John Calvin Commentary Jeremiah 46:23

"They shall cut down her forest, saith Jehovah, though it cannot be searched; because they are more than the locusts, and are innumerable." — Jeremiah 46:23 (ASV)

He continues here with the same subject. He indeed uses the past tense, but we know that this was commonly done by the Prophets. He compares the people of Egypt to a forest, as he had previously said that individual men would be like trees: They have then cut down, that is, they shall cut down its forest, says Jehovah.

For the sake of confirmation, he ascribes these words to God, as if to say that he predicted nothing but what God had determined to do. His purpose then was to remove every doubt. This was because the Jews, on the one hand, might have refused to believe this prophecy when considering the power of Egypt; and the Egyptians, on the other, might have disregarded these threats, trusting in their own strength. Therefore, the Prophet introduces God as the speaker, as if to say, “This decree cannot be revoked, because God has spoken.”

And he says that they had multiplied more than locusts, so there could be no number. I have omitted one previous sentence: It shall not be searched. Since the particle כי, ki, is read twice, some think that both clauses refer to the Chaldeans. Others read, “It shall not be numbered.” However, the verb חקר, chekor, properly means to inquire or to investigate, and the sentence may be suitably rendered this way: “That the forest may not be investigated.” Yet another meaning has been more approved: that the Chaldeans shall not be numbered.

If this view is accepted, there is a Change of number, for it immediately follows, “They shall multiply,” רבו, rebu; and then, there shall not be a number to them, להם , laem.

But what I stated in the first place, as it seems to me, fits the passage well: that is, that there would be no investigation of the forest of Egypt (meaning, of the people). For when a forest is cut down, it appears as a naked plain, nor can the place of any tree be pointed out.

Regarding the general meaning, there is not much difference. The Prophet, in short, means that the slaughter of which he prophesies would be so great that Egypt would be reduced to a wasteland, because the Chaldeans would come with a numerous army. And he presents this number in opposition to the Egyptian forces, so that they would know that their enemies would be far superior to them.