Jeremiah 44 28

Jeremiah 44:28 kjv

Yet a small number that escape the sword shall return out of the land of Egypt into the land of Judah, and all the remnant of Judah, that are gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall know whose words shall stand, mine, or their's.

Jeremiah 44:28 nkjv

Yet a small number who escape the sword shall return from the land of Egypt to the land of Judah; and all the remnant of Judah, who have gone to the land of Egypt to dwell there, shall know whose words will stand, Mine or theirs.

Jeremiah 44:28 niv

Those who escape the sword and return to the land of Judah from Egypt will be very few. Then the whole remnant of Judah who came to live in Egypt will know whose word will stand?mine or theirs.

Jeremiah 44:28 esv

And those who escape the sword shall return from the land of Egypt to the land of Judah, few in number; and all the remnant of Judah, who came to the land of Egypt to live, shall know whose word will stand, mine or theirs.

Jeremiah 44:28 nlt

Only a small number will escape death and return to Judah from Egypt. Then all those who came to Egypt will find out whose words are true ? mine or theirs!

Jeremiah 44 verses

Jeremiah 44 28 Meaning

Jeremiah 44:28 declares that only a very small fraction of the Judeans who defiantly fled to Egypt, escaping war, would survive the imminent divine judgment in that land and eventually return to Judah. The ultimate purpose of this drastic outcome is to demonstrate, through experiential understanding, that God's spoken word—delivered through His prophet Jeremiah—alone stands true and is fulfilled, rather than the false assurances or beliefs of those who clung to idolatry.

Jeremiah 44 28 Context

Jeremiah chapter 44 is set after the final destruction of Jerusalem (586 BC) and the assassination of Gedaliah, the governor appointed by Babylon. In defiance of God's direct command delivered through Jeremiah (Jer 42), the remaining Judeans fled to Egypt, seeking refuge in a land long associated with both bondage and false gods. This flight to Egypt represented a profound rejection of divine sovereignty and a preference for human strategies and idolatrous security. In Egypt, they doubled down on their idolatry, especially the worship of the "Queen of Heaven," explicitly stating they believed it brought them prosperity. Jeremiah's message in chapter 44 is a severe and conclusive pronouncement of God's unwavering judgment against their persistent rebellion and idolatry in Egypt, with almost all of them facing destruction by sword, famine, and pestilence right there in Egypt. Verse 28 serves as the climactic and emphatic confirmation of the veracity of Jeremiah's divine prophecies, stating that only a minuscule number will survive, specifically to witness the fulfillment of God's word concerning them versus their own deluded assertions.

Jeremiah 44 28 Word Analysis

• Yet a small number (עָשֵׂשׁ אִישׁ / 'ash-esh ish):

  • 'ash-esh: "a few," "a very little," "extremely small." Not just a 'remnant' (שְׁאָר / she'ar), but a highly restricted, minuscule number.
  • Significance: This emphasizes the severity of the coming judgment. The divine election of a "remnant" (a recurring biblical theme of grace and preservation amidst judgment) is here narrowed to its absolute minimum, highlighting that their escape is a rare, sovereign act for a specific purpose, not a general deliverance.
  • This counters the common assumption that all those who fled might be safe, reiterating God's inescapable reach even in "refuge."

• that escape the sword (חֶרֶב / cherev):

  • cherev: sword, representing divine judgment through warfare, invasion, or direct divine retribution.
  • Significance: The means of destruction is clearly stated. The sword symbolizes the destructive force God will bring upon them, contradicting their hope of security in Egypt. Their attempt to escape one sword (Babylonian) only leads them to encounter God's sword in Egypt.

• shall return out of the land of Egypt (מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם / me'eretz mitsrayim):

  • Mitsrayim (Egypt): The land they defied God to flee to for safety. It represents human reliance, pagan influence, and a turning away from the Promised Land.
  • Significance: Their return to Judah is not a mass exodus but a meager trickle, underscoring the completeness of the judgment. It reverses the first Exodus where God led His people out of Egypt to freedom; here, a few escape a different kind of bondage in Egypt.

• into the land of Judah (אֶרֶץ יְהוּדָה / eretz Yehudah):

  • Yehudah (Judah): The promised covenant land, where God's name dwelled. Even after desolation, it remains the appointed place.
  • Significance: The physical destination emphasizes that God's covenant with the land and the fulfillment of His promises (even severe ones) will manifest there. It is a place of vindication for God's word.

• and all the remnant of Judah (כָּל שְׁאֵרִית יְהוּדָה / kol she'eriyth Yehudah):

  • she'eriyth: the remainder, that which is left. This refers to the Judeans who were left after the Babylonian deportations and then fled to Egypt.
  • Significance: It clearly identifies the defiant group as those who were "left" in the land after the initial captivities, emphasizing their continuous rebellion against God's direct command to stay in Judah (Jer 42:10). This "remnant" here is distinct from the often-blessed remnant of hope in other prophecies; these are disobedient.

• that are gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn there (בָּאִים אַרְצָה מִצְרַיִם לָגוּר שָׁם / ba'iym 'artza Mitsrayim lagur sham):

  • lagur: "to sojourn," "to dwell as a foreigner." They intended a long-term, comfortable settlement in Egypt, defying the prophetic word.
  • Significance: This highlights their rebellious act of abandoning their homeland and God's promised care in favor of perceived human safety in a foreign, pagan land. Their "sojourning" becomes a place of their downfall, fulfilling divine warnings.

• shall know whose words shall stand (יֵדְעוּ דְּבַר מִי יָקוּם / yed'u debar mi yaqum):

  • yed'u: "they shall know" (experiential knowledge, proof, acknowledgment).
  • debar: word, utterance, message.
  • yaqum: "shall stand," "be established," "endure," "be fulfilled."
  • Significance: This is the core theological statement. The survival of a minute remnant serves as irrefutable proof, by their own direct experience, of the absolute truth and effective power of God's prophetic declarations. Their "knowing" is not intellectual assent, but the grim realization born of devastating fulfillment.

• mine, or theirs (מִמֶּנִּי אוֹ מֵהֶם / mimeni o mehem):

  • "Mine" refers to the word of YHWH, spoken through Jeremiah (e.g., Jer 42:15-22, 44:11-14).
  • "Theirs" refers to the defiant, idolatrous Judeans' words and beliefs—their assertions that serving the Queen of Heaven brought them prosperity and that going to Egypt would save them (Jer 44:17-19). It could also refer to false prophets or their own deceived hearts.
  • Significance: This direct antithesis establishes a stark divine trial. God places His unfailing word in direct opposition to human arrogance and pagan delusion, using the devastating outcome as a definitive vindication of His ultimate authority. It's a polemic against all rival claims of truth and power.

Jeremiah 44 28 Bonus Section

• The Reversal of Exodus: The act of fleeing to Egypt represented a reversal of the foundational Exodus experience. Instead of being delivered out of Egypt to the Promised Land by God's mighty hand, this group defiantly fled into Egypt to escape God's judgment in Judah, only to face an even more complete and inescapable judgment in Egypt itself. This perverse reversal highlighted their rejection of God's covenantal care.
• Prophetic Vindicator: This verse is a powerful assertion of the nature of true prophecy and the God who stands behind it. It turns the very act of judgment into a vindication of Jeremiah's legitimacy as a prophet and, more importantly, YHWH's absolute truthfulness and power over all human assertions and false gods.
• A "Remnant of Judgment": While the concept of a "remnant" in the Bible often carries a connotation of hope and ultimate restoration for those preserved by grace (e.g., Isa 10:21), in Jer 44:28, the "small number" or "remnant" are primarily those spared to be witnesses to judgment, ensuring the demonstration of God's word rather than for a large-scale return and restoration for themselves.

Jeremiah 44 28 Commentary

Jeremiah 44:28 stands as a climactic declaration of God's sovereign authority and the ineluctable fulfillment of His prophetic word, delivered against a stubbornly rebellious people. After generations of warnings and multiple phases of judgment, this verse specifically addresses the remnant of Judah who defiantly fled to Egypt, intensifying their idolatry even there. God promises widespread destruction upon them in Egypt, with only a remarkably tiny fraction surviving and returning to Judah. This minimal escape is not a sign of widespread grace for them, but a means for God to definitively demonstrate that His words, spoken through Jeremiah concerning their destruction in Egypt, will be fulfilled, while their claims of prosperity from idol worship, and their hopes for safety in Egypt, would utterly fail. The survival of this few serves as undeniable proof, an experiential "knowing," that YHWH alone is God whose word stands eternal and effective, contrasting sharply with the deceit and futility of idol worship. It underscores the severity of rejecting divine truth and highlights the absolute certainty of divine judgment when His patience is exhausted.