John Calvin Commentary Jeremiah 44:13

"For I will punish them that dwell in the land of Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence;" — Jeremiah 44:13 (ASV)

He confirms in this verse what He had said in the last: that He would again take vengeance on impiety, as He had done previously. The Jews were previously afflicted by a very grievous calamity when they were intoxicated with prosperity. But now, as God wanted to shake them out of their lethargy, the Prophet justly reminds them of the calamities they had suffered: As, then, I visited Jerusalem, so will I visit those who dwell in Egypt.

The argument also proceeds from the greater to the lesser: if God had not spared the holy city, in which He had chosen a habitation, how could He spare Egypt? For Egypt was not worthy of God’s regard; we know that it was a profane and accursed land.

It was, then, the greatest madness for the Jews to hope to be safe in Egypt when they could not have been safe in the holy land—which was God’s sanctuary, their heritage, and even God’s rest.

We now see the Prophet’s purpose, for he set before them the ruin of the city and of the land of Judah, so that they might know that they could not escape God’s hand while they lived in Egypt contrary to His command. For God would be a more severe judge to them there than He had been previously in the land of Judah.