Jeremiah 43:12
in Jeremiah 43I 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.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And I will kindle a fire in the houses of the gods of Egypt; and he shall burn them, and carry them away captive: and he shall array himself with the land of Egypt, as a shepherd putteth on his garment; and he shall go forth from thence in peace.
KJV
And I will kindle a fire in the houses of the gods of Egypt; and he shall burn them, and carry them away captives: and he shall array himself with the land of Egypt, as a shepherd putteth on his garment; and he shall go forth from thence in peace.
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This verse in Jeremiah 43
Commentary
7 notes on this verseHe shall burn them, and carry them away captives - Some of these gods, such as were of wood, he will burn; those of metal he will carry away. Some of them were of gold. See below. Shall array himself with the land of Egypt - Shall take all its wealth, and all its grandeur; shall take all its spoils. As a shepherd putteth on his garment - With as much ease, and with as little opposition; and with as full a confidence that it is now his own.
This site's exposition
I will kindle a fire in the houses of the gods of Egypt
on Jeremiah 43:12-13
Nebuchadnezzar “will burn those temples and take their gods as captives,” wrapping himself with the land “as a shepherd wraps himself in his garment.” Gill and Clarke identify “the temple of the sun” as Beth-shemesh, the Egyptian On or Heliopolis, the city of Joseph’s father-in-law in Genesis 41:45.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
This destruction of Egypt by the king of Babylon is foretold, Ezek. xxix. Babylon lay at a great distance from Egypt, and yet thence the destruction of Egypt comes; for God can make those judgments strike home which are far-fetched.
And I will kindle a fire in the houses of the gods of Egypt,....
Beth-shemesh, or the house of the sun, was so called from a temple there built to the sun, where at certain times there was a general meeting of the worshippers of the sun.
7 So they came into the land of Egypt: for they obeyed not the voice of the L ORD : thus came they even to Tahpanhes. What God said to the builders of Babel may be truly said of this people that Jeremiah is now dealing with: Now nothing will be restrained from them which they have imagined to do, Gen. xi.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
I will kindle - Or, “he shall kindle.” He shall burn them ... - i. e., he shall burn the temples, and carry away the gods. And he shall array - literally, “And he shall wrap himself in the land of Egypt as the shepherd wrappeth himself in his cloak, and shall (go forth thence in peace;” i. e., With as great ease as a shepherd throws his cloak round him when going forth to watch his flock by night in the field, so easily shall the king of Babylon take possession of all the glory of Egypt, throw it round him, and depart without anyone resisting his progress.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
and he shall wrap up the land of Egypt He shall wrap up all its plunder and leave, as a shepherd wraps up and rolls his garment and casts it over his shoulder when he leads his flock before him.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 7 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
19 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְהִצַּ֣תִּי | vehitzati | and I will kindle | H3341 → | 29 times |
| אֵ֗שׁ | ʾesh | fire | H784 → | 378 times |
| בְּבָתֵּי֙ | bevatei | in [the] houses of | H1004 → | 2046 times |
| אֱלֹהֵ֣י | ʾelohei | [the] gods of | H430 → | 2601 times |
| מִצְרַ֔יִם | mitzrayim | Egypt | H4714 → | 641 times |
| וּשְׂרָפָ֖ם | userafam | and he will burn them | H8313 → | 117 times |
| וְשָׁבָ֑ם | veshavam | and he will take captive them | H7617 → | 47 times |
| וְעָטָה֩ | veatah | and he will delouse | H5844 → | |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| אֶ֨רֶץ | ʾeretz | [the] land of | H776 → | 2504 times |
| מִצְרַ֜יִם | mitzrayim | Egypt | H4714 → | 641 times |
| כַּאֲשֶׁר־ | kaasher- | just as | H834 → | 5497 times |
| יַעְטֶ֤ה | ya'teh | he delouses | H5844 → | |
| הָֽרֹעֶה֙ | haroeh | the shepherd | H7462 → | 177 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| בִּגְד֔וֹ | bigdo | garment his | H899 → | 217 times |
| וְיָצָ֥א | veyatza' | and he will go out | H3318 → | 1067 times |
| מִשָּׁ֖ם | misham | from there | H8033 → | 834 times |
| בְּשָׁלֽוֹם׃ | beshalom | in peace | H7965 → | 236 times |
וְהִצַּ֣תִּיand I will kindle
vehitzatiH3341 →29 times
אֵ֗שׁfire
ʾeshH784 →378 times
בְּבָתֵּי֙in [the] houses of
bevateiH1004 →2046 times
אֱלֹהֵ֣י[the] gods of
ʾeloheiH430 →2601 times
מִצְרַ֔יִםEgypt
mitzrayimH4714 →641 times
וּשְׂרָפָ֖םand he will burn them
userafamH8313 →117 times
וְשָׁבָ֑םand he will take captive them
veshavamH7617 →47 times
וְעָטָה֩and he will delouse
veatahH5844 →
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
אֶ֨רֶץ[the] land of
ʾeretzH776 →2504 times
מִצְרַ֜יִםEgypt
mitzrayimH4714 →641 times
כַּאֲשֶׁר־just as
kaasher-H834 →5497 times
יַעְטֶ֤הhe delouses
ya'tehH5844 →
הָֽרֹעֶה֙the shepherd
haroehH7462 →177 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
בִּגְד֔וֹgarment his
bigdoH899 →217 times
וְיָצָ֥אand he will go out
veyatza'H3318 →1067 times
מִשָּׁ֖םfrom there
mishamH8033 →834 times
בְּשָׁלֽוֹם׃in peace
beshalomH7965 →236 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Isaiah 19:1This is the burden against Egypt: Behold, the LORD rides on a swift cloud; He is coming to Egypt. The idols of Egypt will tremble before Him, and the hearts of the Egyptians will…
it leads to
- Exodus 12:12
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…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Revelation 1:7
Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him—even those who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. So shall it be! Amen.
- Exodus 12:12
Through
Jeremiah 46:25The 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.
it leads to
- Zephaniah 2:11
The LORD will be terrifying to them when He starves all the gods of the earth. Then the nations of every shore will bow in worship to Him, each in its own place.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Zephaniah 2:11
Through
Isaiah 49:18Lift up your eyes and look around. They all gather together; they come to you. As surely as I live,” declares the LORD, “you will wear them all as jewelry and put them on…
it leads to
- Isaiah 54:1–3
“Shout for joy, O barren woman, who bears no children; break forth in song and cry aloud, you who have never travailed; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her…
- Isaiah 66:12–13
For this is what the LORD says: “I will extend peace to her like a river, and the wealth of nations like a flowing stream; you will nurse and be carried on her arm,…
- Isaiah 61:10
I will rejoice greatly in the LORD, my soul will exult in my God; for He has clothed me with garments of salvation and wrapped me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom…
- Isaiah 54:9
“For to Me this is like the days of Noah, when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth. So I have sworn that I will not be angry…
- Isaiah 49:12
Behold, they will come from far away, from the north and from the west, and from the land of Aswan.”
- Isaiah 54:1–3
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Jeremiah
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.