Jeremiah 46:1 - Meaning and Application

The first verse gives the title for this section of the book, which is about the neighboring nations. It is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah against the nations, because God is King and Judge over all nations. He knows those who do not know him, and he will call them to account. Isaiah and Ezekiel also spoke against these same nations, and Jeremiah now gives a separate message about them, tied to the same events.

In the Old Testament, we have the word of the Lord against the Gentiles. In the New Testament, we have the word of the Lord for the Gentiles, so that those who were far away are brought near. Jeremiah begins with Egypt because Egypt had long oppressed Israel and had recently deceived them when they trusted it. In these verses, he foretells the defeat of Pharaoh-necho's army by Nebuchadnezzar in the fourth year of Jehoiakim. This victory was so complete that Nebuchadnezzar took everything from the king of Egypt from the river of Egypt to the Euphrates, and Egypt never came out again in strength (2 Kings 24:7). In this way, God made Pharaoh-necho pay dearly for his earlier march against the king of Assyria, four years before, when he killed Josiah (2 Kings 23:29).

Jeremiah speaks of this event in grand words of triumph over humbled Egypt, and he likely did so with special feeling. Josiah's death had been a great sorrow to him, and now that death was avenged on Pharaoh-necho. The Egyptians are first mocked for the great military preparations they made for this campaign. The prophet calls on them to do their best, because that is what they will do: "Come, get the buckler ready; prepare the weapons of war" (Jeremiah 46:3). Egypt was famous for its horses, so let them be harnessed and let the horsemen mount up. "Get on your horses and take your places," he says (Jeremiah 46:4). Think about the great care, trouble, and expense people spend to kill one another, as if they were not dying quickly enough already.

Jeremiah compares their march to the rising of the Nile (Jeremiah 46:7, 46:8). Egypt rises like a flood, refusing to stay in its own banks and threatening to overflow the lands around it. The army they bring into the field is very powerful. The prophet calls them forward, "Come up, you horses, rage, you chariots" (Jeremiah 46:9). He challenges them to gather all their allies, the Ethiopians, who shared the same family line as the Egyptians (Genesis 10:6), and were their neighbors and partners, and the Libyans and Lydians, both in Africa west of Egypt, from whom Egypt drew help. Let them strengthen themselves with every skill and every alliance they have. It will all be useless, because God will fight against them, and no wisdom or plan can stand against him (Proverbs 21:30, 21:31).

This should remind those who go to war that they need more than armor and horses. They should also repent of their sins, and pray for God’s presence with them, so that he may keep them from every evil thing. The Egyptians are also mocked for the hopes they had for this campaign, which were very different from what God intended. They knew their own plans, and God knew them too, and he sat in heaven and laughed at them. But they did not know the Lord’s plans, for he was gathering them like sheaves into the threshing floor (Micah 4:11, 4:12).

Egypt says, "I will go up. I will cover the earth, and nothing will stop me. I will destroy the city, whatever city stands in my way. Like Pharaoh long ago, I will pursue, I will overtake" (Jeremiah 46:8). The Egyptians think it will be their day, but God says it will be his day, "the day of the Lord God of hosts" (Jeremiah 46:10). It will be the day when he shows his power in the defeat of Egypt. They meant one thing, but God meant another. They wanted honor and wider control, but God meant to bring their kingdom low and make it weak. It will be a day of judgment for Josiah’s death, and a sacrifice to divine justice, where many sinners in Egypt will fall as victims.

When people try to exalt themselves through unjust plans, they should expect God to glorify himself by breaking those plans and cutting them down. The Egyptians are also mocked for their cowardly flight when battle comes (Jeremiah 46:5, 46:6). After all their great preparation and bold talk, Jeremiah sees them face the Chaldean army, and they are terrified, turned back, and completely discouraged. Their retreat is shameful. Even their mighty men, who should have stood firm, flee together in panic. They run in confusion and hurry, with no time or courage to look back. Fear seems to surround them on every side.

Yet they still do not escape. They have the shame of running, but not the comfort of saving themselves by running. They might as well have stood their ground and died where they were, because even the swift will not get away. Their speed will fail them when the test comes, just as their courage fails them. The mighty will not escape, and they will be beaten down and shattered. They will stumble in flight and fall toward the north, toward the enemy’s land, because they were so confused that they ran forward instead of homeward. The lesson is clear: the race is not always to the swift, and the battle is not always to the strong. Brave men are not always victorious.

Finally, they are told they cannot recover from this blow, and the wound will be fatal to their nation (Jeremiah 46:11, 46:12). The daughter of Egypt, pictured as a young woman living in splendor, is badly wounded by this defeat. Let her seek healing in Gilead and use every remedy her wise men can suggest to repair the loss. It will do no good. The wound cannot be cured, and they will never again be able to bring such a powerful army into the field. The nations that had heard of Egypt’s glory and strength will now hear of its shame, how badly it was routed and how greatly it was weakened. This will not need to be spread by the conquerors, because the cries of the defeated will make it known. Their cry will fill the land around them. As they flee in different directions, one strong man will stumble over another and crash into him, and both will become easy prey for those who pursue them.

There could be a thousand such terrible disasters, enough to fill the land with the cries of those who were defeated. So let the strong man not boast in his strength, because a time may come when it will do him no good.