John Calvin Commentary Jeremiah 46:1-2

"The word of Jehovah which came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations. Of Egypt: concerning the army of Pharaoh-neco king of Egypt, which was by the river Euphrates in Carchemish, which Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon smote in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah." — Jeremiah 46:1-2 (ASV)

Jeremiah begins here to prophesy against foreign nations and continues to do so until the second to last chapter. This is not to say that he then began for the first time to announce these oracles; rather, as I have already said, a volume was eventually formed that included his prophecies, where the chronological order was not always observed.

For we see in chapter 25 that he threatened pagan nations with the punishments they had deserved before Jehoiakim was made king. But as I have said, the prophecies concerning pagan nations have been separated, although, in terms of timing, Jeremiah had predicted what would later happen.

He then says that he had prophesied of the destruction of the Egyptian army which King Nebuchadnezzar overthrew in the fourth year of Jehoiakim. Jeremiah had therefore foretold before this time what was to happen.

It might have been that Jeremiah predicted what would take place before Pharaoh-necho prepared his army; but it is probable that this prophecy was announced at the time when Pharaoh-necho went out against the Chaldeans, for he was then fighting for the Assyrians.

Since they were not equal to the Chaldeans, they made a treaty with the Egyptians. They had then come for a subsidy to drive away the Babylonians and thus to defend the Assyrians against their forces. But at first the expedition was successful; yet in the end, what the Prophet had predicted was fulfilled.

It is not known whether or not the purpose of this prophecy was to alleviate the sorrow of the people; and yet I am inclined to accept what most interpreters have held: that since the people were in the greatest trouble at that time, this prophecy was given so that the faithful might know that God had not stopped caring for His people.

But we must especially pay attention to the historical truth, for when Pharaoh-necho was persuaded, as has been said, by the Assyrians to lead his army to the Euphrates, the pious King Josiah met him. Josiah was then an ally of the Babylonians, because there had been friendly relations between the Chaldeans and the Jews since the reign of Hezekiah.

Since Josiah wished to render service to a king who was his friend, he opposed Pharaoh's army; but he was defeated and killed. Now, Pharaoh's expedition was fortunate and successful for a time, but when he began to boast of victory, he was suddenly brought down. For King Nebuchadnezzar not only curbed his boldness but, after routing his army, forced him to return to Egypt and occupied the whole country from the Euphrates to Palusium.

That country had not yet been exposed to those continual changes which later happened; that is, when those robbers who had succeeded Alexander the Great boasted that they were the kings of kings, and when everyone strove to draw all things to himself. For thus it happened that sometimes Egyptian kings, and at other times Asiatic kings, often shook that land as much as they could.

This had not yet happened when Jeremiah prophesied, nor had Alexander yet been born, but it still appears that these regions were even then subject to changes, so that there was nothing settled or permanent connected with them.

We must therefore bear in mind that the outcomes of wars were uncertain, so that, at one time, the Egyptians forcibly seized a portion of Asia, and at another time the Assyrians diminished their power, and then again the Chaldeans. Pharaoh-necho was then so repulsed that he never dared to come out again, as sacred history testifies (2 Kings 24:7).

Let us now come to the Prophecy of Jeremiah. He says that he prophesied against the army of Pharaoh-necho, when it was at Euphrates; that is, when he fought there and thought he would be a conqueror, as he had desolated a hostile land far and wide and brought many cities under his authority.

Therefore, when he had met with great successes, Jeremiah was then commanded to prophesy against his army, so that the Jews might know that the death of pious Josiah would not go unpunished. God had purposed to destroy that great army by which Josiah had been killed, and so to break down and lay prostrate the power of Egypt, such that King Pharaoh would thereafter remain as if shut up in prison, as indeed later happened.

The rest tomorrow.

Prayer:

Grant, Almighty God, that since you have been pleased to call us to the spiritual warfare, we may never be wearied; and, as our weakness is so great that we are unequal to our conflicts, grant that, being supported by the power of your Spirit, we may persevere in the course of your holy calling, and never be broken down by anything that may happen to us, but learn so to break through all dangers as to commit our life into your hands, and in the meantime be prepared to live or to die, until you gather us into that blessed rest which is laid up for us in heaven, through Christ our Lord. — Amen.