Christian Standard Bible
Jeremiah 46:20
20Egypt is a beautiful young cow, but a horsefly from the north is coming against her.
Jeremiah 46:20 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Egypt is like a very fair heifer, but destruction cometh; it cometh out of the north.
- New International Version (NIV)“Egypt is a beautiful heifer, but a gadfly is coming against her from the north.
- English Standard Version (ESV)"A beautiful heifer is Egypt, but a biting fly from the north has come upon her.
- New King James Version (NKJV)“Egypt is a very pretty heifer, But destruction comes, it comes from the north.
Context of Jeremiah 46:20
18As I live — this is the King’s declaration; the Lord of Armies is his name — the king of Babylon will come like Tabor among the mountains and like Carmel by the sea. 19Get your bags ready for exile, inhabitant of Daughter Egypt! For Memphis will become a desolation, uninhabited ruins. Egypt is a beautiful young cow, but a horsefly from the north is coming against her. 21Even her mercenaries among her are like stall-fed calves. They too will turn back; together they will flee; they will not take their stand, for the day of their calamity is coming on them, the time of their punishment. 22Egypt will hiss like a slithering snake, for the enemy will come with an army; with axes they will come against her like those who cut trees.
Read all of Jeremiah 46Jeremiah 46:20 word by word
עֶגְלָ֥ה יְפֵֽה־פִיָּ֖ה מִצְרָ֑יִם קֶ֥רֶץ מִצָּפ֖וֹן בָּ֥א בָֽא׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Jeremiah 46:20
- Jeremiah 50:11Because you rejoice, because you celebrate — you who plundered my inheritance — because you frolic like a young cow treading grain and neigh like stallions,
- Hosea 10:11Ephraim is a well-trained calf that loves to thresh, but I will place a yoke on her fine neck. I will harness Ephraim; Judah will plow; Jacob will do the final plowing.
- Jeremiah 46:6The swift cannot flee, and the warrior cannot escape! In the north by the bank of the Euphrates River, they stumble and fall.
- Jeremiah 1:14Then the Lord said to me, “Disaster will be poured out from the north on all who live in the land.
- Jeremiah 25:9I am going to send for all the families of the north’ — this is the Lord’s declaration — ‘and send for my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and I will bring them against this land, against its residents, and against all these surrounding nations, and I will completely destroy them and make them an example of horror and scorn, and ruins forever.
- Jeremiah 47:2This is what the Lord says: Look, water is rising from the north and becoming an overflowing wadi. It will overflow the land and everything in it, the cities and their inhabitants. The people will cry out, and every inhabitant of the land will wail.
Commentaries on Jeremiah 46:20
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 20Egypt is like a very fair heifer - Fruitful and useful; but destruction cometh out of the north, from Chaldea. It may be that there is an allusion here to Isis, worshipped in Egypt under the form of a beautiful cow.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 20Is like - Or, is. Her god was the steer Apis Jeremiah 46:15, and she is the spouse. But destruction cometh; it cometh out of the north - More probably, “a gadfly from the north has come upon her.” This is a sort of insect which stings the oxen and drives them to madness. Compare Isaiah 7:18.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 13-28Verses 13-28 Those who encroached on others, shall now be themselves encroached on. Egypt is now like a very fair heifer, not accustomed to the yoke of subjection; but destruction comes out of the north: the Chaldeans shall come. Comfort and peace are spoken to the Israel of God, designed to encourage them when the judgments of God were abroad among the nations. He will be with them, and only correct them in measure; and will not punish them with…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 13-24The defeat at Carchemish caused chaos in Egypt and its armies. The Lord was judging Egypt.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 13-2613-26. Prophecy of the invasion of Egypt by Nebuchadnezzar, which took place sixteen years after the taking of Jerusalem. Having spent thirteen years in the siege of Tyre, and having obtained nothing for his pains, he is promised by God Egypt for his reward in humbling Tyre (Eze 29:17-20; 30:1-31:18). The intestine commotions between Amasis and Pharaoh-hophra prepared his way (compare Note, see on Is 19:1, &c.).Read the comment
Topics related to Jeremiah 46:20
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Jeremiah 46
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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