11. such as are for death to death—that is, the deadly plague. Some he shall cause to die by the plague arising from insufficient or bad food; others, by the sword; others he shall lead captive, according as God shall order it (see on Jeremiah 43:1). read more
12. houses of . . . gods—He shall not spare even the temple, such will be His fury. A reproof to the Jews that they betook themselves to Egypt, a land whose own safety depended on helpless idols. burn . . . carry . . . captives—burn the Egyptian idols of wood, carry to Babylon those of gold and other metals. array himself with the land, &c.— Isaiah 49:18 has the same metaphor. as a shepherd, &c.—He shall become master of Egypt as speedily and easily as a shepherd, about to pass on with... read more
13. images—statues or obelisks. Beth-shemesh—that is, "the house of the sun," in Hebrew; called by the Greeks "Heliopolis"; by the Egyptians, "On" ( :-); east of the Nile, and a few miles north of Memphis. Ephraim Syrus says, the statue rose to the height of sixty cubits; the base was ten cubits. Above there was a miter of a thousand pounds weight. Hieroglyphics are traced around the only obelisk remaining in the present day, sixty or seventy feet high. On the fifth year after the overthrow of... read more
Jeremiah’s prediction of Nebuchadnezzar’s invasion of Egypt 43:8-13 read more
Nebuchadnezzar would fight the Egyptians. Those whom the Lord appointed for death would die, those He appointed for captivity would go into captivity, and those He appointed for battle would participate in battle."The meaning of the parable . . . is clear. Though the Judean refugees have buried themselves in populous Egypt, they will be discovered and feel, as their compatriots had done, the weight of Babylonian might." [Note: Harrison, Jeremiah and . . ., p. 165.] read more
Nebuchadnezzar would do to Egypt what he had done to Judah. He would burn down the Egyptian temples and take people captive. He would capture Egypt as easily as a shepherd wraps himself with a garment, and he would depart from Egypt in safety. Some translations yield the image of the shepherd picking his cloak clean of lice, which is possibly what Jeremiah intended. In this case the figure is probably of Nebuchadnezzar picking his prey clean.Nebuchadnezzar invaded Egypt about 568-567 B.C. and... read more
Nebuchadnezzar would also break down the obelisks that stood at On (Gr. Heliopolis), the Egyptian city of the sun about five miles northeast of modern Cairo. And he would burn the temples of the gods of Egypt. Heliopolis was the site of the famous temple of Amon-Re, the sun god, which people approached by passing between two rows of obelisks. [Note: Thompson, p. 671.] Only one of these obelisks still stands on the site. One of them is now in Central Park in New York City, and another is on the... read more
The Fate of Egypt1-7. They disobey and go to Egypt.7. Tahpanhes] see on Jeremiah 2:16.Here ends the historical portion of the book, the remainder consisting of prophecies directed mainly against foreign nations.8-13. Prophecy of the overthrow of Egypt.9. In the clay in the brick-kiln] RV ’in mortar in the brickwork.’11. Death] by famine or pestilence. 12. Nebuchadnezzar shall have no more difficulty in spoiling Egypt than has the shepherd in wrapping his outer garment about him after his... read more
(11) Such as are for death to death.—Again we note the re-appearance of a characteristic formula (Jeremiah 11:2). read more
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Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Jeremiah 43:13
Jeremiah 43:13. The images of Beth-shemesh.— The solar statues of Heliopolis: or, The images of the house of the sun. REFLECTIONS.—1st, To a message so plain, there seemed no room for objection; but the devil will never fail to help sinners to an excuse for their infidelity and disobedience. 1. They pretend that Jeremiah imposed on them, and that this declaration was not from God. Johanan and Azariah, with all the proud men, dare give the prophet the lie, and impute to Baruch's influence the... read more