Jeremiah 46:1-6

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

NEBUCHADNEZZAR AND THE NATIONS

Jeremiah 46:1 to Jeremiah 49:39

With the exception of the Book of Hosea, every prophetic book of the Old Testament contains at least one oracle concerning a foreign nation. Rather large collections of such oracles can be found in the books of Isaiah (chaps. 13-23) and Ezekiel (chaps. 25-32) as well as here in Jeremiah (chaps. 46-51). The prophets of Israel could not avoid bringing heathen nations also with the sphere of their predictions. The vital interests of the theocracy were at stake in the standing and falling of neighboring nations. Furthermore the prophets emphasized the universal sovereignty of the Lord and this necessitated utterances concerning the destiny of the nations.
It is probable that of all parts of the Old Testament the oracles concerning the foreign nations are the least frequently read. Even among Old Testament scholars very little attention has been paid to these passages. One has only to observe in the standard commentaries the disproportionately small amount of space devoted to these oracles to realize that they have not aroused a great deal of scholarly interest. Whatever the reasons for this neglect may be, it is nevertheless a pity if for no other reason than that among these oracles is some of the finest poetry in the prophetic literature. Occasionally beautiful Messianic prophecies are embedded within these messages of doom. Furthermore, sayings of the type found in this section of the Book of Jeremiah represent a characteristic feature of prophetic preaching, and must be taken into account if one is to have a true picture of the prophetic ministry.

That there would be an international dimension to the ministry of Jeremiah is clearly indicated in his call. God had made him a prophet to the nations (Jeremiah 1:5); he was appointed over the nations to pull up and tear down, to destroy and to rend, to build and to plant (Jeremiah 1:1()). In chapter 25 Jeremiah was told to take the cup of God's wrath and pass it among the nations of his day. They would drink from that cup, stagger and fall to their destruction. Last of all the king of Babylon would drink and perish. The foreign nations in Chapter s 46-51 are treated roughly in the same order in which they are treated in chapter 25. In chapter 27 Jeremiah confronts the ambassadors of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre and Sidon with the divine demand that they capitulate to the rule of Nebuchadnezzar. These passages prepare the reader for the somewhat more comprehensive treatment of foreign nations in this present section of the book.

The foreign nation oracles in the Book of Jeremiah seem to be organized in a definite pattern. Jeremiah placed first in the collection the oracles against Egypt, the great and ancient archenemy of Israel to the south. Then he places together a number of oracles addressed to smaller nations of his day which, along with Israel, were somewhat like pawns in the struggle between the great powers. The climax of this part of the book is reached in Chapter s 50-51 when Jeremiah announces the judgment upon Babylon, the greatest power of that time.
The foreign nation oracles come from various periods of Jeremiah's ministry and it is not possible to assign a precise date to each oracle. Scholars are not entirely agreed as to the general chronological sequence of the oracles. The following chart indicates the approximate chronological placement of the various oracles of this section of the book.

I. THE FIRST ORACLE CONCERNING EGYPT Jeremiah 46:1-12

Standing first in the collection of oracles against the nations are two utterances against Egypt. The first of these, found in Jeremiah 46:1-12, is dated in the fourth year of Jehoiakim (605 B.C.). The theme of this oracle is the Egyptian defeat at Carchemish. The author develops his theme in two graphic pictures.

A. The First Picture of Egyptian Defeat Jeremiah 46:1-6

TRANSLATION

(1) The word of the LORD which came unto Jeremiah concerning the nations. (2) For Egypt: Concerning the army of Pharaoh Necho, king of Egypt, who was beside the river Euphrates at Carchemish, which Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, smote in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah. (3) Prepare the buckler and shield! Draw near for battle! (4) Harness the horses! Mount, O cavalry! Stand firm in your helmets! Polish your spears! Put on armor! (5) Why have I seen it? They are dismayed, turning backward and their mighty men are beaten down; they have fled and not turned; terror is on every side (oracle of the LORD). (6) Let not the swift flee or the mighty one escape. In the north by the river Euphrates they have stumbled, they have fallen.

COMMENTS

Jeremiah 46:2 serves as a preface to the first oracle concerning Egypt. The oracle describes the defeat of Pharaoh Necho at Carchemish in the fourth year of Jehoiakim i.e., 60f B.C. It is important to note that Jeremiah 46:2 dates the battle of Carchemish, not the oracle which follows. The poetic oracle in Jeremiah 46:3-12 may have been composed at any time during the early ministry of Jeremiah; but it probably was not written until a few months before the decisive showdown at Carchemish.

The first poetic description of the Egyptian defeat at Carchemish begins with a graphic picture of the preparations in the Egyptian camp on the eve of the great battle (Jeremiah 46:3-4). One can feel the excitement here as the Egyptian officers bark orders to their men. Prepare the buckler and shield! Draw near to battle! The buckler was the small round shield carried by the light infantry; the shield covered the entire body and was borne by the heavy-armed. The chariotry and cavalry forces as well are directed to make ready for battle. Harness the horses shouts an officer, and the deadly chariots which were such an important part of the ancient army of Egypt are immediately made ready for action. Mount up, shouts the officer in charge of the cavalry unit. The weapons are polished; the armor or coat of mail (the word translated brigandines in KJV) is put on. Finally comes the command, Stand forth with your helmets. Since helmets were not worn except when actually in battle this command is equivalent to an order to engage the enemy. Confident of victory the mighty army of Egypt rushes forward. The battle that would decide the fate of the world and the destiny of nations has been launched.

The picture suddenly changes in Jeremiah 46:5-6. The prophet himself is astonished at what he sees and expresses his amazement. How can it be that such a well-trained and disciplined army could be thrown into confusion and flight? It is beyond comprehension that such a magnificent army could be thoroughly defeated and routed. Jeremiah uses his favorite expression fear was round about to describe the terror that plunged those hardened soldiers into flight. Even the most swift and mighty among them will not be able to reach their homeland. They will stumble in exhaustion, stumble over the slain, stumble over one another in their haste to flee the scene of battle. They will fall in a foreign land, in the north, by the river Euphrates. Why does this happen, the prophet asked in the opening line of verse five. The answer is found in the saith the Lord (lit., oracle of the Lord) in the last line of the same verse. Egypt will meet with the defeat at Carchemish because God has so decreed it. It is His judgment against Egypt.