Paul Kretzmann Commentary - Jeremiah 46:1 - 46:12

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Paul Kretzmann Commentary - Jeremiah 46:1 - 46:12


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The First Prophecy Against Egypt

v. 1. The word of the Lord which came to Jeremiah, the prophet, by direct inspiration, against the Gentiles, this verse serving as a superscription of a series of prophecies directed against various foreign peoples.

v. 2. Against Egypt, against the army of Pharaoh-necho, king of Egypt, which was by the river Euphrates in Carchemish,
a strongly fortified commercial center, on a peninsula between the Khaboor and the Euphrates, which, or whom, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, smote in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, king of Judah. This serves as a historical introduction to the prophecy which follows. Pharaoh-necho had landed in the Bay of Acco, his intention being to conquer all the countries between the Mediterranean Sea and the Euphrates. When Josiah, king of Judah, dared to interfere with his progress, meeting him in battle at Megiddo, the army of the Jews was beaten and Josiah himself mortally wounded. Pharaoh then subjugated Phenicia and Syria and moved onward to Carchemish (Cercusium), where he was probably encamped at the time when this prophecy was first made, about in the year 606 B. C. before the forces of Nebuchadnezzar had entered upon their campaign against the Egyptian army.

v. 3. Order ye the buckler,
the smaller protecting shield, and shield, the large shield, behind which the entire body could be hidden, and draw near to battle! It is a description picturing the preparations for battle, with a call to battle which enlivens the narrative.

v. 4. Harness the horses,
a call addressed to the charioteers; and get up, ye horsemen, the cavalry mounting their steeds for the attack, and stand forth with your helmets, this being directed to the infantry; furbish the spears, sharpening them for offensive work, and put on the brigandines, the coats of mail which were essential in ancient warfare. But now the prophet sees the army, which was so eager for the attack, most miserably defeated.

v. 5. Wherefore have I seen them dismayed and turned away back?
the soldiers who set out so confidently for the attack being overcome with terror at their defeat. And their mighty ones are beaten down, broken to pieces, scattered and wounded, and are fled apace, literally, "fled a flight," that is, with the greatest haste, and look not back; for fear was round about, saith the Lord, this being the explanation for the precipitate flight of the Egyptians.

v. 6. Let not the swift flee away, nor the mighty man escape,
such attempts would be utterly useless, all efforts along that line would avail them nothing; they shall stumble and fall toward the north by the river Euphrates. The prophet sees their defeat so vividly that the tottering and falling are accomplished facts before his eyes. A second scene of battle is now painted, more detailed, more concrete than the first.

v. 7. Who is this that cometh up as a flood,
like the Nile overflowing its banks, whose waters are moved as the rivers? surging to and fro with irresistible force.

v. 8. Egypt riseth up like a flood,
like the mighty Nile itself, and his waters are moved like the rivers, like the rush of water near its mouths; and he saith, I will go up and will cover the earth; I will destroy the city, that is, every city, and the inhabitants thereof. Such was the proud boast of Egypt in relying on its own strength.

v. 9. Come up, ye horses,
rearing back with impatience; and rage, ye chariots, as in uncontrollable anger, and let the mighty men come forth, moving forward to battle; the Ethiopians and the Libyans, that handle the shield, these mercenary troops being chosen for their skill in using this weapon of defense in battle, and the Lydians, those of northern Africa, descendants of the Egyptians, that handle and bend the bow. Cf Gen_10:13; Eze_30:5. The Egyptians had made all preparations for a victorious campaign; they went forth confident of an early and complete victory. But they were soon to learn their mistake.

v. 10. For this is the day of the Lord God of hosts,
the great Commander of the heavenly armies, a day of vengeance, that He may avenge Him of His adversaries, the Egyptians belonging to this class, not only for the killing of Josiah and the subsequent humiliation of Judah, but since ancient times; and the sword shall devour, and it shall be satiate, filled to the point of being surfeited, and made drunk with their blood; for the Lord God of hosts hath a sacrifice in the North country by the river Euphrates, for the slaughter of the Egyptians at Carchemish would be like an offering made to satisfy His righteous anger. Therefore the Lord addresses Egypt in a final emphatic prediction of evil.

v. 11. Go up into Gilead and take balm, O virgin, the daughter of Egypt,
hitherto not having been subject to any other power; in vain shalt thou use many medicines, for thou shalt not be cured, the wound inflicted upon her at this time would be beyond medical skill.

v. 12. The nations have heard of thy shame,
the humiliation which would come upon her by this defeat, and thy cry hath filled the land, as the stricken ones made known their misery; for the mighty man hath stumbled against the mighty, in the confusion of headless flight, and they are fallen both together. It is a most vivid description of the utter defeat which would strike the Egyptians by God's counsel, for His judgment invariably finds His enemies.