Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of Jeremiah
Chapter 43: Thou Speakest Falsely
The moment Jeremiah finishes delivering God's clear answer, the remnant reveals what was in their hearts all along. The proud men accuse him to his face: 'Thou speakest falsely: the LORD our God hath not sent thee.' Because the word did not match what they had already decided, they simply declare it a lie, and blame Baruch for putting the prophet up to it. Then they do the very thing God forbade: they go down into Egypt, carrying Jeremiah and Baruch with them against their will. But the word of God is not left behind at the border. In Tahpanhes, at the door of Pharaoh's palace, God has Jeremiah bury great stones as a sign, declaring that Nebuchadnezzar, 'my servant,' will come even there, set his throne on that very spot, and burn the gods of Egypt. There is no refuge from God's word, not even in Egypt.
About This Commentary
This is a verse-by-verse study of Jeremiah chapter 43. For each section you will find the KJV text, the Hebrew words that sharpen the meaning, plain explanation, and a Gospel Focus. Here a people call God's true word a lie and flee to Egypt, only to find that God's word follows them there. Every Scripture quotation is from the King James Version.
Setting the Stage
Thou Speakest Falsely
The proud men brand God's answer a lie because it is not what they had already chosen.
Down to Egypt
They go into forbidden Egypt, dragging Jeremiah and Baruch along against their will.
Stones at Pharaoh's Door
God has Jeremiah bury great stones as a sign of the throne Babylon will set in Egypt.
No Refuge From the Word
Nebuchadnezzar will conquer Egypt and burn its gods; God's word follows even there.
The LORD Hath Not Sent Thee (Jeremiah 43:1-7)
As soon as Jeremiah finishes, the proud men call his message a lie, blame Baruch for it, refuse to obey, and carry the whole remnant, the prophet included, down into Egypt.
They Obeyed Not the Voice of the LORD
"And it came to pass, that when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking unto all the people all the words of the LORD their God, for which the LORD their God had sent him to them, even all these words, Then spake Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the proud men, saying unto Jeremiah, Thou speakest falsely: the LORD our God hath not sent thee to say, Go not into Egypt to sojourn there: But Baruch the son of Neriah setteth thee on against us, for to deliver us into the hand of the Chaldeans, that they might put us to death, and carry us away captives into Babylon. So Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces, and all the people, obeyed not the voice of the LORD, to dwell in the land of Judah. But Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces, took all the remnant of Judah, that were returned from all nations, whither they had been driven, to dwell in the land of Judah; Even men, and women, and children, and the king's daughters, and every person that Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had left with Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Jeremiah the prophet, and Baruch the son of Neriah. So they came into the land of Egypt: for they obeyed not the voice of the LORD: thus came they even to Tahpanhes."
Hebrew Study
"all the proud men," kol ha-anashim ha-zedim (כָּל־הָאֲנָשִׁים הַזֵּדִים). Zed is the insolent, arrogant, presumptuous person. Pride is named as the root of their rebellion. It was not confusion about God's will but arrogance that would not submit to it, and pride always ends by treating God's word as the thing that is wrong.
"Thou speakest falsely," sheqer attah medabber (שֶׁקֶר אַתָּה מְדַבֵּר). They call the true word a lie (sheqer), the very word used of the false prophets' messages (Jeremiah 14:14; 23:25). When men are set on disobedience, they reverse the labels, branding God's truth a lie and their own preferred lie the truth.
Explanation
The answer they had vowed to obey "whether good or evil" (42:6) turns out to be unwelcome, and their true hearts surface at once. "Azariah... Johanan... and all the proud men" accuse Jeremiah: "Thou speakest falsely: the LORD our God hath not sent thee to say, Go not into Egypt." They had asked for God's word; now that it has come and does not suit them, they simply declare it counterfeit. And they invent a conspiracy theory to explain it away: "Baruch the son of Neriah setteth thee on against us," as if Jeremiah's faithful scribe were manipulating the prophet to betray them to Babylon. It is easier to attack the messengers than to obey the message. So "they obeyed not the voice of the LORD," and took the whole remnant, "men, and women, and children, and the king's daughters," down into Egypt, carrying "Jeremiah the prophet, and Baruch the son of Neriah" with them, whether the two men wished to go or not. They arrive at "Tahpanhes," a city in the Egyptian delta. The tragedy is complete: they got exactly the guidance they asked for, rejected it as a lie, and marched straight into the one place God had told them not to go, dragging God's servant along into their disobedience.
Gospel Focus
"Thou speakest falsely." When a heart is set on its own way, it does not merely ignore God's word, it recasts the truth as a lie. This is the final stage of self-will: not honest doubt but the arrogance that calls light darkness and darkness light (Isaiah 5:20). The people wanted a word that agreed with them; when God's word disagreed, they branded it false and blamed a scapegoat. It is a warning to every heart that would rather label the truth "wrong" than repent, "the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears" (2 Timothy 4:3). The surest sign we are drifting is that God's clear word starts to sound like the problem. There is also comfort here for the faithful. Jeremiah and Baruch were dragged into Egypt by the sins of others, carried against their will into the very place they had preached against. Sometimes the obedient suffer the consequences of the disobedient around them, ending up in an "Egypt" they never chose. Yet, as the next verses show, God went with them, and His word kept working even there. When you are swept into hardship by others' choices, you are not outside God's reach or God's use; He is with His servants in Egypt as surely as in the promised land.
Stones at the Door of Pharaoh (Jeremiah 43:8-13)
In Egypt itself God gives Jeremiah a sign: he buries great stones at the entry of Pharaoh's palace, declaring that Nebuchadnezzar will come, set his throne on that very spot, and burn the gods of Egypt.
I Will Send and Take Nebuchadnezzar My Servant
"Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah in Tahpanhes, saying, Take great stones in thine hand, and hide them in the clay in the brickkiln, which is at the entry of Pharaoh's house in Tahpanhes, in the sight of the men of Judah; And say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will send and take Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will set his throne upon these stones that I have hid; and he shall spread his royal pavilion over them. And when he cometh, he shall smite the land of Egypt, and deliver such as are for death to death; and such as are for captivity to captivity; and such as are for the sword to the sword. And I will kindle a fire in the houses of the gods of Egypt; and he shall burn them, and carry them away captives: and he shall array himself with the land of Egypt, as a shepherd putteth on his garment; and he shall go forth from thence in peace. He shall break also the images of Bethshemesh, that is in the land of Egypt; and the houses of the gods of the Egyptians shall he burn with fire."
Hebrew Study
"Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant," avdi (עַבְדִּי). Again God calls the pagan conqueror "my servant" (as in 25:9; 27:6). The empire the remnant fled to Egypt to escape was, all along, a tool in God's hand. There was no running from Babylon by running from God, because Babylon itself served God's purpose.
"as a shepherd putteth on his garment," ka'asher-ya'teh ha-ro'eh (כַּאֲשֶׁר־יַעְטֶה הָרֹעֶה). A vivid image: Nebuchadnezzar would wrap the whole land of Egypt around himself as easily and completely as a shepherd pulls his cloak about him, and then walk away unhurt, "go forth from thence in peace." Mighty Egypt would be no more trouble to conquer than putting on a coat.
Explanation
The remnant thought they had left the word of God behind in Judah, but "the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah in Tahpanhes." God gives him an acted sign: "Take great stones... and hide them in the clay in the brickkiln, which is at the entry of Pharaoh's house... in the sight of the men of Judah." Right at the door of the Egyptian palace where the refugees felt safe, Jeremiah buries stones and declares their meaning: "I will send and take Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will set his throne upon these stones that I have hid." The very Babylon they fled would come to Egypt, and its king would pitch his royal tent on that exact spot. He would "smite the land of Egypt," dealing out death, captivity, and the sword, and would "kindle a fire in the houses of the gods of Egypt", burning the idols the Egyptians trusted, and shattering "the images of Bethshemesh" (the temple of the sun-god at Heliopolis). He would wrap Egypt around himself "as a shepherd putteth on his garment" and leave unharmed. The lesson is inescapable: fleeing God's discipline into Egypt was useless, for God's appointed judgment, and God's word, would find them there. History confirms Nebuchadnezzar did campaign against Egypt; God's word stood.
Gospel Focus
The buried stones preach a truth the whole Bible affirms: there is no refuge from God outside of God. The remnant ran to Egypt for safety, and God announced that Babylon's throne would be planted at the very palace gate they sheltered behind. "Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?" (Psalm 139:7); you cannot outrun the Lord. This is terror to the disobedient and comfort to the faithful, the same omnipresent God who pursues the rebel to Egypt also went with His servant Jeremiah to Egypt. God also aims His judgment at Egypt's idols: "I will kindle a fire in the houses of the gods of Egypt." He is jealous over false gods and will expose every refuge that is not Himself; the idols people trust cannot save them or even save themselves. And notice once more that God calls Nebuchadnezzar "my servant." The Lord rules the nations so completely that even a pagan emperor unknowingly carries out His word, "the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men" (Daniel 4:17). For us the application is clear: do not flee God's dealings into some "Egypt" of your own choosing, thinking distance will make you safe. Safety is never found by running from God, only by running to Him. The word you try to escape will meet you wherever you go, better to bow to it now than to meet it as judgment later.
Chapter 43 in Review
Jeremiah 43 shows a people rejecting the very word they had sworn to obey. The instant God's answer proves unwelcome, "the proud men" call it a lie, "Thou speakest falsely: the LORD our God hath not sent thee", and blame Baruch for putting the prophet up to it. Refusing to obey, they carry the whole remnant, and Jeremiah and Baruch with them, down into forbidden Egypt, to Tahpanhes. But God's word is not left at the border. There, at the entry of Pharaoh's palace, God has Jeremiah bury great stones as a sign that Nebuchadnezzar, "my servant," will come, set his throne on that spot, strike Egypt, and burn its gods. The Egypt they fled to for refuge would become another place of judgment, because there is no hiding from God.
For the Apostolic reader, this chapter carries a double warning and a quiet comfort. The warning: a heart set on its own way will recast God's truth as a lie rather than repent, calling light darkness and blaming the messenger; and no self-chosen "Egypt" can shelter us from the God we are fleeing, for the word we try to escape will find us there. The comfort: the same everywhere-present God who pursues the rebel also goes with His faithful servants into the Egypts they never chose, keeping His word working even in exile. And through it all God reigns over the nations so absolutely that a pagan king is called "my servant." Do not brand the truth false because it crosses your will, and do not run from God for safety. Bow to His word now, and find that the God you cannot escape is the very One who saves.
- Pride is the root that turns disobedience into calling God's word a lie (43:2; Isaiah 5:20).
- When set on their own way, people attack the messenger rather than obey the message (43:3; 2 Timothy 4:3).
- The faithful may be dragged into an "Egypt" by others' sins, yet God goes with them (43:6-7).
- God's word is not left behind; it followed them to Egypt (43:8).
- There is no refuge from God outside of God: "whither shall I flee from thy presence?" (43:10; Psalm 139:7).
- God judges every false refuge and idol, and rules even pagan kings as "my servant" (43:12-13; Daniel 4:17).
Questions for Reflection
- When God's word crosses your will, do you submit, or are you tempted to call it "wrong"?
- Do you blame the messenger, the preacher, the friend, the conviction, rather than obey?
- Is there an "Egypt" you are fleeing to for safety instead of trusting and obeying God?
- How does it comfort you that God goes with His people even into places they never chose?
References & Sources
Scripture is quoted from the King James Version (KJV). The Hebrew terms are standard and can be checked in any Hebrew lexicon. This follows the remnant's insincere inquiry in Jeremiah 42. "The proud men" (verse 2) is zedim, the insolent; "Thou speakest falsely" uses sheqer, the word for the false prophets' lies (Jeremiah 14:14; 23:25). Calling truth a lie inverts Isaiah 5:20; itching-ears rejection is 2 Timothy 4:3. Tahpanhes (verse 7) was a delta city in Egypt. Nebuchadnezzar is again "my servant" (verse 10; compare 25:9; 27:6), a tool in God's hand (Daniel 4:17). "The images of Bethshemesh" (verse 13) are the obelisks of the sun-temple at Heliopolis; Nebuchadnezzar's campaign against Egypt is attested historically. There is no refuge from God's presence (Psalm 139:7). If anything here does not look right, a verse, a reference, or a wording, please tell us at info@FruitBearers.net. Thank you for helping us keep Bible Learning error free.
- The word rejected as a lie; the flight to Egypt with Jeremiah in tow: Jeremiah 43:1-7; Isaiah 5:20; 2 Timothy 4:3.
- The sign of the hidden stones; Babylon will come to Egypt; no refuge from God: Jeremiah 43:8-13; Psalm 139:7; Daniel 4:17.