Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

For I will surely rescue you so that you do not fall by the sword.

“Jer 45:5). put . . . trust in me-- (Jer 38:7-9). Trust in God was the root of his fearlessness of the wrath of men, in his humanity to the prophet (1Ch 5:20; The "life" he thus risked was to be his reward, being spared…”

Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, swore an oath to them and their men, assuring them, “Do not be afraid to serve the Chaldeans.

“Fear not--They were afraid that they should not obtain pardon from the Chaldeans for their acts. He therefore assured them of safety by an oath.”

As for me, I will stay in Mizpah to represent you before the Chaldeans who come to us.

“He does not now add that these very fruits were to constitute the chief part of the tribute to be paid to Babylon: which, though fruitful in corn, was less productive of grapes, figs, and olives [HERODOTUS, 1.193].”

and said to him, “Are you aware that Baalis king of the Ammonites has sent Ishmael son of Nethaniah to take your life?”

“Baalis--named from the idol Baal, as was often the case in heathen names. Ammonites--So it was to them that Ishmael went after murdering Gedaliah (Jer 41:10). slay--literally, "strike thee in the soul," that is, a deadly stroke.”

eighty men who had shaved off their beards, torn their garments, and cut themselves came from Shechem, Shiloh, and Samaria, carrying grain offerings and frankincense for the house of the…

“Lord--that is, the place where the house of the Lord had stood (2Ki 25:9). The place in which a temple had stood, even when it had been destroyed, was held sacred [PAPINIAN].”

And they went and stayed in Geruth Chimham, near Bethlehem, in order to proceed into Egypt

“It was thence called the habitation of Chimham (Geruth-Chimham), though it reverted to David's heirs in the year of jubilee.”

‘If you will indeed stay in this land, then I will build you up and not tear you down; I will plant you and not uproot you, for I will…

“If ye . . . abide--namely, under the Babylonian authority, to which God hath appointed that all should be subject (Da 2:37, 38). To resist was to resist God. build . . . plant--metaphor for, I will firmly establish you (Jer 24:6).”

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.

“What our hearts are most set on often proves fatal to us. Those who think to escape troubles by changing their place will find them wherever they go (Eze 11:8).”

The LORD has told you, O remnant of Judah, ‘Do not go to Egypt.’ Know for sure that I have warned you today!

“I have admonished--literally, "testified," that is, solemnly admonished, having yourselves as My witnesses; so that if ye perish, ye yourselves will have to confess that it was through your own fault, not through ignorance, ye perished.”

Azariah son of Hoshaiah, Johanan son of Kareah, and all the arrogant men said to Jeremiah, “You are lying!

“Azariah--the author of the project of going into Egypt; a very different man from the Azariah in Babylon (Da 1:7; 3:12-18). proud--Pride is the parent of disobedience and contempt of God.”

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…

“Baruch--He being the younger spake out the revelations which he received from Jeremiah more vehemently. From this cause, and from their knowing that he was in favor with the Chaldeans, arose their suspicion of him. Their perverse fickleness was astonishing.”

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.’”

“Beth-shemesh--that is, "the house of the sun," in Hebrew; called by the Greeks "Heliopolis"; by the Egyptians, "On" (Ge 41:45); east of the Nile, and a few miles north of Memphis.”

Why are you provoking Me to anger by the work of your hands by burning incense to other gods in the land of Egypt, where you have gone to reside?

“Egypt--where they polluted themselves to ingratiate themselves with the Egyptians. ye be gone--not compelled by fear, but of your own accord, when I forbade you, and when it was free to you to stay in Judea.”

Have you forgotten the wickedness of your fathers and of the kings of Judah and their wives, as well as the wickedness that you and your wives committed in the…

“Have you forgotten how the wickednesses of your fathers were the source of the greatest calamities to you? their wives--The Jews' worldly queens were great promoters of idolatry (1Ki 11:1-8; 16:31). the land of Judah--They defiled the land which was holy unto God.”

To this day they have not humbled themselves or shown reverence, nor have they followed My instruction or the statutes that I set before you and your fathers.

“They . . . you--The third person puts them to a distance from God on account of their alienating themselves from Him. The second person implies that God formerly had directly addressed them. humbled--literally, "contrite" (Ps 51:17). neither . . . feared-- (Pr 28:14).”

Therefore this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: I will set My face to bring disaster and to cut off all Judah.

“Behold, I will set my face against you for evil--(See on Le 17:10). and to cut off all Judah--that is, all the idolaters; Jer 44:28 shows that some returned to Judea (compare Jer 42:17).”

Instead, we will do everything we vowed to do: We will burn incense to the Queen of Heaven and offer drink offerings to her, just as we, our fathers, our…

“Ashtaroth or Astarte. we . . . fathers . . . king, &c.--The evil was restricted to no one class: all from the highest to the lowest shared the guilt.”

But from the time we stopped burning incense to the Queen of Heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything and have been perishing by sword…

“They impute their calamities to their service of God, but these are often marks of His favor, not of wrath, to do His people good at their latter end (De 8:16).”

“As for the incense you burned in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem—you, your fathers, your kings, your officials, and the people of the land—did the…

“The incense . . . did not the Lord remember--Jeremiah owns that they did as they said, but in retort asks, did not God repay their own evil-doing?”

Nevertheless, hear the word of the LORD, all you people of Judah living in Egypt: Behold, I have sworn by My great name, says the LORD, that never again will…

“Since ye will not hear Me speaking and warning, hear Me swearing. by my great name--that is, by Myself (Ge 22:16), the greatest by whom God can swear (Heb 6:13, 14).”

Those who escape the sword will return from Egypt to Judah, few in number, and the whole remnant of Judah who went to dwell in the land of Egypt will…

“A band easily counted, whereas they were expecting to return triumphantly in large numbers. shall know--most of them experimentally, and to their cost. whose words . . . mine, or theirs--Hebrew, "that from Me and them."”

This will be a sign to you that I will punish you in this place, declares the LORD, so that you may know that My threats of harm against you…

“The Jews being "punished in this place" will be a sign that their view is false, and God's threat true.”

Why am I seeing this? They are terrified, they are retreating; their warriors are defeated, they flee in haste without looking back; terror is on every side!” declares the LORD.

“The language of astonishment, that an army so well equipped should be driven back in "dismay." The prophet sees this in prophetic vision. fled apace--literally, "fled a flight," that is, flee precipitately. look not back--They do not even dare to look back at their pursuers.”

Who is this, rising like the Nile, like rivers whose waters churn?

“The figure is appropriate in addressing Egyptians, as the Nile, their great river, yearly overspreads their lands with a turbid, muddy flood.”

Egypt rises like the Nile, and its waters churn like rivers, boasting, ‘I will rise and cover the earth; I will destroy the cities and their people.’

“Answer to the question in Jer 46:7. waters . . . moved like the rivers--The rise of the Nile is gentle; but at the mouth it, unlike most rivers, is much agitated, owing to the sandbanks impeding its course, and so it rushes into the…”