Jeremiah42
New Living Translation
1Then all the military leaders, including Johanan son of Kareah and Jezaniah son of Hoshaiah, and all the people, from the least to the greatest, approached
2Jeremiah the prophet. They said, “Please pray to the Lord your God for us. As you can see, we are only a tiny remnant compared to what we were before.
3Pray that the Lord your God will show us what to do and where to go.”
4“All right,” Jeremiah replied. “I will pray to the Lord your God, as you have asked, and I will tell you everything he says. I will hide nothing from you.”
5Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the Lord your God be a faithful witness against us if we refuse to obey whatever he tells us to do!
6Whether we like it or not, we will obey the Lord our God to whom we are sending you with our plea. For if we obey him, everything will turn out well for us.”
7Ten days later the Lord gave his reply to Jeremiah.
8So he called for Johanan son of Kareah and the other military leaders, and for all the people, from the least to the greatest.
9He said to them, “You sent me to the Lord, the God of Israel, with your request, and this is his reply:
10‘Stay here in this land. If you do, I will build you up and not tear you down; I will plant you and not uproot you. For I am sorry about all the punishment I have had to bring upon you.
11Do not fear the king of Babylon anymore,’ says the Lord. ‘For I am with you and will save you and rescue you from his power.
12I will be merciful to you by making him kind, so he will let you stay here in your land.’
13“But if you refuse to obey the Lord your God, and if you say, ‘We will not stay here;
14instead, we will go to Egypt where we will be free from war, the call to arms, and hunger,’
15then hear the Lord’s message to the remnant of Judah. This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you are determined to go to Egypt and live there,
16the very war and famine you fear will catch up to you, and you will die there.
17That is the fate awaiting every one of you who insists on going to live in Egypt. Yes, you will die from war, famine, and disease. None of you will escape the disaster I will bring upon you there.’
18“This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘Just as my anger and fury have been poured out on the people of Jerusalem, so they will be poured out on you when you enter Egypt. You will be an object of damnation, horror, cursing, and mockery. And you will never see your homeland again.’
19“Listen, you remnant of Judah. The Lord has told you: ‘Do not go to Egypt!’ Don’t forget this warning I have given you today.
20For you were not being honest when you sent me to pray to the Lord your God for you. You said, ‘Just tell us what the Lord our God says, and we will do it!’
21And today I have told you exactly what he said, but you will not obey the Lord your God any better now than you have in the past.
22So you can be sure that you will die from war, famine, and disease in Egypt, where you insist on going.”
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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