Jeremiah42
New International Version
1Then all the army officers, including Johanan son of Kareah and Jezaniah son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least to the greatest approached
2Jeremiah the prophet and said to him, “Please hear our petition and pray to the Lord your God for this entire remnant. For as you now see, though we were once many, now only a few are left.
3Pray that the Lord your God will tell us where we should go and what we should do.”
4“I have heard you,” replied Jeremiah the prophet. “I will certainly pray to the Lord your God as you have requested; I will tell you everything the Lord says and will keep nothing back from you.”
5Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the Lord be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act in accordance with everything the Lord your God sends you to tell us.
6Whether it is favorable or unfavorable, we will obey the Lord our God, to whom we are sending you, so that it will go well with us, for we will obey the Lord our God.”
7Ten days later the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah.
8So he called together Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers who were with him and all the people from the least to the greatest.
9He said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your petition, says:
10‘If you stay in this land, I will build you up and not tear you down; I will plant you and not uproot you, for I have relented concerning the disaster I have inflicted on you.
11Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, whom you now fear. Do not be afraid of him, declares the Lord, for I am with you and will save you and deliver you from his hands.
12I will show you compassion so that he will have compassion on you and restore you to your land.’
13“However, if you say, ‘We will not stay in this land,’ and so disobey the Lord your God,
14and if you say, ‘No, we will go and live in Egypt, where we will not see war or hear the trumpet or be hungry for bread,’
15then hear the word of the Lord, you remnant of Judah. This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you are determined to go to Egypt and you do go to settle there,
16then the sword you fear will overtake you there, and the famine you dread will follow you into Egypt, and there you will die.
17Indeed, all who are determined to go to Egypt to settle there will die by the sword, famine and plague; not one of them will survive or escape the disaster I will bring on them.’
18This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘As my anger and wrath have been poured out on those who lived in Jerusalem, so will my wrath be poured out on you when you go to Egypt. You will be a curse and an object of horror, a curse and an object of reproach; you will never see this place again.’
19“Remnant of Judah, the Lord has told you, ‘Do not go to Egypt.’ Be sure of this: I warn you today
20that you made a fatal mistake when you sent me to the Lord your God and said, ‘Pray to the Lord our God for us; tell us everything he says and we will do it.’
21I have told you today, but you still have not obeyed the Lord your God in all he sent me to tell you.
22So now, be sure of this: You will die by the sword, famine and plague in the place where you want to go to settle.”
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Jeremiah 42.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: Johanan desires Jeremiah to ask counsel of God. (1-6). They are assured of safety in Judea, but of destruction in Egypt. (7-22).
vv1-6
To serve a turn, Jeremiah is sought out, and the captains ask for his assistance. In every difficult, doubtful case, we must look to God for direction; and we may still, in faith, pray to be guided by a spirit of wisdom in our hearts, and the leadings of Providence. We do not truly desire to know the mind of God, if we do not fully resolve to comply with it when we know it. Many promise to do what the Lord requires, while they hope to have their pride flattered, and their favourite lusts spared. Yet something betrays the state of their hearts.
vv7-22
If we would know the mind of the Lord in doubtful cases, we must wait as well as pray. God is ever ready to return in mercy to those he has afflicted; and he never rejects any who rely on his promises. He has declared enough to silence even the causeless fears of his people, which discourge them in the way of duty. Whatever loss or suffering we may fear from obedience, is provided against in God's word; and he will protect and deliver all who trust in him and serve him. It is folly to quit our place, especially to quit a holy land, because we meet with trouble in it. And the evils we think to escape by sin, we certainly bring upon ourselves. We may apply this to the common troubles of life; and those who think to avoid them by changing their place, will find that the grievances common to men will meet them wherever they go. Sinners who dissemble with God in solemn professions especially should be rebuked with sharpness; for their actions speak more plainly than words. We know not what is good for ourselves; and what we are most fond of, and have our hearts most set upon, often proves hurtful, and sometimes fatal.
Key Words
כֹּל: properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)
שַׂר: a head person (of any rank or class)
חַיִל: probably a force, whether of men, means or other resources; an army, wealth, virtue, valor, strength
יוֹחָנָן: Jochanan, the name of nine Israelites
בֵּן: a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.)
קָרֵחַ: Kareach, an Israelite
יְזַנְיָה: Jezanjah, an Israelite
הוֹשַׁעְיָה: Hoshajah, the name of two Israelites
עַם: a people (as a congregated unit); specifically, a tribe (as those of Israel); hence (collectively) troops or attendants; figuratively, a flock
קָטָן: abbreviated, i.e. diminutive, literally (in quantity, size or number) or figuratively (in age or importance)
Cross References
Jeremiah 42God explicitly forbade His people from returning to Egypt to prevent entanglement in idolatry.
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The tiny remainder of people fulfills the divine curse of being left few in number.
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They call on God as a witness, echo of the ancient covenant witness formula.
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The metaphor of building and planting is used elsewhere for God establishing His people.
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God's repenting of the evil echoes the covenant promise of mercy in Deuteronomy.
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Echoes Israel's historical empty promises of obedience when receiving God's laws.
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Jeremiah's resolve to keep nothing back reflects the faithful prophetic standard of Samuel.
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Paul echoes this prophetic integrity, keeping back nothing profitable from his hearers.
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Fleeing to escape the sword only brings the sword upon the disobedient.
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Dissembling in their hearts brings self-ruin; God is not mocked by hypocrisy.
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Asking a prophet to lift up a prayer for a surviving remnant.
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Setting their faces to enter Egypt contrasts Christ setting His face to go to Jerusalem.
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The pouring out of God's fury mimics the previous destruction of Jerusalem.
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The ten-day delay tested their hearts to prove their willingness to obey.
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