Jeremiah 2:18

Jeremiah 2:18 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And now what hast thou to do in the way of Egypt, to drink the waters of Sihor? or what hast thou to do in the way of Assyria, to drink the waters of the river?
• New International Version (NIV)Now why go to Egypt to drink water from the Nile? And why go to Assyria to drink water from the Euphrates?
• English Standard Version (ESV)And now what do you gain by going to Egypt to drink the waters of the Nile? Or what do you gain by going to Assyria to drink the waters of the Euphrates?
• New King James Version (NKJV)And now why take the road to Egypt, To drink the waters of Sihor? Or why take the road to Assyria, To drink the waters of the River?

Context of Jeremiah 2:18

16Also the men of Memphis and Tahpanhes Have shaved your head. 17Have you not done this to yourself By your abandoning the Lord your God When He led you in the way? But now what are you doing on the road to Egypt, Except to drink the waters of the Nile? Or what are you doing on the road to Assyria, Except to drink the waters of the Euphrates River? 19Your own wickedness will correct you, And your apostasies will punish you; Know therefore and see that it is evil and bitter For you to abandon the Lord your God, And the fear of Me is not in you,” declares the Lord God of armies. 20“For long ago I broke your yoke And tore off your restraints; But you said, ‘I will not serve!’ For on every high hill And under every leafy tree You have lain down as a prostitute.

Jeremiah 2:18 word by word

וְעַתָּ֗ה מַה־לָּךְ֙ לְדֶ֣רֶךְ מִצְרַ֔יִם לִשְׁתּ֖וֹת מֵ֣י שִׁח֑וֹר וּמַה־לָּךְ֙ לְדֶ֣רֶךְ אַשּׁ֔וּר לִשְׁתּ֖וֹת מֵ֥י נָהָֽר׃Read the interlinear

• But nowעַתָּ֫ה‛attâh · nowH6258
• whatמָהmâh mah mâ ma meh · what?H4100
• on the roadדֶּ֫רֶךְderek · way: journeyH1870
• to Egyptמִצְרַ֫יִםmitsrayim · EgyptH4714
• to drinkשָׁתָהshâthâh · to drinkH8354
• the watersמַיmayim · waterH4325
• Nileשִׁיחוֹרshîychôr shichôr shichôr · NileH7883
• to Assyriaאַשּׁוּר'ashshûr 'ashshûr · AssyriaH804
• Riverנָהָרnâhâr · RiverH5104

Cross-references for Jeremiah 2:18

• Jeremiah 2:36Why do you go around so much Changing your way? Also, you will be put to shame by Egypt, Just as you were put to shame by Assyria.
• Jeremiah 37:5Meanwhile, Pharaoh’s army had set out from Egypt; and when the Chaldeans who had been besieging Jerusalem heard the report about them, they withdrew from Jerusalem.
• Isaiah 30:1“Woe to the rebellious children,” declares the Lord, “Who execute a plan, but not Mine, And make an alliance, but not of My Spirit, In order to add sin to sin;
• Isaiah 31:1Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help And rely on horses, And trust in chariots because they are many And in horsemen because they are very strong, But they do not look to the Holy One of Israel, nor seek the Lord!
• Lamentations 4:17Yet our eyes failed, Looking for help was useless; At our observation point we have watched For a nation that could not save.
• Ezekiel 17:15But he revolted against him by sending his messengers to Egypt so that they might give him horses and many troops. Will he succeed? Will he who does these things escape? Can he indeed break the covenant and escape?
• Hosea 7:11So Ephraim has become like a gullible dove, without sense; They call to Egypt, they go to Assyria.
• Joshua 13:3from the Shihor which is east of Egypt, even as far as the border of Ekron to the north (it is counted as Canaanite); the five governors of the Philistines: the Gazite, the Ashdodite, the Ashkelonite, the Gittite, the Ekronite; and the Avvite
• 2 Kings 16:7So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your son; come up and save me from the hand of the king of Aram, and from the hand of the king of Israel, who are rising up against me.”
• 2 Chronicles 28:20So Tilgath-pilneser king of Assyria came against him and afflicted him instead of strengthening him.
• Hosea 5:13When Ephraim saw his sickness, And Judah his sore, Ephraim then went to Assyria And sent word to King Jareb. But he is unable to heal you, Or to cure you of your sore.

Commentaries on Jeremiah 2:18

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 18What hast thou to do in the way of Egypt - Why dost thou make alliances with Egypt? To drink the waters of Sihor? - This means the Nile. See on Isaiah 23:3; (note). The way of Assyria - Why make alliances with the Assyrians? All such connections will only expedite thy ruin. To drink the waters of the river? - The Euphrates, as נהר nahar or הנהר hannahar always means Euphrates, the country between the Tigris and Euphrates, is termed to this day Maher…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 18Sihor - The Nile. To lean upon Egypt was a violation of the principles of theocracy. The two rivers are the two empires, and to drink their waters is to adopt their principles and religion. Compare also Isaiah 8:6-7.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 14-19Verses 14-19 Is Israel a servant? No, they are the seed of Abraham. We may apply this spiritually: Is the soul of man a slave? No, it is not; but has sold its own liberty, and enslaved itself to divers lusts and passions. The Assyrian princes, like lions, prevailed against Israel. People from Egypt destroyed their glory and strength. They brought these calamities on themselves by departing from the Lord. The use and application of this is, Repent of thy…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 18Israel's alliances with Egypt and agreements with Assyria (2 Kings 15:19–19:37) brought only sorrow, not benefits. Neither the Nile in Egypt nor the Euphrates in Assyria ever helped Israel (Isaiah 30:1–3; Hosea 5:13).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1818. now--used in a reasoning sense, not of time. the way of Egypt--What hast thou to do with the way, that is, with going down to Egypt; or what ... with going to Assyria? drink ... waters--that is, to seek reinvigorating aid from them; so Jr 2:13, 36; compare "waters," meaning numerous forces (Is 8:7). Sihor--that is, the black river, in Greek, Melas ("black"), the Nile: so called from the black deposit or soil it leaves after the inundation (Is 23:3)…Read the comment

Topics related to Jeremiah 2:18

• Church
• Confidence
• Nile
• Sihor

In the dictionaries

• Assyria
• Egypt
• Assyria, Assyrian, Assyrian Empire
• Egypt, Egyptian
• Euphrates River, the River
• Attire
• Bitter
• Cry
• Degenerate
• Euphrates

Commentaries on Jeremiah 2

• 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