Jeremiah 43 Study Notes: The Remnant Flees to Egypt
Azariah, Johanan and other proud men accuse Jeremiah of lying and blame Baruch for his message. Defying the LORD, they lead the survivors, Jeremiah and Baruch included, to Tahpanhes in Egypt. There Jeremiah buries stones at Pharaoh’s palace as a sign that Nebuchadnezzar will conquer Egypt and burn its temples.
General
When Jeremiah finished giving the LORD’s answer, how did Azariah, Johanan and the arrogant men describe it (Jeremiah 43:2-3)?
Answer: A false message, which Baruch had stirred him up to give
Once Jeremiah had passed on the whole message the LORD had given him (43:1), Azariah son of Hoshaiah and Johanan son of Kareah, joined by the other proud men, accused him of lying. They denied that the LORD had forbidden them to settle in Egypt (43:2). Instead they claimed that Baruch, who had written down Jeremiah’s messages for him (36:4), was turning the prophet against them so the Chaldeans, that is, the Babylonians, could kill them or carry them off to Babylon (43:3). Yet earlier they had called the LORD as witness against themselves if they failed to carry out whatever He answered, pleasant or not (42:5-6). Jeremiah had already warned that they were fooling themselves (42:20-21). Their attitude resembles the people Isaiah described, who wanted pleasing words rather than the truth (Isaiah 30:10).
- Jeremiah 43:2-3 (BSB)“Azariah son of Hoshaiah, Johanan son of Kareah, and all the arrogant men said to Jeremiah, “You are lying! The LORD our God has not sent you to say, ‘You must not go to Egypt to reside there.’ Rather, Baruch son of Neriah is inciting you against us to deliver us into the hands of the Chaldeans, so that they may put us to death or exile us to Babylon!””Azariah, Johanan and the proud men reject Jeremiah’s message and blame Baruch for it.
- Jeremiah 42:5-6 (BSB)“Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act upon every word that the LORD your God sends you to tell us. Whether it is pleasant or unpleasant, we will obey the voice of the LORD our God to whom we are sending you, so that it may go well with us when we obey the voice of the LORD our God!””Earlier they had called on the LORD as witness against them if they failed to obey His answer, welcome or not.
- Jeremiah 42:20-21 (BSB)“For you have deceived yourselves by sending me to the LORD your God, saying, ‘Pray to the LORD our God on our behalf, and as for all that the LORD our God says, tell it to us and we will do it.’ For I have told you today, but you have not obeyed the voice of the LORD your God in all He has sent me to tell you.”Jeremiah had already told them that their request for guidance was self-deception, since they did not mean to obey.
- Isaiah 30:10 (BSB)“They say to the seers, “Stop seeing visions!” and to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us the truth! Speak to us pleasant words; prophesy illusions.”Isaiah describes a similar attitude in an earlier generation that wanted soothing messages from the prophets instead of the truth.
Theological
How did Azariah, Johanan and the arrogant men characterize Jeremiah’s word from the LORD (Jeremiah 43:2-3)?
Answer: A false message, which Baruch had stirred him up to give
When Jeremiah had delivered the whole of the LORD’s answer (43:1), Azariah son of Hoshaiah and Johanan son of Kareah, joined by the other proud men, flatly called it a lie and denied that the LORD had prohibited their settling in Egypt (43:2). They attributed the message to Baruch, alleging that Baruch was manipulating Jeremiah in order to hand them over to the Chaldeans for death or exile (43:3). Their solemn oath to obey the answer, whether pleasant or unpleasant (42:5-6), proved hollow, as Jeremiah had already exposed (42:20-21). Rejecting the messenger was a way of rejecting the message, a refusal like the one Isaiah confronted in those who demanded smooth words instead of truth (Isaiah 30:10).
- Jeremiah 43:2-3 (BSB)“Azariah son of Hoshaiah, Johanan son of Kareah, and all the arrogant men said to Jeremiah, “You are lying! The LORD our God has not sent you to say, ‘You must not go to Egypt to reside there.’ Rather, Baruch son of Neriah is inciting you against us to deliver us into the hands of the Chaldeans, so that they may put us to death or exile us to Babylon!””Azariah, Johanan and the proud men reject Jeremiah’s message and blame Baruch for it.
- Jeremiah 42:5-6 (BSB)“Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act upon every word that the LORD your God sends you to tell us. Whether it is pleasant or unpleasant, we will obey the voice of the LORD our God to whom we are sending you, so that it may go well with us when we obey the voice of the LORD our God!””Earlier they had called on the LORD as witness against them if they failed to obey His answer, welcome or not.
- Jeremiah 42:20-21 (BSB)“For you have deceived yourselves by sending me to the LORD your God, saying, ‘Pray to the LORD our God on our behalf, and as for all that the LORD our God says, tell it to us and we will do it.’ For I have told you today, but you have not obeyed the voice of the LORD your God in all He has sent me to tell you.”Jeremiah had already told them that their request for guidance was self-deception, since they did not mean to obey.
- Isaiah 30:10 (BSB)“They say to the seers, “Stop seeing visions!” and to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us the truth! Speak to us pleasant words; prophesy illusions.”Isaiah describes a similar attitude in an earlier generation that wanted soothing messages from the prophets instead of the truth.
General
What did the LORD say Nebuchadnezzar would do to the temples and gods of Egypt (Jeremiah 43:12-13)?
Answer: Burn down their temples and carry off their gods
The LORD said Nebuchadnezzar would come and strike Egypt, and each person would meet his appointed end, whether death, captivity or the sword (43:11). Jeremiah had announced similar fates over Judah (15:2). The LORD Himself would set fire to the temples of Egypt’s gods, and Nebuchadnezzar would burn them and carry off the gods as prisoners (43:12). He would put on Egypt like a shepherd putting on his cloak, leave unharmed, and smash the sun temple’s sacred pillars (43:12-13). The gods of the very land where the remnant had sought safety would themselves be carried away as captives (43:12). The LORD had judged Egypt’s gods before (Exodus 12:12), and He would do it again (46:25).
- Jeremiah 43:11-13 (BSB)“He will come and strike down the land of Egypt, bringing death to those destined for death, captivity to those destined for captivity, and the sword to those destined for the sword. I will kindle a fire in the temples of the gods of Egypt, and Nebuchadnezzar will burn those temples and take their gods as captives. So he will wrap himself with the land of Egypt as a shepherd wraps himself in his garment, and he will depart from there unscathed. He will demolish the sacred pillars of the temple of the sun in the land of Egypt, and he will burn down the temples of the gods of Egypt.’””The LORD announces that Nebuchadnezzar will strike Egypt and burn the temples of its gods.
- Jeremiah 15:2 (BSB)“If they ask you, ‘Where shall we go?’ you are to tell them that this is what the LORD says: ‘Those destined for death, to death; those destined for the sword, to the sword; those destined for famine, to famine; and those destined for captivity, to captivity.’”Similar appointed fates of death, sword, hunger and exile had been announced over Judah.
- Exodus 12:12 (BSB)“On that night I will pass through the land of Egypt and strike down every firstborn male, both man and beast, and I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD.”At the exodus the LORD had already declared that He would bring judgment on every god of Egypt.
- Jeremiah 46:25 (BSB)“The LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: “Behold, I am about to punish Amon god of Thebes, along with Pharaoh, Egypt with her gods and kings, and those who trust in Pharaoh.”A later oracle repeats that the LORD will punish Egypt together with its gods and those who trust in Pharaoh.
Theological
According to the LORD, what would Nebuchadnezzar do to Egypt’s temples and gods (Jeremiah 43:12-13)?
Answer: Burn down their temples and carry off their gods
Nebuchadnezzar would strike Egypt and deal out the appointed fates of death, captivity and sword (43:11), a sentence much like the one earlier pronounced over Judah (15:2). The LORD Himself would kindle the fire that consumed the shrines of Egypt’s gods; Nebuchadnezzar would burn them and lead the gods away captive (43:12). He would take up Egypt like a shepherd’s cloak, depart untouched, and break the sun temple’s sacred pillars (43:12-13). The gods of the land where the remnant had sought refuge would themselves be led away as captives (43:12). The LORD who executed judgment on Egypt’s gods at the exodus (Exodus 12:12) would do so again (46:25).
- Jeremiah 43:11-13 (BSB)“He will come and strike down the land of Egypt, bringing death to those destined for death, captivity to those destined for captivity, and the sword to those destined for the sword. I will kindle a fire in the temples of the gods of Egypt, and Nebuchadnezzar will burn those temples and take their gods as captives. So he will wrap himself with the land of Egypt as a shepherd wraps himself in his garment, and he will depart from there unscathed. He will demolish the sacred pillars of the temple of the sun in the land of Egypt, and he will burn down the temples of the gods of Egypt.’””The LORD announces that Nebuchadnezzar will strike Egypt and burn the temples of its gods.
- Jeremiah 15:2 (BSB)“If they ask you, ‘Where shall we go?’ you are to tell them that this is what the LORD says: ‘Those destined for death, to death; those destined for the sword, to the sword; those destined for famine, to famine; and those destined for captivity, to captivity.’”Similar appointed fates of death, sword, hunger and exile had been announced over Judah.
- Exodus 12:12 (BSB)“On that night I will pass through the land of Egypt and strike down every firstborn male, both man and beast, and I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD.”At the exodus the LORD had already declared that He would bring judgment on every god of Egypt.
- Jeremiah 46:25 (BSB)“The LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: “Behold, I am about to punish Amon god of Thebes, along with Pharaoh, Egypt with her gods and kings, and those who trust in Pharaoh.”A later oracle repeats that the LORD will punish Egypt together with its gods and those who trust in Pharaoh.
General
True or False: Jeremiah and Baruch stayed behind in Judah while Johanan led the rest of the remnant into Egypt (Jeremiah 43:5-7).
Answer: False
This is false. Johanan and the army commanders defied the LORD’s command to remain in Judah (43:4). They took everyone left: those who had come back from the nations where they had been dispersed, men, women and children, the royal daughters, and all the people Nebuzaradan had left with Gedaliah. They also took the prophet Jeremiah along with Baruch (43:5-6). They went into Egypt and reached Tahpanhes, because they would not heed the LORD (43:7). The LORD had clearly warned them not to head for Egypt (42:19), telling them that the war and hunger they dreaded would catch up with them there (42:15-16). In a similar way Isaiah had warned against running to Egypt for aid instead of looking to the LORD (Isaiah 31:1).
- Jeremiah 43:4-7 (BSB)“So Johanan son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces disobeyed the command of the LORD to stay in the land of Judah. Instead, Johanan son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces took the whole remnant of Judah, those who had returned to the land of Judah from all the nations to which they had been scattered, the men, the women, the children, the king’s daughters, and everyone whom Nebuzaradan captain of the guard had allowed to remain with Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, as well as Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch son of Neriah. So they entered the land of Egypt because they did not obey the voice of the LORD, and they went as far as Tahpanhes.”Johanan and the commanders take the whole remnant, including Jeremiah and Baruch, into Egypt as far as Tahpanhes.
- Jeremiah 42:19 (BSB)“The LORD has told you, O remnant of Judah, ‘Do not go to Egypt.’ Know for sure that I have warned you today!”The LORD had plainly warned the remnant not to go to Egypt.
- Jeremiah 42:15-16 (BSB)“then hear the word of the LORD, O remnant of Judah! This is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you are determined to go to Egypt and reside there, then the sword you fear will overtake you there, and the famine you dread will follow on your heels into Egypt, and you will die there.”He had also warned that if they insisted on Egypt, the war and hunger they dreaded would catch up with them there.
- Isaiah 31:1 (BSB)“Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in their abundance of chariots and in their multitude of horsemen. They do not look to the Holy One of Israel; they do not seek the LORD.”Isaiah pronounced woe on those who relied on Egypt’s horses and chariots rather than looking to the Holy One of Israel.
Theological
True or False: When the remnant went down to Egypt, Jeremiah and Baruch were left behind in Judah (Jeremiah 43:5-7).
Answer: False
This is false. In open defiance of the LORD’s command to remain in Judah (43:4), Johanan and the commanders carried off the entire remnant: the returnees from the lands of dispersion, men, women, children, the royal daughters, and those Nebuzaradan had entrusted to Gedaliah. Jeremiah and Baruch were taken along with them (43:5-6). They entered Egypt and came to Tahpanhes for one stated reason: they refused to heed the LORD (43:7). This was the very course the LORD had forbidden (42:19), with the warning that the war and hunger they fled would pursue them there (42:15-16). It resembled the sin Isaiah denounced, seeking security from Egypt rather than from the LORD (Isaiah 31:1).
- Jeremiah 43:4-7 (BSB)“So Johanan son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces disobeyed the command of the LORD to stay in the land of Judah. Instead, Johanan son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces took the whole remnant of Judah, those who had returned to the land of Judah from all the nations to which they had been scattered, the men, the women, the children, the king’s daughters, and everyone whom Nebuzaradan captain of the guard had allowed to remain with Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, as well as Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch son of Neriah. So they entered the land of Egypt because they did not obey the voice of the LORD, and they went as far as Tahpanhes.”Johanan and the commanders take the whole remnant, including Jeremiah and Baruch, into Egypt as far as Tahpanhes.
- Jeremiah 42:19 (BSB)“The LORD has told you, O remnant of Judah, ‘Do not go to Egypt.’ Know for sure that I have warned you today!”The LORD had plainly warned the remnant not to go to Egypt.
- Jeremiah 42:15-16 (BSB)“then hear the word of the LORD, O remnant of Judah! This is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you are determined to go to Egypt and reside there, then the sword you fear will overtake you there, and the famine you dread will follow on your heels into Egypt, and you will die there.”He had also warned that if they insisted on Egypt, the war and hunger they dreaded would catch up with them there.
- Isaiah 31:1 (BSB)“Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in their abundance of chariots and in their multitude of horsemen. They do not look to the Holy One of Israel; they do not seek the LORD.”Isaiah pronounced woe on those who relied on Egypt’s horses and chariots rather than looking to the Holy One of Israel.
General
At Tahpanhes, what sign did the LORD tell Jeremiah to act out while the Jews watched (Jeremiah 43:8-10)?
Answer: Bury big stones in the paving by Pharaoh’s palace
At Tahpanhes the LORD told Jeremiah to take large stones and, while the Jews looked on, sink them into the clay paving made of brick at the doorway of Pharaoh’s palace (43:8-9). Then he was to announce that the LORD would send for Nebuchadnezzar, Babylon’s king, and set his throne right over those buried stones, with his royal canopy spread above them (43:10). The LORD had called Nebuchadnezzar His servant before (25:9) and had placed the nations under his rule (27:6). The remnant had fled to Egypt to escape the king of Babylon, yet he would set up his throne at the very doorway of Pharaoh’s palace where they had come. Had they stayed in Judah, the LORD had promised to rescue them from that king (42:11). Calling Nebuchadnezzar His servant means the LORD was using him to carry out His own purpose; it did not make the king good, and Babylon would later be punished for its own guilt (25:12).
- Jeremiah 43:8-10 (BSB)“Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah at Tahpanhes: “In the sight of the Jews, pick up some large stones and bury them in the clay of the brick pavement at the entrance to Pharaoh’s palace at Tahpanhes. Then tell them that this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘I will send for My servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and I will set his throne over these stones that I have embedded, and he will spread his royal pavilion over them.”At Tahpanhes the LORD tells Jeremiah to bury large stones as a sign of Nebuchadnezzar’s coming.
- Jeremiah 25:9 (BSB)“behold, I will summon all the families of the north, declares the LORD, and I will send for My servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, whom I will bring against this land, against its residents, and against all the surrounding nations. So I will devote them to destruction and make them an object of horror and contempt, an everlasting desolation.”The LORD had earlier called Nebuchadnezzar His servant, sent to bring judgment on Judah and the nations around it.
- Jeremiah 27:6 (BSB)“So now I have placed all these lands under the authority of My servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. I have even made the beasts of the field subject to him.”The LORD declares that He Himself has put the lands under Nebuchadnezzar’s authority.
- Jeremiah 42:11 (BSB)“Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, whom you now fear; do not be afraid of him, declares the LORD, for I am with you to save you and deliver you from him.”Had they stayed, the LORD promised to save them from the very king they now fled from.
- Jeremiah 25:12 (BSB)“But when seventy years are complete, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their guilt, declares the LORD, and I will make it an everlasting desolation.”Once the seventy years ended, the LORD would punish Babylon’s king and people for their own guilt.
Theological
What prophetic sign-act did the LORD command Jeremiah to perform at Tahpanhes (Jeremiah 43:8-10)?
Answer: Bury big stones in the paving by Pharaoh’s palace
The LORD directed Jeremiah to bury large stones in the brick-paved clay at the doorway of Pharaoh’s palace in Tahpanhes, in full view of the Jews (43:8-9). The sign-act was then interpreted: the LORD Himself would summon Nebuchadnezzar, His servant, and set the Babylonian throne and royal canopy over the very stones He had embedded (43:10). The LORD’s sovereign use of a pagan king as His instrument is a consistent thread in the book (25:9; 27:6). The irony is sharp: the remnant fled to Egypt to escape Babylon, yet Nebuchadnezzar’s throne would stand over stones buried at Pharaoh’s own palace door, whereas the LORD had pledged to save them from him had they remained in the land (42:11). Nebuchadnezzar served the LORD’s purpose without ceasing to be accountable: Babylon would in turn be punished for its own guilt (25:12).
- Jeremiah 43:8-10 (BSB)“Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah at Tahpanhes: “In the sight of the Jews, pick up some large stones and bury them in the clay of the brick pavement at the entrance to Pharaoh’s palace at Tahpanhes. Then tell them that this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘I will send for My servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and I will set his throne over these stones that I have embedded, and he will spread his royal pavilion over them.”At Tahpanhes the LORD tells Jeremiah to bury large stones as a sign of Nebuchadnezzar’s coming.
- Jeremiah 25:9 (BSB)“behold, I will summon all the families of the north, declares the LORD, and I will send for My servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, whom I will bring against this land, against its residents, and against all the surrounding nations. So I will devote them to destruction and make them an object of horror and contempt, an everlasting desolation.”The LORD had earlier called Nebuchadnezzar His servant, sent to bring judgment on Judah and the nations around it.
- Jeremiah 27:6 (BSB)“So now I have placed all these lands under the authority of My servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. I have even made the beasts of the field subject to him.”The LORD declares that He Himself has put the lands under Nebuchadnezzar’s authority.
- Jeremiah 42:11 (BSB)“Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, whom you now fear; do not be afraid of him, declares the LORD, for I am with you to save you and deliver you from him.”Had they stayed, the LORD promised to save them from the very king they now fled from.
- Jeremiah 25:12 (BSB)“But when seventy years are complete, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their guilt, declares the LORD, and I will make it an everlasting desolation.”Once the seventy years ended, the LORD would punish Babylon’s king and people for their own guilt.