Jeremiah 42

Following the assassination of Gedaliah, the surviving leaders of Judah request that Jeremiah seek counsel from YHWH regarding their future, promising absolute obedience to His word; however, Jeremiah receives a prophecy exposing their duplicity, as YHWH commands them to remain in the land for preservation, while warning that their pre-determined plan to flee to Egypt will result in the very death and destruction they seek to avoid.

• The military commanders and the people approach Jeremiah, requesting that he pray for them and inquire of God regarding their future.
• Jeremiah agrees to inquire of the Lord and promises to deliver the entire answer without withholding anything.
• The people vow to obey God's word, regardless of whether it is 'good or evil'.
• After a ten-day wait, YHWH provides an answer: stay and be built up, or flee to Egypt and perish.
• Jeremiah condemns their hypocrisy, revealing that they had already determined their course of action before they even approached him.

• The leaders: Johanan (H3110) and Jezaniah (H3153).
• The ten-day delay before YHWH answers (v. 7).
• The vow: 'whether it be good, or whether it be evil' (v. 6).
• The specific list of fears the people try to escape: war, trumpet sound, and hunger (v. 14).
• The specific plagues promised in Egypt: sword, famine, and pestilence (v. 16-17).

This passage serves as a tragic denouement to the fall of Jerusalem, demonstrating that even when the remnant possesses the Word of God, their hearts can remain hardened in willful disobedience. It illustrates that true submission to God's will is incompatible with seeking His validation for our pre-established agendas.

Genuine seeking of God requires a heart surrendered to His will, not merely a request for His confirmation of our own desires.

The chapter transitions from a formal, liturgical request for divine guidance to a prophetic diagnosis of the people's latent rebellion and deceitful hearts.

• If you abide in this land, I will build you and not pull you down (v. 10).
• I will plant you and not pluck you up (v. 10).
• I am with you to save you and deliver you (v. 11).
• I will show mercies unto you (v. 12).

• Go ye not into Egypt (v. 19).

• The sword which ye feared shall overtake you there in Egypt (v. 16).
• The famine whereof ye were afraid shall follow close after you (v. 16).
• Ye shall die by the sword, famine, and pestilence (v. 22).

• Written following the fall of Jerusalem (586 BC) and the assassination of the governor Gedaliah.
• The remnant of Judah fears retaliation from the Babylonians for the murder of Gedaliah, leading them to consider fleeing to Egypt for safety.

• The act of approaching a prophet for a 'supplication' (təḥinnâ [H8467]) was a formal religious procedure.
• The people invoke the 'Lord their God' as a 'true and faithful witness' (v. 5) to bind themselves by oath.

• This chapter concludes the primary narrative arc of the book, occurring after the destruction of the Temple and before the forced migration into Egypt.

• The warning of 'sword, famine, and pestilence' echoes the covenantal curses of Deuteronomy 28, indicating that the remnant is still under the weight of covenant violation.
• Matthew Henry observes that many people, like those in this chapter, seek guidance from God only while they hope to have their pride flattered and their favorite lusts spared, demonstrating the human tendency to seek validation rather than truth.

• Deuteronomy 28:15-68 (The curses of the covenant fulfilled in the return to bondage).
• Jeremiah 44 (The later realization of the warning given in this chapter).

• kōl [H3605]: 'All', used extensively to emphasize the totality of the remnant's involvement and the absolute nature of the Lord's requirements.
• təḥinnâ [H8467]: 'Supplication' or 'plea for mercy', indicating the formal and ostensibly humble posture the leaders took before Jeremiah.
• dābār [H1697]: 'Word' or 'thing', used to signify that God's command is both a spoken message and an objective matter of reality.
• śar [H8269]: 'Commanders', highlighting that the military leadership was the primary force behind this inquiry.
• qatan [H6996] and gadol [H1419]: 'Least' and 'greatest', highlighting the universal involvement of the populace in this ill-fated decision.

• The significance of the 10-day waiting period; unlike many modern requests for instant answers, the prophet waited for God's timing before responding.
• The specific phrasing 'we shall see no war' (v. 14) shows the people's delusion that a change of location (Egypt) would grant them immunity from the consequences of their sin.