John Calvin Commentary Jeremiah 46:19

"O thou daughter that dwellest in Egypt, furnish thyself to go into captivity; for Memphis shall become a desolation, and shall be burnt up, without inhabitant." — Jeremiah 46:19 (ASV)

The Prophet exults over the Egyptians, so that he might further confirm his doctrine; for we have said, and experience teaches the same, that the unbelieving are little moved when God summons them to His tribunal and shows evidence of His vengeance; for they remain unresponsive, unless their lethargy is forcibly shaken from them. This is the reason why the Prophet sharply assails the wicked, so that they might awake from their slumber.

Therefore, he says, Take to you the furniture of transmigration, that is, prepare for yourself garments and other things for moving. The Egyptians, having a fruitful land, remained quietly in their own country and led, as it were, a sedentary life. Now the Prophet indicates that they were to move elsewhere, and he tells them to prepare for a long journey or a long period of travel: Make for yourself, then, furniture for transmigration; for Memphis shall be reduced to solitude, and laid waste without an inhabitant.

He mentions Memphis again, which, as we have said, was a very renowned city and a royal residence. He says that it would be laid waste, and yet we know that the Pyramids there were considered among the wonders of the world. The city was populous and had many advantages. The Prophet dooms it to desolation. If, then, such solitude awaited the most renowned city, what was to become of the smaller towns? What was to become of the villages? We now see, then, what the Prophet's purpose was: namely, to show that when Nebuchadnezzar invaded Egypt, all things would be under his power, so that he would, as he pleased, seize, plunder, and lay waste the whole land.