4). A Further Word Confirming YHWH's Judgment On All Jews Living In Egypt Because They Have Turned To Other Gods And Are Trusting In Pharaoh Hophra As Their Deliverer (24-39).
We have here the last prophetic words of Jeremiah of which we are aware, and they are as severe an indictment of the Judeans in Egypt as any that he gave against Jerusalem and Judah. Indeed the judgment he pronounces is so severe that the consequence will be that none will be left in Egypt to say ‘as the Lord YHWH lives'. It is a picture of the almost complete annihilation of the Jews at that time present in Egypt. Furthermore, in case they are looking to the Pharaoh of Egypt to help them, he warns them that far from being able to protect them, the great Pharaoh Hophra on whom they are relying will himself prove as helpless as their own King Zedekiah had been. Indeed it is his demise that will be a sign to them that all that YHWH has said concerning them will come about.
‘Moreover Jeremiah said to all the people, and to all the women, “Hear the word of YHWH, all Judah who are in the land of Egypt,”
Once again we have the stress on the fact that this is ‘the word of YHWH'. That does not simply mean that YHWH has said it. It stresses that YHWH will bring it about. YHWH's word always goes forth to bring about what He has said. Compare Isaiah 55:10-11. Note that the words are spoken to ‘all Judah who are in the land of Egypt', in other words all those in Egypt who saw themselves as Jews.
“Thus says YHWH of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, You and your wives have both spoken with your mouths, and with your hands have fulfilled it, saying, ‘We will surely perform our vows which we have vowed, to burn incense to the Queen of Heaven, and to pour out drink-offerings to her.' Establish then your vows, and perform your vows.”
Jeremiah points out concerning their idolatry that they have both declared it openly with their mouths and by their actions have actually brought it about. And it applies both to them and their wives. None were innocent. They had said that they would assuredly fulfil the vows that they had made to burn incense to ‘meleketh hashamayim', and that is what they had done. And they had also offered drink offerings to her. Note the stress on the vows that they had made. They had entered into specific covenant with her, ignoring their covenant with YHWH. As we have seen earlier reference to meleketh hashamayim is found only in this passage and in Jeremiah 7:18. It is often equated with malkath hashamayim (‘the queen of Heaven', the moon) but it may rather signify ‘the heavenly handiwork (mele'keth hashamayim)' i.e. the stars. These were worshipped in different guises all over the Ancient Near East. Either way false gods were being worshipped alongside YHWH, something later confirmed by the Elephantine papyri where YHWH was being worshipped alongside Anath-bethel and Ishum-bethel, Anath being the mother goddess, thus being very similar to the false worship here and in Jerusalem (Jeremiah 7:18).
“Establish then your vows, and perform your vows.” The command is full of significant sarcasm. It contains a veiled warning of what will happen if they do so. It is a warning that they are heading straight into trouble. In other words God is saying, ‘OK, do what you intend, but recognise at the same time how awful the consequences will be for you'. Note the emphasis both on their making their covenant with the false goddess (‘establish your vows') and their carrying it into practise (‘perform your vows'), when they should have been doing both to YHWH.
“Therefore hear you the word of YHWH, all Judah who dwell in the land of Egypt: Behold, I have sworn by my great name, says YHWH, that my name will no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, ‘As the Lord YHWH lives.' ”
Of course by their behaviour they were rejecting the Name of YHWH, for they were doing precisely what He had forbidden. Well they were making their vows, and now let them take note of the fact that He is making His vow. For He has sworn by His great Name, the Name that by their actions they have blasphemed, that His Name will be taken from among them. They will no more name His Name, nor will they say, ‘as the Lord YHWH lives'. And this will be because they are dead.
The point behind this is that to name the Name of YHWH puts men under special obligation to observe His covenant. Whilst they would no doubt have argued that they still held to the covenant and worshipped YHWH among other gods, YHWH was pointing out the impossibility of sustaining that position. To follow His covenant would necessarily have resulted in a rejecting of all other gods. Thus by their very compromise they were bringing on themselves YHWH's judgment because of their hypocrisy. For YHWH would not allow such hypocrisy to continue where it involved His holy Name. They were either His or they were not. By His very nature they could not be ‘partly His'. The very point of saying that ‘the Lord YHWH lives' was in order to bring out that He is the living God. It should therefore have made them recognise that He would brook no compromise, and therefore that as the living God He would act in judgment against them.
“Behold, I watch over them for evil, and not for good, and all the men of Judah who are in the land of Egypt will be consumed by the sword and by the famine, until there be an end of them.”
So, yes, He would continue to watch over them. But it would be for evil and not for good. He would bring on them what by their actions and words they were bringing on themselves. He would demonstrate that He was the living God. For He would arrange for all the Jews in Egypt (with a few exceptions) to be consumed either by war or by starvation, something that would go on until a complete end had been made of them. Both of these were the constant fear of men in ancient times. And they would occur because YHWH was no longer protecting them. He would leave them to the consequences of history.
“And those who escape the sword will return out of the land of Egypt into the land of Judah, few in number, and all the remnant of Judah, who are gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, will know whose word will stand, mine, or theirs.”
But even in this there was a saving purpose. For the aim was that the remnant who did escape would in the future be able to bear witness to the truth of what YHWH had said and done, and would be able to verify the fact that His word stood firm. So we note again that there will be a remnant who will escape in order to carry God's promises forward. God does not leave Himself without a witness. We can compare YHWH's words to Elijah about the ‘seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal',
“And this will be the sign to you, the word of YHWH, that I will punish you in this place, that you may know that my words will surely stand against you for evil.”
YHWH then gives them a sign in terms of a future occurrence. His very declaration of the certainty of what is to happen in the future is to be seen as a sign. We can compare Exodus 3:12 and Isaiah 7:14 in both of which God gave signs in terms of what would happen in the future. Thus here YHWH's words of what would happen were themselves to be seen as the sign. And it was a sign of the certainty of their future punishment and a guarantee that His words would bring about evil on them. His very words, which had in the past done Israel so much good, would now ‘stand against them for evil'.
“Thus says YHWH, Behold, I will give Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt into the hand of his enemies, and into the hand of those who seek his life, as I gave Zedekiah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, who was his enemy, and sought his life.”
For the sign that He was giving was the guarantee of the downfall of the king of Egypt in whom they were trusting. The great Pharaoh must have seemed to them like a mighty bulwark. He was the guarantee of their security in Egypt. But let them now note the fact that YHWH was guaranteeing his sure end. On the word of YHWH Pharaoh Hofra would be given into the hands of those who sought his life. Thus He would prove not to be so invincible after all. And YHWH's very declaration of the fact was a sign both that it would happen, and that Judah in Egypt were similarly doomed. Whilst in normal circumstances what someone says will happen cannot be seen as a sign, it was different in the case of YHWH. For His very saying it was a guarantee that it would happen.
Pharaoh Hofra (or Apries) ruled over Egypt from 589-570 BC. It was he who promised aid to King Zedekiah against the Babylonians but who, in spite of attempting to provide such aid, was unable to deliver on his promises, his army being thwarted and turned back by the Babylonians (Jeremiah 37:5). Whether an actual battle took place we do not know. In 570 BC part of his army rebelled against him as a result of a disastrous campaign in Libya and for three years he had to be satisfied with ruling Egypt jointly alongside Pharaoh Amosis (Amahsis). At the end of the three years he was overthrown by Amosis and executed, and thus ‘given into the hands of his enemies who sought his life'. It was during the latter's reign (in 568/7 BC) that Nebuchadrezzar invaded Egypt, probably on a reprisal raid. This is confirmed in a fragmentary Babylonian text. Egypt did, however, retain its independence and Amosis and Nebuchadrezzar would later establish a treaty relationship.
Reference to what happened to Zedekiah at the hands of Nebuchadrezzar is intended to bring out that it was YHWH who brought about the end of both Hophra and Zedekiah. The destinies of both were under His control. It may also indicate that Hophra had similarly offended YHWH, and was therefore dealt with in a similar way. But we are given no detail. There is no suggestion that Hophra himself directly suffered at the hands of Nebuchadrezzar. The emphasis is on the fact that he would not die peacefully. It is interesting that Hophra had once declared, ‘not even a god can remove me from my throne'.