Old Testament · Prophecy

Jeremiah 43

To Egypt Against God's Will

They drag Jeremiah to Egypt with them. God tells him to bury stones in the pavement — Nebuchadnezzar will set his throne on this very spot.

King James Version BSB KJV

1And 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,

2Then 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:

3But 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.

4So 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.

5But 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;

6Even men, and women, and children, and the king’s daughters, and every person that Nebuzar-adan 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.

7So they came into the land of Egypt: for they obeyed not the voice of the LORD: thus came they even to Tahpanhes.

8Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah in Tahpanhes, saying,

9Take 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;

10And 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.

11And 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.

12And 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.

13He shall break also the images of Beth-shemesh, that is in the land of Egypt; and the houses of the gods of the Egyptians shall he burn with fire.

Understand This

Jeremiah 43, explained

What Jeremiah 43 is saying

Despite God's explicit command to stay, the people accuse Jeremiah of lying—claiming Baruch manipulated him—and flee to Egypt, dragging Jeremiah and Baruch with them. In Tahpanhes, God commands Jeremiah to bury stones in the mortar pavement, prophesying that Nebuchadnezzar will set his throne on that very spot and devastate Egypt.

The background behind it

Tahpanhes (Tell Defenneh in the eastern Nile Delta) was a frontier fortress. Archaeological evidence confirms a Jewish community there. Nebuchadnezzar's invasion of Egypt in 568/567 BC, attested in a fragmentary Babylonian chronicle, partially fulfilled this prophecy.

Themes running underneath

The accusation against Baruch as the 'real' manipulator demonstrates the human tendency to discredit unwelcome messages by attacking the messenger's associates. The flight to Egypt completes the tragic ironic reversal of the Exodus—God's people voluntarily returning to the house of bondage.

Why it still matters

When truth is unwelcome, the natural response is to discredit the source. The chapter warns against the self-deception of believing that geography can provide the safety that only obedience offers.

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Scripture text: King James Version — public domain.