Paul Kretzmann Commentary - Jeremiah 43:1 - 43:7

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Paul Kretzmann Commentary - Jeremiah 43:1 - 43:7


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The Flight into Egypt

v. 1. And it came to pass that, when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking unto all the people all the words of the Lord, their God, for which the Lord, their God, who was still ready to be considered as such by them, had sent him to them, even all these words, the full message, just as it had been transmitted to Jeremiah by inspiration of the Lord,

v. 2. then spake Azariah,
or Jezaniah, the son of Hoshaiah, and Johanan, the son of Kareah, and all the proud men, the pride of their heart showing in the insolence of their behavior at this juncture, saying unto Jeremiah, Thou speakest falsely; the Lord, our God, hath not sent thee to say, Go not into Egypt to sojourn there, they saucily discredited his entire message;

v. 3. but Baruch, the son of Neriah,
whom they suspected of sympathizing with the Chaldeans, setteth thee against us for to deliver us into the hand of the Chaldeans that they might put us to death and carry us away captives into Babylon. Upon this suspicion and accusation, which was wholly unfounded, these men based their opposition to Jeremiah's counsel which conveyed to them the warnings of the Lord.

v. 4. So Johanan, the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces and all the people,
in accordance with the idea which they had had in mind practically all this while, obeyed not the voice of the Lord to dwell in the land of Judah.

v. 5. But Johanan, the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces took all the remnant of Judah that were returned from all nations whither they had been driven,
the various smaller countries round about, to dwell in the land of Judah,

v. 6. even men, and women, and children, and the king's daughters,
the princesses of the royal household, 41:10, and every person that Nebuzar-adan, the captain of the guard, had left with Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, and Jeremiah, the prophet, and Baruch, the son of Neriah. All of these people were obliged to join the caravan of the refugees, whether they protested or not, for in this case also might made right.

v. 7. So they came into the land of Egypt, for they obeyed not the voice of the Lord,
as made known by the mouth of Jeremiah; thus came they even to Tah-panhes, the city of Daphne on one of the eastern delta-arms of the Nile, one of the cities nearest to the border of Palestine. Here they halted for a time, in order to consider ways and means of making their sojourn in the strange country safe and profitable. When men deliberately set aside the commands of the Lord and choose their own way of doing things, they invite destruction and ruin upon themselves.