Then came the word of the Lord to Jeremiah, at Tahpanhes ,.... Where he was with the rest the captains carried thither with them; and as soon as he and they had got here, the word of the Lord came unto him, declaring the destruction of this place, and of the whole land. Here Jerom says the prophet was stoned to death; saying ; as follows: read more
Take great stones in thine hand ,.... In both his hands, as big as he could carry: and hide them in the clay in the brick kiln ; there was much clay in Egypt, through the overflowing of the Nile, and particularly at this place Tahpanhes, which had its name of Pelusiae from hence; and here was a brick kiln; not a place where bricks were burnt, but where they were foraged; and so here was the clay of which they were made, and in which these stones were to be hid: which is at the entry... read more
And say unto them ,.... The men of Judah, now in Egypt: thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel ; See Gill on Jeremiah 42:15 ; behold, I will send and take Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant ; as all men are by creation, and as he was in a very eminent sense, being an instrument in his hand of executing his designs, both on the Jews and other nations; him he would send for, and take to perform his counsel; secretly work upon and dispose his mind to such an... read more
And when he cometh, he shall smite the land of Egypt ,.... Here is a various reading: the "Cetib", or textual writing, is, "when it cometh, it shall smite"; which Kimchi rightly interprets of the camp or army of Nebuchadnezzar; and the "Keri", or marginal reading, which we follow, is, "when he cometh, he shall smite"; that is, the king of Babylon; both are to be received: when Nebuchadnezzar should come with his army to Tahpanhes, he would not only take that, but go through the land of... read more
And I will kindle a fire in the houses of the gods of Egypt ,.... Not only men should not be spared, but their gods also, and their temples should be burnt, as was usually done when cities were taken and destroyed: this is ascribed to God, to his wrath and vengeance; idolatry being a sin highly displeasing to him; though the Chaldeans were the instruments of it, yet it being done by the order, direction, and providence of God, it is rightly attributed to him: and he shall burn them, and... read more
He shall break also the images of Bethshemesh, that is in the land of Egypt ,.... Or, "of Heliopolis", as the Septuagint; the "city of the sun"; and so "Bethshemesh" here signifies the "house of the sun"; either it designs the temple of the sun, or the city where it was worshipped; as Heliopolis was famous for the worship of the sun, and for a magnificent temple in it, built for that purpose, and where abundance of persons resorted on that account, as Herodotus F12 Euterpe, sive l. 2.... read more
The leading men, discrediting Jeremiah's prophecy, carry the people into Egypt, Jeremiah 43:1-7 . Jeremiah, by a type, foretells the conquest of Egypt by Nebuchadnezzar, Jeremiah 43:8-13 . This mode of conveying instruction by actions was very expressive, and frequently practiced by the prophets. The image of Nebuchadnezzar arraying himself with Egypt, as a shepherd puts on his garment, is very noble. Egypt at this time contended with Babylon for the empire of the east; yet this mighty... read more
Thou speakest falsely - They had no other color for their rebellion than flatly to deny that God had spoken what the prophet related. read more
Men, and women, and children, and the king's daughters - See the note on Jeremiah 41:10 ; (note). It is truly surprising that the Chaldeans should have left behind any of the royal family of Judah! But, Perhaps they knew not there were any. If they did know, they might think, being children of concubines, they could not inherit. Or, 3. That being females, they were not eligible. And they had taken care to seize all Zedekiah's sons, and slay them before his eyes. read more
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John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Jeremiah 43:7
So they came into the land of Egypt ,.... They set out from the habitation of Chimham, where they were, Jeremiah 41:17 ; and proceeded on their journey, till they entered the land of Egypt: for they obeyed not the voice of the Lord ; to continue in Judea, and not to go into Egypt; and though the prophet of the Lord, who was with them, might, as they went along, advise them to go back, they regarded him not, but still went on: thus came they even to Tahpanhes ; the same with... read more