Jeremiah 2:18 BSB — MannaFest

Jeremiah 2:18

Now what will you gain on your way to Egypt to drink the waters of the Nile? What will you gain on your way to Assyria to drink the waters of the Euphrates?

BSB

Parallel translations (2) ▾

ASV

And now what hast thou to do in the way to Egypt, to drink the waters of the Shihor? or what hast thou to do in the way to Assyria, to drink the waters of the River?

KJV

And now what hast thou to do in the way of Egypt, to drink the waters of Sihor? or what hast thou to do in the way of Assyria, to drink the waters of the river?

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Commentary

4 voices

Athanasius of Alexandria

296–373

FESTAL LETTERS 7:5 (373)

For the fool does not know that those who depart far from God shall perish. And besides, there is the restraint of the prophetic admonition that says, 'What have you to do in the way of Egypt, to drink the waters of Gihon? And what have you to do in the way of Ashur, to drink the waters of the rivers?"

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice

John Gill

1697–1771

Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763)

And now what hast thou to do in the way of Egypt,.... By worshipping of idols, in imitation of them; or by sending ambassadors thither for help, when they had their Lord, their God, so nigh, had they not forsaken him; nor had Josiah any business to go out against Pharaohnecho, 2Ch 35:21 and, contrary to the express word of God by the Prophet Jeremy, did the Jews which remained in Judea go into Egypt, Jer 42:19. To drink the waters of Sihor? which is the river Nile, as Jarchi interprets it.

The Nineteenth Century2 voices

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible (1832)

What hast thou to do in the way of Egypt - Why dost thou make alliances with Egypt? To drink the waters of Sihor? - This means the Nile. See on Isa 23:3 (note). The way of Assyria - Why make alliances with the Assyrians? All such connections will only expedite thy ruin. To drink the waters of the river? - The Euphrates, as נהר nahar or הנהר hannahar always means Euphrates, the country between the Tigris and Euphrates, is termed to this day Maher alnahar, “the country beyond the river,” i.e., Mesopotamia.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

Voices on this verse

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Original language & word study

15 tagged words

Original	Transliteration	Meaning	Word study
וְעַתָּ֗ה	ve.'a.Tah	and therefore	H6258 →
מַה־	mah-	what?	H4100 →
לָּךְ֙	loKh	[is] to <the> you
לְדֶ֣רֶךְ	le.De.rekh	to [the] journey of	H1870 →
מִצְרַ֔יִם	mitz.Ra.yim	Egypt	H4714 →
לִשְׁתּ֖וֹת	lish.Tot	to drink	H8354 →
מֵ֣י	mei	[the] water of	H4325 →
שִׁח֑וֹר	shi.Chor	[the] Shihor	H7883 →
וּמַה־	u.mah-	and what?	H4100 →
לָּךְ֙	loKh	[is] to <the> you
לְדֶ֣רֶךְ	le.De.rekh	to [the] journey of	H1870 →
אַשּׁ֔וּר	'a.Shur	Assyria	H804 →
לִשְׁתּ֖וֹת	lish.Tot	to drink	H8354 →
מֵ֥י	mei	[the] water of	H4325 →
נָהָֽר׃	na.Har	[the] River	H5104 →

Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread: the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.

The walk

The walk8

Where the connections lead

Follow this verse’s cross-references two steps out. Each card is a verse this one points to, and beneath it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several different paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it. Every stop shows its own words, and every stop is a page.

Through
Isaiah 31:1
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…
leads to
- Psalms 20:7
  Some trust in chariots and others in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
- Jeremiah 17:5
  This is what the LORD says: “Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind, who makes the flesh his strength and turns his heart from the LORD.
- Deuteronomy 17:16
  But the king must not acquire many horses for himself or send the people back to Egypt to acquire more horses, for the LORD has said, ‘You are never to go back that way…
- Jeremiah 2:13
  “For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living water, and they have dug their own cisterns—broken cisterns that cannot hold water.
- Isaiah 36:9
  For how can you repel a single officer among the least of my master’s servants when you depend on Egypt for chariots and horsemen?
Through
Hosea 7:11
So Ephraim has become like a silly, senseless dove—calling out to Egypt, then turning to Assyria.
leads to
- Hosea 5:13
  When Ephraim saw his sickness and Judah his wound, then Ephraim turned to Assyria and sent to the great king. But he cannot cure you or heal your wound.
  Reached by 2 independent paths from here.
- Hosea 12:1
  Ephraim chases the wind and pursues the east wind all day long; he multiplies lies and violence; he makes a covenant with Assyria and sends olive oil to Egypt.
Through
Jeremiah 2:36
How unstable you are, constantly changing your ways! You will be disappointed by Egypt just as you were by Assyria.
leads to
- Jeremiah 31:22
  How long will you wander, O faithless daughter? For the LORD has created a new thing in the land—a woman will shelter a man.”

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About Jeremiah

The Prophet Jeremiah — Gustave Doré, Doré's English Bible (1866), public domain

Jeremiah: the study guide →Read chapter 2 →The featured study →

Continue: Jeremiah 2 →

01Commentary

The record, by era

Voices on this verse

02Original language & word study

03The walk

Where the connections lead

04Related verses

05Featured studies on this passage

06About Jeremiah

The record, by era

Where the connections lead

Commentary

Original language & word study

The walk

Related verses

Featured studies on this passage

About Jeremiah