of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, The Lord GOD liveth. Behold, I will watch over them for evil, and not 27 for good and all the men of Judah that are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by the famine, until there be an end of them. Yet a small number that 28 escape the sword shall return out of the land of Egypt into the land of Judah, and all the remnant of Judah, that are gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall know whose words shall stand, mine, or theirs. And this shall be a sign unto you, saith the LORD, that I will punish you in this place, that ye may know that my words shall surely

in Egypt shall be exterminated (this however in its literal sense, as we see, was not to happen), or that the Lord would no longer reckon Himself as their covenant God, and thus they should lose the right of calling upon His name as such. See note on shall bless themselves in him, chap. iv. 2.

27. I will watch] or, I am watching. The verb is the same as that rendered "hasten" in chap. i. 12, and "watch" in chap. v. 6, where see notes.

28.

Yet a small number that escape the sword shall...land of Judah] more literally, Yet those that escape the sword shall...land of Judah, men of number, i.e. easily to be numbered on account of their fewness. whose words] rather, whose word. The reference is to the particular threat of punishment and the people's refusal to give credit to it.

As in ver. 14 above, the assertion that all the Egyptian Jews shall perish is here immediately qualified. A remnant shall escape. The many Jewish colonists afterwards living in Egypt were probably attracted thither in times subsequent to this, partly through the fertility of the country watered by the Nile, and partly through the liberality of Ptolemy Lagi, the successor of Alexander the Great. Ptolemy, after his capture of Jerusalem (B.C. 320), brought many Jews into Egypt as settlers, and gave those at Alexandria equal rights with the Macedonians (Josephus, Ant. XII. 1). This coupled with the mercantile advantages of Alexandria soon made the Jews to be a very important element of the population.

29. And this shall be a sign] It has been inferred from the fact that the overthrow of Pharaoh-Hophra (the sign referred to), uncertain as is its date (see next verse), was much later than the time of the above prophecy, that these two verses are therefore an interpolation made after the event. There is no need however of our assuming that such a sign of the truth of the rest of Jeremiah's words would not be given by the prophet. The fulfilment of it, postponed for seven years, would be all the more striking to those Jews who survived to behold it. Besides, there are various other instances in the Bible of a sign which was not to take place till many years after that of which it was to be the proof. See e.g. Ex. iii. 12; 2 Kings xix. 29.

29

30 stand against you for evil: Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will give Pharaoh-hophra king of Egypt into the hand of his enemies, and into the hand of them that seek his life; as I gave Zedekiah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, his enemy, and that sought his life.

45

CHAP. XLV. 1—5. A supplementary notice on the part of
Baruch.

The word that Jeremiah the prophet spake unto Baruch

30.

into the hand of his enemies] This clearly points to an invasion of Egypt by the Babylonish power, but by no means implies that the king shall lose his life at their hand. The parallel case of Zedekiah as adduced in the verse shews this, and thus removes the difficulty which has been raised in the fact that history makes Pharaoh-Hophra (the Apries of Herodotus) to have become intensely unpopular after a defeat from the people of Cyrene, to have been in consequence overthrown and imprisoned by Amasis (about six years after this time), and after about ten years of captivity strangled by him (Herod. II. 161, 169). We have here indeed no account of a Babylonian invasion, but the Egyptian priests, from whom Herodotus derived the above information, would be careful to omit such, if it resuited in disgrace to their own country, just as the defeat of Nechoh at Carchemish was passed over by them for the same reason. quite possible, although in the obscurity in which the dates of this period are involved, it is not easy to shew with any certainty, that a successful invasion of Egypt by Nebuchadnezzar may have had much to do with the unpopularity of Hophra and the setting up of Amasis. See also note on xlvi. 13.

It is

CHAP. XLV. 1-5. A SUPPLEMENTARY NOTICE ON THE PART
OF BARUCH.

1. unto Baruch] This address to an individual following upon words spoken to a nation has been compared to the Epistles addressed by St Paul to individuals (Timothy, Titus, Philemon), which in like manner are placed after those which he indites to churches. Baruch was a man of high birth, grandson of Maaseiah (chap. xxxii. 12), who was governor of the city in the time of Josiah (2 Chron. xxxiv. 8). He seems to have expected to have either important office in the state or more probably the gift of prophecy bestowed upon him. His ambition is destined not to be gratified, and the prophet here warns him of the fact. In addition to the burden of the sins and sorrows of his country which afflict him sorely, he must learn to repress the desire to be anything more than the attendant upon him whose gift of prophecy he may not hope to share. "To play a prominent part in the impending crisis, to be the hero of a national revival, to gain the favour of the conqueror whose coming he announced, this, or

3

the son of Neriah, when he had written these words in a book at the mouth of Jeremiah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, saying, Thus saith 2 the LORD, the God of Israel, unto thee, O Baruch; Thou didst say, Woe is me now! for the LORD hath added grief to my sorrow; I fainted in my sighing, and I find no rest. Thus shalt thou say unto him, The LORD saith thus; Be- 4 hold, that which I have built will I break down, and that which I have planted I will pluck up, even this whole land. And seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not: for behold, I will bring evil upon all flesh, saith the LORD: but thy life will I give unto thee for a prey in all places whither thou goest.

CHAP. XLVI. I, 2. Introduction to the prophecies against

the Gentiles.

5

The word of the LORD which came to Jeremiah the pro- 46 something like this had been the vision that had come before him, and when this passed away he sank into despair at the seeming fruitlessness of his efforts." Sm. Bibl. Dict. Art. Jeremiah. See also Keble's Christian Year, 11th Sunday after Trinity, "Is this a time to plant and build, etc." Baruch is thus a signal illustration for us how far that gift of prophecy was from depending upon individuals, and how completely it was acknowledged to be for God alone to bestow or withhold. See further in Introd. III. § 6.

these words] the Roll of chap. xxxvi. as is shewn us by the addition of the date in the fourth year of Jehoiakim'.

3. grief to my sorrow] The 'sorrow' was pain at the sins of his fellow-countrymen, the 'grief' that which was caused by the impending judgments.

I fainted in my sighing] a quotation from Ps. vi. 6 ("I am weary with my groaning").

4. Behold, that which I have built...] the same language as in chap. i. 10, and thus forming the general burden of Jeremiah's prophecy.

even this whole land] literally, and as regards the whole earth, it is (so). According to the present text however the last words are, it is mine. The reference is to the scourge inflicted upon the known world by the rise and aggressions of the power of Babylon.

5. seek them not] do not hope to be more than thou now art. See note above.

thy life will I give unto thee for a prey] See note on xxi. 9.

CHAP. XLVI. 1, 2. INTRODUCTION TO THE PROPHECIES
AGAINST THE GENTILES.

1. The word of the Lord...against the Gentiles] The custom of

2 phet against the Gentiles; against Egypt, against the army of Pharaoh-necho king of Egypt, which was by the river Euphrates in Carchemish, which Nebuchadrezzar king of

placing in a group as here prophecies against heathen nations is illustrated by Isaiah (chaps xiii.-xxiii.); Ezekiel (chaps. xxv.-xxxii.); and Amos (chaps. i. 3-ii. 3). It has been sought to draw significance from the division into seven nations which may be made in the case of Ezekiel and Amos, and even here, but it requires some forcing of the parts of the prophecy to carry this out. Here for instance the division into eight or even nine parts is more natural, viz. Egypt (in two parts, xlvi. 3-12, 14-28), Philistia (xlvii.), Moab (xlviii.), Ammon (xlix. 1-6), Edom (xlix. 7-22), Damascus (xlix. 23-27), Kedar and Hazor (xlix. 28-33), Elam (xlix. 34-39), and Babylon (1. li.). The order of these in the Heb. is by no means the same as that of the Septuagint, who place Babylon immediately after Egypt, with other differences. The former, however, is more likely to be correct, even judging the matter only from internal considerations. It is more natural, taking Egypt first, as the nation whose overthrow by Nebuchadnezzar would be the signal to the rest of a similar fate, to go thence to Philistia (including Tyre and Sidon), then (passing round to the East of Palestine) Moab, Ammon, and Edom, then Damascus, as representing the kingdoms of the north, Kedar and Hazor as indicating the kings mentioned in the summary of chap. xxv. (ver. 24), while lastly the nations of the East are included under Elam. The prophecies against Egypt and Babylon agree in containing a promise of restoration to Israel (xlvi. 27, 28, I. 19, 20). As each represented the great power of evil, hostile to the people of God, it is quite natural that these last should reap benefit from such an overthrow.

2. against Egypt] concerning Egypt. The two parts into which this prophecy is divided (see above) were probably written at different times, the new heading at ver. 13 suggesting this. As regards subject matter however the second follow naturally upon the first, the declaration of further subjugation of Egypt upon the proclamation of the enemy's signal success at Carchemish. See further in notes on verses 13, 14.

Pharaoh-necho] This monarch had defeated and slain Josiah at Megiddo, and set Jehoahaz on the throne. In three months he had deposed and imprisoned him at Riblah, and set up Jehoiakim. He was extending his conquests in the Asiatic direction when in the fourth year of Jehoiakim's reign he was overthrown at Carchemish.

Carchemish] probably not Cercesium at the junction of the rivers Chebar and Euphrates, but considerably higher up the latter stream and some distance to the north of lat. 360. Professor Rawlinson (Anc. Mon. ii. 475) describes it as the key of Syria on the east and as commanding the ordinary passage of the Euphrates. It was, he adds, the only great city in that quarter. It is nearly identical in situation

Babylon smote in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah.

3-12. The first prophecy regarding Egypt.

Order ye the buckler and shield, and draw near to 3 battle.

Harness the horses; and get up, ye horsemen,

And stand forth with your helmets;

Furbish the spears, and put on the brigandines.

4

Wherefore have I seen them dismayed and turned away 5 back?

And their mighty ones are beaten down,

with Mabog, or Hierapolis. The word means the fort of Chemosh the god of the Moabites (2 Kings xxiii. 13).

3-12. THE FIRST PROPHECY REGARDING EGYPT.

3-6. These verses give us a lively description of the preparation and the advance, which were followed by the disastrous defeat at Carchemish.

3. Order ye] rather, Prepare ye.

buckler and shield] The former of these was a small round target which the light armed troops carried, the latter covered the whole body and was borne accordingly by the heavy-armed.

4. Harness the horses] Bring into operation the chariots which formed a very important feature of Egyptian armies.

get up, ye horsemen] probably, mount the steeds, although the Heb. substantive is used in both senses.

stand forth with your helmets] literally, plate yourselves with helmets (on), i.e. put yourselves in battle array. Helmets were not worn except actually in battle, and hence this command was equivalent to an order instantly to engage.

brigandines] coats of mail. The word is connected with brigade (a division of an army), and brigadier (the commander of such a division); also with brigands. The sense of robber, which we now attach to this last word, is modern. Brigandine then, as occurring here and in li. 3, was "a kind of scale armour or coat of mail, so called from being worn by the light troops called brigands, the name given to light armed skirmishers (Wedgwood)....In the course of time the Italian brigante came to mean a robber, pirate, and hence brigandine denoted a light pinnace used for piracy...Of this word the modern 'brig' is an abbreviation.” Bible Word Book.

5. Wherefore have I seen them dismayed] literally, Why do I see (it)? they are dismayed. The Heb. thus expresses the inexplicable character of the sight. That so brilliant a host should be defeated! It is beyond comprehension.