Jeremiah 43:1

JEREMIAH 43

JUDAH MOVES TO EGYPT; TAKING JEREMIAH AND BARUCH

This is a tragic chapter indeed. "Think of it! Abraham's descendants returned to Egypt long after their liberation from it. With great suffering they had been delivered from their bondage in Egypt, only to return nearly nine hundred years later a defeated, hopeless remnant!"[1]

There is probably nowhere to be found a better comment upon the incredible blindness of human politicians than the one afforded by this chapter.

The chapter divisions are: (1) Judah's leaders reject God's word (Jeremiah 43:1-4); (2) Jeremiah and Baruch taken to Egypt (Jeremiah 43:5-7); (3) Prophecy of conquest of Egypt (Jeremiah 43:8-11); and (4) Prophecy against the gods of Egypt (Jeremiah 43:12-13).

Jeremiah 43:1-4

JUDAH'S LEADERS REJECT GOD'S WORD

"And it came to pass that when Jeremiah had made an end to speaking unto all the people all the words of Jehovah their God, wherewith Jehovah their God had sent him unto them, even all these words, then spake Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the proud men, saying unto Jeremiah, Thou speakest falsely: Jehovah our God hath not sent thee to say, Ye shall not go into Egypt to sojourn there; but Baruch the son of Neriah setteth thee on against us, to deliver us into the hands of the Chaldeans, that they may put us to death, and carry us away captive to Babylon. So Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces, and all the people, obeyed not the voice of Jehovah, to dwell in the land of Judah."

"And all the proud men ..." (Jeremiah 43:2). The two prominent leaders, Azariah and Johanan, were backed up by a group of men, called here "the proud men." The versions provide further insight into the meaning of these words: "the insolent men" (Revised Standard Version); "the arrogant men" (the Good News Bible). They were the bold and confident unbelievers who constituted the vast majority of that apostate generation of the Chosen People, having no regard whatever, either for Almighty God, or God's prophets.

We do not believe that there was anything whatever in the allegations of those Jewish leaders of either truth or probability. For example, their suggestion that Baruch was the author of Jeremiah's prophecies here was an outright falsehood. What a preposterous proposition it was that, "The prophet who would not trim his message for the king himself would have allowed himself to be manipulated by his secretary!"[2]

"All the people obeyed not ..." (Jeremiah 43:4) The insolent, loud-mouthed, arrogant, and confident claims of the false leaders quickly swept away all objections to their policies; and they proceeded at once to Egypt. Jeremiah did not defend himself against the charge of prophesying a falsehood, but trusted in the future to reveal who was true and who was false.