Tyndale Open Study NotesJeremiah 44

After arriving in Egypt, the refugees from Judah spread across the country. Migdol was a fortress near Tahpanhes in northeastern Egypt. Memphis was the first capital of Egypt. It became the religious center of northern Egypt. Its ruins are on the west side of the Nile River, about thirteen miles southwest of Cairo. Some refugees had already moved to southern Egypt, following the Nile River upstream.

Jeremiah's message connected with the shared understanding of the disaster that destroyed Judah and Jerusalem.

Since the Exodus, Israel has forbidden the worship of false gods.

These Judean refugees did not learn from their past. They forgot their previous mistakes and how God judged them.

The Lord declared a death sentence, using the power of his own name.

Unlike those exiled to Babylon, to whom the Lord had given hope (see Jeremiah 33:7–18; Ezekiel 34:12–15; 36:24–31), this remnant of Judah had no future.

The people rejected Jeremiah's warning of judgment. They had stopped even pretending to serve the Lord (Jeremiah 42:1–3) and were fully devoted to idol worship.

This group of Judeans likely gathered to watch a non-Jewish festival.

• The Judean refugees thought they had freedom. They believed obeying the Lord meant being in bondage, while pagan worship led to fulfillment.

• The Queen of Heaven had many names across the ancient Near East. In Assyria and Babylon, she was "Ishtar," and the Canaanites called her "Astarte." In the Old Testament, she is often "Ashtoreth" and linked with Baal. Solomon worshiped Ashtoreth and built shrines for her, but Josiah later destroyed them (2 Kings 23:13; see 1 Kings 11:5). Ashtoreth was connected to the planet Venus and all types of reproduction in plants and animals, making her a popular idol for farmers and herdsmen. People believed offerings of incense, food, and liquids would magically trigger reproduction and prosperity.

These Judeans believed that worshiping the Queen of Heaven brought prosperity. They thought stopping this worship would lead to war and famine (see Hosea 2:8). Their beliefs were entirely pagan.

The destruction of Judah and Jerusalem was not because the Lord could not provide prosperity. Instead, he could no longer tolerate the people's disgusting actions.

This group of Judeans in Egypt had cut ties with the one true God of Israel, leading to their condemnation to death.

The Lord allowed the people to serve the Queen of Heaven, and they would face the results of their choice (compare Romans 1:24, 28).

The Judeans in Egypt were now free from their covenant obligations to the Lord. However, they also lost covenant protection. By choosing to end their relationship with the God of Israel, they gave up all privileges. They could not pray or make oaths in God's name. Still, the Lord would not be absent from their lives, as he would ensure that disaster affected them. Those who turned to the Lord in repentance would receive salvation and blessings. Even in Egypt, a small group of people, like Jeremiah and Baruch, trusted in the Lord.

• Pharaoh Hophra was killed by his enemies in Egypt in 570 BC.

• This verse ends the account of Jeremiah’s forty-year ministry. We do not know where, when, or how Jeremiah died.