Jeremiah / Chapter 44

Jeremiah 44

30 verses • Westminster Leningrad Codex

Translator's Introduction

What This Chapter Is About

Jeremiah 44 records the prophet's final confrontation with the Judean refugees who have fled to Egypt. God speaks through Jeremiah condemning their persistent idolatry — specifically their burning of incense to the Queen of Heaven. The women respond with brazen defiance, insisting they will continue their vows to the Queen of Heaven and arguing that their suffering began when they stopped worshiping her, not when they started. Jeremiah delivers a closing judgment oracle: Egypt will not be a refuge. Nearly all who fled there will perish by sword and famine. This is Jeremiah's last recorded prophetic oracle.

What Makes This Chapter Remarkable

This chapter preserves the most sustained female speech in the prophetic literature. The women's response in verses 15-19 is not merely quoted — it is given as a theological argument with its own internal logic. They claim a direct causal connection between abandoning the Queen of Heaven cult and the disasters that befell Judah. Their reasoning inverts Jeremiah's entire prophetic message: he says disaster came because of idolatry; they say disaster came because they stopped the idolatry. The Hebrew term melekhet hashamayim ('Queen of Heaven,' or possibly 'work/host of heaven' — the vocalization is disputed) likely refers to the Mesopotamian goddess Ishtar or her Canaanite equivalent Astarte. The chapter's location in Egypt creates a bitter irony: Israel was delivered from Egypt at the Exodus, and now the remnant has voluntarily returned to the place of bondage, bringing their idolatry with them.

Translation Friction

The phrase melekhet hashamayim (7:18, 44:17-19, 44:25) presents a significant textual problem. The Masoretic vocalization points it as melekhet ('work of'), but many scholars repoint it as malkat ('queen of'), which better fits the context of a goddess cult. We rendered 'Queen of Heaven' following the scholarly consensus and the ancient versions, but documented the textual issue. The verb qittar ('burn incense') and the noun nesek ('drink offering') indicate full-scale cultic worship, not casual superstition. The phrase 'we and our ancestors, our kings and our officials' in verse 17 distributes responsibility across all levels of society — the women are claiming this was mainstream state religion, not a fringe practice.

Connections

The Queen of Heaven cult was first condemned in 7:18, forming an inclusio with this final chapter of Jeremiah's ministry — the same sin that opened his public preaching closes it. The flight to Egypt against prophetic warning was narrated in chapters 42-43. The covenant curses invoked here (sword, famine, pestilence) echo Deuteronomy 28. The remnant's insistence on returning to Egypt reverses the Exodus and fulfills the warning of Deuteronomy 28:68. The pattern of female-led idolatry connects to Ezekiel 8:14 (women weeping for Tammuz). Jeremiah's inability to persuade the people even after Jerusalem's destruction demonstrates the thoroughness of the apostasy he has been denouncing since chapter 1. **Tradition comparisons:** The Septuagint preserves a significantly different text tradition for Jeremiah. MT ch. 44 = LXX ch. 51. See the [LXX Jeremiah comparison](/lxx-jeremiah/44).

Jeremiah 44:1

הַדָּבָ֛ר אֲשֶׁר־הָיָ֥ה אֶֽל־יִרְמְיָ֖הוּ אֶל־כָּל־הַיְּהוּדִ֑ים הַיֹּשְׁבִים֙ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם הַיֹּשְׁבִ֣ים בְּמִגְדּ֗וֹל וּבְתַחְפַּנְחֵ֛ס וּבְנֹ֖ף וּבְאֶ֥רֶץ פַּתְר֖וֹס לֵאמֹֽר׃

The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Judeans living in the land of Egypt — those settled at Migdol, at Tahpanhes, at Memphis, and in the land of Pathros:

KJV The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews which dwell in the land of Egypt, which dwell at Migdol, and at Tahpanhes, and at Noph, and in the country of Pathros, saying,

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The Hebrew noph is the shortened form of the Egyptian city name rendered in Greek as Memphis — the ancient capital of Lower Egypt. We use 'Memphis' as the more recognizable English form. Pathros refers to Upper Egypt (southern Egypt), indicating the Judean refugees had dispersed widely across Egypt. The list of four locations shows the diaspora was already extensive, not concentrated in one settlement.
Jeremiah 44:2

כֹּֽה־אָמַ֤ר יְהוָה֙ צְבָא֔וֹת אֱלֹהֵ֖י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל אַתֶּ֣ם רְאִיתֶ֗ם אֵ֤ת כָּל־הָרָעָה֙ אֲשֶׁ֤ר הֵבֵ֙אתִי֙ עַל־יְר֣וּשָׁלַ֔͏ִם וְעַ֖ל כָּל־עָרֵ֥י יְהוּדָֽה׃

This is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: You yourselves have seen all the disaster I brought upon Jerusalem and upon all the cities of Judah.

KJV Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Ye have seen all the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, and upon all the cities of Judah;

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The emphatic pronoun attem ('you yourselves') stresses that the refugees are eyewitnesses to the destruction — they cannot claim ignorance. The word ra'ah ('disaster, evil, calamity') here refers to the Babylonian destruction of 586 BCE, which these refugees survived and fled.
Jeremiah 44:3

מִפְּנֵ֣י רָעָתָ֗ם אֲשֶׁ֤ר עָשׂוּ֙ לְהַכְעִסֵ֔נִי לָלֶ֣כֶת לְקַטֵּ֔ר לַעֲבֹ֖ד לֵאלֹהִ֣ים אֲחֵרִ֑ים אֲשֶׁר֙ לֹ֣א יְדָע֔וּם הֵ֖מָּה אַתֶּ֥ם וַאֲבֹתֵיכֶֽם׃

This happened because of the evil they committed to provoke me — going to burn incense and serve other gods that neither they nor you nor your ancestors had known.

KJV Because of their wickedness which they have committed to provoke me to anger, in that they went to burn incense, and to serve other gods, whom they knew not, neither they, ye, nor your fathers.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verb leha'kiseni ('to provoke me to anger') is a Deuteronomic formula (cf. Deuteronomy 32:16, 21) describing idolatry as a deliberate provocation of God's jealousy. The phrase 'gods they had not known' echoes Deuteronomy 13:2, 6, 13 — these are foreign deities with no history in Israel's covenant tradition. The inclusive 'they, you, your ancestors' spans all generations of guilt.
Jeremiah 44:4

וָאֶשְׁלַ֤ח אֲלֵיכֶם֙ אֶת־כָּל־עֲבָדַ֣י הַנְּבִיאִ֔ים הַשְׁכֵּ֥ים וְשָׁלֹ֖חַ לֵאמֹ֑ר אַל־נָ֣א תַעֲשׂ֗וּ אֵ֛ת דְּבַר־הַתֹּעֵבָ֥ה הַזֹּ֖את אֲשֶׁ֥ר שָׂנֵֽאתִי׃

Yet I sent to you all my servants the prophets, sending them persistently, saying: Do not do this detestable thing that I hate!

KJV Howbeit I sent unto you all my servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, saying, Oh, do not this abominable thing that I hate.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

תּוֹעֵבָה to'evah
"detestable thing" — abomination, detestable act, thing that is loathsome, taboo

A covenant boundary term. What is to'evah is not merely unpleasant but fundamentally incompatible with the covenant relationship. In Jeremiah, it consistently refers to idolatrous worship.

Translator Notes

  1. The idiom hashkem veshaloch ('rising early and sending') is Jeremiah's characteristic expression for God's persistent prophetic outreach (cf. 7:25, 25:4, 26:5, 29:19, 35:15). The word to'evah ('abomination, detestable thing') is covenantal legal terminology — it designates acts that violate the covenant at its core and are incompatible with the LORD's character.
Jeremiah 44:5

וְלֹ֣א שָׁמְע֔וּ וְלֹ֥א הִטּ֖וּ אֶת־אָזְנָ֑ם לָשׁ֣וּב מֵרָעָתָ֔ם לְבִלְתִּ֥י קַטֵּ֖ר לֵאלֹהִ֥ים אֲחֵרִֽים׃

But they did not listen or incline their ear to turn from their evil, to stop burning incense to other gods.

KJV But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear to turn from their wickedness, to burn no incense unto other gods.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verb shuv ('turn, return') appears here in its negative sense — they refused to turn back from their evil course. The same root carries both 'repentance' (turning to God) and 'apostasy' (turning from God) throughout Jeremiah. Their refusal to shuv from idolatry is itself a failure of teshuvah.
Jeremiah 44:6

וַתִּתַּ֤ךְ חֲמָתִי֙ וְאַפִּ֔י וַתִּבְעַ֕ר בְּעָרֵ֥י יְהוּדָ֖ה וּבְחֻצ֣וֹת יְרוּשָׁלָ֑͏ִם וַתִּהְיֶ֛ינָה לְחָרְבָּ֥ה לִשְׁמָמָ֖ה כַּיּ֥וֹם הַזֶּֽה׃

So my wrath and my anger poured out and blazed in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, and they became a ruin and a wasteland, as they are today.

KJV Wherefore my fury and mine anger was poured forth, and was kindled in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; and they are wasted and desolate, as at this day.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Two verbs describe God's anger: nittakh ('was poured out') and tiv'ar ('blazed, burned'). The first depicts anger as liquid flooding outward; the second as fire consuming. The result — charvah ('ruin') and shemamah ('desolation, wasteland') — describes the post-586 BCE landscape the refugees left behind. The phrase 'as at this day' emphasizes present reality: the ruins are still smoking.
Jeremiah 44:7

וְעַתָּ֡ה כֹּֽה־אָמַ֣ר יְהוָה֩ אֱלֹהֵ֨י צְבָא֜וֹת אֱלֹהֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל לָמָ֣ה אַתֶּם֩ עֹשִׂ֨ים רָעָ֤ה גְדוֹלָה֙ אֶל־נַפְשֹׁ֣תֵיכֶ֔ם לְהַכְרִ֤ית לָכֶם֙ אִישׁ־וְאִשָּׁ֔ה עוֹלֵ֣ל וְיוֹנֵ֔ק מִתּ֖וֹךְ יְהוּדָ֑ה לְבִלְתִּ֥י הוֹתִ֛יר לָכֶ֖ם שְׁאֵרִֽית׃

So now, this is what the LORD, the God of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: Why are you doing such great harm to yourselves — cutting off from Judah man and woman, child and infant, leaving yourselves no remnant?

KJV Therefore now thus saith the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel; Wherefore commit ye this great evil against your souls, to cut off from you man and woman, child and suckling, out of Judah, to leave you none to remain;

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The phrase ra'ah gedolah el nafshoteikhem ('great evil against your own souls/selves') frames their idolatry as self-destruction. The word nephesh here means 'selves' in the reflexive sense — they are the agents of their own destruction. The catalog 'man and woman, child and infant' is a merism covering the entire population. The term she'erit ('remnant') is theologically loaded — even in judgment, the prophets usually preserve hope for a remnant, but these refugees are destroying even that.
Jeremiah 44:8

לְהַכְעִסֵ֗נִי בְּמַעֲשֵׂי֙ יְדֵיכֶ֔ם לְקַטֵּ֗ר לֵאלֹהִ֤ים אֲחֵרִים֙ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם אֲשֶׁר־אַתֶּ֥ם בָּאִ֖ים לָג֣וּר שָׁ֑ם לְמַ֙עַן֙ הַכְרִ֣ית לָכֶ֔ם וּלְמַ֤עַן הֱיוֹתְכֶם֙ לִקְלָלָ֣ה וּלְחֶרְפָּ֔ה בְּכֹ֖ל גּוֹיֵ֥י הָאָֽרֶץ׃

You provoke me with the works of your hands, burning incense to other gods in the land of Egypt where you have gone to settle — so that you bring destruction on yourselves and become a curse and a disgrace among all the nations of the earth.

KJV In that ye provoke me unto wrath with the works of your hands, burning incense unto other gods in the land of Egypt, whither ye be gone to dwell, that ye might cut yourselves off, and that ye might be a curse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth?

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The phrase ma'asei yedeikhem ('works of your hands') is deliberately ambiguous — it can refer to the acts of worship or to the idols themselves, which are literally handmade objects. The consequence — becoming a qelalah ('curse') and cherpah ('disgrace') among the nations — reverses the Abrahamic promise that Israel would be a blessing to the nations (Genesis 12:2-3).
Jeremiah 44:9

הַֽשְׁכַחְתֶּ֞ם אֶת־רָע֣וֹת אֲבֽוֹתֵיכֶ֗ם וְאֵת֙ רָע֣וֹת מַלְכֵ֣י יְהוּדָ֔ה וְאֵ֖ת רָע֣וֹת נְשָׁ֑יו וְאֵ֤ת רָעֹֽתֵיכֶם֙ וְאֵת֙ רָע֣וֹת נְשֵׁיכֶ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֤ר עָשׂוּ֙ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ יְהוּדָ֔ה וּבְחֻצ֖וֹת יְרוּשָׁלָֽ͏ִם׃

Have you forgotten the evil deeds of your ancestors, the evil deeds of the kings of Judah, the evil deeds of their wives, your own evil deeds, and the evil deeds of your wives — all that was done in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?

KJV Have ye forgotten the wickedness of your fathers, and the wickedness of the kings of Judah, and the wickedness of their wives, and your own wickedness, and the wickedness of your wives, which they have committed in the land of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem?

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The fivefold repetition of ra'ot ('evil deeds') creates a rhetorical cascade of guilt: ancestors, kings, queens, the people themselves, and their wives. The inclusion of women (nashav, 'his wives'; nesheikhem, 'your wives') is notable and anticipates the women's defiant response later in the chapter (vv. 15-19). Some manuscripts read 'his officials' (sarav) instead of 'his wives' (nashav), but the Masoretic text is retained.
Jeremiah 44:10

לֹ֣א דֻכְּא֔וּ עַ֖ד הַיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֑ה וְלֹ֣א יָרְא֔וּ וְלֹֽא־הָלְכ֣וּ בְתוֹרָתִ֗י וּבְחֻקֹּתַ֛י אֲשֶׁר־נָתַ֥תִּי לִפְנֵיכֶ֖ם וְלִפְנֵ֥י אֲבוֹתֵיכֶֽם׃

They have not been crushed with remorse to this day. They have not feared, and they have not walked in my instruction or in my statutes that I set before you and before your ancestors.

KJV They are not humbled even unto this day, neither have they feared, nor walked in my law, nor in my statutes, that I set before you and before your fathers.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verb dukke'u ('crushed, contrite') from the root d-k-' indicates a thorough breaking of the will — not merely feeling sorry but being genuinely broken by grief. The word torah here is rendered 'instruction' rather than 'law' to capture its broader Deuteronomic sense of divine teaching. The shift between third person ('they') and second person ('you') is characteristic of prophetic speech addressing both the absent guilty and the present audience.
Jeremiah 44:11

לָכֵ֗ן כֹּֽה־אָמַ֤ר יְהוָה֙ צְבָא֔וֹת אֱלֹהֵ֖י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל הִנְנִ֨י שָׂ֤ם פָּנַי֙ בָּכֶ֣ם לְרָעָ֔ה וּלְהַכְרִ֖ית אֶת־כָּל־יְהוּדָֽה׃

Therefore, this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: I am setting my face against you for destruction, to cut off all of Judah.

KJV Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will set my face against you for evil, and to cut off all Judah.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The idiom sam panay ('set my face') indicates fixed, unwavering divine intention — once God's face is set against a people, the judgment is determined. The phrase 'for evil' (lera'ah) is rendered 'for destruction' because the context makes clear this is not moral evil but punitive disaster. The totality of the threat — 'all of Judah' — means the remnant in Egypt has no exemption from judgment.
Jeremiah 44:12

וְלָקַחְתִּ֞י אֶת־שְׁאֵרִ֣ית יְהוּדָ֗ה אֲשֶׁר־שָׂ֨מוּ פְנֵיהֶ֜ם לָב֣וֹא אֶ֧רֶץ־מִצְרַ֛יִם לָג֥וּר שָׁ֖ם וְתַ֣מּוּ כֹ֑ל בְּאֶ֨רֶץ מִצְרַ֜יִם יִפֹּ֗לוּ בַּחֶ֤רֶב בָּרָעָב֙ יִתַּ֔מּוּ מִקָּטֹ֤ן וְעַד־גָּדוֹל֙ בַּחֶ֣רֶב וּבָרָעָ֣ב יָמֻ֔תוּ וְהָי֤וּ לְאָלָה֙ לְשַׁמָּ֔ה וְלִקְלָלָ֖ה וּלְחֶרְפָּֽה׃

I will take hold of the remnant of Judah who set their faces to enter the land of Egypt to settle there, and they will all meet their end in the land of Egypt. They will fall by the sword and be consumed by famine — from the least to the greatest, they will die by sword and by famine. They will become an object of horror, a desolation, a curse, and a disgrace.

KJV And I will take the remnant of Judah, that have set their faces to go into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, and they shall all be consumed, and fall in the land of Egypt; they shall even be consumed by the sword and by the famine: they shall die, from the least even unto the greatest, by the sword and by the famine: and they shall be an execration, and an astonishment, and a curse, and a reproach.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verb tammu ('they will be consumed, finished, completed') indicates total annihilation. The merism 'from the least to the greatest' (miqqaton ve'ad gadol) encompasses the entire community without exception. The fourfold consequence — alah ('oath/horror'), shammah ('desolation'), qelalah ('curse'), cherpah ('disgrace') — is a standard prophetic judgment formula that appears throughout Jeremiah (cf. 24:9, 25:18, 29:22, 42:18).
Jeremiah 44:13

וּפָקַדְתִּ֗י עַ֤ל הַיּוֹשְׁבִים֙ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר פָּקַ֖דְתִּי עַל־יְרוּשָׁלָ֑͏ִם בַּחֶ֖רֶב בָּרָעָ֥ב וּבַדָּֽבֶר׃

I will punish those living in the land of Egypt just as I punished Jerusalem — by sword, by famine, and by plague.

KJV For I will punish them that dwell in the land of Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence:

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verb paqad ('visit, punish, reckon with') indicates divine judicial action. The parallel between Egypt and Jerusalem is devastating — the refugees fled to Egypt to escape the very judgment that will now pursue them there. The triad cherev/ra'av/dever ('sword/famine/plague') is Jeremiah's characteristic judgment formula, appearing over twenty times in the book.
Jeremiah 44:14

וְלֹ֤א יִהְיֶה֙ פָּלִ֣יט וְשָׂרִ֔יד לִשְׁאֵרִ֣ית יְהוּדָ֔ה הַבָּאִ֥ים לָגֽוּר־שָׁ֖ם בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם וְלָשׁ֣וּב ׀ אֶ֣רֶץ יְהוּדָ֗ה אֲשֶׁר־הֵ֜מָּה מְנַשְּׂאִ֤ים אֶת־נַפְשָׁם֙ לָשׁ֣וּב לָשֶׁ֣בֶת שָׁ֔ם כִּ֣י לֹ֤א יָשׁ֙וּבוּ֙ כִּ֖י אִם־פְּלֵטִֽים׃

There will be no fugitive or survivor among the remnant of Judah who came to settle in the land of Egypt, to return to the land of Judah where they long to go back and live. None will return — except a few refugees.

KJV So that none of the remnant of Judah, which are gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall escape or remain, that they should return into the land of Judah, to the which they have a desire to return to dwell there: for none shall return but such as shall escape.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The word palit ('fugitive, escapee') and sarid ('survivor') together emphasize the thoroughness of the judgment. The phrase menass'im et nafsham ('lifting up their souls') is an idiom for deep longing or desire — they yearn to return to Judah but will not be able to. The final clause 'except a few refugees' (ki im-peletim) provides a razor-thin exception to the absolute judgment, preserving the tension between total destruction and the slender thread of remnant theology.
Jeremiah 44:15

וַיַּעֲנ֣וּ אֶֽת־יִרְמְיָ֗הוּ כָּל־הָאֲנָשִׁ֤ים הַיֹּדְעִים֙ כִּֽי־מְקַטְּר֤וֹת נְשֵׁיהֶם֙ לֵאלֹהִ֣ים אֲחֵרִ֔ים וְכָל־הַנָּשִׁ֥ים הָעֹמְד֖וֹת קָהָ֣ל גָּד֑וֹל וְכָל־הָעָ֛ם הַיֹּשְׁבִ֥ים בְּאֶֽרֶץ־מִצְרַ֖יִם בְּפַתְר֥וֹס לֵאמֹֽר׃

Then all the men who knew that their wives were burning incense to other gods, and all the women standing there — a large assembly — and all the people living in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, answered Jeremiah:

KJV Then all the men which knew that their wives had burned incense unto other gods, and all the women that stood by, a great multitude, even all the people that dwelt in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, answered Jeremiah, saying,

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The description emphasizes complicity at every level: the men know and do not stop it, the women actively participate, and the whole community is present. The phrase qahal gadol ('large assembly') ironically echoes the covenant assembly language of Deuteronomy — this is a counter-assembly, gathered not for covenant renewal but for defiance of the covenant.
Jeremiah 44:16

הַדָּבָ֛ר אֲשֶׁר־דִּבַּ֥רְתָּ אֵלֵ֖ינוּ בְּשֵׁ֣ם יְהוָ֑ה אֵינֶ֥נּוּ שֹׁמְעִ֖ים אֵלֶֽיךָ׃

As for the word you have spoken to us in the name of the LORD — we will not listen to you.

KJV As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the LORD, we will not hearken unto thee.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The bluntness of this response is striking. The phrase beshem YHWH ('in the name of the LORD') shows they fully recognize Jeremiah is claiming divine authority — and they reject it anyway. The verb shom'im ('listening, obeying') carries both senses, and their refusal encompasses both: they will neither hear nor obey.
Jeremiah 44:17

כִּ֣י עָשֹׂ֤ה נַעֲשֶׂה֙ אֶֽת־כָּל־הַדָּבָ֔ר אֲשֶׁ֥ר יָצָ֖א מִפִּ֑ינוּ לְקַטֵּ֞ר לִמְלֶ֣כֶת הַשָּׁמַ֗יִם וְהַסֵּ֤ךְ לָהּ֙ נְסָכִ֔ים כַּאֲשֶׁ֨ר עָשִׂ֜ינוּ אֲנַ֤חְנוּ וַאֲבֹתֵ֙ינוּ֙ מַלְכֵ֣ינוּ וְשָׂרֵ֔ינוּ בְּעָרֵ֣י יְהוּדָ֔ה וּבְחֻצ֖וֹת יְרוּשָׁלָ֑͏ִם וַנִּשְׂבַּע־לֶ֙חֶם֙ וַנִּֽהְיֶ֣ה טוֹבִ֔ים וְרָעָ֖ה לֹ֥א רָאִֽינוּ׃

Instead, we will certainly carry out every word that has come from our mouths — to burn incense to the Queen of Heaven and pour out drink offerings to her, just as we and our ancestors, our kings and our officials did in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. We had plenty of food then, we prospered, and we saw no disaster.

KJV But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense unto the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, as we have done, we, and our fathers, our kings, and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem: for then had we plenty of victuals, and were well, and saw no evil.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

מְלֶכֶת הַשָּׁמַיִם melekhet hashamayim
"Queen of Heaven" — queen/work/host of heaven; title for a goddess (likely Ishtar/Astarte)

The vocalization is debated — the Masoretes point it as melekhet ('work of'), but the context of cultic worship strongly suggests malkat ('queen of'). This likely refers to the Mesopotamian goddess Ishtar or her Canaanite counterpart Astarte, who was worshiped with incense and drink offerings.

Translator Notes

  1. The emphatic infinitive absolute asoh na'aseh ('we will certainly do') expresses absolute determination — this is a vow they intend to keep. The phrase melekhet hashamayim ('Queen of Heaven') likely refers to the goddess Ishtar/Astarte. The Masoretic vocalization melekhet could mean 'work of' or 'host of' heaven, but the context of incense and drink offerings clearly points to a goddess cult, and most scholars repoint as malkat ('queen'). The people's argument is empirical — when we worshiped her, things went well. Their 'evidence' covers the prosperous periods under Manasseh's long reign (697-642 BCE).
Jeremiah 44:18

וּמִן־אָ֡ז חָדַ֜לְנוּ לְקַטֵּ֣ר לִמְלֶ֧כֶת הַשָּׁמַ֛יִם וְהַסֵּ֥ךְ לָ֖הּ נְסָכִ֑ים חָסַ֣רְנוּ כֹ֔ל וּבַחֶ֥רֶב וּבָרָעָ֖ב תָּֽמְנוּ׃

But from the time we stopped burning incense to the Queen of Heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything and have been consumed by sword and famine.

KJV But since we left off to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, we have wanted all things, and have been consumed by the sword and by the famine.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The people's argument reaches its theological core: they interpret Josiah's reforms (2 Kings 23) — the destruction of the high places and suppression of foreign cults — as the cause of Judah's subsequent disasters. In their reading of history, Josiah's reform was the catastrophe, not the idolatry it removed. The verb chasarnu ('we have lacked') and tamnu ('we have been consumed') create a cause-and-effect argument that directly contradicts Jeremiah's prophetic interpretation.
Jeremiah 44:19

וְכִֽי־אֲנַ֜חְנוּ מְקַטְּרִ֣ים לִמְלֶ֧כֶת הַשָּׁמַ֛יִם וּלְהַסֵּ֥ךְ לָ֖הּ נְסָכִ֑ים הֲמִבַּלְעֲדֵ֣י אֲנָשֵׁ֔ינוּ עָשִׂ֤ינוּ לָהּ֙ כַּוָּנִ֔ים לְהַעֲצִבָ֖הּ וְהַסֵּ֥ךְ לָ֖הּ נְסָכִֽים׃

And when we burned incense to the Queen of Heaven and poured out drink offerings to her — did we make cakes stamped with her image and pour out drink offerings to her without our husbands' knowledge?

KJV And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven, and poured out drink offerings unto her, did we make her cakes to worship her, and pour out drink offerings unto her, without our men?

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The women now speak distinctly, defending their role. The kavvanim ('cakes') were ritual cakes shaped or stamped with the image of the goddess — the word appears only in Jeremiah 7:18 and here. The question hamibbal'adei anashenu ('without our husbands?') is a legal defense — they argue the worship had male authorization and was therefore a legitimate household and community practice, not unsanctioned female rebellion. The verb leha'atsivah is difficult; it may mean 'to portray her' or 'to represent her image' on the cakes.
Jeremiah 44:20

וַיֹּ֥אמֶר יִרְמְיָ֖הוּ אֶל־כָּל־הָעָ֑ם עַל־הַגְּבָרִ֤ים וְעַל־הַנָּשִׁים֙ וְעַל־כָּל־הָעָ֔ם הָעֹנִ֥ים אֹת֖וֹ דָּבָ֥ר לֵאמֹֽר׃

Then Jeremiah spoke to all the people — to the men, to the women, and to all the people who had answered him — saying:

KJV Then Jeremiah said unto all the people, to the men, and to the women, and to all the people which had given him that answer, saying,

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The threefold address ('men, women, all the people') mirrors the threefold audience of verse 15 and ensures no one can claim they were not addressed. Jeremiah's response will directly counter their historical argument.
Jeremiah 44:21

הֲל֣וֹא אֶת־הַקִּטֵּ֗ר אֲשֶׁ֨ר קִטַּרְתֶּ֜ם בְּעָרֵ֤י יְהוּדָה֙ וּבְחֻצ֣וֹת יְרוּשָׁלַ֔͏ִם אַתֶּ֧ם וַאֲבוֹתֵיכֶ֛ם מַלְכֵיכֶ֥ם וְשָׂרֵיכֶ֖ם וְעַ֣ם הָאָ֑רֶץ אֹתָ֛ם זָכַ֥ר יְהוָ֖ה וַתַּעֲלֶ֥ה עַל־לִבּֽוֹ׃

The incense you burned in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem — you, your ancestors, your kings, your officials, and the people of the land — did the LORD not remember it? Did it not rise into his mind?

KJV The incense that ye burned in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, ye, and your fathers, your kings, and your princes, and the people of the land, did not the LORD remember them, and came it not into his mind?

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Jeremiah turns their own argument against them. They claimed incense-burning brought prosperity; he insists God remembered every act of it. The verb zakhar ('remember') in covenant contexts means not passive recollection but active response — God remembered and acted. The phrase 'rose into his mind' (ta'aleh al-libbo) uses the same verb for 'rising' that describes smoke rising — the incense smoke that rose to the Queen of Heaven also rose into God's awareness as provocation.
Jeremiah 44:22

וְלֹא־י֨וּכַל יְהוָ֥ה עוֹד֙ לָשֵׂ֔את מִפְּנֵ֖י רֹ֣עַ מַעַלְלֵיכֶ֑ם מִפְּנֵ֤י הַתּוֹעֵבֹת֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר עֲשִׂיתֶ֔ם וַתְּהִ֨י אַרְצְכֶ֜ם לְחָרְבָּ֗ה וּלְשַׁמָּ֛ה וְלִקְלָלָ֖ה מֵאֵ֥ין יוֹשֵֽׁב כַּיּ֥וֹם הַזֶּֽה׃

The LORD could no longer endure it because of the evil of your actions and the detestable things you committed. That is why your land has become a ruin, a wasteland, and a curse — without an inhabitant — as it is today.

KJV So that the LORD could no longer bear, because of the evil of your doings, and because of the abominations which ye have committed; therefore is your land a desolation, and an astonishment, and a curse, without an inhabitant, as at this day.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verb laset ('to bear, endure, carry') depicts God's patience as having a limit — he carried the weight of their offenses until he could carry no more. The result — charvah ('ruin'), shammah ('wasteland'), qelalah ('curse'), me'ein yoshev ('without inhabitant') — directly refutes the people's claim that the Queen of Heaven cult brought prosperity. The land they remember as prosperous is now uninhabited rubble.
Jeremiah 44:23

מִפְּנֵ֣י ׀ אֲשֶׁ֣ר קִטַּרְתֶּ֗ם וַאֲשֶׁ֤ר חֲטָאתֶם֙ לַיהוָ֔ה וְלֹ֤א שְׁמַעְתֶּם֙ בְּק֣וֹל יְהוָ֔ה וּבְתֹֽרָת֧וֹ וּבְחֻקֹּתָ֛יו וּבְעֵדְוֹתָ֖יו לֹ֣א הֲלַכְתֶּ֑ם עַל־כֵּ֗ן קָרָ֨את אֶתְכֶ֜ם הָרָעָ֥ה הַזֹּ֛את כַּיּ֥וֹם הַזֶּֽה׃

It was because you burned incense and sinned against the LORD and did not obey the voice of the LORD or walk in his instruction, his statutes, and his decrees — that is why this disaster has come upon you, as it has today.

KJV Because ye have burned incense, and because ye have sinned against the LORD, and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD, nor walked in his law, nor in his statutes, nor in his testimonies; therefore this evil is happened unto you, as at this day.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Jeremiah delivers the counter-narrative: disaster came not from stopping the Queen of Heaven cult but from practicing it. The fourfold description of what they violated — qol YHWH ('voice of the LORD'), torah ('instruction'), chuqqot ('statutes'), edot ('decrees') — is Deuteronomic covenant language covering every dimension of the covenant obligation. The word chata'tem ('you sinned') is from the root ch-t-' meaning 'to miss the mark' — they aimed their worship at the wrong target.
Jeremiah 44:24

וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יִרְמְיָ֙הוּ֙ אֶל־כָּל־הָעָ֔ם וְאֶ֖ל כָּל־הַנָּשִׁ֑ים שִׁמְע֣וּ דְבַר־יְהוָ֔ה כָּל־יְהוּדָ֕ה אֲשֶׁ֖ר בְּאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם׃

Then Jeremiah said to all the people and to all the women: Hear the word of the LORD, all of Judah who are in the land of Egypt.

KJV Moreover Jeremiah said unto all the people, and to all the women, Hear the word of the LORD, all Judah that are in the land of Egypt:

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Jeremiah now addresses the women specifically alongside the whole people — they spoke as a distinct group in verse 19, and now they receive a distinct divine response. The command shim'u ('hear') carries the force of 'listen and obey,' the same verb they refused in verse 16.
Jeremiah 44:25

כֹּֽה־אָמַ֣ר יְהוָה־צְבָא֗וֹת אֱלֹהֵ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר אַתֶּ֣ן וּנְשֵׁיכֶ֗ם וַתְּדַבֵּ֨רְנָה֙ בְּפִיכֶ֔ם וּבִידֵיכֶ֥ם מִלֵּאתֶ֖ם לֵאמֹ֑ר עָשֹׂ֣ה נַעֲשֶׂ֣ה אֶת־נְדָרֵ֡ינוּ אֲשֶׁ֣ר נָדַרְנוּ֩ לְקַטֵּ֨ר לִמְלֶ֜כֶת הַשָּׁמַ֗יִם וּלְהַסֵּ֤ךְ לָהּ֙ נְסָכִ֔ים הָקֵ֤ים תָּקִ֙ימְנָה֙ אֶת־נִדְרֵיכֶ֔ם וְעָשֹׂ֥ה תַעֲשֶׂ֖ינָה אֶת־נִדְרֵיכֶֽם׃

This is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: You women and your husbands have spoken with your mouths and fulfilled with your hands, saying, 'We will certainly carry out the vows we made — to burn incense to the Queen of Heaven and pour out drink offerings to her.' Go ahead then — fulfill your vows! Carry out your vows!

KJV Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying; Ye and your wives have both spoken with your mouths, and fulfilled with your hand, saying, We will surely perform our vows that we have vowed, to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her: ye will surely accomplish your vows, and surely perform your vows.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. God's response is devastatingly ironic. The emphatic forms haqem taqimnah ('you will certainly fulfill') and asoh ta'asenah ('you will certainly carry out') are not permission but bitter sarcasm — since they are determined to keep their idolatrous vows, God releases them to the consequences. The feminine plural verb forms (taqimnah, ta'asenah) address the women directly. The phrase 'spoken with your mouths and fulfilled with your hands' condemns them for both word and deed — their vows were not idle words but enacted rituals.
Jeremiah 44:26

לָכֵ֗ן שִׁמְעוּ֙ דְּבַר־יְהוָ֔ה כָּל־יְהוּדָ֕ה הַיֹּשְׁבִ֖ים בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם הִנְנִ֨י נִשְׁבַּ֜עְתִּי בִּשְׁמִ֤י הַגָּדוֹל֙ אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֔ה אִם־יִהְיֶ֨ה ע֜וֹד שְׁמִ֗י נִקְרָ֛א בְּפִ֥י כָל־אִ֛ישׁ יְהוּדָ֖ה אֹמֵ֛ר חַי־אֲדֹנָ֥י יְהוִ֖ה בְּכָל־אֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם׃

Therefore, hear the word of the LORD, all of Judah living in the land of Egypt: I have sworn by my great name, says the LORD, that my name will never again be invoked by any person of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, 'As the Lord GOD lives.'

KJV Therefore hear ye the word of the LORD, all Judah that dwell in the land of Egypt; Behold, I have sworn by my great name, saith the LORD, that my name shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, The Lord GOD liveth.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. God swears by his own name — the most solemn possible oath, since there is no higher authority to swear by (cf. Genesis 22:16, Hebrews 6:13). The oath formula chai Adonai YHWH ('as the Lord GOD lives') was the standard way Israelites confirmed solemn statements. God is saying that this formula will vanish from Egypt because the Judeans who used it will be dead. The withdrawal of the divine name from their mouths is a reversal of the covenant relationship — the people who bear his name will no longer exist to speak it.
Jeremiah 44:27

הִנְנִ֨י שֹׁקֵ֧ד עֲלֵיהֶ֛ם לְרָעָ֖ה וְלֹ֣א לְטוֹבָ֑ה וְתַ֣מּוּ כָל־אִ֧ישׁ יְהוּדָ֛ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר בְּאֶֽרֶץ־מִצְרַ֖יִם בַּחֶ֥רֶב וּבָרָעָ֖ב עַד־כְּלוֹתָֽם׃

I am watching over them for harm and not for good. All the people of Judah in the land of Egypt will be consumed by sword and by famine until they are finished.

KJV Behold, I will watch over them for evil, and not 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.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verb shoqed ('watching') is a devastating echo of 1:12 where God told the young Jeremiah, 'I am watching over my word to carry it out.' The same divine vigilance that guaranteed the prophetic word now guarantees judgment. The reversal from tov ('good') to ra'ah ('harm') inverts every covenant blessing. The phrase ad kelotam ('until their completion/end') indicates extinction, not merely suffering.
Jeremiah 44:28

וּפְלִיטֵ֨י חֶ֜רֶב יְשֻׁב֨וּן מִן־אֶ֧רֶץ מִצְרַ֛יִם אֶ֥רֶץ יְהוּדָ֖ה מְתֵ֣י מִסְפָּ֑ר וְיָ֨דְע֜וּ כָּל־שְׁאֵרִ֣ית יְהוּדָ֗ה הַבָּאִ֤ים לְאֶֽרֶץ־מִצְרַ֙יִם֙ לָג֣וּר שָׁ֔ם דְּבַר־מִ֥י יָק֖וּם מִמֶּ֥נִּי וּמֵהֶֽם׃

Those who escape the sword will return from the land of Egypt to the land of Judah, few in number. Then all the remnant of Judah who came to the land of Egypt to settle will know whose word stands — mine or theirs.

KJV Yet a small number that 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.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The phrase metei mispar ('few in number,' literally 'men of counting') indicates such a small group they can be individually counted. God frames the issue as a contest of words — devar mi yaqum ('whose word will stand/be established'). The people in verses 17-18 argued from their interpretation of history; God says history itself will settle whose word is true. The verb qum ('stand, arise, be established') is covenant language for a promise that holds firm.
Jeremiah 44:29

וְזֹאת־לָכֶ֤ם הָאוֹת֙ נְאֻם־יְהוָ֔ה כִּֽי־פֹקֵ֥ד אֲנִ֛י עֲלֵיכֶ֖ם בַּמָּק֣וֹם הַזֶּ֑ה לְמַ֣עַן תֵּדְע֔וּ כִּי֩ ק֨וֹם יָק֧וּמוּ דְבָרַ֛י עֲלֵיכֶ֖ם לְרָעָֽה׃

This will be the sign to you, declares the LORD, that I am punishing you in this place, so that you may know that my words will certainly stand against you for harm:

KJV 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 stand against you for evil:

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The ot ('sign') functions as a prophetic proof — when the predicted judgment arrives, it will validate Jeremiah's entire prophetic ministry. The emphatic infinitive absolute qom yaqumu ('will certainly stand') echoes the verb used in verse 25 about the women's vows (haqem taqimnah) — their vows will 'stand' only in the sense that they bring destruction, while God's words will 'stand' as fulfilled prophecy.
Jeremiah 44:30

כֹּ֣ה ׀ אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֗ה הִנְנִ֣י נֹ֠תֵן אֶת־פַּרְעֹ֨ה חָפְרַ֤ע מֶֽלֶךְ־מִצְרַ֙יִם֙ בְּיַ֣ד אֹיְבָ֔יו וּבְיַ֖ד מְבַקְשֵׁ֣י נַפְשׁ֑וֹ כַּאֲשֶׁ֣ר נָתַ֗תִּי אֶת־צִדְקִיָּ֙הוּ֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ יְהוּדָ֔ה בְּיַ֛ד נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּ֥ר מֶֽלֶךְ־בָּבֶ֖ל אֹיְב֥וֹ וּמְבַקֵּ֖שׁ נַפְשֽׁוֹ׃

This is what the LORD says: I am going to hand over Pharaoh Hophra, king of Egypt, to his enemies and to those who seek his life — just as I handed Zedekiah king of Judah over to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, his enemy who sought his life.

KJV 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.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Pharaoh Hophra (Egyptian: Wahibre; Greek: Apries) reigned 589-570 BCE. He was eventually overthrown by his own general Amasis (Ahmose II) in a military coup, fulfilling this oracle. The parallel with Zedekiah is pointed: the refugees trusted Hophra for protection just as Zedekiah had trusted him for military support against Babylon (cf. 37:5-7). Both trust-in-Egypt policies ended in the same way — the Egyptian protector fell to his enemies. The phrase mevaqshei nafsho ('those who seek his life') is a standard expression for mortal enemies.
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