Jeremiah
Chapter 44
Last Oracles
A word from the Lord came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews living in Egypt, especially in the cities of Migdol, Tahpanhes, and Memphis, as well as in the territory of Upper Egypt:
“You have seen all the disaster that I brought on Jerusalem and the towns of Judah.
These are no more than ruins without inhabitants because of the evil they have done. They have provoked my anger by offering incense to foreign gods that neither they nor their ancestors knew.
I sent my servants, the prophets, time and time again, to tell them: ‘Do not do this abominable thing that I detest!’
But they did not listen or pay attention; they did not turn away from their evil ways or give up worshiping strange gods.
Then the fury of my anger was loosed and blazed in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem, making them the desolate ruins they are today.
And now the Lord, the God of Hosts and the God of Israel, asks you: Why do you bring such significant harm on yourselves? Because of your deeds, every man, woman, child, and infant will be taken from Judah; and you will be left without a remnant.
Why do you provoke my anger with the work of your hands? Why do you worship foreign gods in Egypt, where you came to live? Surely you will decrease in number and become a curse and an object of reproach among all the nations?
Have you forgotten the wickedness of your ancestors, the misdeeds of the kings of Judah and their princes, and the evil conduct of your wives in the land of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem?
So far, they have shown no remorse and have not obeyed my law and the decrees I have given you and your ancestors.
Because of this, the Lord God of Hosts and God of Israel warns you: “I am turning my face away from you to bring disaster on you and to completely destroy Judah.
The remnant of Judah, who chose to go to Egypt and live there, will all perish. The sword and famine will destroy them and make them objects of horror, curses, condemnation, and reproach.
I will punish those in Egypt as I punished Jerusalem— with the sword, famine, and pestilence.
None of the remnant of Judah that came to Egypt will escape or flee and return to Judah, where you long to go and live.”
Then all the men who knew their wives were offering incense to foreign gods, along with all the women, gathered in a large assembly and responded to Jeremiah loudly.
“As for what you say in the name of the Lord, we will not listen;
we want to do everything we previously declared: burn incense to the queen of heaven and pour out wine to her, just as we did —ourselves, our fathers, our kings, and our princes— in the towns of Judah ‘ and the streets of Jerusalem. Then, we had enough bread, were prosperous, and free from trouble.
But since we stopped burning incense to the queen of heaven, we have lacked everything and have died by the sword and famine.”
The women added; “When we offered incense and poured libations to the queen of heaven, didn’t our husbands know that we made sacrificial cakes decorated with her image?”
Jeremiah then addressed all the people, men and women, who had told him this:
“Is it not better that the Lord remembers the incense you burned in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, you, your fathers, your kings, princes, and all the people? Do you think it slipped His memory?
The Lord could no longer endure the sight of your evil and horrible deeds. That is why your land has become the desolate wasteland it is today!
All the suffering you’re experiencing now has happened because you burned incense and sinned against the Lord by not obeying Him or following His law, instructions, and commands.”
Jeremiah then addressed all the people, especially the women: “Listen to the Lord’s message:
This is what the Lord, the God of Hosts and the God of Israel says: You and your wives think that what you say with your lips becomes an obligation you must fulfill. You say: ‘We are bound to keep our vows to burn incense and pour out wine to the queen of heaven.’ Go ahead! Fulfill your vows and do what you promised!
Nevertheless, listen, all you Jews living in Egypt, heed what the Lord says to you: By my own great name I swear—declares the Lord—that throughout Egypt, no one from Judah will invoke my name; no one will remain to say: ‘As the Lord God lives.’
I am watching over them, but not for their benefit. All the people of Judah in Egypt will perish by the sword and famine until they are wiped out.
Only a few will escape the sword and return from Egypt to Judah, and the survivors who came to settle in Egypt will understand whose word comes true—yours or mine!
And this is the sign that I will punish you in this place, says the Lord, so that you may know that my threatening words to you will be fulfilled:
I will hand over Pharaoh Hophra, king of Egypt, to his enemies who want to kill him, just as I let Zedekiah, king of Judah, be captured by his adversary, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, who was determined to kill him.
Commentaries
Last Oracles.
Jeremiah reminds his countrymen who have taken refuge in Egypt that their predicament and that of all Judah were due to their unfaithfulness to the Lord. He warns them that if they persist in their idolatrous worship in Egypt, they will face destruction.
In verse 17, the “queen of heaven” (see 7:18) is mentioned again, an ancient goddess also known as the mother goddess, linked to sexuality and fertility. In Mesopotamia, she was known as Ishtar, and in Canaan, she was referred to as Astarte. People worshiped her in ways especially popular among women, such as making flour cakes to symbolize the deity in her naked form. In verse 19, the women respond to Jeremiah’s accusations. They argue that they have done nothing hidden from their husbands, so they too should not be judged.