Jeremiah / Chapter 43

Jeremiah 43

13 verses • Westminster Leningrad Codex

Translator's Introduction

What This Chapter Is About

The remnant rejects Jeremiah's word. Azariah son of Hoshaiah, Johanan son of Kareah, and all the arrogant men accuse Jeremiah of lying and blame Baruch son of Neriah for turning the prophet against them. They refuse to remain in Judah and take the entire remnant — men, women, children, the king's daughters, and Jeremiah and Baruch themselves — to Egypt. They arrive at Tahpanhes, a frontier city in the eastern Nile Delta. There the word of the LORD comes to Jeremiah: take large stones and bury them in the mortar at the entrance to Pharaoh's palace in Tahpanhes, in the sight of the Judean men. Then declare that Nebuchadnezzar will come and set his throne over these very stones, spreading his royal canopy over them. He will strike the land of Egypt — death for those destined for death, captivity for those destined for captivity, sword for those destined for the sword. He will burn the temples of Egypt's gods and carry off their idols. He will wrap Egypt around himself like a shepherd wraps his garment, and depart in peace.

What Makes This Chapter Remarkable

The accusation against Baruch (v.3) is a remarkable deflection: rather than confront Jeremiah's authority directly, they invent a conspiracy theory — the scribe Baruch has manipulated the prophet. This is the first and only time in the book where Baruch is blamed for Jeremiah's message. The forced march to Egypt completes the ironic inversion of the exodus: the people whom God brought out of Egypt now return there voluntarily, dragging the prophet with them. The sign-act at Tahpanhes — burying stones in the pavement — is Jeremiah's last recorded prophetic action. It declares that even Egypt cannot protect them from Babylon. The prophecy was historically fulfilled: Nebuchadnezzar invaded Egypt in 568/567 BCE.

Translation Friction

The text says the people 'did not obey the voice of the LORD' (v.7), yet Jeremiah and Baruch are taken along against their will — the prophet who told them to stay is himself dragged to the place God forbade. We have not resolved this tension. The phrase 'Nebuchadnezzar My servant' (v.10, avdi) — God calling the pagan king His servant — is theologically jarring and preserved without softening.

Connections

The flight to Egypt inverts the exodus of Exodus 12-15. Tahpanhes (Egyptian: Daphnae) was a garrison city where Greek mercenaries served Pharaoh — the remnant seeks refuge among foreign soldiers. Nebuchadnezzar is again called 'My servant' (avdi), as in 25:9 and 27:6 — God uses pagan rulers as instruments of His purpose. The prophecy of Nebuchadnezzar's invasion of Egypt connects to Ezekiel 29:19-20 and was fulfilled historically. The burning of Egyptian temples (v.12) parallels the burning of the Jerusalem Temple. **Tradition comparisons:** The Septuagint preserves a significantly different text tradition for Jeremiah. MT ch. 43 = LXX ch. 50. See the [LXX Jeremiah comparison](/lxx-jeremiah/43).

Jeremiah 43:1

וַיְהִ֗י כְּכַלּ֣וֹת יִרְמְיָהוּ֮ לְדַבֵּ֣ר אֶל־כָּל־הָעָם֒ אֶת־כָּל־דִּבְרֵ֤י יְהוָה֙ אֱלֹהֵיהֶ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֧ר שְׁלָח֛וֹ יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵיהֶ֖ם אֲלֵיהֶ֑ם אֵ֥ת כָּל־הַדְּבָרִ֖ים הָאֵֽלֶּה׃

When Jeremiah had finished speaking to all the people all the words of the LORD their God — everything the LORD their God had sent him to tell them —

KJV And it came to pass, that when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking unto all the people all the words of the LORD their God, for which the LORD their God had sent him to them, even all these words,

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The narrator twice emphasizes 'the LORD their God' (YHWH eloheihem) — the God they claimed to want to obey is still their God, even as they reject His word. The phrase kol ha-devarim ha-elleh ('all these words') underscores that nothing was withheld.
Jeremiah 43:2

וַיֹּ֨אמֶר עֲזַרְיָ֤ה בֶן־הוֹשַֽׁעְיָה֙ וְיוֹחָנָ֣ן בֶּן־קָרֵ֔חַ וְכָל־הָאֲנָשִׁ֖ים הַזֵּדִ֑ים אֹמְרִ֤ים אֶֽל־יִרְמְיָ֔הוּ שֶׁ֚קֶר אַתָּ֣ה מְדַבֵּ֔ר לֹ֣א שְׁלָחֲךָ֞ יְהוָ֤ה אֱלֹהֵ֙ינוּ֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר לֹא־תָבֹ֥אוּ מִצְרַ֖יִם לָג֥וּר שָֽׁם׃

Azariah son of Hoshaiah, Johanan son of Kareah, and all the arrogant men said to Jeremiah, 'You are lying! The LORD our God did not send you to say, "Do not go to Egypt to settle there."

KJV Then spake Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the proud men, saying unto Jeremiah, Thou speakest falsely: the LORD our God hath not sent thee to say, Go not into Egypt to sojourn there:

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The narrator calls them ha-anashim ha-zedim ('the arrogant/presumptuous men') — the only time this label appears in Jeremiah. Their accusation is direct: sheqer attah medabber ('you are speaking falsehood'). They accuse the prophet of fabricating the oracle. Having sworn to obey (42:5-6), they now deny the word came from God at all.
Jeremiah 43:3

כִּ֗י בָּרוּךְ֙ בֶּן־נֵ֣רִיָּ֔ה מַסִּ֥ית אֹתְךָ֖ בָּ֑נוּ לְמַ֨עַן תֵּ֤ת אֹתָ֙נוּ֙ בְּיַד־הַכַּשְׂדִּ֔ים לְהָמִ֣ית אֹתָ֔נוּ וּלְהַגְל֥וֹת אֹתָ֖נוּ בָּבֶֽלָה׃

Baruch son of Neriah is inciting you against us to hand us over to the Chaldeans, so they can kill us or deport us to Babylon!'

KJV But Baruch the son of Neriah setteth thee on against us, for to deliver us into the hand of the Chaldeans, that they might put us to death, and carry us away captives into Babylon.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The accusation against Baruch is unprecedented. Throughout the book, Baruch has been Jeremiah's faithful scribe (chapter 36). Now the remnant invents a political motive for him: he wants to hand them to the Chaldeans. The word massit ('inciting') is the same root used in Deuteronomy 13:6 for one who entices Israel to worship other gods — a serious charge.
Jeremiah 43:4

וְלֹא־שָׁמַ֞ע יוֹחָנָ֤ן בֶּן־קָרֵ֙חַ֙ וְכָל־שָׂרֵ֣י הַחֲיָלִ֔ים וְכָל־הָעָ֖ם בְּק֣וֹל יְהוָ֑ה לָשֶׁ֖בֶת בְּאֶ֥רֶץ יְהוּדָֽה׃

So Johanan son of Kareah, all the commanders of the forces, and all the people did not obey the voice of the LORD by remaining in the land of Judah.

KJV So Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces, and all the people, obeyed not the voice of the LORD, to dwell in the land of Judah.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verdict is stated plainly: ve-lo shama ('they did not obey'). The oath of 42:5-6 is broken. The voice of the LORD — the very voice they pledged to follow whether good or bad — is rejected.
Jeremiah 43:5

וַיִּקַּ֞ח יוֹחָנָ֣ן בֶּן־קָרֵ֗חַ וְכָל־שָׂרֵ֣י הַחֲיָלִים֮ אֵ֣ת כָּל־שְׁאֵרִ֣ית יְהוּדָה֒ אֲשֶׁר־שָׁ֗בוּ מִכָּל־הַגּוֹיִם֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר נִדְּחוּ־שָׁ֔ם לָג֖וּר בְּאֶ֣רֶץ יְהוּדָ֑ה

Johanan son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces took the entire remnant of Judah — those who had returned from all the nations where they had been scattered to live in the land of Judah:

KJV But Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces, took all the remnant of Judah, that were returned from all nations, whither they had been driven, to dwell in the land of Judah;

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The phrase asher shavu mi-kol ha-goyim ('who had returned from all the nations') reveals that this remnant included people who had fled to neighboring countries during the Babylonian invasion and then returned to Judah after the destruction. They are now being uprooted a second time.
Jeremiah 43:6

אֶת־הַ֠גְּבָרִ֠ים וְאֶת־הַנָּשִׁ֣ים וְאֶת־הַטַּף֮ וְאֶת־בְּנ֣וֹת הַמֶּלֶךְ֒ וְאֵ֣ת כָּל־הַנֶּ֗פֶשׁ אֲשֶׁ֤ר הִנִּ֙יחַ֙ נְבוּזַרְאֲדָ֣ן רַב־טַבָּחִ֔ים אֶת־גְּדַלְיָ֖הוּ בֶּן־אֲחִיקָ֑ם וְאֵת֙ יִרְמְיָ֣הוּ הַנָּבִ֔יא וְאֶת־בָּר֖וּךְ בֶּן־נֵרִיָּֽהוּ׃

men, women, children, the king's daughters, and every person whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had left with Gedaliah son of Ahikam — along with Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch son of Neriah.

KJV Even men, and women, and children, and the king's daughters, and every person that Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had left with Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Jeremiah the prophet, and Baruch the son of Neriah.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Jeremiah and Baruch are listed at the end, almost as an afterthought — but it is the most significant detail. The prophet who told them not to go to Egypt is himself taken to Egypt. The man who delivered God's prohibition is compelled to accompany those who violate it. Whether by force or by the momentum of events, Jeremiah goes where God said not to go.
Jeremiah 43:7

וַיָּבֹ֖אוּ אֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם כִּ֛י לֹ֥א שָׁמְע֖וּ בְּק֥וֹל יְהוָ֑ה וַיָּבֹ֖אוּ עַד־תַּחְפַּנְחֵֽס׃

They entered the land of Egypt — for they did not obey the voice of the LORD — and they came to Tahpanhes.

KJV So they came into the land of Egypt: for they obeyed not the voice of the LORD: thus came they even to Tahpanhes.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

תַּחְפַּנְחֵס Tachpanches
"Tahpanhes" — proper noun; Egyptian frontier city

Tahpanhes (Egyptian Daphnae, modern Tell Defenneh) was a fortified city in the eastern Nile Delta, near the border. It served as a garrison town with Greek mercenary soldiers. Archaeological excavations by Flinders Petrie in 1886 uncovered a large brick platform that some identify with the pavement mentioned in verse 9.

Translator Notes

  1. The narrator repeats the verdict — ki lo shame'u be-qol YHWH ('for they did not obey the voice of the LORD') — embedding the judgment within the narrative. Tahpanhes is the first stop inside Egypt, a border fortress. The people who left Egypt in the exodus now re-enter it in disobedience.
Jeremiah 43:8

וַיְהִ֤י דְבַר־יְהוָה֙ אֶֽל־יִרְמְיָ֔הוּ בְּתַחְפַּנְחֵ֖ס לֵאמֹֽר׃

The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah at Tahpanhes:

KJV Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah in Tahpanhes, saying,

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Even in Egypt, the word of the LORD comes. God's speech is not confined to the land of Israel. Jeremiah continues to function as a prophet outside the promised land — the word follows the people wherever they go.
Jeremiah 43:9

קַ֣ח בְּיָדְךָ֞ אֲבָנִ֣ים גְּדֹל֗וֹת וּטְמַנְתָּ֤ם בַּמֶּ֙לֶט֙ בַּמַּלְבֵּ֔ן אֲשֶׁ֛ר בְּפֶ֥תַח בֵּית־פַּרְעֹ֖ה בְּתַחְפַּנְחֵ֑ס לְעֵינֵ֖י אֲנָשִׁ֥ים יְהוּדִֽים׃

'Take large stones in your hand and bury them in the mortar in the brick pavement at the entrance to Pharaoh's palace in Tahpanhes, in the sight of the Judean men.

KJV Take great stones in thine hand, and hide them in the clay in the brickkiln, which is at the entry of Pharaoh's house in Tahpanhes, in the sight of the men of Judah;

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. This is a prophetic sign-act (otot, symbolic actions). The stones are buried ba-melet ba-malben ('in the mortar in the brick pavement/kiln') at the entrance to Pharaoh's palace. The act is performed publicly — le-einei anashim yehudim ('in the sight of Judean men') — so witnesses can testify when the prophecy is fulfilled. Petrie's excavation at Tell Defenneh found a large brick platform before the entrance to the fortress.
Jeremiah 43:10

וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ אֲלֵיהֶ֗ם כֹּה־אָמַ֞ר יְהוָ֤ה צְבָאוֹת֙ אֱלֹהֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל הִנְנִ֣י שֹׁלֵ֔חַ וְלָ֣קַחְתִּ֔י אֶת־נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּ֥ר מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶ֖ל עַבְדִּ֑י וְשַׂמְתִּ֤י כִסְאוֹ֙ מִמַּ֗עַל לָאֲבָנִ֤ים הָאֵ֙לֶּה֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר טָמָ֔נְתִּי וְנָטָ֥ה אֶת־שַׁפְרִיר֖וֹ עֲלֵיהֶֽם׃

Then say to them, "This is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: I am going to send for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, My servant, and I will set his throne over these very stones that I have buried. He will spread his royal canopy over them.

KJV And say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will send and take Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will set his throne upon these stones that I have hid; and he shall spread his royal pavilion over them.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

עַבְדִּי avdi
"My servant" — servant, slave, vassal, worshiper

God calls Nebuchadnezzar 'My servant' — the pagan king unknowingly serves God's purpose. The same title is given to Moses, David, and the prophets. Its application to Nebuchadnezzar does not imply worship but instrumentality: God uses whom He chooses.

Translator Notes

  1. Nebuchadnezzar is again called avdi ('My servant'), as in 25:9 and 27:6. The stones Jeremiah buried become the foundation for Babylon's throne in Egypt. The shapriро ('royal pavilion/canopy') represents Babylonian sovereignty established on Egyptian soil. This prophecy was fulfilled when Nebuchadnezzar invaded Egypt in 568/567 BCE.
Jeremiah 43:11

וּבָ֗א וְהִכָּה֙ אֶת־אֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם אֲשֶׁ֥ר לַמָּ֖וֶת לַמָּ֑וֶת וַאֲשֶׁ֤ר לַשְּׁבִי֙ לַשֶּׁ֔בִי וַאֲשֶׁ֥ר לַחֶ֖רֶב לֶחָֽרֶב׃

He will come and strike the land of Egypt — those destined for death, to death; those destined for captivity, to captivity; those destined for the sword, to the sword.

KJV And when he cometh, he shall smite the land of Egypt, and deliver such as are for death to death; and such as are for captivity to captivity; and such as are for the sword to the sword.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The threefold sorting — death, captivity, sword — echoes 15:2 where God similarly assigns fates. The repetitive structure (asher la-mavet la-mavet, 'those for death to death') has the rhythm of an inescapable decree. There is no category for escape.
Jeremiah 43:12

וְהִצַּ֣תִּי אֵ֗שׁ בְּבָתֵּי֙ אֱלֹהֵ֣י מִצְרַ֔יִם וּשְׂרָפָ֖ם וְשָׁבָ֑ם וְעָטָ֞ה אֶת־אֶ֤רֶץ מִצְרַ֙יִם֙ כַּאֲשֶׁר־יַעְטֶ֤ה הָרֹעֶה֙ אֶת־בִּגְד֔וֹ וְיָצָ֥א מִשָּׁ֖ם בְּשָׁלֽוֹם׃

I will kindle a fire in the temples of the gods of Egypt. He will burn them and carry the gods away. He will wrap himself in the land of Egypt as a shepherd wraps himself in his garment, and he will depart from there in peace.

KJV And I will kindle a fire in the houses of the gods of Egypt; and he shall burn them, and carry them away captives: and he shall array himself with the land of Egypt, as a shepherd putteth on his garment; and he shall go forth from thence in peace.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The burning of Egyptian temples mirrors the burning of the LORD's temple in Jerusalem (52:13). Egypt's gods prove as powerless as Judah's Temple was to prevent destruction. The shepherd-garment simile — ka'asher ya'teh ha-ro'eh et bigdo ('as a shepherd wraps his garment') — portrays the conquest as effortless. Nebuchadnezzar wraps Egypt around himself and walks away.
Jeremiah 43:13

וְשִׁבַּ֗ר אֶֽת־מַצְּבוֹת֙ בֵּ֣ית שֶׁ֔מֶשׁ אֲשֶׁ֖ר בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם וְאֶת־בָּתֵּ֥י אֱלֹהֵֽי־מִצְרַ֖יִם יִשְׂרֹ֥ף בָּאֵֽשׁ׃

He will shatter the pillars of the temple of the sun in the land of Egypt, and he will burn the temples of the gods of Egypt with fire."

KJV He shall break also the images of Bethshemesh, that is in the land of Egypt; and the houses of the gods of the Egyptians shall he burn with fire.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Beit Shemesh ('House of the Sun') is Heliopolis (Egyptian: Iunu/On), the great center of solar worship northeast of Cairo. Its obelisks (matsevot, 'sacred pillars/standing stones') were among the most famous monuments in the ancient world. Nebuchadnezzar will shatter them. The chapter ends with the burning of Egypt's temples — the same fate that befell the house of the LORD in Jerusalem.
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