FocusJudgment on the surrounding powers
Jeremiah 46:21
KJVAlso her hired men are in the midst of her like fatted bullocks; for they also are turned back, and are fled away together: they did not stand, because the day of their calamity was come upon them, and the time of their visitation.
The collected oracles extend the judgment announcements beyond Judah and culminate in the words against Babylon.
- 46:1 The word of the LORD which came to Jeremiah the prophet against the Gentiles;
- 46:2 Against Egypt, against the army of Pharaohnecho king of Egypt, which was by the river Euphrates in Carchemish, which Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon smote in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah.
- 46:3 Order ye the buckler and shield, and draw near to battle.
- 46:4 Harness the horses; and get up, ye horsemen, and stand forth with your helmets; furbish the spears, and put on the brigandines.
- 46:5 Wherefore have I seen them dismayed and turned away back? and their mighty ones are beaten down, and are fled apace, and look not back: for fear was round about, saith the LORD.
- 46:6 Let not the swift flee away, nor the mighty man escape; they shall stumble, and fall toward the north by the river Euphrates.
- 46:7 Who is this that cometh up as a flood, whose waters are moved as the rivers?
- 46:8 Egypt riseth up like a flood, and his waters are moved like the rivers; and he saith, I will go up, and will cover the earth; I will destroy the city and the inhabitants thereof.
- 46:9 Come up, ye horses; and rage, ye chariots; and let the mighty men come forth; the Ethiopians and the Libyans, that handle the shield; and the Lydians, that handle and bend the bow.
- 46:10 For this is the day of the Lord GOD of hosts, a day of vengeance, that he may avenge him of his adversaries: and the sword shall devour, and it shall be satiate and made drunk with their blood: for the Lord GOD of hosts hath a sacrifice in the north country by the river Euphrates.
- 46:11 Go up into Gilead, and take balm, O virgin, the daughter of Egypt: in vain shalt thou use many medicines; for thou shalt not be cured.
- 46:12 The nations have heard of thy shame, and thy cry hath filled the land: for the mighty man hath stumbled against the mighty, and they are fallen both together.
- 46:13 The word that the LORD spake to Jeremiah the prophet, how Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon should come and smite the land of Egypt.
- 46:14 Declare ye in Egypt, and publish in Migdol, and publish in Noph and in Tahpanhes: say ye, Stand fast, and prepare thee; for the sword shall devour round about thee.
- 46:15 Why are thy valiant men swept away? they stood not, because the LORD did drive them.
- 46:16 He made many to fall, yea, one fell upon another: and they said, Arise, and let us go again to our own people, and to the land of our nativity, from the oppressing sword.
- 46:17 They did cry there, Pharaoh king of Egypt is but a noise; he hath passed the time appointed.
- 46:18 As I live, saith the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts, Surely as Tabor is among the mountains, and as Carmel by the sea, so shall he come.
- 46:19 O thou daughter dwelling in Egypt, furnish thyself to go into captivity: for Noph shall be waste and desolate without an inhabitant.
- 46:20 Egypt is like a very fair heifer, but destruction cometh; it cometh out of the north.
- 46:21 Also her hired men are in the midst of her like fatted bullocks; for they also are turned back, and are fled away together: they did not stand, because the day of their calamity was come upon them, and the time of their visitation.
- 46:22 The voice thereof shall go like a serpent; for they shall march with an army, and come against her with axes, as hewers of wood.
- 46:23 They shall cut down her forest, saith the LORD, though it cannot be searched; because they are more than the grasshoppers, and are innumerable.
- 46:24 The daughter of Egypt shall be confounded; she shall be delivered into the hand of the people of the north.
- 46:25 The LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saith; Behold, I will punish the multitude of No, and Pharaoh, and Egypt, with their gods, and their kings; even Pharaoh, and all them that trust in him:
- 46:26 And I will deliver them into the hand of those that seek their lives, and into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of his servants: and afterward it shall be inhabited, as in the days of old, saith the LORD.
- 46:27 But fear not thou, O my servant Jacob, and be not dismayed, O Israel: for, behold, I will save thee from afar off, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and be in rest and at ease, and none shall make him afraid.
- 46:28 Fear thou not, O Jacob my servant, saith the LORD: for I am with thee; for I will make a full end of all the nations whither I have driven thee: but I will not make a full end of thee, but correct thee in measure; yet will I not leave thee wholly unpunished.
Who
- Who wrote the book? Jeremiah son of Hilkiah is the prophet behind the book, with Baruch serving as his scribe. The complete collection includes narrative and a historical appendix as well as Jeremiah's dictated words. Biblical references: Jeremiah 1:1; Jeremiah 36:4; Jeremiah 36:32. stated in the text
- Who was present or being addressed in this passage? In the surrounding chapter context (Jeremiah 46:1–51:64): The oracles concern the named nations and cities, including Egypt, Philistia, Moab, Ammon, Edom, Damascus, Kedar, Hazor, Elam, and Babylon. These are prophetic addresses about those peoples, not a single gathering of their inhabitants. stated in the text
- Who was the book written to? Judah and Jerusalem before and during the Babylonian crisis, exiles in Babylon, and later readers of the preserved prophetic collection. Individual oracles name additional recipients. Biblical references: Jeremiah 2:2; Jeremiah 29:1; Jeremiah 46:1. stated in the text
What
- What is the topic of this reading unit? Judgment on Egypt. Read Jeremiah 46:1 through Jeremiah 46:28 as a connected unit. interpretation
- How does it contribute to the book? The collected oracles extend the judgment announcements beyond Judah and culminate in the words against Babylon. interpretation
When
- When are the events or message set? The opening dates Jeremiah's ministry from Josiah's reign toward the captivity of Jerusalem. Individual messages also name particular reigns and events, and the book is not arranged as a simple diary. book background
Where
- What is the book’s geographic setting? Judah and Jerusalem dominate, with messages to exiles in Babylon, accounts involving Egypt, and oracles concerning other nations. book background
- Where does the context start? This passage sits in Judgment on Egypt (Jeremiah 46:1 to Jeremiah 46:28). Start reading at Jeremiah 46:1. An editorial reading unit, not a claim that the surrounding context stops here. Book background below applies to the shared passage; individual verses may need more specific explanation.
How
- How does this book connect with Jesus Christ? Hebrews explicitly quotes Jeremiah's new-covenant promise in its explanation of Christ's priestly work. The quotation retains the named houses of Israel and Judah; later application should account for that wording. See Jeremiah 31:31, Hebrews 8:8, Hebrews 8:10. interpretation
- How should this book guide our response? Listen to unwelcome truth and distinguish it from reassuring claims unsupported by God's word. Do not detach promises of restoration from the judgment, exile, and response described around them. interpretation
Cited: Jeremiah 46:1, Jeremiah 46:28, Jeremiah 31:31, Hebrews 8:8, Hebrews 8:10
Who wrote it, and how we know
Related passages
- her hired Jer 46:9,16 2 Sam 10:6 2 Kgs 7:6 Ezek 27:10-11 Ezek 30:4-6
- like Jer 50:11,27 Isa 34:7
- fatted bullocks Prov 15:17 Amos 6:4
- they did Jer 46:5,15-16
- the day Jer 18:17 Deut 32:15 Ps 37:13 Isa 10:3 Ezek 35:5 Hos 9:7 Obad 1:13 Mic 7:4
Cross references from CrossReferences-org (CC BY 4.0).
Macro-Structure
See how this passage fits the chapter and the book.
Macro-Structure of Jeremiah 46
Jeremiah 1:1 Jeremiah 1:2 Jeremiah 36:4
Suggested literary divisions. Headings summarize the passage; they are not part of the biblical text.
Macro-Structure of Jeremiah
Jeremiah 1:1 Jeremiah 1:2 Jeremiah 36:4
Jeremiah's call
Jeremiah 1:1–19FocusCommission and opposition
Judah's unfaithfulness and announced judgment
Jeremiah 2:1–25:38FocusWarning, intercession, and refusal
The prophet contested
Jeremiah 26:1–29:32FocusTrue and false messages
Promises of restoration
Jeremiah 30:1–33:26FocusReturn, covenant, and hope
Jerusalem's fall and its aftermath
Jeremiah 34:1–45:5FocusRejected words and continuing disobedience
FocusJudgment on the surrounding powers
The fall of Jerusalem recounted
Jeremiah 52:1–34FocusDestruction and the exiled king
Suggested literary divisions. Headings summarize the passage; they are not part of the biblical text.