Jer 2:18 | NETfull | STEP | What good will it do you then to go down to Egypt to seek help from the Egyptians? What good will it do you to go over to Assyria to seek help from the Assyrians?

Jeremiah 2:18

18 What good will it do you ^{▼▼ Heb “What to you to the way.”} then ^{▼▼ The introductory particle וְעַתָּה (v^e’attah, “and now”) carries a logical, not temporal, connotation here (cf. BDB 274 s.v. עַתָּה 2.b).} to go down to Egypt
to seek help from the Egyptians? ^{▼▼ Heb “to drink water from the Shihor [a branch of the Nile].” The reference is to seeking help through political alliance with Egypt as opposed to trusting in God for help. This is an extension of the figure in 2:13.}
What good will it do you ^{▼▼ Heb “What to you to the way.”} to go over to Assyria
to seek help from the Assyrians? ^{▼▼ Heb “to drink water from the River [a common designation in biblical Hebrew for the Euphrates River].” This refers to seeking help through political alliance. See the preceding note.}