Jeremiah 46:3

The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible

Contextual Overview

¹This is the word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations. ²To Egypt, concerning the army of Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt, which was defeated at Carchemish on the Euphrates River by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah: ³"Deploy your shields, small and large, and advance for battle!⁴Harness the horses; mount the steeds; take your positions with helmets on! Polish your spears; put on armor! ⁵Why am I seeing this? They are terrified, they are retreating, their warriors are defeated, they flee in haste, they never look back, terror is on every side! declares the LORD. ⁶The swift cannot flee, and the warrior cannot escape! In the north by the River Euphrates they stumble and fall. ⁷Who is this, rising like the Nile, like rivers whose waters churn? ⁸Egypt rises like the Nile, and its waters churn like rivers, boasting, "I will rise and cover the earth; I will destroy the cities and their people." ⁹Advance, O horses! Race furiously, O chariots! Let the warriors come forth-Cush and Put carrying their shields, men of Lydia drawing the bow. ¹⁰That day belongs to the Lord, the GOD of Hosts, a day of vengeance to avenge Himself against His foes. The sword will devour until it is satisfied, until it is quenched with their blood. For it will be a sacrifice to the Lord, the GOD of Hosts, in the land of the north by the River Euphrates.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

This is a poetical and ironical call to the Egyptians to muster their forces; and implies that all their courage and efforts would be vain. Jeremiah 51:11, Jeremiah 51:12, Isaiah 8:9, Isaiah 8:10, Isaiah 21:5, Joel 3:9, Nahum 2:1, Nahum 3:14

Reciprocal: Jeremiah 46:14 - Stand Ezekiel 38:7 - General

Cross-References

Genesis 12:2
I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.

Genesis 15:1
After these events, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward."

Genesis 15:13
Then the LORD said to Abram, "Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not their own; they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years.

Genesis 18:18
Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and through him all the nations of the earth will be blessed.

Genesis 22:17
I will surely bless you, and I will multiply your descendants like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will possess the gates of their enemies.

Genesis 35:11
And God told him, "I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation-even a company of nations-shall come from you, and kings shall descend from you.

Genesis 46:1
So Israel set out with all that he had, and when he came to Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.

Genesis 46:2
And that night God spoke to Israel in a vision: "Jacob, Jacob!" He said. "Here I am," replied Jacob.

Genesis 46:3
"I am God," He said, "the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there.

Genesis 46:7
He took with him to Egypt his sons and grandsons, and his daughters and granddaughters-all his offspring.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Order ye the buckler and shield,.... Both signify one and the same sort of armour, only of a different form, the one being lesser and lighter than the other. Jarchi makes the difference to be, that the former was made of skin, the latter of wood; they were both used to defend the body in war. To order them is not only to prepare them, and get them ready; but to fit them to the body, and to put them on, that they might be in a readiness to engage in battle. The exhortation is made either to the Chaldean army, to prepare to fight against the Egyptians; or to the army of Pharaohnecho, to defend themselves against the king of Babylon, who was coming against them, as Kimchi and Abarbinel, who seem to be in doubt which it should be; but the latter is most probable: and it is either a direction of Pharaoh to his army, to be in readiness; or rather of God, speaking ironically to them, suggesting, that let them do what they would, and make ever such preparations for battle, all would come to nothing, victory would be on the other side;

and draw near to battle; engage the enemy briskly, and with the greatest courage, and use all your military skill; and, when ye have done, it will all be in vain.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Order ye ... - “i. e., prepare ye, make ready.” The buckler was a small round target carried by the lightly-armed troops: the shield belonged to the heavily-armed troops, and was large enough to protect the whole body.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Jeremiah 46:3. Order ye the buckler — This is the call to the general armament of the people against the Chaldeans.