Jeremiah 46:13-19

A. The Certainty of Invasion Jeremiah 46:13-19

TRANSLATION

(13) The word which the LORD spake unto Jeremiah concerning the coming of Nebuchadnezzar and his smiting of the land of Egypt. (14) Declare in Egypt and publish in Migdol, Memphis and Tahpanhes. Say: Stand forth and prepare yourself; for a sword has devoured round about you. (15) Why did Apis flee, your bull not stand? Because the LORD did drive him. (16) He made many to stumble, yes, they fell upon each other. And they said, Come let us flee unto our people, unto the land of our birth because of the sword of the oppressor. (17) They cried there, Pharaoh king of Egypt is a noise. He has caused the appointed time to pass by. (18) I sware (oracle of the king, the LORD of hosts is His name) that like Tabor among the mountains and Carmel in the sea he shall come. (19) prepare for yourself vessels of exile, O inhabitress, daughter of Egypt; for Memphis shall be a desolation, burned without inhabitant.

COMMENTS

The poem opens with Jeremiah urging that an alarm be sounded in the border towns of Egypt that they might prepare to meet the foe (Jeremiah 46:14). Noph (Memphis) and Tahpanhes[374] have been previously mentioned in the book (cf. Jeremiah 2:16; Jeremiah 43:7-9), To these cities the Jews had fled after the death of Gedaliah (Jeremiah 44:1 ff.). Jeremiah had previously warned these Jews of the coming invasion and had predicted that they would perish in the slaughter.

[374] Ezekiel too predicted conflict in Tahpanhes (Ezekiel 30:18). But Ezekiel seems to be speaking of the Egyptian campaign of the Persian king Cambyses II who conquered Egypt in 525 B.C.

Jeremiah 46:15 as it is translated in the King James Version is somewhat misleading. Instead of valiant men (KJV) or strong ones (ASV) probably here the translation should be singular: Why has your strong one been swept away?[375] The reference is to Apis, the sacred bull, one of the high gods of the land of Egypt.[376] The mighty one of Egypt cannot stand before the armies of the Mighty One of Israel. Apis shall be thrust down (ASV margin). men the Lord brings Nebuchadnezzar against Egypt he shall demonstrate His superiority to the gods of Egypt. Not only does the Lord thrust down Apis, He causes many of the soldiers of Egypt to fall in battle. The Egyptian troops are thrown into confusion. They stumble over one another in their haste to flee the scene of battle. Jeremiah hears the mercenaries urging one another: Arise, let us go again to our own people and the land of our birth (Jeremiah 46:16). Being devoid of patriotic feeling, it is natural that these hired soldiers should flee from the doomed country. In their respective countries these mercenaries report the ruin of Egypt and heap ridicule upon Pharaoh. Pharaoh king of Egypt is only a noise, they say. Pharaoh is nothing but a noisy braggart who makes big boasts and promises but cannot make them good. He passed the appointed time. Some take this expression to mean that Pharaoh has let his hour of opportunity go by. That is to say he makes elaborate preparations but never capitalizes upon the opportunity. Another view is that Pharaoh has passed the time appointed in which the Lord commanded him to surrender to Babylon (cf. Jeremiah 25:14-19). Still another view is that Pharaoh had let the time elapse within which he was called upon by God to reform. The grace period was over. While all of these views of the phrase have something to be said in their behalf, in the opinion of this writer the standard commentaries have really missed the point. The idea here is that every nation has its appointed time for glory and power. That appointed time for Egypt was passed. With this interpretation agrees the apostle Paul when he says that God has appointed the times and seasons of the nations (Acts 17:26). Egypt's appointed time has come to an end. Therefore, the Lord swears by an oath that the coming of Nebuchadnezzar is sure and certain. No one shall be able to withstand him for he is the appointed instrument of the Lord. As surely as Mt. Tabor and Mt. Carmel tower over the surrounding landscape in Palestine, so Nebuchadnezzar will tower over Egypt in overpowering splendor and majesty (Jeremiah 46:18). In view of the certainty of the coming invasion, Jeremiah urges the inhabitants of Egypt to prepare themselves for captivity for their capital city, Noph (Memphis) shall be laid waste (Jeremiah 46:19).

[375] The Hebrew noun is actually plural but at least three other grammatical features of the verse point to a singular reading. Sixty-five Hebrew manuscripts, the Septuagint and Vulgate translations also reflect a singular reading of the noun.

[376] Just as the Lord is called the Mighty One of Jacob or the Mighty One of Israel (Genesis 49:24; Isaiah 1:24; Isaiah 49:26 etc.) so in Egypt Apis was called the mighty or strong one.