perfect · Indicative |
| v.30 | H559אָמַרQal · Perfect · IndicativeH5414נָתַןQal · ParticipleH1245בָּקַשׁPiel · ParticipleH5414נָתַןQal · Perfect · Indicative |
| v.4 | H7925שָׁכַםHiphil · Infinitive absoluteH6213עָשָׂהQal · Imperfect · JussiveH8130שָׂנֵאQal · Perfect · Indicative |
| v.5 | H8085שָׁמַעQal · Perfect · IndicativeH5186נָטָהHiphil · Perfect · IndicativeH6999קָטַרPiel · Infinitive construct |
| v.7 | H559אָמַרQal · Perfect · IndicativeH6213עָשָׂהQal · ParticipleH3498יָתַרHiphil · Infinitive construct |
| v.8 | H935בּוֹאQal · ParticipleH3772כָּרַתHiphil · Infinitive construct |
| v.9 | H6213עָשָׂהQal · Perfect · Indicative |
Aspect in Hebrew is grammatical form, not tense. Perfect = completed action; Imperfect = incomplete/ongoing. Stem modifies action type (Qal=simple, Niphal=passive, Piel=intensive).
Morphology: OSHB WLC (Open Scriptures, CC BY 4.0) · STEPBible TEHMC (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0)
Theological Argument
Jeremiah 44 argues that the remnant's deepest danger is not exile, Babylon, Egypt, or political weakness, but hardened idolatry that refuses to interpret reality by the Lord's word. The ruins of Judah stand as evidence that idolatry provoked judgment, yet the remnant in Egypt repeats the same sin and defends it as the source of prosperity. Their rebellion is not merely ritual error but a complete theological inversion: they call idolatry blessing and obedience loss.
Jeremiah corrects their false memory and announces that the Lord's word, not their interpretation of events, will stand. Pharaoh's coming humiliation will prove that Egypt's power cannot protect those who reject the Lord.
The LORD interprets Judah's past, indicts the remnant's present, confronts their idolatrous explanation of life, and swears that judgment will vindicate his word.
- 1.Judah's destruction must be interpreted by covenant truth, not by mere political analysis.
- 2.The remnant in Egypt is repeating the same sin that brought Judah down.
- 3.Unhumbled hearts can survive judgment without learning from it.
- 4.Idolatry can create a false reading of providence.
- 5.The LORD's word corrects corrupted memory and false theology.
- 6.Judgment will reveal whose word stands.
Theological Focus
- Hardened idolatry after judgment
- False interpretation of providence
- The authority of the Lord's word over experience
- Covenant accountability beyond the land
- Household complicity in false worship
- Judgment as vindication of the Lord's word
- Egypt's failed security
- Idolatry
- Authority of God's Word
- Human Sinfulness
- Covenant Judgment
- Divine Patience and Warning
- False Worship
- Divine Sovereignty over Nations
- Remnant Theology
- Need for New Covenant Renewal
Covenant Significance
Jeremiah 44 shows the remnant in Egypt violating the first loyalty of the covenant: exclusive worship of the Lord. Their idolatry is not accidental syncretism but open defiance. The Lord had sent prophets, judged Judah, preserved a remnant, warned them not to go to Egypt, and still they chose foreign worship. Their sin reveals that the covenant crisis was never merely institutional or geographical; it was heart-level rebellion against the Lord's rule and word.
Old Testament Connections
- Exclusive allegiance violated
- Judah's ruins function as covenant evidence
- The remnant remains responsible
- The covenant name is profaned and withdrawn
- A few fugitives preserve a thin line of mercy
Canonical Connections
Jeremiah 44 stands within the covenant witness that idolatry is not a minor failure but betrayal of the Lord.
The Queen of Heaven appears in Jeremiah as a symbol of organized idolatrous devotion involving household participation and ritual offerings.
The people's false interpretation of prosperity and suffering is corrected by the Lord's revealed word.
Egypt continues to represent refuge sought against the Lord's word and therefore cannot save.
The Lord's judgment extends over Egypt's gods, temples, and rulers, anticipating the wider biblical triumph over idolatrous powers.
Jeremiah 44 presses the decisive question of whose word endures: the people's claim or the Lord's declaration.
The chapter's idolatry prepares the canonical call to true worship and Spirit-wrought turning from idols.
Canon-Wide Connections
Cross-reference data: OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Formation Focus
The chapter forms God's people to reject idolatrous explanations of life and to let the Lord's word govern memory, worship, suffering, and hope.
Practice Response
- Revelation-governed memory - When reviewing the past, ask how Scripture interprets the events rather than relying only on how those events felt.
- Idol detection - Identify what you credit for provision, relief, or safety besides the Lord.
- Prosperity discernment - Refuse to assume that ease during disobedience equals divine approval.
- Suffering discernment - Refuse to assume that hardship during obedience means obedience failed.
- Household repentance - Examine whether family rhythms, finances, speech, or loyalties are reinforcing false worship.
- Humble response to warning - Treat the Lord's correction as mercy before consequences harden.
- Exclusive worship - Renounce divided allegiance and renew practical devotion to the Lord alone.
Warnings and Misreadings
- The chapter warns that people can become so committed to false worship that they reinterpret judgment as proof they should return to their idols.
- Do not interpret prosperity as proof that disobedience is blessed.
- Do not interpret suffering as proof that obedience failed.
- Do not carry old sins into new places and expect new outcomes.
- Do not mistake survival after judgment for permission to keep rebelling.
- Do not use family agreement to justify false worship.
- Do not invoke the Lord's name while refusing the Lord's rule.
- Do not trust political powers that stand under God's judgment.
- The people's argument proves that worshiping the Queen of Heaven had actually blessed them. - Jeremiah explicitly corrects this interpretation. Their idolatry was the reason the Lord brought disaster, not the source of true blessing.
- Jeremiah 44 mainly blames women for idolatry. - The women are directly addressed because of their prominent role in the worship practice, but the men are also implicated and acknowledge their wives' involvement. The chapter presents communal and household complicity.
- The remnant is innocent because they are traumatized refugees. - Their trauma is real, but the chapter treats their continued idolatry and rejection of the Lord's word as culpable rebellion.
- Egypt was safe until Babylon disrupted it. - Egypt was never ultimate refuge. The Lord announces that Pharaoh himself will be handed over, proving Egypt's insecurity under divine judgment.
- The chapter teaches that all suffering is direct punishment for specific idolatry. - In this chapter, the Lord specifically interprets Judah's disaster as judgment for idolatry. This should not be universalized simplistically to every instance of suffering.
- The Lord's refusal to let them invoke his name means his covenant purposes have failed. - The judgment falls on the rebellious Judeans in Egypt, while the wider canonical hope of restoration and new covenant renewal remains grounded in the Lord's promises.
- The few fugitives are the main point of hope in the chapter. - The few fugitives matter, but the dominant burden is warning, judgment, and the vindication of the Lord's word over hardened idolatry.
Discipleship Questions
- Where am I interpreting my life by visible outcomes rather than by the word of the Lord?
- What idol seems persuasive because it once appeared to give comfort, success, control, or relief?
- Have I ever treated obedience as the reason life became harder and disobedience as the reason life felt easier?
- What evidence of God's past warnings am I ignoring because repentance would require surrender?
- How can a family or community become united around rebellion while still feeling justified?
- Do I invoke the Lord's name while refusing his authority?
- What would humility look like after chastening, disappointment, or loss?
- Whose word am I living as though it will stand: mine, the culture's, fear's, prosperity's, or the Lord's?
Pastoral Applications
- Preach Jeremiah 44 as a searching warning about hardened idolatry that survives judgment and learns the wrong lesson from suffering.
- Use the chapter to help people distinguish between faithful interpretation of suffering and self-protective narratives that justify sin.
- Train believers not to measure God's approval merely by seasons of ease or visible provision.
- The chapter warns that households can normalize idolatry together. Pastoral care must address family systems of shared unbelief, not merely isolated individual habits.
- Leaders must resist the pressure to validate what appears pragmatically successful when it contradicts God's word.
- The chapter models direct warning when people openly vow to continue sin. Tenderness must not become silence.
- Teach believers to ask not only 'What worked?' but 'What was faithful?'
- The chapter calls the church to exclusive worship of the Lord and warns against mixing religious language with functional allegiance to other powers.
- Trauma must be shepherded carefully, but suffering must not be allowed to become a justification for idolatry or disobedience.
Pastoral Trajectories
Chapter Movement
The chapter moves from the Lord's historical indictment of Judah's idolatry, to warning against repeating that rebellion in Egypt, to the people's open vow to continue worshiping the Queen of Heaven, to Jeremiah's correction of their false history, and finally to the Lord's sworn judgment and confirming sign against Pharaoh Hophra.
Discourse Insight
Theological exposition and fulfillment
The chapter forms God's people to reject idolatrous explanations of life and to let the Lord's word govern memory, worship, suffering, and hope.
Structural Flow
Chapter Outline
- 44:1-6: The Ruins of Judah Explain the Danger of Idolatry
- 44:7-10: The Remnant Repeats the Sin That Destroyed the Nation
- 44:11-14: The Lord Sets His Face Against the Egypt Remnant
- 44:15-19: The People Defend Their Idols
- 44:20-23: Jeremiah Corrects Their Memory
- 44:24-28: The Lord Swears That His Word Will Stand
- 44:29-30: Pharaoh's Fall Confirms Egypt's Failure
Gospel Clarity
Jeremiah 44 exposes why sinners need more than warning, more than historical evidence, and more than survival after judgment. The remnant sees Judah's ruins, hears Jeremiah's word, and still defends idolatry. The gospel answers this hardened condition through Christ. He is the faithful Son who worships the Father alone, the true Prophet whose word stands, the crucified Savior who bears judgment for idolaters, and the risen Lord who gives the Spirit to turn hearts from idols to the living God.
In him, sinners are not merely told to abandon false gods; they are forgiven, renewed, indwelt, and brought into true worship.
Primary Emphasis
Jeremiah 44 contributes to the biblical need for a new covenant heart, a true worshiping people, and a refuge that does not depend on idols, prosperity, or political powers. The remnant's defense of the Queen of Heaven shows that judgment alone cannot cure idolatry. Their false interpretation of history shows that sinners need more than experience; they need revelation and inward renewal.
In the fullness of Scripture, Christ fulfills the hope of true covenant faithfulness. He obeys where Israel rebels, reveals the Father truly, bears judgment for idolaters, rises to secure a purified people, and gives the Spirit so that worship is turned from idols to the living God.
Chapter Contribution
Jeremiah 44 argues that the remnant's deepest danger is not exile, Babylon, Egypt, or political weakness, but hardened idolatry that refuses to interpret reality by the Lord's word. The ruins of Judah stand as evidence that idolatry provoked judgment, yet the remnant in Egypt repeats the same sin and defends it as the source of prosperity. Their rebellion is not merely ritual error but a complete theological inversion: they call idolatry blessing and obedience loss.
Jeremiah corrects their false memory and announces that the Lord's word, not their interpretation of events, will stand. Pharaoh's coming humiliation will prove that Egypt's power cannot protect those who reject the Lord.
Motifs in This Chapter
Doctrines in This Chapter
God holds His covenant people responsible for obedience to His commands and judges persistent rebellion.
God’s holiness demands judgment against idolatry and covenant unfaithfulness.
God executes righteous judgment against persistent rebellion and idolatry.
Persistent worship of false gods provokes the righteous judgment of the Lord.
God’s judgment arises from righteous response to sustained wickedness and idolatry.
God controls the rise and fall of rulers and nations according to His purposes.
Human strategies and political alliances cannot protect against the consequences of sin.
Trust in political power or national protection cannot replace reliance on God.
The passage illustrates humanity’s tendency to reject God’s truth and justify sinful practices.
Persistent rebellion can produce spiritual blindness that refuses to respond to God’s discipline.
People are accountable for the vows and commitments they make in worship.
Sin distorts memory and interpretation, leading people to justify their rebellion against God.
Idolatry replaces devotion to the true God with trust in created or imagined deities.
People remain responsible for responding to God’s warnings and learning from His judgments.
God repeatedly sends messengers to call His people to repentance before judgment falls.
God confirms His prophetic word through historical fulfillment.
Even in judgment God preserves a small group to continue His covenant purposes.
People can reinterpret history and circumstances in ways that justify rebellion against God.
Doctrinal Weight
The chapter centers on Judah's persistent worship of other gods, especially the Queen of Heaven, and shows idolatry as covenant rebellion.
The chapter contrasts the Lord's interpretation of history with the people's false interpretation and declares that the outcome will reveal whose word stands.
The remnant persists in rebellion after judgment, refuses to humble itself, and openly vows continued idolatry.
Sword, famine, plague, desolation, curse, and reproach are presented as judgment for covenant rebellion.
The Lord had persistently sent prophets and now warns the remnant again in Egypt before judgment is completed.
The people's ritual devotion to the Queen of Heaven includes incense, drink offerings, and cakes, showing organized and defended false worship.
The Lord announces Pharaoh Hophra's downfall as a sign that Egypt's power cannot protect the remnant.
The chapter severely narrows the surviving group in Egypt, while allowing that a few fugitives will return to Judah.
The remnant's persistent idolatry after judgment reinforces the need for inward transformation promised in Jeremiah 31.
Reading Lenses
Theological exposition and fulfillment
- The chapter forms God's people to reject idolatrous explanations of life and to let the Lord's word govern memory, worship, suffering, and hope.
Commentary (Keil & Delitzsch)
C.F. Keil & F. Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–91) — public domain
The Biblical World
Chapter At A Glance
The chapter moves from the Lord's historical indictment of Judah's idolatry, to warning against repeating that rebellion in Egypt, to the people's open vow to continue worshiping the Queen of Heaven, to Jeremiah's correction of their false history, and finally to the Lord's sworn judgment and confirming sign against Pharaoh Hophra.
Jeremiah 44 shows the remnant in Egypt violating the first loyalty of the covenant: exclusive worship of the Lord. Their idolatry is not accidental syncretism but open defiance. The Lord had sent prophets, judged Judah, preserved a remnant, warned them not to go to Egypt, and still they chose foreign worship. Their sin reveals that the covenant crisis was never merely institutional or geographical; it was heart-level rebellion against the Lord's rule and word.
Jeremiah 44 exposes why sinners need more than warning, more than historical evidence, and more than survival after judgment. The remnant sees Judah's ruins, hears Jeremiah's word, and still defends idolatry. The gospel answers this hardened condition through Christ. He is the faithful Son who worships the Father alone, the true Prophet whose word stands, the crucified Savior who bears judgment for idolaters, and the risen Lord who gives the Spirit to turn hearts from idols to the living God.
In him, sinners are not merely told to abandon false gods; they are forgiven, renewed, indwelt, and brought into true worship.
Focus Points
- Hardened idolatry after judgment
- False interpretation of providence
- The authority of the Lord's word over experience
- Covenant accountability beyond the land
- Household complicity in false worship
- Judgment as vindication of the Lord's word
- Egypt's failed security
- Idolatry
- Authority of God's Word
- Human Sinfulness
- Covenant Judgment
- Divine Patience and Warning
- False Worship
- Divine Sovereignty over Nations
- Remnant Theology
- Need for New Covenant Renewal
Explore Further
Jer 44:2-14 The warning and threatening. - "Thus saith Jahveh of hosts, the God of Israel: Ye yourselves have been all the evil which I have brought on Jerusalem, and on all the cities of Judah; and, behold, they are a desolation this day, and there is no inhabitant in them; Jer 44:3 . Because of their wickedness which they have done, by provoking me through going to burn incense, (and) to serve other gods whom they knew not, (neither) they (nor) ye, nor your fathers.
Jer 44:4 . And I sent unto you all my servants the prophets, rising early and sending (them), to say, Do not this abominable thing which I hate. Jer 44:5 . But they did not hear, nor inclined their ear to turn from their wickedness, by not burning incense to other gods. Jer 44:6 . Therefore my wrath and mine anger poured itself out, and burned up the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem; so that they have become a desolation and a waste, as at this day.
Jer 44:7 . Now therefore thus saith Jahveh of hosts, the God of Israel: Why do ye great evil against your souls, by cutting off from yourselves man and women, child and suckling, out of the midst of Judah, so leaving no remnant for yourselves; Jer 44:8 . Through provoking me by the works of your hands, burning incense to other gods in the land of Egypt, whither ye have gone to sojourn, that ye might bring destruction on yourselves, and that ye might become a curse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth?
Jer 44:9 . Have ye forgotten the evil deeds of your fathers, and the evil deeds of the kings of Judah, and the evil deeds of their wives, and your own evil deeds, and the evil deeds of your wives, which they committed in the land of Judah and on the streets of Jerusalem? Jer 44:10. They have not been contrite to this day, and are not afraid, nor do they walk in my law, and in my statutes, which I have set before you and before your fathers.
Jer 44:11. Therefore thus saith Jahveh of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will set my face against you for evil, and to cut off all Judah. Jer 44:12. And I will take the remnant of Judah, that have set their faces to go to the land of Egypt in order to sojourn there, and they shall all be consumed; in the land of Egypt shall they fall, by sword and famine shall they be consumed; small and great, by sword and famine shall they die, and they shall become an execration and an astonishment, and a curse and a reproach.
Jer 44:13. And I will punish those who dwell in the land of Egypt, as I punished Jerusalem, by sword, and famine, and pestilence. Jer 44:14. There shall not be one escaped or left to the remnant of Judah that came to sojourn there in the land of Egypt, so as to return to the land of Judah, whither they long to return and dwell; for they shall not return except as escaped ones."
Jer 44:2-6 In order to make an impression on the people by his warning against idolatry, Jeremiah begins his address with a reference to the great calamity which the fathers have brought on the kingdom of Judah through their continued idolatry (Jer 44:2-6). "Ye have seen all the evil," etc. ; all the cities are laid waste and depopulated, because their inhabitants have roused the anger of the Lord, and have not let themselves be dissuaded by the admonitions of the prophets whom God has sent.
"This day," i. e. , now, at present. On Jer 44:3, cf. Jer 11:17; Jer 19:4; Jer 32:32, etc. ; and as to the meaning of קטּר, see on Jer 1:16. In Jer 44:3 the address becomes more direct, through the change into the second person, "ye;" the audience then present only continue these sins of their fathers. On Jer 44:4, cf. Jer 7:25; Jer 25:4, etc. דּבר התּעבה הזּאת, "the thing of this abomination," which is equivalent to "this abominable idolatry."
דּבר serves to render the subject more prominent, as in Jdg 19:24. On Jer 44:6, cf. Jer 42:18; Jer 7:20. The wrath of God burned in the cities, for the fire of destruction was a manifestation of the divine wrath. As to כּיום הזּה, see on Jer 11:5.
Jer 44:2-14 The warning and threatening. - "Thus saith Jahveh of hosts, the God of Israel: Ye yourselves have been all the evil which I have brought on Jerusalem, and on all the cities of Judah; and, behold, they are a desolation this day, and there is no inhabitant in them; Jer 44:3 . Because of their wickedness which they have done, by provoking me through going to burn incense, (and) to serve other gods whom they knew not, (neither) they (nor) ye, nor your fathers.
Jer 44:4 . And I sent unto you all my servants the prophets, rising early and sending (them), to say, Do not this abominable thing which I hate. Jer 44:5 . But they did not hear, nor inclined their ear to turn from their wickedness, by not burning incense to other gods. Jer 44:6 . Therefore my wrath and mine anger poured itself out, and burned up the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem; so that they have become a desolation and a waste, as at this day.
Jer 44:7 . Now therefore thus saith Jahveh of hosts, the God of Israel: Why do ye great evil against your souls, by cutting off from yourselves man and women, child and suckling, out of the midst of Judah, so leaving no remnant for yourselves; Jer 44:8 . Through provoking me by the works of your hands, burning incense to other gods in the land of Egypt, whither ye have gone to sojourn, that ye might bring destruction on yourselves, and that ye might become a curse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth?
Jer 44:9 . Have ye forgotten the evil deeds of your fathers, and the evil deeds of the kings of Judah, and the evil deeds of their wives, and your own evil deeds, and the evil deeds of your wives, which they committed in the land of Judah and on the streets of Jerusalem? Jer 44:10. They have not been contrite to this day, and are not afraid, nor do they walk in my law, and in my statutes, which I have set before you and before your fathers.
Jer 44:11. Therefore thus saith Jahveh of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will set my face against you for evil, and to cut off all Judah. Jer 44:12. And I will take the remnant of Judah, that have set their faces to go to the land of Egypt in order to sojourn there, and they shall all be consumed; in the land of Egypt shall they fall, by sword and famine shall they be consumed; small and great, by sword and famine shall they die, and they shall become an execration and an astonishment, and a curse and a reproach.
Jer 44:13. And I will punish those who dwell in the land of Egypt, as I punished Jerusalem, by sword, and famine, and pestilence. Jer 44:14. There shall not be one escaped or left to the remnant of Judah that came to sojourn there in the land of Egypt, so as to return to the land of Judah, whither they long to return and dwell; for they shall not return except as escaped ones."
Jer 44:2-6 In order to make an impression on the people by his warning against idolatry, Jeremiah begins his address with a reference to the great calamity which the fathers have brought on the kingdom of Judah through their continued idolatry (Jer 44:2-6). "Ye have seen all the evil," etc. ; all the cities are laid waste and depopulated, because their inhabitants have roused the anger of the Lord, and have not let themselves be dissuaded by the admonitions of the prophets whom God has sent.
"This day," i. e. , now, at present. On Jer 44:3, cf. Jer 11:17; Jer 19:4; Jer 32:32, etc. ; and as to the meaning of קטּר, see on Jer 1:16. In Jer 44:3 the address becomes more direct, through the change into the second person, "ye;" the audience then present only continue these sins of their fathers. On Jer 44:4, cf. Jer 7:25; Jer 25:4, etc. דּבר התּעבה הזּאת, "the thing of this abomination," which is equivalent to "this abominable idolatry."
דּבר serves to render the subject more prominent, as in Jdg 19:24. On Jer 44:6, cf. Jer 42:18; Jer 7:20. The wrath of God burned in the cities, for the fire of destruction was a manifestation of the divine wrath. As to כּיום הזּה, see on Jer 11:5.
Jer 44:2-14 The warning and threatening. - "Thus saith Jahveh of hosts, the God of Israel: Ye yourselves have been all the evil which I have brought on Jerusalem, and on all the cities of Judah; and, behold, they are a desolation this day, and there is no inhabitant in them; Jer 44:3 . Because of their wickedness which they have done, by provoking me through going to burn incense, (and) to serve other gods whom they knew not, (neither) they (nor) ye, nor your fathers.
Jer 44:4 . And I sent unto you all my servants the prophets, rising early and sending (them), to say, Do not this abominable thing which I hate. Jer 44:5 . But they did not hear, nor inclined their ear to turn from their wickedness, by not burning incense to other gods. Jer 44:6 . Therefore my wrath and mine anger poured itself out, and burned up the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem; so that they have become a desolation and a waste, as at this day.
Jer 44:7 . Now therefore thus saith Jahveh of hosts, the God of Israel: Why do ye great evil against your souls, by cutting off from yourselves man and women, child and suckling, out of the midst of Judah, so leaving no remnant for yourselves; Jer 44:8 . Through provoking me by the works of your hands, burning incense to other gods in the land of Egypt, whither ye have gone to sojourn, that ye might bring destruction on yourselves, and that ye might become a curse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth?
Jer 44:9 . Have ye forgotten the evil deeds of your fathers, and the evil deeds of the kings of Judah, and the evil deeds of their wives, and your own evil deeds, and the evil deeds of your wives, which they committed in the land of Judah and on the streets of Jerusalem? Jer 44:10. They have not been contrite to this day, and are not afraid, nor do they walk in my law, and in my statutes, which I have set before you and before your fathers.
Jer 44:11. Therefore thus saith Jahveh of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will set my face against you for evil, and to cut off all Judah. Jer 44:12. And I will take the remnant of Judah, that have set their faces to go to the land of Egypt in order to sojourn there, and they shall all be consumed; in the land of Egypt shall they fall, by sword and famine shall they be consumed; small and great, by sword and famine shall they die, and they shall become an execration and an astonishment, and a curse and a reproach.
Jer 44:13. And I will punish those who dwell in the land of Egypt, as I punished Jerusalem, by sword, and famine, and pestilence. Jer 44:14. There shall not be one escaped or left to the remnant of Judah that came to sojourn there in the land of Egypt, so as to return to the land of Judah, whither they long to return and dwell; for they shall not return except as escaped ones."
Jer 44:2-6 In order to make an impression on the people by his warning against idolatry, Jeremiah begins his address with a reference to the great calamity which the fathers have brought on the kingdom of Judah through their continued idolatry (Jer 44:2-6). "Ye have seen all the evil," etc. ; all the cities are laid waste and depopulated, because their inhabitants have roused the anger of the Lord, and have not let themselves be dissuaded by the admonitions of the prophets whom God has sent.
"This day," i. e. , now, at present. On Jer 44:3, cf. Jer 11:17; Jer 19:4; Jer 32:32, etc. ; and as to the meaning of קטּר, see on Jer 1:16. In Jer 44:3 the address becomes more direct, through the change into the second person, "ye;" the audience then present only continue these sins of their fathers. On Jer 44:4, cf. Jer 7:25; Jer 25:4, etc. דּבר התּעבה הזּאת, "the thing of this abomination," which is equivalent to "this abominable idolatry."
דּבר serves to render the subject more prominent, as in Jdg 19:24. On Jer 44:6, cf. Jer 42:18; Jer 7:20. The wrath of God burned in the cities, for the fire of destruction was a manifestation of the divine wrath. As to כּיום הזּה, see on Jer 11:5.
Jer 44:2-14 The warning and threatening. - "Thus saith Jahveh of hosts, the God of Israel: Ye yourselves have been all the evil which I have brought on Jerusalem, and on all the cities of Judah; and, behold, they are a desolation this day, and there is no inhabitant in them; Jer 44:3 . Because of their wickedness which they have done, by provoking me through going to burn incense, (and) to serve other gods whom they knew not, (neither) they (nor) ye, nor your fathers.
Jer 44:4 . And I sent unto you all my servants the prophets, rising early and sending (them), to say, Do not this abominable thing which I hate. Jer 44:5 . But they did not hear, nor inclined their ear to turn from their wickedness, by not burning incense to other gods. Jer 44:6 . Therefore my wrath and mine anger poured itself out, and burned up the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem; so that they have become a desolation and a waste, as at this day.
Jer 44:7 . Now therefore thus saith Jahveh of hosts, the God of Israel: Why do ye great evil against your souls, by cutting off from yourselves man and women, child and suckling, out of the midst of Judah, so leaving no remnant for yourselves; Jer 44:8 . Through provoking me by the works of your hands, burning incense to other gods in the land of Egypt, whither ye have gone to sojourn, that ye might bring destruction on yourselves, and that ye might become a curse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth?
Jer 44:9 . Have ye forgotten the evil deeds of your fathers, and the evil deeds of the kings of Judah, and the evil deeds of their wives, and your own evil deeds, and the evil deeds of your wives, which they committed in the land of Judah and on the streets of Jerusalem? Jer 44:10. They have not been contrite to this day, and are not afraid, nor do they walk in my law, and in my statutes, which I have set before you and before your fathers.
Jer 44:11. Therefore thus saith Jahveh of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will set my face against you for evil, and to cut off all Judah. Jer 44:12. And I will take the remnant of Judah, that have set their faces to go to the land of Egypt in order to sojourn there, and they shall all be consumed; in the land of Egypt shall they fall, by sword and famine shall they be consumed; small and great, by sword and famine shall they die, and they shall become an execration and an astonishment, and a curse and a reproach.
Jer 44:13. And I will punish those who dwell in the land of Egypt, as I punished Jerusalem, by sword, and famine, and pestilence. Jer 44:14. There shall not be one escaped or left to the remnant of Judah that came to sojourn there in the land of Egypt, so as to return to the land of Judah, whither they long to return and dwell; for they shall not return except as escaped ones."
Jer 44:2-6 In order to make an impression on the people by his warning against idolatry, Jeremiah begins his address with a reference to the great calamity which the fathers have brought on the kingdom of Judah through their continued idolatry (Jer 44:2-6). "Ye have seen all the evil," etc. ; all the cities are laid waste and depopulated, because their inhabitants have roused the anger of the Lord, and have not let themselves be dissuaded by the admonitions of the prophets whom God has sent.
"This day," i. e. , now, at present. On Jer 44:3, cf. Jer 11:17; Jer 19:4; Jer 32:32, etc. ; and as to the meaning of קטּר, see on Jer 1:16. In Jer 44:3 the address becomes more direct, through the change into the second person, "ye;" the audience then present only continue these sins of their fathers. On Jer 44:4, cf. Jer 7:25; Jer 25:4, etc. דּבר התּעבה הזּאת, "the thing of this abomination," which is equivalent to "this abominable idolatry."
דּבר serves to render the subject more prominent, as in Jdg 19:24. On Jer 44:6, cf. Jer 42:18; Jer 7:20. The wrath of God burned in the cities, for the fire of destruction was a manifestation of the divine wrath. As to כּיום הזּה, see on Jer 11:5.
Jer 44:2-14 The warning and threatening. - "Thus saith Jahveh of hosts, the God of Israel: Ye yourselves have been all the evil which I have brought on Jerusalem, and on all the cities of Judah; and, behold, they are a desolation this day, and there is no inhabitant in them; Jer 44:3 . Because of their wickedness which they have done, by provoking me through going to burn incense, (and) to serve other gods whom they knew not, (neither) they (nor) ye, nor your fathers.
Jer 44:4 . And I sent unto you all my servants the prophets, rising early and sending (them), to say, Do not this abominable thing which I hate. Jer 44:5 . But they did not hear, nor inclined their ear to turn from their wickedness, by not burning incense to other gods. Jer 44:6 . Therefore my wrath and mine anger poured itself out, and burned up the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem; so that they have become a desolation and a waste, as at this day.
Jer 44:7 . Now therefore thus saith Jahveh of hosts, the God of Israel: Why do ye great evil against your souls, by cutting off from yourselves man and women, child and suckling, out of the midst of Judah, so leaving no remnant for yourselves; Jer 44:8 . Through provoking me by the works of your hands, burning incense to other gods in the land of Egypt, whither ye have gone to sojourn, that ye might bring destruction on yourselves, and that ye might become a curse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth?
Jer 44:9 . Have ye forgotten the evil deeds of your fathers, and the evil deeds of the kings of Judah, and the evil deeds of their wives, and your own evil deeds, and the evil deeds of your wives, which they committed in the land of Judah and on the streets of Jerusalem? Jer 44:10. They have not been contrite to this day, and are not afraid, nor do they walk in my law, and in my statutes, which I have set before you and before your fathers.
Jer 44:11. Therefore thus saith Jahveh of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will set my face against you for evil, and to cut off all Judah. Jer 44:12. And I will take the remnant of Judah, that have set their faces to go to the land of Egypt in order to sojourn there, and they shall all be consumed; in the land of Egypt shall they fall, by sword and famine shall they be consumed; small and great, by sword and famine shall they die, and they shall become an execration and an astonishment, and a curse and a reproach.
Jer 44:13. And I will punish those who dwell in the land of Egypt, as I punished Jerusalem, by sword, and famine, and pestilence. Jer 44:14. There shall not be one escaped or left to the remnant of Judah that came to sojourn there in the land of Egypt, so as to return to the land of Judah, whither they long to return and dwell; for they shall not return except as escaped ones."
Jer 44:2-6 In order to make an impression on the people by his warning against idolatry, Jeremiah begins his address with a reference to the great calamity which the fathers have brought on the kingdom of Judah through their continued idolatry (Jer 44:2-6). "Ye have seen all the evil," etc. ; all the cities are laid waste and depopulated, because their inhabitants have roused the anger of the Lord, and have not let themselves be dissuaded by the admonitions of the prophets whom God has sent.
"This day," i. e. , now, at present. On Jer 44:3, cf. Jer 11:17; Jer 19:4; Jer 32:32, etc. ; and as to the meaning of קטּר, see on Jer 1:16. In Jer 44:3 the address becomes more direct, through the change into the second person, "ye;" the audience then present only continue these sins of their fathers. On Jer 44:4, cf. Jer 7:25; Jer 25:4, etc. דּבר התּעבה הזּאת, "the thing of this abomination," which is equivalent to "this abominable idolatry."
דּבר serves to render the subject more prominent, as in Jdg 19:24. On Jer 44:6, cf. Jer 42:18; Jer 7:20. The wrath of God burned in the cities, for the fire of destruction was a manifestation of the divine wrath. As to כּיום הזּה, see on Jer 11:5.
Jer 44:2-14 The warning and threatening. - "Thus saith Jahveh of hosts, the God of Israel: Ye yourselves have been all the evil which I have brought on Jerusalem, and on all the cities of Judah; and, behold, they are a desolation this day, and there is no inhabitant in them; Jer 44:3 . Because of their wickedness which they have done, by provoking me through going to burn incense, (and) to serve other gods whom they knew not, (neither) they (nor) ye, nor your fathers.
Jer 44:4 . And I sent unto you all my servants the prophets, rising early and sending (them), to say, Do not this abominable thing which I hate. Jer 44:5 . But they did not hear, nor inclined their ear to turn from their wickedness, by not burning incense to other gods. Jer 44:6 . Therefore my wrath and mine anger poured itself out, and burned up the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem; so that they have become a desolation and a waste, as at this day.
Jer 44:7 . Now therefore thus saith Jahveh of hosts, the God of Israel: Why do ye great evil against your souls, by cutting off from yourselves man and women, child and suckling, out of the midst of Judah, so leaving no remnant for yourselves; Jer 44:8 . Through provoking me by the works of your hands, burning incense to other gods in the land of Egypt, whither ye have gone to sojourn, that ye might bring destruction on yourselves, and that ye might become a curse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth?
Jer 44:9 . Have ye forgotten the evil deeds of your fathers, and the evil deeds of the kings of Judah, and the evil deeds of their wives, and your own evil deeds, and the evil deeds of your wives, which they committed in the land of Judah and on the streets of Jerusalem? Jer 44:10. They have not been contrite to this day, and are not afraid, nor do they walk in my law, and in my statutes, which I have set before you and before your fathers.
Jer 44:11. Therefore thus saith Jahveh of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will set my face against you for evil, and to cut off all Judah. Jer 44:12. And I will take the remnant of Judah, that have set their faces to go to the land of Egypt in order to sojourn there, and they shall all be consumed; in the land of Egypt shall they fall, by sword and famine shall they be consumed; small and great, by sword and famine shall they die, and they shall become an execration and an astonishment, and a curse and a reproach.
Jer 44:13. And I will punish those who dwell in the land of Egypt, as I punished Jerusalem, by sword, and famine, and pestilence. Jer 44:14. There shall not be one escaped or left to the remnant of Judah that came to sojourn there in the land of Egypt, so as to return to the land of Judah, whither they long to return and dwell; for they shall not return except as escaped ones."
Jer 44:2-6 In order to make an impression on the people by his warning against idolatry, Jeremiah begins his address with a reference to the great calamity which the fathers have brought on the kingdom of Judah through their continued idolatry (Jer 44:2-6). "Ye have seen all the evil," etc. ; all the cities are laid waste and depopulated, because their inhabitants have roused the anger of the Lord, and have not let themselves be dissuaded by the admonitions of the prophets whom God has sent.
"This day," i. e. , now, at present. On Jer 44:3, cf. Jer 11:17; Jer 19:4; Jer 32:32, etc. ; and as to the meaning of קטּר, see on Jer 1:16. In Jer 44:3 the address becomes more direct, through the change into the second person, "ye;" the audience then present only continue these sins of their fathers. On Jer 44:4, cf. Jer 7:25; Jer 25:4, etc. דּבר התּעבה הזּאת, "the thing of this abomination," which is equivalent to "this abominable idolatry."
דּבר serves to render the subject more prominent, as in Jdg 19:24. On Jer 44:6, cf. Jer 42:18; Jer 7:20. The wrath of God burned in the cities, for the fire of destruction was a manifestation of the divine wrath. As to כּיום הזּה, see on Jer 11:5.
Jer 44:2-14 The warning and threatening. - "Thus saith Jahveh of hosts, the God of Israel: Ye yourselves have been all the evil which I have brought on Jerusalem, and on all the cities of Judah; and, behold, they are a desolation this day, and there is no inhabitant in them; Jer 44:3 . Because of their wickedness which they have done, by provoking me through going to burn incense, (and) to serve other gods whom they knew not, (neither) they (nor) ye, nor your fathers.
Jer 44:4 . And I sent unto you all my servants the prophets, rising early and sending (them), to say, Do not this abominable thing which I hate. Jer 44:5 . But they did not hear, nor inclined their ear to turn from their wickedness, by not burning incense to other gods. Jer 44:6 . Therefore my wrath and mine anger poured itself out, and burned up the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem; so that they have become a desolation and a waste, as at this day.
Jer 44:7 . Now therefore thus saith Jahveh of hosts, the God of Israel: Why do ye great evil against your souls, by cutting off from yourselves man and women, child and suckling, out of the midst of Judah, so leaving no remnant for yourselves; Jer 44:8 . Through provoking me by the works of your hands, burning incense to other gods in the land of Egypt, whither ye have gone to sojourn, that ye might bring destruction on yourselves, and that ye might become a curse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth?
Jer 44:9 . Have ye forgotten the evil deeds of your fathers, and the evil deeds of the kings of Judah, and the evil deeds of their wives, and your own evil deeds, and the evil deeds of your wives, which they committed in the land of Judah and on the streets of Jerusalem? Jer 44:10. They have not been contrite to this day, and are not afraid, nor do they walk in my law, and in my statutes, which I have set before you and before your fathers.
Jer 44:11. Therefore thus saith Jahveh of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will set my face against you for evil, and to cut off all Judah. Jer 44:12. And I will take the remnant of Judah, that have set their faces to go to the land of Egypt in order to sojourn there, and they shall all be consumed; in the land of Egypt shall they fall, by sword and famine shall they be consumed; small and great, by sword and famine shall they die, and they shall become an execration and an astonishment, and a curse and a reproach.
Jer 44:13. And I will punish those who dwell in the land of Egypt, as I punished Jerusalem, by sword, and famine, and pestilence. Jer 44:14. There shall not be one escaped or left to the remnant of Judah that came to sojourn there in the land of Egypt, so as to return to the land of Judah, whither they long to return and dwell; for they shall not return except as escaped ones."
Jer 44:2-6 In order to make an impression on the people by his warning against idolatry, Jeremiah begins his address with a reference to the great calamity which the fathers have brought on the kingdom of Judah through their continued idolatry (Jer 44:2-6). "Ye have seen all the evil," etc. ; all the cities are laid waste and depopulated, because their inhabitants have roused the anger of the Lord, and have not let themselves be dissuaded by the admonitions of the prophets whom God has sent.
"This day," i. e. , now, at present. On Jer 44:3, cf. Jer 11:17; Jer 19:4; Jer 32:32, etc. ; and as to the meaning of קטּר, see on Jer 1:16. In Jer 44:3 the address becomes more direct, through the change into the second person, "ye;" the audience then present only continue these sins of their fathers. On Jer 44:4, cf. Jer 7:25; Jer 25:4, etc. דּבר התּעבה הזּאת, "the thing of this abomination," which is equivalent to "this abominable idolatry."
דּבר serves to render the subject more prominent, as in Jdg 19:24. On Jer 44:6, cf. Jer 42:18; Jer 7:20. The wrath of God burned in the cities, for the fire of destruction was a manifestation of the divine wrath. As to כּיום הזּה, see on Jer 11:5.
Jer 44:2-14 The warning and threatening. - "Thus saith Jahveh of hosts, the God of Israel: Ye yourselves have been all the evil which I have brought on Jerusalem, and on all the cities of Judah; and, behold, they are a desolation this day, and there is no inhabitant in them; Jer 44:3 . Because of their wickedness which they have done, by provoking me through going to burn incense, (and) to serve other gods whom they knew not, (neither) they (nor) ye, nor your fathers.
Jer 44:4 . And I sent unto you all my servants the prophets, rising early and sending (them), to say, Do not this abominable thing which I hate. Jer 44:5 . But they did not hear, nor inclined their ear to turn from their wickedness, by not burning incense to other gods. Jer 44:6 . Therefore my wrath and mine anger poured itself out, and burned up the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem; so that they have become a desolation and a waste, as at this day.
Jer 44:7 . Now therefore thus saith Jahveh of hosts, the God of Israel: Why do ye great evil against your souls, by cutting off from yourselves man and women, child and suckling, out of the midst of Judah, so leaving no remnant for yourselves; Jer 44:8 . Through provoking me by the works of your hands, burning incense to other gods in the land of Egypt, whither ye have gone to sojourn, that ye might bring destruction on yourselves, and that ye might become a curse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth?
Jer 44:9 . Have ye forgotten the evil deeds of your fathers, and the evil deeds of the kings of Judah, and the evil deeds of their wives, and your own evil deeds, and the evil deeds of your wives, which they committed in the land of Judah and on the streets of Jerusalem? Jer 44:10. They have not been contrite to this day, and are not afraid, nor do they walk in my law, and in my statutes, which I have set before you and before your fathers.
Jer 44:11. Therefore thus saith Jahveh of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will set my face against you for evil, and to cut off all Judah. Jer 44:12. And I will take the remnant of Judah, that have set their faces to go to the land of Egypt in order to sojourn there, and they shall all be consumed; in the land of Egypt shall they fall, by sword and famine shall they be consumed; small and great, by sword and famine shall they die, and they shall become an execration and an astonishment, and a curse and a reproach.
Jer 44:13. And I will punish those who dwell in the land of Egypt, as I punished Jerusalem, by sword, and famine, and pestilence. Jer 44:14. There shall not be one escaped or left to the remnant of Judah that came to sojourn there in the land of Egypt, so as to return to the land of Judah, whither they long to return and dwell; for they shall not return except as escaped ones."
Jer 44:2-6 In order to make an impression on the people by his warning against idolatry, Jeremiah begins his address with a reference to the great calamity which the fathers have brought on the kingdom of Judah through their continued idolatry (Jer 44:2-6). "Ye have seen all the evil," etc. ; all the cities are laid waste and depopulated, because their inhabitants have roused the anger of the Lord, and have not let themselves be dissuaded by the admonitions of the prophets whom God has sent.
"This day," i. e. , now, at present. On Jer 44:3, cf. Jer 11:17; Jer 19:4; Jer 32:32, etc. ; and as to the meaning of קטּר, see on Jer 1:16. In Jer 44:3 the address becomes more direct, through the change into the second person, "ye;" the audience then present only continue these sins of their fathers. On Jer 44:4, cf. Jer 7:25; Jer 25:4, etc. דּבר התּעבה הזּאת, "the thing of this abomination," which is equivalent to "this abominable idolatry."
דּבר serves to render the subject more prominent, as in Jdg 19:24. On Jer 44:6, cf. Jer 42:18; Jer 7:20. The wrath of God burned in the cities, for the fire of destruction was a manifestation of the divine wrath. As to כּיום הזּה, see on Jer 11:5.
Jer 44:2-14 The warning and threatening. - "Thus saith Jahveh of hosts, the God of Israel: Ye yourselves have been all the evil which I have brought on Jerusalem, and on all the cities of Judah; and, behold, they are a desolation this day, and there is no inhabitant in them; Jer 44:3 . Because of their wickedness which they have done, by provoking me through going to burn incense, (and) to serve other gods whom they knew not, (neither) they (nor) ye, nor your fathers.
Jer 44:4 . And I sent unto you all my servants the prophets, rising early and sending (them), to say, Do not this abominable thing which I hate. Jer 44:5 . But they did not hear, nor inclined their ear to turn from their wickedness, by not burning incense to other gods. Jer 44:6 . Therefore my wrath and mine anger poured itself out, and burned up the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem; so that they have become a desolation and a waste, as at this day.
Jer 44:7 . Now therefore thus saith Jahveh of hosts, the God of Israel: Why do ye great evil against your souls, by cutting off from yourselves man and women, child and suckling, out of the midst of Judah, so leaving no remnant for yourselves; Jer 44:8 . Through provoking me by the works of your hands, burning incense to other gods in the land of Egypt, whither ye have gone to sojourn, that ye might bring destruction on yourselves, and that ye might become a curse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth?
Jer 44:9 . Have ye forgotten the evil deeds of your fathers, and the evil deeds of the kings of Judah, and the evil deeds of their wives, and your own evil deeds, and the evil deeds of your wives, which they committed in the land of Judah and on the streets of Jerusalem? Jer 44:10. They have not been contrite to this day, and are not afraid, nor do they walk in my law, and in my statutes, which I have set before you and before your fathers.
Jer 44:11. Therefore thus saith Jahveh of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will set my face against you for evil, and to cut off all Judah. Jer 44:12. And I will take the remnant of Judah, that have set their faces to go to the land of Egypt in order to sojourn there, and they shall all be consumed; in the land of Egypt shall they fall, by sword and famine shall they be consumed; small and great, by sword and famine shall they die, and they shall become an execration and an astonishment, and a curse and a reproach.
Jer 44:13. And I will punish those who dwell in the land of Egypt, as I punished Jerusalem, by sword, and famine, and pestilence. Jer 44:14. There shall not be one escaped or left to the remnant of Judah that came to sojourn there in the land of Egypt, so as to return to the land of Judah, whither they long to return and dwell; for they shall not return except as escaped ones."
Jer 44:2-6 In order to make an impression on the people by his warning against idolatry, Jeremiah begins his address with a reference to the great calamity which the fathers have brought on the kingdom of Judah through their continued idolatry (Jer 44:2-6). "Ye have seen all the evil," etc. ; all the cities are laid waste and depopulated, because their inhabitants have roused the anger of the Lord, and have not let themselves be dissuaded by the admonitions of the prophets whom God has sent.
"This day," i. e. , now, at present. On Jer 44:3, cf. Jer 11:17; Jer 19:4; Jer 32:32, etc. ; and as to the meaning of קטּר, see on Jer 1:16. In Jer 44:3 the address becomes more direct, through the change into the second person, "ye;" the audience then present only continue these sins of their fathers. On Jer 44:4, cf. Jer 7:25; Jer 25:4, etc. דּבר התּעבה הזּאת, "the thing of this abomination," which is equivalent to "this abominable idolatry."
דּבר serves to render the subject more prominent, as in Jdg 19:24. On Jer 44:6, cf. Jer 42:18; Jer 7:20. The wrath of God burned in the cities, for the fire of destruction was a manifestation of the divine wrath. As to כּיום הזּה, see on Jer 11:5.
Jer 44:15-19 The answer of the people to this threatening address. - Jer 44:15. "Then all the men who knew that their wives burned incense to other gods, and all the women standing [there], a great multitude, and all the people who dwelt in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, answered Jeremiah, saying, Jer 44:16. [As for] the word which thou hast spoken unto us in the name of Jahveh, we will not hearken unto thee: Jer 44:17.
But we will certainly perform every word that has proceeded out of our own mouth, by burning incense to the queen of heaven, and pouring out libations to her, just as we have done, we and our fathers, our kings and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem; and we were filled with bread, and became prosperous, and saw no evil. Jer 44:18.
But since we ceased to offer incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out libations to her, we have been in want of everything, and are consumed by sword and famine. Jer 44:19. And when we [women] have been burning incense to the queen of heaven, and poured out libations to her, have we made cakes to her without our husbands, making an image of her, and offering libations to her?"
To the word of the prophet the men and women oppose their pretended experience, that the adoration of the queen of heaven has brought them comfort and prosperity, while the neglect of this worship, on the other hand, has brought want and misfortune. No doubt they inferred this, by the argument post hoc, ergo propter hoc , from the fact that, after idolatry had been rooted out by Josiah, adversity had befallen the land of Judah; while, up till that time, the kingdom of Judah had been independent, and, for more than a century before, had been spared the suffering of misfortune.
Thus, through their blindness, peculiar to the natural man, they had overlooked the minor transient evils with which the Lord visits His people when they sin. Not till near the end of Josiah’s reign did misfortune fall on Judah: this was when the Egyptian army, under Pharaoh-Necho, marched through Palestine; Josiah was slain in the battle he had lost, the land was laid waste by the enemy, and its inhabitants perished by sword and famine.
In Jer 44:15, those who are represented speaking are all the men who knew of their wives’ idolatry, i. e. , who permitted it, and all the women, "a great company," i. e. , gathered together in great numbers, and all the rest of the people who lived in Egypt. The specification "in Pathros" is not in apposition to the words "in the land of Egypt," but belongs to the verb ויּענוּ; it tells where the gathering took place, viz.
, in a district of Upper Egypt. From the presence of a large number of women, we may conclude that the assembly was a festival in honour of the queen of heaven. The former portion of Jer 44:16 forms an absolute clause, from הדּבר to בּשׁם, "as regards the word which... we will not listen to thee," i. e. , with regard to this word we obey thee not. The expression, "the word which has gone forth out of our mouth," points to the uttering of vows: cf.
Num 30:13; Deu 23:24. 'כּל־הדּבר means "all that we have uttered as a vow," every vow to offer incense, etc. , i. e. , to present meat and drink offerings to the queen of heaven, - that shall we keep, fulfil, as we and our fathers have done in the land of Judah. On this mode of worship, cf. Jer 7:17. , and the remarks there made. "And we were satisfied with bread," i.
e. , in consequence of this worship we had amply sufficient food. Towbiym טובים, "good," well, comfortable; cf. Jer 22:16. מן אז, "from that time" = since. תּמנוּ is for תּמּנוּ, from תּמם, as in Num 17:1-13 :28; cf. Ewald, §197, a . To this statement on the part of the men, the women further add, Jer 44:19, that they do not engage in this sacrificial worship or prepare the sacrificial cakes without their husbands, i.
e. , without their knowledge and approval. This is put forward by the women in the way of self-vindication; for, according to the law, Num 30:9. , the husband could annul, i. e. , declare not binding, any vow which had been made by his wife without his knowledge. Although it is women who are speaking, the masc . מקטּרים is used as being the gender which most commonly occurs; it also pretty often stands for the feminine.
The inf. constr. וּלהסּך (with ל) is here employed, in conformity with later usage, instead of the inf. abs. , for the finite verb, by way of continuation; cf. Ewald, §351, c , where, however, many passages have been set down as falling under this rule that demand a different explanation. The meaning of להעצבה is disputed; the final ה is a suffix, written with Raphe, though Mappik also occurs in some MSS.
The Hiphil of this verb is found elsewhere only in Psa 78:40, and there in the signification of vexing, grieving, like the Piel in Isa 63:10; Psa 66:6. Ewald translates "in order to move her," i. e. , make her well-disposed, - but quite arbitrarily, for to provoke is the very opposite of rendering propitious. The verb עצּב also signifies "to form, shape," Job 10:8; and in this sense the Hiphil is used here, "in order to put them into shape," i.
e. , to form the moon-goddess (queen of heaven) in or on the sacrificial cakes (Kimchi, Raschi, Dahler, Maurer, Graf, etc.) The sacrificial cakes (כּוּנים, see on Jer 7:18) probably had the form of a crescent, or even of the full moon, like the σελῆναι of the Greeks, which used to be offered in Athens at the time of the full moon in the month of Munychion, to Artemis, as goddess of the moon; cf.
Hermann, gottesdienstliche Alterthümer der Griechen , 2 Ausg. S. 146, Anm. 13, u. S. 414.
Jer 44:15-19 The answer of the people to this threatening address. - Jer 44:15. "Then all the men who knew that their wives burned incense to other gods, and all the women standing [there], a great multitude, and all the people who dwelt in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, answered Jeremiah, saying, Jer 44:16. [As for] the word which thou hast spoken unto us in the name of Jahveh, we will not hearken unto thee: Jer 44:17.
But we will certainly perform every word that has proceeded out of our own mouth, by burning incense to the queen of heaven, and pouring out libations to her, just as we have done, we and our fathers, our kings and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem; and we were filled with bread, and became prosperous, and saw no evil. Jer 44:18.
But since we ceased to offer incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out libations to her, we have been in want of everything, and are consumed by sword and famine. Jer 44:19. And when we [women] have been burning incense to the queen of heaven, and poured out libations to her, have we made cakes to her without our husbands, making an image of her, and offering libations to her?"
To the word of the prophet the men and women oppose their pretended experience, that the adoration of the queen of heaven has brought them comfort and prosperity, while the neglect of this worship, on the other hand, has brought want and misfortune. No doubt they inferred this, by the argument post hoc, ergo propter hoc , from the fact that, after idolatry had been rooted out by Josiah, adversity had befallen the land of Judah; while, up till that time, the kingdom of Judah had been independent, and, for more than a century before, had been spared the suffering of misfortune.
Thus, through their blindness, peculiar to the natural man, they had overlooked the minor transient evils with which the Lord visits His people when they sin. Not till near the end of Josiah’s reign did misfortune fall on Judah: this was when the Egyptian army, under Pharaoh-Necho, marched through Palestine; Josiah was slain in the battle he had lost, the land was laid waste by the enemy, and its inhabitants perished by sword and famine.
In Jer 44:15, those who are represented speaking are all the men who knew of their wives’ idolatry, i. e. , who permitted it, and all the women, "a great company," i. e. , gathered together in great numbers, and all the rest of the people who lived in Egypt. The specification "in Pathros" is not in apposition to the words "in the land of Egypt," but belongs to the verb ויּענוּ; it tells where the gathering took place, viz.
, in a district of Upper Egypt. From the presence of a large number of women, we may conclude that the assembly was a festival in honour of the queen of heaven. The former portion of Jer 44:16 forms an absolute clause, from הדּבר to בּשׁם, "as regards the word which... we will not listen to thee," i. e. , with regard to this word we obey thee not. The expression, "the word which has gone forth out of our mouth," points to the uttering of vows: cf.
Num 30:13; Deu 23:24. 'כּל־הדּבר means "all that we have uttered as a vow," every vow to offer incense, etc. , i. e. , to present meat and drink offerings to the queen of heaven, - that shall we keep, fulfil, as we and our fathers have done in the land of Judah. On this mode of worship, cf. Jer 7:17. , and the remarks there made. "And we were satisfied with bread," i.
e. , in consequence of this worship we had amply sufficient food. Towbiym טובים, "good," well, comfortable; cf. Jer 22:16. מן אז, "from that time" = since. תּמנוּ is for תּמּנוּ, from תּמם, as in Num 17:1-13 :28; cf. Ewald, §197, a . To this statement on the part of the men, the women further add, Jer 44:19, that they do not engage in this sacrificial worship or prepare the sacrificial cakes without their husbands, i.
e. , without their knowledge and approval. This is put forward by the women in the way of self-vindication; for, according to the law, Num 30:9. , the husband could annul, i. e. , declare not binding, any vow which had been made by his wife without his knowledge. Although it is women who are speaking, the masc . מקטּרים is used as being the gender which most commonly occurs; it also pretty often stands for the feminine.
The inf. constr. וּלהסּך (with ל) is here employed, in conformity with later usage, instead of the inf. abs. , for the finite verb, by way of continuation; cf. Ewald, §351, c , where, however, many passages have been set down as falling under this rule that demand a different explanation. The meaning of להעצבה is disputed; the final ה is a suffix, written with Raphe, though Mappik also occurs in some MSS.
The Hiphil of this verb is found elsewhere only in Psa 78:40, and there in the signification of vexing, grieving, like the Piel in Isa 63:10; Psa 66:6. Ewald translates "in order to move her," i. e. , make her well-disposed, - but quite arbitrarily, for to provoke is the very opposite of rendering propitious. The verb עצּב also signifies "to form, shape," Job 10:8; and in this sense the Hiphil is used here, "in order to put them into shape," i.
e. , to form the moon-goddess (queen of heaven) in or on the sacrificial cakes (Kimchi, Raschi, Dahler, Maurer, Graf, etc.) The sacrificial cakes (כּוּנים, see on Jer 7:18) probably had the form of a crescent, or even of the full moon, like the σελῆναι of the Greeks, which used to be offered in Athens at the time of the full moon in the month of Munychion, to Artemis, as goddess of the moon; cf.
Hermann, gottesdienstliche Alterthümer der Griechen , 2 Ausg. S. 146, Anm. 13, u. S. 414.
Jer 44:15-19 The answer of the people to this threatening address. - Jer 44:15. "Then all the men who knew that their wives burned incense to other gods, and all the women standing [there], a great multitude, and all the people who dwelt in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, answered Jeremiah, saying, Jer 44:16. [As for] the word which thou hast spoken unto us in the name of Jahveh, we will not hearken unto thee: Jer 44:17.
But we will certainly perform every word that has proceeded out of our own mouth, by burning incense to the queen of heaven, and pouring out libations to her, just as we have done, we and our fathers, our kings and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem; and we were filled with bread, and became prosperous, and saw no evil. Jer 44:18.
But since we ceased to offer incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out libations to her, we have been in want of everything, and are consumed by sword and famine. Jer 44:19. And when we [women] have been burning incense to the queen of heaven, and poured out libations to her, have we made cakes to her without our husbands, making an image of her, and offering libations to her?"
To the word of the prophet the men and women oppose their pretended experience, that the adoration of the queen of heaven has brought them comfort and prosperity, while the neglect of this worship, on the other hand, has brought want and misfortune. No doubt they inferred this, by the argument post hoc, ergo propter hoc , from the fact that, after idolatry had been rooted out by Josiah, adversity had befallen the land of Judah; while, up till that time, the kingdom of Judah had been independent, and, for more than a century before, had been spared the suffering of misfortune.
Thus, through their blindness, peculiar to the natural man, they had overlooked the minor transient evils with which the Lord visits His people when they sin. Not till near the end of Josiah’s reign did misfortune fall on Judah: this was when the Egyptian army, under Pharaoh-Necho, marched through Palestine; Josiah was slain in the battle he had lost, the land was laid waste by the enemy, and its inhabitants perished by sword and famine.
In Jer 44:15, those who are represented speaking are all the men who knew of their wives’ idolatry, i. e. , who permitted it, and all the women, "a great company," i. e. , gathered together in great numbers, and all the rest of the people who lived in Egypt. The specification "in Pathros" is not in apposition to the words "in the land of Egypt," but belongs to the verb ויּענוּ; it tells where the gathering took place, viz.
, in a district of Upper Egypt. From the presence of a large number of women, we may conclude that the assembly was a festival in honour of the queen of heaven. The former portion of Jer 44:16 forms an absolute clause, from הדּבר to בּשׁם, "as regards the word which... we will not listen to thee," i. e. , with regard to this word we obey thee not. The expression, "the word which has gone forth out of our mouth," points to the uttering of vows: cf.
Num 30:13; Deu 23:24. 'כּל־הדּבר means "all that we have uttered as a vow," every vow to offer incense, etc. , i. e. , to present meat and drink offerings to the queen of heaven, - that shall we keep, fulfil, as we and our fathers have done in the land of Judah. On this mode of worship, cf. Jer 7:17. , and the remarks there made. "And we were satisfied with bread," i.
e. , in consequence of this worship we had amply sufficient food. Towbiym טובים, "good," well, comfortable; cf. Jer 22:16. מן אז, "from that time" = since. תּמנוּ is for תּמּנוּ, from תּמם, as in Num 17:1-13 :28; cf. Ewald, §197, a . To this statement on the part of the men, the women further add, Jer 44:19, that they do not engage in this sacrificial worship or prepare the sacrificial cakes without their husbands, i.
e. , without their knowledge and approval. This is put forward by the women in the way of self-vindication; for, according to the law, Num 30:9. , the husband could annul, i. e. , declare not binding, any vow which had been made by his wife without his knowledge. Although it is women who are speaking, the masc . מקטּרים is used as being the gender which most commonly occurs; it also pretty often stands for the feminine.
The inf. constr. וּלהסּך (with ל) is here employed, in conformity with later usage, instead of the inf. abs. , for the finite verb, by way of continuation; cf. Ewald, §351, c , where, however, many passages have been set down as falling under this rule that demand a different explanation. The meaning of להעצבה is disputed; the final ה is a suffix, written with Raphe, though Mappik also occurs in some MSS.
The Hiphil of this verb is found elsewhere only in Psa 78:40, and there in the signification of vexing, grieving, like the Piel in Isa 63:10; Psa 66:6. Ewald translates "in order to move her," i. e. , make her well-disposed, - but quite arbitrarily, for to provoke is the very opposite of rendering propitious. The verb עצּב also signifies "to form, shape," Job 10:8; and in this sense the Hiphil is used here, "in order to put them into shape," i.
e. , to form the moon-goddess (queen of heaven) in or on the sacrificial cakes (Kimchi, Raschi, Dahler, Maurer, Graf, etc.) The sacrificial cakes (כּוּנים, see on Jer 7:18) probably had the form of a crescent, or even of the full moon, like the σελῆναι of the Greeks, which used to be offered in Athens at the time of the full moon in the month of Munychion, to Artemis, as goddess of the moon; cf.
Hermann, gottesdienstliche Alterthümer der Griechen , 2 Ausg. S. 146, Anm. 13, u. S. 414.
Jer 44:15-19 The answer of the people to this threatening address. - Jer 44:15. "Then all the men who knew that their wives burned incense to other gods, and all the women standing [there], a great multitude, and all the people who dwelt in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, answered Jeremiah, saying, Jer 44:16. [As for] the word which thou hast spoken unto us in the name of Jahveh, we will not hearken unto thee: Jer 44:17.
But we will certainly perform every word that has proceeded out of our own mouth, by burning incense to the queen of heaven, and pouring out libations to her, just as we have done, we and our fathers, our kings and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem; and we were filled with bread, and became prosperous, and saw no evil. Jer 44:18.
But since we ceased to offer incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out libations to her, we have been in want of everything, and are consumed by sword and famine. Jer 44:19. And when we [women] have been burning incense to the queen of heaven, and poured out libations to her, have we made cakes to her without our husbands, making an image of her, and offering libations to her?"
To the word of the prophet the men and women oppose their pretended experience, that the adoration of the queen of heaven has brought them comfort and prosperity, while the neglect of this worship, on the other hand, has brought want and misfortune. No doubt they inferred this, by the argument post hoc, ergo propter hoc , from the fact that, after idolatry had been rooted out by Josiah, adversity had befallen the land of Judah; while, up till that time, the kingdom of Judah had been independent, and, for more than a century before, had been spared the suffering of misfortune.
Thus, through their blindness, peculiar to the natural man, they had overlooked the minor transient evils with which the Lord visits His people when they sin. Not till near the end of Josiah’s reign did misfortune fall on Judah: this was when the Egyptian army, under Pharaoh-Necho, marched through Palestine; Josiah was slain in the battle he had lost, the land was laid waste by the enemy, and its inhabitants perished by sword and famine.
In Jer 44:15, those who are represented speaking are all the men who knew of their wives’ idolatry, i. e. , who permitted it, and all the women, "a great company," i. e. , gathered together in great numbers, and all the rest of the people who lived in Egypt. The specification "in Pathros" is not in apposition to the words "in the land of Egypt," but belongs to the verb ויּענוּ; it tells where the gathering took place, viz.
, in a district of Upper Egypt. From the presence of a large number of women, we may conclude that the assembly was a festival in honour of the queen of heaven. The former portion of Jer 44:16 forms an absolute clause, from הדּבר to בּשׁם, "as regards the word which... we will not listen to thee," i. e. , with regard to this word we obey thee not. The expression, "the word which has gone forth out of our mouth," points to the uttering of vows: cf.
Num 30:13; Deu 23:24. 'כּל־הדּבר means "all that we have uttered as a vow," every vow to offer incense, etc. , i. e. , to present meat and drink offerings to the queen of heaven, - that shall we keep, fulfil, as we and our fathers have done in the land of Judah. On this mode of worship, cf. Jer 7:17. , and the remarks there made. "And we were satisfied with bread," i.
e. , in consequence of this worship we had amply sufficient food. Towbiym טובים, "good," well, comfortable; cf. Jer 22:16. מן אז, "from that time" = since. תּמנוּ is for תּמּנוּ, from תּמם, as in Num 17:1-13 :28; cf. Ewald, §197, a . To this statement on the part of the men, the women further add, Jer 44:19, that they do not engage in this sacrificial worship or prepare the sacrificial cakes without their husbands, i.
e. , without their knowledge and approval. This is put forward by the women in the way of self-vindication; for, according to the law, Num 30:9. , the husband could annul, i. e. , declare not binding, any vow which had been made by his wife without his knowledge. Although it is women who are speaking, the masc . מקטּרים is used as being the gender which most commonly occurs; it also pretty often stands for the feminine.
The inf. constr. וּלהסּך (with ל) is here employed, in conformity with later usage, instead of the inf. abs. , for the finite verb, by way of continuation; cf. Ewald, §351, c , where, however, many passages have been set down as falling under this rule that demand a different explanation. The meaning of להעצבה is disputed; the final ה is a suffix, written with Raphe, though Mappik also occurs in some MSS.
The Hiphil of this verb is found elsewhere only in Psa 78:40, and there in the signification of vexing, grieving, like the Piel in Isa 63:10; Psa 66:6. Ewald translates "in order to move her," i. e. , make her well-disposed, - but quite arbitrarily, for to provoke is the very opposite of rendering propitious. The verb עצּב also signifies "to form, shape," Job 10:8; and in this sense the Hiphil is used here, "in order to put them into shape," i.
e. , to form the moon-goddess (queen of heaven) in or on the sacrificial cakes (Kimchi, Raschi, Dahler, Maurer, Graf, etc.) The sacrificial cakes (כּוּנים, see on Jer 7:18) probably had the form of a crescent, or even of the full moon, like the σελῆναι of the Greeks, which used to be offered in Athens at the time of the full moon in the month of Munychion, to Artemis, as goddess of the moon; cf.
Hermann, gottesdienstliche Alterthümer der Griechen , 2 Ausg. S. 146, Anm. 13, u. S. 414.
Jer 44:15-19 The answer of the people to this threatening address. - Jer 44:15. "Then all the men who knew that their wives burned incense to other gods, and all the women standing [there], a great multitude, and all the people who dwelt in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, answered Jeremiah, saying, Jer 44:16. [As for] the word which thou hast spoken unto us in the name of Jahveh, we will not hearken unto thee: Jer 44:17.
But we will certainly perform every word that has proceeded out of our own mouth, by burning incense to the queen of heaven, and pouring out libations to her, just as we have done, we and our fathers, our kings and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem; and we were filled with bread, and became prosperous, and saw no evil. Jer 44:18.
But since we ceased to offer incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out libations to her, we have been in want of everything, and are consumed by sword and famine. Jer 44:19. And when we [women] have been burning incense to the queen of heaven, and poured out libations to her, have we made cakes to her without our husbands, making an image of her, and offering libations to her?"
To the word of the prophet the men and women oppose their pretended experience, that the adoration of the queen of heaven has brought them comfort and prosperity, while the neglect of this worship, on the other hand, has brought want and misfortune. No doubt they inferred this, by the argument post hoc, ergo propter hoc , from the fact that, after idolatry had been rooted out by Josiah, adversity had befallen the land of Judah; while, up till that time, the kingdom of Judah had been independent, and, for more than a century before, had been spared the suffering of misfortune.
Thus, through their blindness, peculiar to the natural man, they had overlooked the minor transient evils with which the Lord visits His people when they sin. Not till near the end of Josiah’s reign did misfortune fall on Judah: this was when the Egyptian army, under Pharaoh-Necho, marched through Palestine; Josiah was slain in the battle he had lost, the land was laid waste by the enemy, and its inhabitants perished by sword and famine.
In Jer 44:15, those who are represented speaking are all the men who knew of their wives’ idolatry, i. e. , who permitted it, and all the women, "a great company," i. e. , gathered together in great numbers, and all the rest of the people who lived in Egypt. The specification "in Pathros" is not in apposition to the words "in the land of Egypt," but belongs to the verb ויּענוּ; it tells where the gathering took place, viz.
, in a district of Upper Egypt. From the presence of a large number of women, we may conclude that the assembly was a festival in honour of the queen of heaven. The former portion of Jer 44:16 forms an absolute clause, from הדּבר to בּשׁם, "as regards the word which... we will not listen to thee," i. e. , with regard to this word we obey thee not. The expression, "the word which has gone forth out of our mouth," points to the uttering of vows: cf.
Num 30:13; Deu 23:24. 'כּל־הדּבר means "all that we have uttered as a vow," every vow to offer incense, etc. , i. e. , to present meat and drink offerings to the queen of heaven, - that shall we keep, fulfil, as we and our fathers have done in the land of Judah. On this mode of worship, cf. Jer 7:17. , and the remarks there made. "And we were satisfied with bread," i.
e. , in consequence of this worship we had amply sufficient food. Towbiym טובים, "good," well, comfortable; cf. Jer 22:16. מן אז, "from that time" = since. תּמנוּ is for תּמּנוּ, from תּמם, as in Num 17:1-13 :28; cf. Ewald, §197, a . To this statement on the part of the men, the women further add, Jer 44:19, that they do not engage in this sacrificial worship or prepare the sacrificial cakes without their husbands, i.
e. , without their knowledge and approval. This is put forward by the women in the way of self-vindication; for, according to the law, Num 30:9. , the husband could annul, i. e. , declare not binding, any vow which had been made by his wife without his knowledge. Although it is women who are speaking, the masc . מקטּרים is used as being the gender which most commonly occurs; it also pretty often stands for the feminine.
The inf. constr. וּלהסּך (with ל) is here employed, in conformity with later usage, instead of the inf. abs. , for the finite verb, by way of continuation; cf. Ewald, §351, c , where, however, many passages have been set down as falling under this rule that demand a different explanation. The meaning of להעצבה is disputed; the final ה is a suffix, written with Raphe, though Mappik also occurs in some MSS.
The Hiphil of this verb is found elsewhere only in Psa 78:40, and there in the signification of vexing, grieving, like the Piel in Isa 63:10; Psa 66:6. Ewald translates "in order to move her," i. e. , make her well-disposed, - but quite arbitrarily, for to provoke is the very opposite of rendering propitious. The verb עצּב also signifies "to form, shape," Job 10:8; and in this sense the Hiphil is used here, "in order to put them into shape," i.
e. , to form the moon-goddess (queen of heaven) in or on the sacrificial cakes (Kimchi, Raschi, Dahler, Maurer, Graf, etc.) The sacrificial cakes (כּוּנים, see on Jer 7:18) probably had the form of a crescent, or even of the full moon, like the σελῆναι of the Greeks, which used to be offered in Athens at the time of the full moon in the month of Munychion, to Artemis, as goddess of the moon; cf.
Hermann, gottesdienstliche Alterthümer der Griechen , 2 Ausg. S. 146, Anm. 13, u. S. 414.
Jer 44:20-22 Refutation of these statements of the people. - Jer 44:20. "And Jeremiah spake to all the people, to the men and women, and to all the people that had given him answer, saying, Jer 44:21. Did not the incense-burning which he performed 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 Jahveh remember them, and did it not arise in His mind?
Jer 44:22. And Jahveh could no longer endure it, because of the wickedness of your deeds, because of the abominations which ye committed; thus your land became a desolation, and a waste, and a curse, without an inhabitant, as at this day. Jer 44:23. Because ye burned incense and sinned against Jahveh, and did not hearken to the voice of Jahveh, and in His law, in His statutes, and in His testimonies ye walked not; therefore this evil hath befallen you, as at this day."
Jeremiah answers them that their idol-worship, by which they have provoked the Lord their God, is the very cause of the misfortune that has befallen them, because God could no longer endure this abomination which they would not forsake. הקּטּר is a noun, "the burning of incense," which includes, besides, all the other elements of idolatrous worship hence the word is resumed, at the close, under the plur.
אותם, "these things." ותּעלה is 3rd pers. sing. neut. , lit. , "it has come into His mind," i. e. , He has carefully considered it, and that in the way of punishment, for He could no longer endure such abomination. The imperf. יוּכל is used for the historic tense (imperf. with ו consec.) , because the ו would necessarily be separated from the verb by the לא; and it is employed instead of the perfect, which we would be inclined to expect after the preceding זכר, since that which is treated of is something that endures for a considerable time; cf.
Ewald, §346, b . On the expression "because of the evil," etc. , cf. Jer 21:12; Jer 4:4, etc. ; on the last clause in Jer 44:22, cf. Jer 44:6 and Jer 44:12.
Jer 44:20-22 Refutation of these statements of the people. - Jer 44:20. "And Jeremiah spake to all the people, to the men and women, and to all the people that had given him answer, saying, Jer 44:21. Did not the incense-burning which he performed 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 Jahveh remember them, and did it not arise in His mind?
Jer 44:22. And Jahveh could no longer endure it, because of the wickedness of your deeds, because of the abominations which ye committed; thus your land became a desolation, and a waste, and a curse, without an inhabitant, as at this day. Jer 44:23. Because ye burned incense and sinned against Jahveh, and did not hearken to the voice of Jahveh, and in His law, in His statutes, and in His testimonies ye walked not; therefore this evil hath befallen you, as at this day."
Jeremiah answers them that their idol-worship, by which they have provoked the Lord their God, is the very cause of the misfortune that has befallen them, because God could no longer endure this abomination which they would not forsake. הקּטּר is a noun, "the burning of incense," which includes, besides, all the other elements of idolatrous worship hence the word is resumed, at the close, under the plur.
אותם, "these things." ותּעלה is 3rd pers. sing. neut. , lit. , "it has come into His mind," i. e. , He has carefully considered it, and that in the way of punishment, for He could no longer endure such abomination. The imperf. יוּכל is used for the historic tense (imperf. with ו consec.) , because the ו would necessarily be separated from the verb by the לא; and it is employed instead of the perfect, which we would be inclined to expect after the preceding זכר, since that which is treated of is something that endures for a considerable time; cf.
Ewald, §346, b . On the expression "because of the evil," etc. , cf. Jer 21:12; Jer 4:4, etc. ; on the last clause in Jer 44:22, cf. Jer 44:6 and Jer 44:12.
Jer 44:20-22 Refutation of these statements of the people. - Jer 44:20. "And Jeremiah spake to all the people, to the men and women, and to all the people that had given him answer, saying, Jer 44:21. Did not the incense-burning which he performed 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 Jahveh remember them, and did it not arise in His mind?
Jer 44:22. And Jahveh could no longer endure it, because of the wickedness of your deeds, because of the abominations which ye committed; thus your land became a desolation, and a waste, and a curse, without an inhabitant, as at this day. Jer 44:23. Because ye burned incense and sinned against Jahveh, and did not hearken to the voice of Jahveh, and in His law, in His statutes, and in His testimonies ye walked not; therefore this evil hath befallen you, as at this day."
Jeremiah answers them that their idol-worship, by which they have provoked the Lord their God, is the very cause of the misfortune that has befallen them, because God could no longer endure this abomination which they would not forsake. הקּטּר is a noun, "the burning of incense," which includes, besides, all the other elements of idolatrous worship hence the word is resumed, at the close, under the plur.
אותם, "these things." ותּעלה is 3rd pers. sing. neut. , lit. , "it has come into His mind," i. e. , He has carefully considered it, and that in the way of punishment, for He could no longer endure such abomination. The imperf. יוּכל is used for the historic tense (imperf. with ו consec.) , because the ו would necessarily be separated from the verb by the לא; and it is employed instead of the perfect, which we would be inclined to expect after the preceding זכר, since that which is treated of is something that endures for a considerable time; cf.
Ewald, §346, b . On the expression "because of the evil," etc. , cf. Jer 21:12; Jer 4:4, etc. ; on the last clause in Jer 44:22, cf. Jer 44:6 and Jer 44:12.
Jer 44:23 Jer 44:23 is an emphatic and brief repetition of what has already been said. קראת is for קראה, as in Deu 31:29; cf. Gesenius, §74, note 1; Ewald, §194, b .
Jer 44:24-28 Announcement of the punishment for this idolatry. - Jer 44:24. "And Jeremiah said unto all the people, and unto all the women, Hear the word of Jahveh, all of Judah that are in the land of Egypt; Jer 44:25. Thus saith Jahve of hosts, the God of Israel: Ye and your wives have both spoken with your mouth, and fulfilled it with your hands, saying, We will assuredly perform our vows which we have vowed, by burning incense to the queen of heaven, and by pouring out libations to her: ye will by all means perform your vows, and carry out your vows.
Jer 44:26. Therefore hear the word of Jahveh, all Judah that dwell in the land of Egypt: Behold, I have sworn by my great name, saith Jahveh, truly my name shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah, saying, 'As the Lord Jahveh liveth,' in all the land of Egypt. Jer 44:27. Behold, I will watch over them for evil, and not for good; and all the men of Judah that are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by famine, till they are annihilated.
Jer 44:28. And those who escape the sword shall return out of the land of Egypt to the land of Judah, a small number; and all the remnant of Judah, that went to the land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall know whose word shall stand, mine or theirs. Jer 44:29. And this shall be the sign to you, saith Jahveh, that I will punish you in this place, that ye may know that my words shall surely rise up against you for evil: Jer 44:30.
Thus hath Jahveh spoken, Behold, I will give Pharaoh-Hophra into the hand of his enemies, and into the hand of those who seek his life, just as I have given Zedekiah the king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, who was his enemy, and sought his life." After refuting the false assertion of the people, Jeremiah once more announces to them, on behalf of God, in the most solemn manner, the punishment of extermination by sword and famine in Egypt; this he does for the purpose of giving the greatest possible emphasis to his warning against persevering in idolatry.
For substance, this announcement is similar to that of Jer 44:11-14, but the expression is stronger. Even in the summary account of their offences, Jer 44:25, the words are so chosen and arranged as to bring out clearly the determination of the people to persevere in worshipping the queen of heaven. "As for you and your wives, ye have spoken with your mouth and fulfilled it with your hand" (on the Vav consec.
attached to תּדבּרנה, cf. Ewald, §344, b ), i. e. , ye have uttered vows and then carried them out; for ye say, We must keep the vows that we have vowed. It is to be observed that the verbs תּדבּרנה, and in the concluding portion תּקימנה and תּעשׂינה, are feminine, since the address chiefly applies to the wives, who clung most tenaciously to idolatry. In the clause 'הקים תּקימנה וגו, "ye will make your vows and perform them," there is unmistakeable irony, in which the reference is to the wilfulness of the people in this idolatry.
This ἑθελοθρησκεία is shown by the inf. abs. הקים, which strengthens תּקימנה. "To establish vows," i. e. , to make them, was not a thing commanded, but left to one’s free determination. Hence, also, no appeal to the maxim that vows which have been made or uttered must be fulfilled, can justify the making of the vows. The form תּקימנה for תּקמנה is an unusual one; and the י which the Hirik takes after it is occasioned by the form הקים; cf.
Ewald, §196, c . - The announcement of the punishment is introduced by a solemn oath on the part of God. Jahveh swears by His great name, i. e. , as the one who has shown Himself God by His mighty deeds - who has the power of keeping His word. The name is, of course, only a manifestation of His existence. אם as a particle used in swearing = certainly not. His name shall no more be named in the mouth of any Jew in the land of Egypt, i.
e. , be used in asseverations, because all the Jews in Egypt shall be exterminated. On the expression, "Behold, I will watch over them," etc. , cf. Jer 31:28 and Jer 21:10. In Jer 44:28, it is more exactly stated that only a few individuals shall escape the sword and return to Judah; thus, no one shall remain behind in Egypt. By this judgment, all the remnant of Judah that went to Egypt shall find out whose word - Jahveh’s or theirs - will endure, i.
e. , prove true. ממּנּי properly depends on דבר, "the word from me or from them" (the people).
Jer 44:24-28 Announcement of the punishment for this idolatry. - Jer 44:24. "And Jeremiah said unto all the people, and unto all the women, Hear the word of Jahveh, all of Judah that are in the land of Egypt; Jer 44:25. Thus saith Jahve of hosts, the God of Israel: Ye and your wives have both spoken with your mouth, and fulfilled it with your hands, saying, We will assuredly perform our vows which we have vowed, by burning incense to the queen of heaven, and by pouring out libations to her: ye will by all means perform your vows, and carry out your vows.
Jer 44:26. Therefore hear the word of Jahveh, all Judah that dwell in the land of Egypt: Behold, I have sworn by my great name, saith Jahveh, truly my name shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah, saying, 'As the Lord Jahveh liveth,' in all the land of Egypt. Jer 44:27. Behold, I will watch over them for evil, and not for good; and all the men of Judah that are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by famine, till they are annihilated.
Jer 44:28. And those who escape the sword shall return out of the land of Egypt to the land of Judah, a small number; and all the remnant of Judah, that went to the land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall know whose word shall stand, mine or theirs. Jer 44:29. And this shall be the sign to you, saith Jahveh, that I will punish you in this place, that ye may know that my words shall surely rise up against you for evil: Jer 44:30.
Thus hath Jahveh spoken, Behold, I will give Pharaoh-Hophra into the hand of his enemies, and into the hand of those who seek his life, just as I have given Zedekiah the king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, who was his enemy, and sought his life." After refuting the false assertion of the people, Jeremiah once more announces to them, on behalf of God, in the most solemn manner, the punishment of extermination by sword and famine in Egypt; this he does for the purpose of giving the greatest possible emphasis to his warning against persevering in idolatry.
For substance, this announcement is similar to that of Jer 44:11-14, but the expression is stronger. Even in the summary account of their offences, Jer 44:25, the words are so chosen and arranged as to bring out clearly the determination of the people to persevere in worshipping the queen of heaven. "As for you and your wives, ye have spoken with your mouth and fulfilled it with your hand" (on the Vav consec.
attached to תּדבּרנה, cf. Ewald, §344, b ), i. e. , ye have uttered vows and then carried them out; for ye say, We must keep the vows that we have vowed. It is to be observed that the verbs תּדבּרנה, and in the concluding portion תּקימנה and תּעשׂינה, are feminine, since the address chiefly applies to the wives, who clung most tenaciously to idolatry. In the clause 'הקים תּקימנה וגו, "ye will make your vows and perform them," there is unmistakeable irony, in which the reference is to the wilfulness of the people in this idolatry.
This ἑθελοθρησκεία is shown by the inf. abs. הקים, which strengthens תּקימנה. "To establish vows," i. e. , to make them, was not a thing commanded, but left to one’s free determination. Hence, also, no appeal to the maxim that vows which have been made or uttered must be fulfilled, can justify the making of the vows. The form תּקימנה for תּקמנה is an unusual one; and the י which the Hirik takes after it is occasioned by the form הקים; cf.
Ewald, §196, c . - The announcement of the punishment is introduced by a solemn oath on the part of God. Jahveh swears by His great name, i. e. , as the one who has shown Himself God by His mighty deeds - who has the power of keeping His word. The name is, of course, only a manifestation of His existence. אם as a particle used in swearing = certainly not. His name shall no more be named in the mouth of any Jew in the land of Egypt, i.
e. , be used in asseverations, because all the Jews in Egypt shall be exterminated. On the expression, "Behold, I will watch over them," etc. , cf. Jer 31:28 and Jer 21:10. In Jer 44:28, it is more exactly stated that only a few individuals shall escape the sword and return to Judah; thus, no one shall remain behind in Egypt. By this judgment, all the remnant of Judah that went to Egypt shall find out whose word - Jahveh’s or theirs - will endure, i.
e. , prove true. ממּנּי properly depends on דבר, "the word from me or from them" (the people).
Jer 44:24-28 Announcement of the punishment for this idolatry. - Jer 44:24. "And Jeremiah said unto all the people, and unto all the women, Hear the word of Jahveh, all of Judah that are in the land of Egypt; Jer 44:25. Thus saith Jahve of hosts, the God of Israel: Ye and your wives have both spoken with your mouth, and fulfilled it with your hands, saying, We will assuredly perform our vows which we have vowed, by burning incense to the queen of heaven, and by pouring out libations to her: ye will by all means perform your vows, and carry out your vows.
Jer 44:26. Therefore hear the word of Jahveh, all Judah that dwell in the land of Egypt: Behold, I have sworn by my great name, saith Jahveh, truly my name shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah, saying, 'As the Lord Jahveh liveth,' in all the land of Egypt. Jer 44:27. Behold, I will watch over them for evil, and not for good; and all the men of Judah that are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by famine, till they are annihilated.
Jer 44:28. And those who escape the sword shall return out of the land of Egypt to the land of Judah, a small number; and all the remnant of Judah, that went to the land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall know whose word shall stand, mine or theirs. Jer 44:29. And this shall be the sign to you, saith Jahveh, that I will punish you in this place, that ye may know that my words shall surely rise up against you for evil: Jer 44:30.
Thus hath Jahveh spoken, Behold, I will give Pharaoh-Hophra into the hand of his enemies, and into the hand of those who seek his life, just as I have given Zedekiah the king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, who was his enemy, and sought his life." After refuting the false assertion of the people, Jeremiah once more announces to them, on behalf of God, in the most solemn manner, the punishment of extermination by sword and famine in Egypt; this he does for the purpose of giving the greatest possible emphasis to his warning against persevering in idolatry.
For substance, this announcement is similar to that of Jer 44:11-14, but the expression is stronger. Even in the summary account of their offences, Jer 44:25, the words are so chosen and arranged as to bring out clearly the determination of the people to persevere in worshipping the queen of heaven. "As for you and your wives, ye have spoken with your mouth and fulfilled it with your hand" (on the Vav consec.
attached to תּדבּרנה, cf. Ewald, §344, b ), i. e. , ye have uttered vows and then carried them out; for ye say, We must keep the vows that we have vowed. It is to be observed that the verbs תּדבּרנה, and in the concluding portion תּקימנה and תּעשׂינה, are feminine, since the address chiefly applies to the wives, who clung most tenaciously to idolatry. In the clause 'הקים תּקימנה וגו, "ye will make your vows and perform them," there is unmistakeable irony, in which the reference is to the wilfulness of the people in this idolatry.
This ἑθελοθρησκεία is shown by the inf. abs. הקים, which strengthens תּקימנה. "To establish vows," i. e. , to make them, was not a thing commanded, but left to one’s free determination. Hence, also, no appeal to the maxim that vows which have been made or uttered must be fulfilled, can justify the making of the vows. The form תּקימנה for תּקמנה is an unusual one; and the י which the Hirik takes after it is occasioned by the form הקים; cf.
Ewald, §196, c . - The announcement of the punishment is introduced by a solemn oath on the part of God. Jahveh swears by His great name, i. e. , as the one who has shown Himself God by His mighty deeds - who has the power of keeping His word. The name is, of course, only a manifestation of His existence. אם as a particle used in swearing = certainly not. His name shall no more be named in the mouth of any Jew in the land of Egypt, i.
e. , be used in asseverations, because all the Jews in Egypt shall be exterminated. On the expression, "Behold, I will watch over them," etc. , cf. Jer 31:28 and Jer 21:10. In Jer 44:28, it is more exactly stated that only a few individuals shall escape the sword and return to Judah; thus, no one shall remain behind in Egypt. By this judgment, all the remnant of Judah that went to Egypt shall find out whose word - Jahveh’s or theirs - will endure, i.
e. , prove true. ממּנּי properly depends on דבר, "the word from me or from them" (the people).
Jer 44:24-28 Announcement of the punishment for this idolatry. - Jer 44:24. "And Jeremiah said unto all the people, and unto all the women, Hear the word of Jahveh, all of Judah that are in the land of Egypt; Jer 44:25. Thus saith Jahve of hosts, the God of Israel: Ye and your wives have both spoken with your mouth, and fulfilled it with your hands, saying, We will assuredly perform our vows which we have vowed, by burning incense to the queen of heaven, and by pouring out libations to her: ye will by all means perform your vows, and carry out your vows.
Jer 44:26. Therefore hear the word of Jahveh, all Judah that dwell in the land of Egypt: Behold, I have sworn by my great name, saith Jahveh, truly my name shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah, saying, 'As the Lord Jahveh liveth,' in all the land of Egypt. Jer 44:27. Behold, I will watch over them for evil, and not for good; and all the men of Judah that are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by famine, till they are annihilated.
Jer 44:28. And those who escape the sword shall return out of the land of Egypt to the land of Judah, a small number; and all the remnant of Judah, that went to the land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall know whose word shall stand, mine or theirs. Jer 44:29. And this shall be the sign to you, saith Jahveh, that I will punish you in this place, that ye may know that my words shall surely rise up against you for evil: Jer 44:30.
Thus hath Jahveh spoken, Behold, I will give Pharaoh-Hophra into the hand of his enemies, and into the hand of those who seek his life, just as I have given Zedekiah the king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, who was his enemy, and sought his life." After refuting the false assertion of the people, Jeremiah once more announces to them, on behalf of God, in the most solemn manner, the punishment of extermination by sword and famine in Egypt; this he does for the purpose of giving the greatest possible emphasis to his warning against persevering in idolatry.
For substance, this announcement is similar to that of Jer 44:11-14, but the expression is stronger. Even in the summary account of their offences, Jer 44:25, the words are so chosen and arranged as to bring out clearly the determination of the people to persevere in worshipping the queen of heaven. "As for you and your wives, ye have spoken with your mouth and fulfilled it with your hand" (on the Vav consec.
attached to תּדבּרנה, cf. Ewald, §344, b ), i. e. , ye have uttered vows and then carried them out; for ye say, We must keep the vows that we have vowed. It is to be observed that the verbs תּדבּרנה, and in the concluding portion תּקימנה and תּעשׂינה, are feminine, since the address chiefly applies to the wives, who clung most tenaciously to idolatry. In the clause 'הקים תּקימנה וגו, "ye will make your vows and perform them," there is unmistakeable irony, in which the reference is to the wilfulness of the people in this idolatry.
This ἑθελοθρησκεία is shown by the inf. abs. הקים, which strengthens תּקימנה. "To establish vows," i. e. , to make them, was not a thing commanded, but left to one’s free determination. Hence, also, no appeal to the maxim that vows which have been made or uttered must be fulfilled, can justify the making of the vows. The form תּקימנה for תּקמנה is an unusual one; and the י which the Hirik takes after it is occasioned by the form הקים; cf.
Ewald, §196, c . - The announcement of the punishment is introduced by a solemn oath on the part of God. Jahveh swears by His great name, i. e. , as the one who has shown Himself God by His mighty deeds - who has the power of keeping His word. The name is, of course, only a manifestation of His existence. אם as a particle used in swearing = certainly not. His name shall no more be named in the mouth of any Jew in the land of Egypt, i.
e. , be used in asseverations, because all the Jews in Egypt shall be exterminated. On the expression, "Behold, I will watch over them," etc. , cf. Jer 31:28 and Jer 21:10. In Jer 44:28, it is more exactly stated that only a few individuals shall escape the sword and return to Judah; thus, no one shall remain behind in Egypt. By this judgment, all the remnant of Judah that went to Egypt shall find out whose word - Jahveh’s or theirs - will endure, i.
e. , prove true. ממּנּי properly depends on דבר, "the word from me or from them" (the people).
Jer 44:24-28 Announcement of the punishment for this idolatry. - Jer 44:24. "And Jeremiah said unto all the people, and unto all the women, Hear the word of Jahveh, all of Judah that are in the land of Egypt; Jer 44:25. Thus saith Jahve of hosts, the God of Israel: Ye and your wives have both spoken with your mouth, and fulfilled it with your hands, saying, We will assuredly perform our vows which we have vowed, by burning incense to the queen of heaven, and by pouring out libations to her: ye will by all means perform your vows, and carry out your vows.
Jer 44:26. Therefore hear the word of Jahveh, all Judah that dwell in the land of Egypt: Behold, I have sworn by my great name, saith Jahveh, truly my name shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah, saying, 'As the Lord Jahveh liveth,' in all the land of Egypt. Jer 44:27. Behold, I will watch over them for evil, and not for good; and all the men of Judah that are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by famine, till they are annihilated.
Jer 44:28. And those who escape the sword shall return out of the land of Egypt to the land of Judah, a small number; and all the remnant of Judah, that went to the land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall know whose word shall stand, mine or theirs. Jer 44:29. And this shall be the sign to you, saith Jahveh, that I will punish you in this place, that ye may know that my words shall surely rise up against you for evil: Jer 44:30.
Thus hath Jahveh spoken, Behold, I will give Pharaoh-Hophra into the hand of his enemies, and into the hand of those who seek his life, just as I have given Zedekiah the king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, who was his enemy, and sought his life." After refuting the false assertion of the people, Jeremiah once more announces to them, on behalf of God, in the most solemn manner, the punishment of extermination by sword and famine in Egypt; this he does for the purpose of giving the greatest possible emphasis to his warning against persevering in idolatry.
For substance, this announcement is similar to that of Jer 44:11-14, but the expression is stronger. Even in the summary account of their offences, Jer 44:25, the words are so chosen and arranged as to bring out clearly the determination of the people to persevere in worshipping the queen of heaven. "As for you and your wives, ye have spoken with your mouth and fulfilled it with your hand" (on the Vav consec.
attached to תּדבּרנה, cf. Ewald, §344, b ), i. e. , ye have uttered vows and then carried them out; for ye say, We must keep the vows that we have vowed. It is to be observed that the verbs תּדבּרנה, and in the concluding portion תּקימנה and תּעשׂינה, are feminine, since the address chiefly applies to the wives, who clung most tenaciously to idolatry. In the clause 'הקים תּקימנה וגו, "ye will make your vows and perform them," there is unmistakeable irony, in which the reference is to the wilfulness of the people in this idolatry.
This ἑθελοθρησκεία is shown by the inf. abs. הקים, which strengthens תּקימנה. "To establish vows," i. e. , to make them, was not a thing commanded, but left to one’s free determination. Hence, also, no appeal to the maxim that vows which have been made or uttered must be fulfilled, can justify the making of the vows. The form תּקימנה for תּקמנה is an unusual one; and the י which the Hirik takes after it is occasioned by the form הקים; cf.
Ewald, §196, c . - The announcement of the punishment is introduced by a solemn oath on the part of God. Jahveh swears by His great name, i. e. , as the one who has shown Himself God by His mighty deeds - who has the power of keeping His word. The name is, of course, only a manifestation of His existence. אם as a particle used in swearing = certainly not. His name shall no more be named in the mouth of any Jew in the land of Egypt, i.
e. , be used in asseverations, because all the Jews in Egypt shall be exterminated. On the expression, "Behold, I will watch over them," etc. , cf. Jer 31:28 and Jer 21:10. In Jer 44:28, it is more exactly stated that only a few individuals shall escape the sword and return to Judah; thus, no one shall remain behind in Egypt. By this judgment, all the remnant of Judah that went to Egypt shall find out whose word - Jahveh’s or theirs - will endure, i.
e. , prove true. ממּנּי properly depends on דבר, "the word from me or from them" (the people).
Jer 44:29-30 In confirmation of this threatening, the Lord gives them another sign which, when it is fulfilled, will let them know that the destruction announced to them shall certainly befall them. The token consists in the giving up of King Hophra into the hand of his enemies. As certainly as this shall take place, so certainly shall the extermination of the Jews in Egypt ensue.
The name חפרע is rendered Οὐάφρις in Manetho, in the classical writers ̓Απρίης, Apriës , who, according to Herodotus (ii. 161), reigned twenty-five years, but nineteen according to Manetho (cf. Boeckh, Manetho , etc. , p. 341ff.) His death took place in the year 570 b. c. This date is reached by a comparison of the following facts: - Cambyses conquered Egypt in the year 525; and in the preceding year Amasis had died, after a reign of forty-four years (Herod.
iii. 10). Hence Amasis - who took Apriës prisoner, and gave him up to the common people, who killed him (Herod. ii. 161-163, 169) - must have commenced his reign in the year 570. On the death of Apriës, or Hophra, cf. the explanation given on p. 353f. , where we have shown that the words, "I will give him into the hand of his enemies, and of those who seek his life," when compared with what is said of Zedekiah, "into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar his enemy," do not require us to assume that Hophra was killed by Nebuchadnezzar, and can very well be harmonized with the notice of Herodotus regarding the death of this king.
Hitzig and Graf have taken objection to this sign given by Jeremiah, and regard Jer 44:29, Jer 44:30 as a spurious vaticinium ex eventu , the work of another hand. The reasons they urge are, that it is scarcely possible Jeremiah could have lived till 570; that Jer 44:29. would be the only place where Jeremiah offered such a criterion; and that, even as it is, these verses contain nothing original, but, by their stiff and lifeless parallelism, are easily seen to be an artificial conclusion.
Of these three arguments, the last can prove nothing, since it is merely a subjective opinion on an aesthetic point. The second, again, rather declares for than against the genuineness. For "if it were not Jeremiah’s usual, elsewhere, to offer some criterion, then such an interpolation would have been all the more carefully avoided" (Nägelsbach). Of course we do not find any other signs of this kind in Jeremiah; but it does not follow from this that he could not offer such a thing in a special case.
Yet the ground taken up by Nägelsbach, as sufficient to establish this position, seems quite untenable, viz. , that the announcement of the fate in store for the king must have been the answer of the true God to the presumptuous boast of Apriës, mentioned by Herodotus, "that even God could not dethrone him, so firmly did he think he was established:" this view of the matter seems too remote from the object of Jeremiah’s address.
And finally, the first-named objection receives importance only on the supposition that "an event which was intended to serve as אות, a sign or criterion, must be something that was to happen immediately, or within a brief appointed period of time, so that a person might be able, from the occurrence of the one, to conclude that what had been foretold about a later period would as certainly take place" (Graf). But there are no sufficient grounds for this hypothesis.
If no definite time be fixed for the occurrence of this sign, then it may not appear till a considerable time afterwards, and yet be a pledge for the occurrence of what was predicted for a still later period. That Jeremiah lived till the year 570 is certainly not inconceivable, but it is not likely that he uttered the prophecy now before us at the advanced age of nearly eighty years.
Now, if his address is allowed to be a real prophecy, and not a mere vaticinium ex eventu , as Hitzig, looking from his dogmatic standpoint, considers it, then it must have been uttered before the year 570; but whether this was two, or five, or ten years before, makes no material difference. The address itself contains nothing to justify the assumption of Graf, that it is closely connected with the prophecy in Jer 43:8-13, and with the warning against the migration into Egypt, Jer 42.
That the Jews spoken of had not been long in Egypt, cannot be inferred from Jer 44:8, Jer 44:12, and Jer 44:18; on the contrary, the fact that they had settled down in different parts of Egypt, and had assembled at Pathros for a festival, shows that they had been living there for a considerable time before. Nor does it follow, from the statement in Jer 44:14 that they longed to return to Judah, that they had gone to Egypt some months before.
The desire to return into the land of their fathers remains, in a measure, in the heart of the Jew even at the present day. After all, then, no valid reason can be assigned for doubting the genuineness of these verses. On the fulfilment of these threatenings Nägelsbach remarks: "Every one must be struck on finding that, in Jer 44, the extermination of the Jews who dwelt in Egypt is predicted; while some centuries later, the Jews in Egypt were very numerous, and that country formed a central point for the Jewish exiles (cf.
Herzog, Real-Encycl. xvii. S. 285). Alexander the Great found so many Jews in Egypt, that he peopled with Jews, in great measure, the city he had founded and called after himself (cf. Herzog, i. S. 235). How did these Jews get to Egypt? Whence the great number of Jews whom Alexander found already in Egypt? I am inclined to think that we must consider them, for the most part, as the descendants of those who had come into the country with Jeremiah.
But, according to this view of the matter, Jeremiah’s prophecy has not been fulfilled." Nägelsbach therefore thinks we must assume that idolatrous worship, through time, almost entirely ceased among the exiled Jews in Egypt as it did among those in Babylon, and that the Lord then, in return, as regards the penitents, repented of the evil which He had spoken against them (Jer 26:13, Jer 26:19).
But this whole explanation is fundamentally wrong, since the assertion, that Alexander the Great found so many Jews in Egypt, that with them mainly he peopled the city of Alexandria which he had founded, is contrary to historic testimony. In Herzog ( Real-Encycl. i. S. 235), to which Nägelsbach refers for proof on the point, nothing of the kind is to be found, but rather the opposite, viz.
, the following: "Soon after the foundation of Alexandria by Alexander the Great, this city became not merely the centre of Jewish Hellenism in Egypt, but generally speaking the place of union between Oriental and Occidental Jews. The external condition of the Jews of Alexandria must, on the whole, be characterized as highly prosperous. The first Jewish settlers had, indeed, been compelled by Alexander the Great to take up their residence in the city (Josephus, Antt .
xv. 3. 1); so, too, were other Jews, by Ptolemy I. or Lagi ( ibid . xii. 2. 4). But both of these monarchs granted them the same rights and privileges as the Macedonians, including Greek citizenship; and in consequence of the extremely advantageous position of the city, it speedily increased in importance. A still larger number, therefore, soon went thither of their own accord, and adopted the Greek language."
In this account, the quotation from Josephus, Antt . xv. 3. 1, is certainly incorrect; for neither is there in that passage any testimony borne to the measures attributed to Alexander, nor are there any other historical testimonies given from antiquity. But as little can we find any proofs that Alexander the Great found so many Jews in Egypt that he could, to a large extent, people with them the city he had founded.
It is merely testified by Josephus ( Antt . xi. 8. 5), and by Hecataeus in Josephus ( contra Ap. i. 22; p. 457, ed. Haverc.) , that Alexander had Jewish soldiers in his army; it is further evident, from a notice in Josephus, de bell. Jud. ii. 18. 7, contra Ap. ii. 4) cf. Curtius Rufus, iv. 8), that the newly founded city, even under Alexander, immediately after it was commenced, and still more under Ptolemy Lagi (cf.
Josephus, Antt . xii. 1, and Hecataeus in Jos. contra Ap. i. 22, p. 455), attracted a constantly increasing multitude of Jewish immigrants. This same Ptolemy, after having subdued Phoenicia and Coele-Syria in the year 320, and taken Jerusalem also, it would seem, by a stratagem on a Sabbath day, transported many captives and hostages out of the whole country into Egypt; many, too, must have been sold at that time as slaves to the inhabitants of such a wealthy country as Egypt: see a statement in the book of Aristeas , at the end of Havercamp’s edition of Josephus, ii.
p. 104. In the same place, and in Josephus’ Antt . xii. 1, Ptolemy is said to have armed 30,000 Jewish soldiers, placed them as garrisons in the fortresses, and granted them all the rights of Macedonian citizens (ἰσοπολιτεία). Ewald well says, History of the People of Israel , vol. iv. of second edition, p. 254: "When we further take into consideration, that, in addition to all other similar disasters which had previously befallen them, many Jews were removed to Egypt (especially by Ochus, after Egypt had been reconquered), we can easily explain how Ptolemy Philadelphus can be said to have liberated 100,000 Egyptian Jews.
Aristeas’ Book , p. 105." This much, at least, is proved by these various notices, - that, in order to understand how such a vast increase took place in the number of the Jews in Egypt, we do not need to regard them as the descendants of those who removed thither with Jeremiah, and so to question the fulfilment of the prophecy now before us. Jeremiah does not, of course, threaten with destruction all those Jews who live in Egypt, but only those who at that time went thither against the divine will, and there persevered in their idolatry.
We do not know how great may have been the number of these immigrants, but they could hardly exceed two thousand, - perhaps, indeed, there were not so many. All these, as had been foretold them, may have perished in the conquest of Egypt by the Chaldeans, and afterwards, through the sword, famine, and pestilence; for the myriads of Jews in Egypt at the time of Ptolemy Lagi could easily have removed thither during the period of 250 years intermediate between the immigration in Jeremiah’s time and the foundation of Alexandria, partly as prisoners and slaves, partly through voluntary settlement.
Jer 44:29-30 In confirmation of this threatening, the Lord gives them another sign which, when it is fulfilled, will let them know that the destruction announced to them shall certainly befall them. The token consists in the giving up of King Hophra into the hand of his enemies. As certainly as this shall take place, so certainly shall the extermination of the Jews in Egypt ensue.
The name חפרע is rendered Οὐάφρις in Manetho, in the classical writers ̓Απρίης, Apriës , who, according to Herodotus (ii. 161), reigned twenty-five years, but nineteen according to Manetho (cf. Boeckh, Manetho , etc. , p. 341ff.) His death took place in the year 570 b. c. This date is reached by a comparison of the following facts: - Cambyses conquered Egypt in the year 525; and in the preceding year Amasis had died, after a reign of forty-four years (Herod.
iii. 10). Hence Amasis - who took Apriës prisoner, and gave him up to the common people, who killed him (Herod. ii. 161-163, 169) - must have commenced his reign in the year 570. On the death of Apriës, or Hophra, cf. the explanation given on p. 353f. , where we have shown that the words, "I will give him into the hand of his enemies, and of those who seek his life," when compared with what is said of Zedekiah, "into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar his enemy," do not require us to assume that Hophra was killed by Nebuchadnezzar, and can very well be harmonized with the notice of Herodotus regarding the death of this king.
Hitzig and Graf have taken objection to this sign given by Jeremiah, and regard Jer 44:29, Jer 44:30 as a spurious vaticinium ex eventu , the work of another hand. The reasons they urge are, that it is scarcely possible Jeremiah could have lived till 570; that Jer 44:29. would be the only place where Jeremiah offered such a criterion; and that, even as it is, these verses contain nothing original, but, by their stiff and lifeless parallelism, are easily seen to be an artificial conclusion.
Of these three arguments, the last can prove nothing, since it is merely a subjective opinion on an aesthetic point. The second, again, rather declares for than against the genuineness. For "if it were not Jeremiah’s usual, elsewhere, to offer some criterion, then such an interpolation would have been all the more carefully avoided" (Nägelsbach). Of course we do not find any other signs of this kind in Jeremiah; but it does not follow from this that he could not offer such a thing in a special case.
Yet the ground taken up by Nägelsbach, as sufficient to establish this position, seems quite untenable, viz. , that the announcement of the fate in store for the king must have been the answer of the true God to the presumptuous boast of Apriës, mentioned by Herodotus, "that even God could not dethrone him, so firmly did he think he was established:" this view of the matter seems too remote from the object of Jeremiah’s address.
And finally, the first-named objection receives importance only on the supposition that "an event which was intended to serve as אות, a sign or criterion, must be something that was to happen immediately, or within a brief appointed period of time, so that a person might be able, from the occurrence of the one, to conclude that what had been foretold about a later period would as certainly take place" (Graf). But there are no sufficient grounds for this hypothesis.
If no definite time be fixed for the occurrence of this sign, then it may not appear till a considerable time afterwards, and yet be a pledge for the occurrence of what was predicted for a still later period. That Jeremiah lived till the year 570 is certainly not inconceivable, but it is not likely that he uttered the prophecy now before us at the advanced age of nearly eighty years.
Now, if his address is allowed to be a real prophecy, and not a mere vaticinium ex eventu , as Hitzig, looking from his dogmatic standpoint, considers it, then it must have been uttered before the year 570; but whether this was two, or five, or ten years before, makes no material difference. The address itself contains nothing to justify the assumption of Graf, that it is closely connected with the prophecy in Jer 43:8-13, and with the warning against the migration into Egypt, Jer 42.
That the Jews spoken of had not been long in Egypt, cannot be inferred from Jer 44:8, Jer 44:12, and Jer 44:18; on the contrary, the fact that they had settled down in different parts of Egypt, and had assembled at Pathros for a festival, shows that they had been living there for a considerable time before. Nor does it follow, from the statement in Jer 44:14 that they longed to return to Judah, that they had gone to Egypt some months before.
The desire to return into the land of their fathers remains, in a measure, in the heart of the Jew even at the present day. After all, then, no valid reason can be assigned for doubting the genuineness of these verses. On the fulfilment of these threatenings Nägelsbach remarks: "Every one must be struck on finding that, in Jer 44, the extermination of the Jews who dwelt in Egypt is predicted; while some centuries later, the Jews in Egypt were very numerous, and that country formed a central point for the Jewish exiles (cf.
Herzog, Real-Encycl. xvii. S. 285). Alexander the Great found so many Jews in Egypt, that he peopled with Jews, in great measure, the city he had founded and called after himself (cf. Herzog, i. S. 235). How did these Jews get to Egypt? Whence the great number of Jews whom Alexander found already in Egypt? I am inclined to think that we must consider them, for the most part, as the descendants of those who had come into the country with Jeremiah.
But, according to this view of the matter, Jeremiah’s prophecy has not been fulfilled." Nägelsbach therefore thinks we must assume that idolatrous worship, through time, almost entirely ceased among the exiled Jews in Egypt as it did among those in Babylon, and that the Lord then, in return, as regards the penitents, repented of the evil which He had spoken against them (Jer 26:13, Jer 26:19).
But this whole explanation is fundamentally wrong, since the assertion, that Alexander the Great found so many Jews in Egypt, that with them mainly he peopled the city of Alexandria which he had founded, is contrary to historic testimony. In Herzog ( Real-Encycl. i. S. 235), to which Nägelsbach refers for proof on the point, nothing of the kind is to be found, but rather the opposite, viz.
, the following: "Soon after the foundation of Alexandria by Alexander the Great, this city became not merely the centre of Jewish Hellenism in Egypt, but generally speaking the place of union between Oriental and Occidental Jews. The external condition of the Jews of Alexandria must, on the whole, be characterized as highly prosperous. The first Jewish settlers had, indeed, been compelled by Alexander the Great to take up their residence in the city (Josephus, Antt .
xv. 3. 1); so, too, were other Jews, by Ptolemy I. or Lagi ( ibid . xii. 2. 4). But both of these monarchs granted them the same rights and privileges as the Macedonians, including Greek citizenship; and in consequence of the extremely advantageous position of the city, it speedily increased in importance. A still larger number, therefore, soon went thither of their own accord, and adopted the Greek language."
In this account, the quotation from Josephus, Antt . xv. 3. 1, is certainly incorrect; for neither is there in that passage any testimony borne to the measures attributed to Alexander, nor are there any other historical testimonies given from antiquity. But as little can we find any proofs that Alexander the Great found so many Jews in Egypt that he could, to a large extent, people with them the city he had founded.
It is merely testified by Josephus ( Antt . xi. 8. 5), and by Hecataeus in Josephus ( contra Ap. i. 22; p. 457, ed. Haverc.) , that Alexander had Jewish soldiers in his army; it is further evident, from a notice in Josephus, de bell. Jud. ii. 18. 7, contra Ap. ii. 4) cf. Curtius Rufus, iv. 8), that the newly founded city, even under Alexander, immediately after it was commenced, and still more under Ptolemy Lagi (cf.
Josephus, Antt . xii. 1, and Hecataeus in Jos. contra Ap. i. 22, p. 455), attracted a constantly increasing multitude of Jewish immigrants. This same Ptolemy, after having subdued Phoenicia and Coele-Syria in the year 320, and taken Jerusalem also, it would seem, by a stratagem on a Sabbath day, transported many captives and hostages out of the whole country into Egypt; many, too, must have been sold at that time as slaves to the inhabitants of such a wealthy country as Egypt: see a statement in the book of Aristeas , at the end of Havercamp’s edition of Josephus, ii.
p. 104. In the same place, and in Josephus’ Antt . xii. 1, Ptolemy is said to have armed 30,000 Jewish soldiers, placed them as garrisons in the fortresses, and granted them all the rights of Macedonian citizens (ἰσοπολιτεία). Ewald well says, History of the People of Israel , vol. iv. of second edition, p. 254: "When we further take into consideration, that, in addition to all other similar disasters which had previously befallen them, many Jews were removed to Egypt (especially by Ochus, after Egypt had been reconquered), we can easily explain how Ptolemy Philadelphus can be said to have liberated 100,000 Egyptian Jews.
Aristeas’ Book , p. 105." This much, at least, is proved by these various notices, - that, in order to understand how such a vast increase took place in the number of the Jews in Egypt, we do not need to regard them as the descendants of those who removed thither with Jeremiah, and so to question the fulfilment of the prophecy now before us. Jeremiah does not, of course, threaten with destruction all those Jews who live in Egypt, but only those who at that time went thither against the divine will, and there persevered in their idolatry.
We do not know how great may have been the number of these immigrants, but they could hardly exceed two thousand, - perhaps, indeed, there were not so many. All these, as had been foretold them, may have perished in the conquest of Egypt by the Chaldeans, and afterwards, through the sword, famine, and pestilence; for the myriads of Jews in Egypt at the time of Ptolemy Lagi could easily have removed thither during the period of 250 years intermediate between the immigration in Jeremiah’s time and the foundation of Alexandria, partly as prisoners and slaves, partly through voluntary settlement.
Jer 45:1-4 "The word which Jeremiah the prophet spake to Baruch the son of Neriah, when he wrote these words in a book at the mouth of Jeremiah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, saying, Jer 45:2. Thus saith Jahveh, the God of Israel, to thee, O Baruch: V. 3. Thou saidst, Woe to me now! for Jahveh hath added sorrow to my pain: I am weary with sighing, and no rest do I find.
V. 4. Thus shalt thou say unto him, Thus saith Jahveh: Behold, what I have built I will destroy, and what I have planted I will pluck up, and that is the whole earth. V. 5. And thou seekest great things for thyself: seek them not: for, behold, I will bring evil on all flesh, saith Jahveh; but I will give thy life unto thee for booty in all places whither thou shalt go."
From the superscription in Jer 45:1, it appears that this word of God came to Baruch through Jeremiah the prophet, in the fourth year of the reign of Jehoiakim, when Baruch was writing out, or had written out, in a book-roll the prophecies that had been uttered by Jeremiah up till that time. It is not necessarily implied in the infin. בּכתבו that the word of God came during the transcription, while he was still engaged in writing: it may also mean, "when he was ready with the writing," had got done with it; and Hitzig is wrong when he rejects as "misleading" the view which Movers takes - "when he had written."
The writing down of the addresses of Jeremiah in the year mentioned is related in Jer 36; ; thus the substance of this chapter and that of Jer 36 agree. "These words" can only be the addresses (words) of Jeremiah which Baruch was then writing down. From this, Hitzig, Graf, Nägelsbach, and others, infer that this small piece was the last in the copy of Jeremiah’s prophecies originally prepared under Jehoiakim, - if not of the first one which was intended to be read in the temple, at least of the second copy which was made after the former one had been destroyed; and that it was only after the collection had been enlarged to the extent of the collection handed down to us, that this portion was affixed as an appendix to the end of the prophecies of Jeremiah which relate to his own country.
But this inference is not a valid one. "These words" are the addresses of the prophet in general, which Baruch wrote down; and that only those which were uttered up to the fourth year of Jehoiakim are intended, is implied, not in the demonstrative "these," but in the date given afterwards, by which "these" is further specified. In Jer 45:1 it is merely stated that at that time the word of God, given below, came to Jeremiah, and through Him to Baruch, but not that Baruch wrote down this also on that occasion, and appended it to the roll of Jeremiah’s prophecies which had been prepared at his dictation.
It may have been written down much later, possibly not till the whole of Jeremiah’s prophecies were collected and arranged in Egypt. Moreover, the position occupied by this chapter in the collection shows that this message of comfort to Baruch was added as an appendix to those predictions of Jeremiah which concern Judah and Israel. The occasion for this message of comfort addressed to the prophet’s attendant is pointed out in Jer 45:3, in the words which Baruch had uttered: "Woe to me!
for Jahveh adds sorrow to my pain." Baruch felt "pain," i. e. , pain of soul, at the moral corruption of the people, their impenitence and obduracy in sin and vice, just like the prophet himself, Jer 15:18. To this pain God adds sorrow, by threatening the judgment which shall fall on Judah for sin, and which was even then beginning to break over the land; cf.
Jer 8:18. Baruch sighs over this till he is wearied, and finds no rest; cf. Lam 5:5. "I am weary with my sighing," is a reminiscence from Psa 6:7. This sorrow in addition to his pain was not caused in him for the first time by writing down the discourses of the prophet, but was rather thus freshened and increased. The answer of the Lord to this sighing is of a stern character, yet soothing for Baruch.
The sentence of destruction has been determined on. What the Lord has built He will now destroy: it is not said why, since the reason was sufficiently known from the prophet’s utterances. As to the expression in Jer 45:4, cf. Jer 1:10; Jer 31:28. The destruction regards the whole earth, היא ואת־כּל־הארץ, lit. , "and as regards the whole earth, it is it," namely that I destroy.
On the employment of את in introducing the subject, cf. Dan 9:13; Hag 2:5, and Ewald, §277 d . כּל־הארץ does not mean "the whole land," but "the whole earth:" this is indubitably evident from the parallel "upon all flesh," Jer 45:5, i. e. , the whole of humanity, as in Jer 25:31. The sentence is passed on all the earth, in accordance with the announcement made in Jer 25:15.
Jer 45:1-4 "The word which Jeremiah the prophet spake to Baruch the son of Neriah, when he wrote these words in a book at the mouth of Jeremiah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, saying, Jer 45:2. Thus saith Jahveh, the God of Israel, to thee, O Baruch: V. 3. Thou saidst, Woe to me now! for Jahveh hath added sorrow to my pain: I am weary with sighing, and no rest do I find.
V. 4. Thus shalt thou say unto him, Thus saith Jahveh: Behold, what I have built I will destroy, and what I have planted I will pluck up, and that is the whole earth. V. 5. And thou seekest great things for thyself: seek them not: for, behold, I will bring evil on all flesh, saith Jahveh; but I will give thy life unto thee for booty in all places whither thou shalt go."
From the superscription in Jer 45:1, it appears that this word of God came to Baruch through Jeremiah the prophet, in the fourth year of the reign of Jehoiakim, when Baruch was writing out, or had written out, in a book-roll the prophecies that had been uttered by Jeremiah up till that time. It is not necessarily implied in the infin. בּכתבו that the word of God came during the transcription, while he was still engaged in writing: it may also mean, "when he was ready with the writing," had got done with it; and Hitzig is wrong when he rejects as "misleading" the view which Movers takes - "when he had written."
The writing down of the addresses of Jeremiah in the year mentioned is related in Jer 36; ; thus the substance of this chapter and that of Jer 36 agree. "These words" can only be the addresses (words) of Jeremiah which Baruch was then writing down. From this, Hitzig, Graf, Nägelsbach, and others, infer that this small piece was the last in the copy of Jeremiah’s prophecies originally prepared under Jehoiakim, - if not of the first one which was intended to be read in the temple, at least of the second copy which was made after the former one had been destroyed; and that it was only after the collection had been enlarged to the extent of the collection handed down to us, that this portion was affixed as an appendix to the end of the prophecies of Jeremiah which relate to his own country.
But this inference is not a valid one. "These words" are the addresses of the prophet in general, which Baruch wrote down; and that only those which were uttered up to the fourth year of Jehoiakim are intended, is implied, not in the demonstrative "these," but in the date given afterwards, by which "these" is further specified. In Jer 45:1 it is merely stated that at that time the word of God, given below, came to Jeremiah, and through Him to Baruch, but not that Baruch wrote down this also on that occasion, and appended it to the roll of Jeremiah’s prophecies which had been prepared at his dictation.
It may have been written down much later, possibly not till the whole of Jeremiah’s prophecies were collected and arranged in Egypt. Moreover, the position occupied by this chapter in the collection shows that this message of comfort to Baruch was added as an appendix to those predictions of Jeremiah which concern Judah and Israel. The occasion for this message of comfort addressed to the prophet’s attendant is pointed out in Jer 45:3, in the words which Baruch had uttered: "Woe to me!
for Jahveh adds sorrow to my pain." Baruch felt "pain," i. e. , pain of soul, at the moral corruption of the people, their impenitence and obduracy in sin and vice, just like the prophet himself, Jer 15:18. To this pain God adds sorrow, by threatening the judgment which shall fall on Judah for sin, and which was even then beginning to break over the land; cf.
Jer 8:18. Baruch sighs over this till he is wearied, and finds no rest; cf. Lam 5:5. "I am weary with my sighing," is a reminiscence from Psa 6:7. This sorrow in addition to his pain was not caused in him for the first time by writing down the discourses of the prophet, but was rather thus freshened and increased. The answer of the Lord to this sighing is of a stern character, yet soothing for Baruch.
The sentence of destruction has been determined on. What the Lord has built He will now destroy: it is not said why, since the reason was sufficiently known from the prophet’s utterances. As to the expression in Jer 45:4, cf. Jer 1:10; Jer 31:28. The destruction regards the whole earth, היא ואת־כּל־הארץ, lit. , "and as regards the whole earth, it is it," namely that I destroy.
On the employment of את in introducing the subject, cf. Dan 9:13; Hag 2:5, and Ewald, §277 d . כּל־הארץ does not mean "the whole land," but "the whole earth:" this is indubitably evident from the parallel "upon all flesh," Jer 45:5, i. e. , the whole of humanity, as in Jer 25:31. The sentence is passed on all the earth, in accordance with the announcement made in Jer 25:15.
Jer 45:1-4 "The word which Jeremiah the prophet spake to Baruch the son of Neriah, when he wrote these words in a book at the mouth of Jeremiah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, saying, Jer 45:2. Thus saith Jahveh, the God of Israel, to thee, O Baruch: V. 3. Thou saidst, Woe to me now! for Jahveh hath added sorrow to my pain: I am weary with sighing, and no rest do I find.
V. 4. Thus shalt thou say unto him, Thus saith Jahveh: Behold, what I have built I will destroy, and what I have planted I will pluck up, and that is the whole earth. V. 5. And thou seekest great things for thyself: seek them not: for, behold, I will bring evil on all flesh, saith Jahveh; but I will give thy life unto thee for booty in all places whither thou shalt go."
From the superscription in Jer 45:1, it appears that this word of God came to Baruch through Jeremiah the prophet, in the fourth year of the reign of Jehoiakim, when Baruch was writing out, or had written out, in a book-roll the prophecies that had been uttered by Jeremiah up till that time. It is not necessarily implied in the infin. בּכתבו that the word of God came during the transcription, while he was still engaged in writing: it may also mean, "when he was ready with the writing," had got done with it; and Hitzig is wrong when he rejects as "misleading" the view which Movers takes - "when he had written."
The writing down of the addresses of Jeremiah in the year mentioned is related in Jer 36; ; thus the substance of this chapter and that of Jer 36 agree. "These words" can only be the addresses (words) of Jeremiah which Baruch was then writing down. From this, Hitzig, Graf, Nägelsbach, and others, infer that this small piece was the last in the copy of Jeremiah’s prophecies originally prepared under Jehoiakim, - if not of the first one which was intended to be read in the temple, at least of the second copy which was made after the former one had been destroyed; and that it was only after the collection had been enlarged to the extent of the collection handed down to us, that this portion was affixed as an appendix to the end of the prophecies of Jeremiah which relate to his own country.
But this inference is not a valid one. "These words" are the addresses of the prophet in general, which Baruch wrote down; and that only those which were uttered up to the fourth year of Jehoiakim are intended, is implied, not in the demonstrative "these," but in the date given afterwards, by which "these" is further specified. In Jer 45:1 it is merely stated that at that time the word of God, given below, came to Jeremiah, and through Him to Baruch, but not that Baruch wrote down this also on that occasion, and appended it to the roll of Jeremiah’s prophecies which had been prepared at his dictation.
It may have been written down much later, possibly not till the whole of Jeremiah’s prophecies were collected and arranged in Egypt. Moreover, the position occupied by this chapter in the collection shows that this message of comfort to Baruch was added as an appendix to those predictions of Jeremiah which concern Judah and Israel. The occasion for this message of comfort addressed to the prophet’s attendant is pointed out in Jer 45:3, in the words which Baruch had uttered: "Woe to me!
for Jahveh adds sorrow to my pain." Baruch felt "pain," i. e. , pain of soul, at the moral corruption of the people, their impenitence and obduracy in sin and vice, just like the prophet himself, Jer 15:18. To this pain God adds sorrow, by threatening the judgment which shall fall on Judah for sin, and which was even then beginning to break over the land; cf.
Jer 8:18. Baruch sighs over this till he is wearied, and finds no rest; cf. Lam 5:5. "I am weary with my sighing," is a reminiscence from Psa 6:7. This sorrow in addition to his pain was not caused in him for the first time by writing down the discourses of the prophet, but was rather thus freshened and increased. The answer of the Lord to this sighing is of a stern character, yet soothing for Baruch.
The sentence of destruction has been determined on. What the Lord has built He will now destroy: it is not said why, since the reason was sufficiently known from the prophet’s utterances. As to the expression in Jer 45:4, cf. Jer 1:10; Jer 31:28. The destruction regards the whole earth, היא ואת־כּל־הארץ, lit. , "and as regards the whole earth, it is it," namely that I destroy.
On the employment of את in introducing the subject, cf. Dan 9:13; Hag 2:5, and Ewald, §277 d . כּל־הארץ does not mean "the whole land," but "the whole earth:" this is indubitably evident from the parallel "upon all flesh," Jer 45:5, i. e. , the whole of humanity, as in Jer 25:31. The sentence is passed on all the earth, in accordance with the announcement made in Jer 25:15.
Jer 45:1-4 "The word which Jeremiah the prophet spake to Baruch the son of Neriah, when he wrote these words in a book at the mouth of Jeremiah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, saying, Jer 45:2. Thus saith Jahveh, the God of Israel, to thee, O Baruch: V. 3. Thou saidst, Woe to me now! for Jahveh hath added sorrow to my pain: I am weary with sighing, and no rest do I find.
V. 4. Thus shalt thou say unto him, Thus saith Jahveh: Behold, what I have built I will destroy, and what I have planted I will pluck up, and that is the whole earth. V. 5. And thou seekest great things for thyself: seek them not: for, behold, I will bring evil on all flesh, saith Jahveh; but I will give thy life unto thee for booty in all places whither thou shalt go."
From the superscription in Jer 45:1, it appears that this word of God came to Baruch through Jeremiah the prophet, in the fourth year of the reign of Jehoiakim, when Baruch was writing out, or had written out, in a book-roll the prophecies that had been uttered by Jeremiah up till that time. It is not necessarily implied in the infin. בּכתבו that the word of God came during the transcription, while he was still engaged in writing: it may also mean, "when he was ready with the writing," had got done with it; and Hitzig is wrong when he rejects as "misleading" the view which Movers takes - "when he had written."
The writing down of the addresses of Jeremiah in the year mentioned is related in Jer 36; ; thus the substance of this chapter and that of Jer 36 agree. "These words" can only be the addresses (words) of Jeremiah which Baruch was then writing down. From this, Hitzig, Graf, Nägelsbach, and others, infer that this small piece was the last in the copy of Jeremiah’s prophecies originally prepared under Jehoiakim, - if not of the first one which was intended to be read in the temple, at least of the second copy which was made after the former one had been destroyed; and that it was only after the collection had been enlarged to the extent of the collection handed down to us, that this portion was affixed as an appendix to the end of the prophecies of Jeremiah which relate to his own country.
But this inference is not a valid one. "These words" are the addresses of the prophet in general, which Baruch wrote down; and that only those which were uttered up to the fourth year of Jehoiakim are intended, is implied, not in the demonstrative "these," but in the date given afterwards, by which "these" is further specified. In Jer 45:1 it is merely stated that at that time the word of God, given below, came to Jeremiah, and through Him to Baruch, but not that Baruch wrote down this also on that occasion, and appended it to the roll of Jeremiah’s prophecies which had been prepared at his dictation.
It may have been written down much later, possibly not till the whole of Jeremiah’s prophecies were collected and arranged in Egypt. Moreover, the position occupied by this chapter in the collection shows that this message of comfort to Baruch was added as an appendix to those predictions of Jeremiah which concern Judah and Israel. The occasion for this message of comfort addressed to the prophet’s attendant is pointed out in Jer 45:3, in the words which Baruch had uttered: "Woe to me!
for Jahveh adds sorrow to my pain." Baruch felt "pain," i. e. , pain of soul, at the moral corruption of the people, their impenitence and obduracy in sin and vice, just like the prophet himself, Jer 15:18. To this pain God adds sorrow, by threatening the judgment which shall fall on Judah for sin, and which was even then beginning to break over the land; cf.
Jer 8:18. Baruch sighs over this till he is wearied, and finds no rest; cf. Lam 5:5. "I am weary with my sighing," is a reminiscence from Psa 6:7. This sorrow in addition to his pain was not caused in him for the first time by writing down the discourses of the prophet, but was rather thus freshened and increased. The answer of the Lord to this sighing is of a stern character, yet soothing for Baruch.
The sentence of destruction has been determined on. What the Lord has built He will now destroy: it is not said why, since the reason was sufficiently known from the prophet’s utterances. As to the expression in Jer 45:4, cf. Jer 1:10; Jer 31:28. The destruction regards the whole earth, היא ואת־כּל־הארץ, lit. , "and as regards the whole earth, it is it," namely that I destroy.
On the employment of את in introducing the subject, cf. Dan 9:13; Hag 2:5, and Ewald, §277 d . כּל־הארץ does not mean "the whole land," but "the whole earth:" this is indubitably evident from the parallel "upon all flesh," Jer 45:5, i. e. , the whole of humanity, as in Jer 25:31. The sentence is passed on all the earth, in accordance with the announcement made in Jer 25:15.