Tyndale Open Study NotesJeremiah 46

This series of messages is aimed at foreign nations (see Jeremiah 1:5, 10, and similar messages in Isaiah 13–23; Ezekiel 25–32; Amos 1:3–2:3).

Through Nebuchadnezzar, the Lord planned to judge all nations from the Euphrates River to Egypt for their rebellion and sins against him (compare Leviticus 18:24–25). Eventually, Babylon would also face God's judgment (Jeremiah 50–51). These chapters were likely written while Jeremiah and Baruch were in hiding (Jeremiah 36:27–32). Among the warnings of doom for the foreign nations' sins are a few statements offering hope for salvation. Collections of oracles against the nations are also found in Isaiah (Isaiah 13–23) and Ezekiel (Ezekiel 25–32). Although God used nearby nations to punish his rebellious people, he also held those nations accountable for their actions. The Lord is not only the God of Israel; he is the God of the entire world.

Jeremiah used the outcome of a battle known to Jehoiakim to warn him and the people of Jerusalem. He said Egypt could not protect them from Babylon. Pharaoh Neco believed it was the right time to become the main power in the ancient Near East, so he moved north in 609 BC. Neco spent several years helping parts of the Assyrian army try to stop the Babylonian army's westward advance. However, he was defeated at Carchemish on the Euphrates River in 605 BC. Soon after, the Babylonian army surrounded Jerusalem and forced Jehoiakim to become a Babylonian vassal.

Leaders gave these military commands when soldiers were excited, well-armed, and ready to fight.

Despite Pharaoh Neco's boasting and his soldiers' intimidating presence, his tactics neither confused the enemy nor won the battle (compare 1 Kings 20:11).

The Lord decided that Egypt would lose the battle, so allies would not help much. The Battle of Carchemish was crucial for Babylon's rise as the region's great empire.

Gilead was famous for its healing plants (compare Jeremiah 8:22).

The defeat at Carchemish caused chaos in Egypt and its armies. The Lord was judging Egypt.

The Lord made the Egyptian soldiers afraid, and they could not stay organized as they fled from Carchemish through Canaan to their homes in Egypt. Back in Egypt, they strongly criticized Pharaoh Neco, calling him a loudmouth.

Mount Tabor stands tall in the eastern part of the Jezreel Valley. Mount Carmel rises above the Mediterranean Sea's coastline.

Memphis will be laid waste: This happened in 568 and 567 BC when Nebuchadnezzar invaded Egypt.

Egypt relied on mercenaries from other countries who did not want to die for Egypt. When threatened, they would flee.

The image of a serpent slithering away shows the fear that took over Egypt. The invaders attacked the people fiercely, like woodsmen chopping wood, after entering the country like a swarm of locusts.

• Amon was a fertility god worshiped in Thebes, the capital of Southern Egypt. Amon's idol, shaped like a ram, symbolized the sun. The Egyptians believed this god was very powerful. However, like all other Egyptian deities, it would be destroyed by the all-powerful God of Israel. The Pharaoh, who claimed to be the son of the sun-god, would face the same fate.

• Egypt will be inhabited: In 601 BC, Nebuchadnezzar attacked Egypt, caused great damage, and then withdrew. He invaded the land again in 568 to 567 BC (Jeremiah 43:8–13; Ezekiel 29:19).

I will surely save you out of a distant place: The exiles started returning to Judea in 538 BC. Israel faced discipline but was not destroyed.