Jeremiah 43:13

The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible

Contextual Overview

⁸Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah at Tahpanhes: ⁹"In the sight of the Jews, pick up some large stones and bury them in the clay of the brick pavement at the entrance to Pharaoh's palace at Tahpanhes. ¹⁰Then say to them, 'This is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: I will send for My servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and I will set his throne over these stones that I have embedded, and he will spread his royal pavilion over them. ¹¹He will come and strike down the land of Egypt, bringing death to those destined for death, captivity to those destined for captivity, and the sword to those destined for the sword. ¹²I will kindle a fire in the temples of the gods of Egypt, and he will burn those temples and take their gods as captives. So he will wrap himself with the land of Egypt as a shepherd wraps himself in his garment, and he will depart from there unscathed. ¹³He will demolish the sacred pillars of the temple of the sun in Egypt, and he will burn down the temples of the gods of Egypt."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

images: Heb. statues, or standing images

Bethshemesh: or, the house of the sun. Isaiah 19:18, *marg.

and the: Jeremiah 43:12

Reciprocal: Exodus 12:12 - against 1 Chronicles 6:59 - Bethshemesh Isaiah 46:2 - but Jeremiah 46:25 - with their Jeremiah 50:2 - her idols Jeremiah 51:18 - in the Ezekiel 6:4 - images Ezekiel 30:13 - I will also Daniel 11:8 - their gods Hosea 8:6 - the calf Hosea 10:2 - break down Hosea 10:6 - carried

Cross-References

Genesis 42:38
But Jacob replied, "My son will not go down there with you, for his brother is dead, and he alone is left. If any harm comes to him on your journey, you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

He shall break also the images of Bethshemesh, that [is] in the land of Egypt,.... Or, "of Heliopolis", as the Septuagint; the "city of the sun"; and so "Bethshemesh" here signifies the "house of the sun"; either it designs the temple of the sun, or the city where it was worshipped; as Heliopolis was famous for the worship of the sun, and for a magnificent temple in it, built for that purpose, and where abundance of persons resorted on that account, as Herodotus l observes; here were many images of the sun; and these now should be broke to pieces, when this city should become the city of destruction, as is foretold it should by Isaiah, Isaiah 19:18; where the Targum expressly calls it the city Bethshemesh, that is to be destroyed;

Isaiah 19:18- :. This is the same city that was formerly called On, and had a priest in Joseph's time, Genesis 41:45;

and the houses of the gods of the Egyptians shall he burn with fire; which is repeated, that it might be taken notice of, and for the confirmation of it; though the words may be rendered, so as to remove the tautology, "and with the houses of the gods of the Egyptians shall he burn [it] with fire" m; that is, Bethshemesh, or "the house of the sun", that shall not escape, being a principal temple. The gods they worshipped were Mnevis and Apis, which were oxen consecrated to the sun and moon n. So says Porphyry o, speaking of the Egyptians,

"they consecrate oxen to the sun and moon: that which is sacred to the sun at Heliopolis is called Mnevis, and is the greatest of them: it is very black, because much sun makes human bodies black; and the hairs of its tail, and of its whole body, contrary to other oxen, turn upwards, as the sun makes its course contrary to the pole; its testicles are the largest, because by the heat of the sun venereal desires are excited; hence the sun is said to make nature fruitful. To the moon they dedicate Taurus (or the bull), which they call Apis, and is blacker than others, bearing the signs of the sun and moon, because the light of the moon is from the sun; and the sign of the sun is the blackness of its body, and also the beetle that is under its tongue;''

and these were the images and gods of Bethshemesh or Heliopolis, that were to be destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar. Of his expedition into Egypt, whereby this prophecy was fulfilled, not only Josephus makes mention, but some Heathen writers gave plain hints of it. The Jewish historian says p, that Nebuchadnezzar, five years after the destruction of Jerusalem, led his army into Coelesyria, and took it; and made war with the Ammonites and Moabites; and, having subdued these nations, made a push into Egypt, in order to destroy that, and slew the king of it: and Berosus says q, that

"Nebuchadnezzar having settled his affairs in Egypt, and other countries; and having committed to his friends the captives of the Jews, Phoenicians, Syrians, and the nations about Egypt, went to Babylon:''

and Megasthenes r relates, that

"he conquered the greatest part of Lybia (or Africa) and Iberia;''

or, as it is elsewhere s expressed,

"he led his army into Lybia and Iberia; and, having subdued these, carried colonies of them to the right of Pontus.''

l Euterpe, sive l. 2. c. 59. m So Schmidt. n Vid. Aelian. de Animal. l. 11. c. 11. o Apud Euseb. Praepar. Evangel. l. 3. c. 13. p. 117. p Joseph. Antiqu. l. 10. c. 9. sect. 7. q Apud Josph. Antiqu. ib. c. 11. sect 1. & contra Apion. l. 1. sect. 19. & Euseb. Praepar. Evangel. l. 9. c. 40. p. 455. r Apud Joseph. Antiqu. ib. & contra Apion. l. 1. sect. 20. s Apud Euseb. Praepar. Evangel. l. 9. c. 41. p. 456.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Images - Rather, pillars (compare the Isaiah 19:19 note), obelisks.

Beth-shemesh - Heliopolis, famous for its obelisks.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Jeremiah 43:13. He shall break also the images of Beth-shemesh — בית שמש beith shemesh is, literally, the house or temple of the sun; which was worshipped here, and whose images are said to have been of solid gold. These Nebuchadnezzar was to break and carry away; and the houses of the gods-all the temples of Egypt, he was to burn with fire. Beth-shemesh is the same as Heliopolis.