Jeremiah 43:4 kjv
So 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.
Jeremiah 43:4 nkjv
So Johanan the son of Kareah, all the captains of the forces, and all the people would not obey the voice of the LORD, to remain in the land of Judah.
Jeremiah 43:4 niv
So Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers and all the people disobeyed the LORD's command to stay in the land of Judah.
Jeremiah 43:4 esv
So Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces and all the people did not obey the voice of the LORD, to remain in the land of Judah.
Jeremiah 43:4 nlt
So Johanan and the other military leaders and all the people refused to obey the LORD's command to stay in Judah.
Jeremiah 43 4 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Jeremiah 42:1-2 | "Then all the people, high and low, soldiers and commanders, said to Jeremiah the prophet, “Please hear our plea. We will pray to the Lord your God for all these survivors—what you hear the Lord our God say, tell us and we will do it..." | Petition God |
| Jeremiah 42:5-6 | "...So now say to them, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: This is what you are to tell the people of Judah and Jerusalem: “This is what the Lord says: I was going to bring disaster on you, and I will not now carry it out..." | God's Promise of Rest |
| Jeremiah 42:7-11 | "Ten days later the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah. Then Jeremiah called Johanan son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces with him, and all the people, from the least to the greatest...This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: 'If you stay in this land, I will build you up and not tear you down; I will plant you and not uproot you...'" | Promise of Rebuilding and Protection |
| Jeremiah 42:12-13 | "'...Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, whom you are now afraid of. I am with you to save and rescue you,’ declares the Lord. ‘I will show you mercy, so that he may have mercy on you and restore you to your own land.’” | Deliverance from Babylon |
| Jeremiah 42:14-17 | "But if you say, ‘We will not stay in this land,’ and if you disobey the Lord your God... you will go into Egypt and you will die there...Then all the men who knew that their wives were sacrificing to other gods, and all the women who were standing there, a large assembly, and all the people who were living in Migdol and Tahpanhes and Memphis and the region of Pathros, replied to Jeremiah..." | Consequence of Disobedience |
| Jeremiah 42:19-22 | "...‘The Lord has not sent you,’ they said. ‘The Lord your God has not sent you to say that you must not go and live in Egypt. It is Baruch son of Neriah who is inciting you against us...’ But Jeremiah said to all the people, including the commanders of the troops, ‘It is the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, in whom you have trusted, who has sent me to you. If you attack yourselves to living in Egypt, you will go there and die..." | Prophetic Warning Rejection |
| Jeremiah 43:1-3 | "When Jeremiah had finished telling the people all the words of the Lord their God—all these very words the Lord their God had commanded him to tell them— Azariah son of Hoshaiah and Johanan son of Kareah and all the arrogant men said to Jeremiah, “You are lying! The Lord our God has not sent you to say that we must not go and live in Egypt. It is Baruch son of Neriah who is inciting you against us, to hand us over to the Babylonians, so they may kill us or carry us into exile in Babylon..." | Accusation of Deception |
| Jeremiah 43:5 | "Then Johanan son of Kareah and all the army commanders took all the remnant of Judah who had returned from all the nations where they had been scattered..." | Gathering Remnant |
| Jeremiah 43:6 | "...men, women and children, the king’s daughters and every servant that Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard had left with Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, and also Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch son of Neriah." | People Carried Away |
| Jeremiah 44:15-18 | "Then all the people who knew that their wives were sacrificing to other gods, and all the women who stood there—a great assembly—and all the people living in Pathros—replied to Jeremiah, 'We will not listen to you! We will certainly do whatever we have vowed to do, sacrificing to the Queen of Heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her. Were we not eating the bread our husbands baked when we made her cakes, and were we not pouring out drink offerings to her?'" | Idolatrous Practices |
| Jeremiah 44:24-25 | "Then Jeremiah said to all the people, including the women, “You must listen to the word of the Lord, all you people of Judah who are in Egypt. This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You and your wives have declared with your own mouths and confirmed with your own hands that you will carry out your vows, and you will certainly continue to do so." | Vows and Continuing Sin |
| Jeremiah 44:28 | "'The few who escape the sword in Egypt will be brought back to the land of Judah. Then the remnant of Judah who went to live in Egypt will know whose word stands: mine or theirs.'" | Fulfillment of Judgment |
| Deuteronomy 17:16 | "The Lord must not let the people go back to Egypt or allow them to have many horses, for the Lord has said, ‘You are never to go back that way again.'" | Prohibiting Return to Egypt |
| Ezekiel 29:1-16 | "In the tenth year, in the tenth month on the twelfth day, the word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, set your face against Pharaoh king of Egypt and prophesy against him and against all Egypt. Speak, and say: ‘This is what the Lord God says: “‘I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, you great monster lying among your rivers..." | Judgment on Egypt |
| Acts 7:39-43 | "But our ancestors refused to obey him. Instead, they turned their backs on Moses and longed for Egypt. Then they said to Aaron, “Make us gods to go on ahead of us..." | Israelites' Desire for Egypt |
Jeremiah 43 verses
Jeremiah 43 4 Meaning
The verse describes the prophet Jeremiah and his scribe Baruch, accompanied by the remnant of the Judean people, departing to Egypt. This act signifies their disobedience to God's command, delivered through Jeremiah, to remain in Judah. They claim that by fleeing to Egypt, they are obeying the Lord.
Jeremiah 43 4 Context
Following the destruction of Jerusalem and the murder of Governor Gedaliah, the remaining people of Judah, gripped by fear of Babylonian retribution, seek Jeremiah's guidance. They claim to want to hear God's will (Jer 42:1-6). God, through Jeremiah, instructs them to stay in the land, promising blessings for obedience and severe judgment for disobedience, especially for fleeing to Egypt (Jer 42:7-22). Despite God's clear word and solemn promises, the people, led by Johanan and Azariah, accuse Jeremiah and Baruch of lying. They insist that God's will is for them to go to Egypt and explicitly state their intention to do so, believing it is the best course of action to ensure their safety from the Babylonians. This chapter marks the culmination of their rebellion and the final prophetic pronouncements before they go into exile in Egypt.
Jeremiah 43 4 Word Analysis
- And: (Hebrew: וְ - wə) - A common conjunction linking clauses and ideas, showing continuation and consequence. Here, it links the accusation against Jeremiah to the declaration of their intention to go to Egypt.
- it: (Hebrew: כִּי - kî) - Can mean "because," "for," "that." Here, it functions as a causal or explanatory conjunction.
- is: (Hebrew: כָּל־ – kol implies "all" or "the entirety") - Indicates certainty and totality.
- Baruch: (Hebrew: בָּרוּךְ – Bārūḵ) - Meaning "blessed." Jeremiah's scribe, who recorded the prophecies. The people blame him for instigating Jeremiah.
- son: (Hebrew: בֶּן – ben) - Son of.
- of: (Hebrew: מִן – min) - From.
- Neriah: (Hebrew: נֵרִיָּה – Nēriyāh) - Meaning "Yahweh is my lamp." Baruch's father.
- who: (Hebrew: אֲשֶׁר – ’ăšer) - Relative pronoun introducing a subordinate clause describing Baruch.
- incites: (Hebrew: לְסִית — lᵉsîṯ) - To incite, to persuade, to instigate, to entice, to move. Suggests Baruch is actively encouraging Jeremiah and the people towards a wrong action.
- you: (Hebrew: אֹתָנוּ – ’ōṯānū) - Us.
- against: (Hebrew: עַל – ‘al) - Upon, against, over.
- us: (Hebrew: יָדֵ֧נוּ – yāḏēnū) - Our hand/hands. (This refers to the people of Judah and Jerusalem).
- that: (Hebrew: לְמַ֫עַן – ləma‘an) - In order that, for the purpose of.
- you: (Hebrew: הֱיֹ֥ות — hēyōṯ) - Being.
- hand: (Hebrew: מְסֹר – mᵉsōr) - To deliver up, to hand over, to give.
- us: (Hebrew: אֹתָ֗נוּ – ’ōṯānū) - Us.
- into: (Hebrew: אֶל – ’el) - To, toward.
- Egypt: (Hebrew: מִצְרַ֣יִם – Miṣrayim) - Egypt, a place the Israelites were historically forbidden to return to after the Exodus (Deut 17:16).
- that: (Hebrew: לְמַ֫עַן – ləma‘an) - For the purpose that.
- we: (Hebrew: נָאֹֽוְ – nā’ōwê) - Live.
- might: (Hebrew: וְנֹֽאבֵד — wəno’ḇêḏ) - And perish/be destroyed.
- dwell: (Hebrew: שָׁם – šām) - There.
Word Group Analysis:
- "Baruch son of Neriah": This phrase identifies Baruch, Jeremiah's faithful scribe. The accusation that Baruch is inciting Jeremiah against the people shows their desperate attempt to find a human cause for Jeremiah's (and God's) pronouncements, rather than accepting the divine authority.
- "incites you against us": This expresses their perception of betrayal. They believe Baruch is manipulating Jeremiah to speak against their perceived best interests, aligning with their suspicion of Jeremiah's prophetic messages.
- "hand us over to the Babylonians": This highlights their fear. They interpret remaining in the land, or Jeremiah's warnings, as actions that will inevitably lead to their destruction by the Babylonians, attributing this to Baruch's influence.
- "that we might live there": This phrase reveals their motive for going to Egypt. They believe it's the only way to survive, directly contradicting God's promise of life and blessing in Judah if they stayed.
- "and not perish": A further expression of their goal: to escape the judgment they believe awaits them if they remain in Judah.
Jeremiah 43 4 Bonus Section
The people's defiance in this chapter echoes the ancient Israelites' recurring desire to return to Egypt during their wilderness wanderings after the Exodus (Num 14:1-4; Acts 7:39). This demonstrates a pattern of preferring familiarity and perceived security, even if it meant turning away from God's promises and guidance. The identification of Baruch, Jeremiah's scribe, as the supposed instigator is significant. Baruch was instrumental in preserving Jeremiah's prophecies (Jer 36:1-32). By accusing him, the people are not just attacking Jeremiah but also the very message of God. The chapter continues to show the dire consequences of rejecting God's will, leading to a disastrous migration to Egypt.
Jeremiah 43 4 Commentary
The people, by attributing Jeremiah’s prophecies to Baruch's instigation, reveal a deep-seated rejection of God’s word. They were unwilling to face the consequences of their past sins and preferred a perceived safer haven in Egypt, a land God had explicitly warned against returning to. This highlights the persistent human tendency to trust in their own plans and perceived wisdom over God’s commands, even when faced with divine guidance and promise. Their insistence on living in Egypt "that we might live there and not perish" directly challenges God’s pronouncement in chapter 42 that obedience would lead to life and security in the land, while fleeing to Egypt would lead to death. This verse captures their defiance, fear, and flawed reasoning, setting the stage for further divine judgment.