YHWH Declares To Judah That Far From Escaping The Vengeance Of Nebuchadrezzar, It Will Reach Them In Tahpanhes (Jeremiah 43:8-13).
We know from a damaged Babylonian tablet that Nebuchadrezzar did invade Egypt, where, after various successes he reached an understanding with Ahmose II (Amasis c.570-526 BC). It was probably an extensive punitive campaign mainly affecting northern Egypt, but it would be devastating and far reaching while it lasted. It would include within its scope Tahpanhes which was close to the northern border. Indeed the sheltering of these ‘fugitives' may have been one of Nebuchadrezzar's grievances against Egypt.
‘Then the word of YHWH came to Jeremiah in Tahpanhes, saying,'
The word of YHWH was not limited to Palestine. And thus it came to Jeremiah in Egypt. God was still concerned to speak to those who claimed to be His people, even though they were living in disobedience, and worse. God's word knows no limitations.
“Take large stones in your hand, and hide them in mortar in the brickwork (or brick-kiln), which is at the entry of Pharaoh's house in Tahpanhes, in the sight of the men of Judah,”
Jeremiah was called on to involve himself in another acted out prophecy, this time by taking ‘large stones' and hiding them in mortar in the ‘brickwork' (or ‘brick-kiln') in front of ‘Pharaoh's house' in Tahpanhes. The ‘king's house' in Tahpanhes is mentioned in the Elephantine papyri. It was not one of Pharaoh's regular palaces but would rather have been a government building, the administrative centre for the area, although available for Pharaoh's use when he paid a state visit.
The word translated ‘brickwork' is a rare one (three times in the Old Testament). Elsewhere it means brick-kiln (see 2 Samuel 12:31; Nahum 3:14). But it is argued that there was unlikely to be a brick-kiln at the entrance to Pharaoh's house (i.e. government house), and equally unlikely that Jeremiah would see YHWH as setting his throne on it. LXX in fact translates as ‘vestibule'. A parallel Arabic word uses it of brick tiles over a doorway. If we take it as signifying brickwork it may well have consisted of a raised brick pavement in front of ‘Pharaoh's house'.
On the other hand we could argue that if the house of Pharaoh was in process of being restored (which would explain the presence of the available mortar) there could well have been a brick-kiln in front of it, even if at some distance, and being a raised place it could later have been used by Nebuchadrezzar as a place on which to set up a throne, having covered it with a covering, so that he could be seen by the crowds of people who surrounded and acclaimed him. Reference to a brick-kiln would certainly fit in with the idea of YHWH's burning anger against His disobedient people, who were perhaps beginning to think of themselves as ‘large stones' because they were what remained of Judah, and with Nebuchadrezzar's activities in ‘burning the houses of the gods of Egypt' as described in Jeremiah 43:12-13. And it is significant that he would do this as ‘YHWH's servant' (Jeremiah 43:10).
In favour of the idea of a raised brick platform is the fact that such platforms in front of palaces are known of throughout the Ancient Near East in ancient times, and that the remains of one such platform was discovered in front of a ‘palace' in Tell Dephne.
“And say to them, Thus says YHWH 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 hidden, and he will spread his royal covering over them.”
The purpose behind the setting of the large stones hidden in the brickwork or brick-kiln was that they were to be a reminder that in the future Nebuchadrezzar, as YHWH's servant, would set a throne over them, and spread over them his royal ‘canopy' or ‘covering' (the word occurs only here). This may have been a canopy over his head, or a covering on which his throne was then placed, or even a pavilion. Thus ironically the people who had fled from Nebuchadrezzar, ‘YHWH's servant', in disobedience to YHWH, would find YHWH's servant sitting over them as their ruler and lord in their very place of refuge.
Note the full blown title, ‘YHWH of Hosts, the God of Israel', a reminder that YHWH was the God of battle Who was over all the hosts of the world, as well as being the God of Israel. Even Nebuchadrezzar with all his might was His servant to do His will.
“And he will come, and will smite the land of Egypt; such as are for death will be given to death, and such as are for captivity to captivity, and such as are for the sword to the sword.”
In typical Jeremaic language (compare Jeremiah 15:2) it is declared that Nebuchadrezzar will come and smite the land of Egypt bringing death, captivity and sword on its inhabitants, including the hapless Judeans. Rather than escaping death, captivity and sword by their flight the fugitives had plunged themselves right into them. They would each receive their inevitable end, along with those who had welcomed them. As we have seen above a damaged Babylonian tablet confirms this invasion of Egypt by Nebuchadrezzar, whilst not giving the details because of its damaged state.
“And I will kindle a fire in the houses of the gods of Egypt, and he will burn them, and carry them away captive, and he will array himself with the land of Egypt, as a shepherd puts on his robe, and he shall go forth from thence in peace.”
Note the change of person to ‘I'. YHWH Himself was involved in this. Not only the people but also the gods in whom they trusted would be humiliated, for YHWH Himself would kindle a fire in the houses of the gods of Egypt (YHWH's brick kiln?). So in the face of YHWH's anger the gods of Egypt were no safer than the people. The Egyptian gods and their houses would be burned with fire, whilst the gods themselves would also be carried off as trophies into captivity. Thus the very gods whom they had trusted to keep them from captivity would themselves be taken captive. Josephus later confirms that at this time the Jewish captives were carried off to Babylon.
Furthermore Nebuchadrezzar, as YHWH's servant, would ‘array himself with the land of Egypt as a shepherd puts on his robe'. Egypt was no match for the one chosen by YHWH to carry out His purposes. It was simply rather an accessory, a cloak for YHWH's shepherd, to be tossed casually around his shoulders.
Whilst the invasion by Nebuchadrezzar was rather a punitive expedition in the face of different Egyptian activities against their possessions, than a full-scale invasion, it was totally successful and resulted in a peace treaty between himself and Ahmose II, which no doubt acknowledged Babylonian rights in Syria, Cyprus and Palestine, after which Nebuchadrezzar retired in peace, his aims accomplished.
“He will also break the pillars of Beth-shemesh, which is in the land of Egypt; and the houses of the gods of Egypt he will burn with fire.”
The outstanding feature of Nebuchadrezzar's activities as YHWH's servant would be the breaking of the famous pillars in Beth-shemesh (house of the sun) in Egypt. Even the sun god was helpless before YHWH's servant. This probably refers to the famous temple in Heliopolis, (twenty miles north-east of Memphis) one of the pillars of which is still standing while another can still be seen in Rome where it was taken by the later victorious Romans. There were also numerous other pillars, and these were accompanied by huge statues. It was an exceedingly prestigious Temple, and no doubt seen by many Egyptians as inviolable. But it would fall at the hands of YHWH's servant. And the temple at Heliopolis would not suffer alone, for many houses of the gods of Egypt would be consumed by fire before the victorious advance of Nebuchadrezzar, YHWH's servant. The gods of Egypt would be humiliated, as they had been in the time of Moses.