Jer 44 | TNotes | STEP | 44:1 After their arrival in Egypt, the refugees of Judah scattered throughout the country. Migdol was a fortress near Tahpanhes in the northeastern corner of Egypt . Memphis was the original capital of Egypt. It became the religious center of northern Egypt, and its ruins are located on the west side of the Nile River, about thirteen miles southwest of Cairo. Some refugees had already moved to southern Egypt , following the Nile River upstream.

44:1 ^a After their arrival in Egypt, the refugees of Judah scattered throughout the country. Migdol was a fortress near Tahpanhes in the northeastern corner of Egypt. Memphis was the original capital of Egypt. It became the religious center of northern Egypt, and its ruins are located on the west side of the Nile River, about thirteen miles southwest of Cairo. Some refugees had already moved to southern Egypt, following the Nile River upstream.
44:2 ^b Jeremiah’s message appealed to the common knowledge he and his audience shared about the calamity that had wiped out Judah and Jerusalem.
44:3 ^c Since the Exodus, worship of false gods had been forbidden in Israel.
44:9 ^d These Judean refugees had learned nothing; they had already forgotten their former sins and how God had judged them.
44:11 ^e The Lord pronounced a death sentence, backed by the authority of his own name.
44:12 ^f Unlike those exiled to Babylon, to whom the Lord had given hope (see 33:7-18 ^g; Ezek 34:12-15 ^h; 36:24-31 ⁱ), this remnant of Judah had no future.
Summary for Jer 44:15-19: 44:15-19 ^j The people did not accept Jeremiah’s pronouncement of judgment; they had abandoned even the pretense of serving the Lord (42:1-3 ^k) and were completely committed to idolatry. 44:15 ^l This group of Judeans had probably gathered to observe a pagan festival.
44:17 ^m The Judean refugees imagined that they had freedom. They apparently believed that obedience to the Lord entailed bondage and that their pagan worship was the way to fulfillment.

• The Queen of Heaven was worshiped under a variety of names throughout the ancient Near East. In Assyria and Babylon she was called “Ishtar,” and the Canaanites called her “Astarte.” In the Old Testament, she is usually called “Ashtoreth” and associated with Baal. Solomon worshiped Ashtoreth and built shrines for her, but Josiah eventually destroyed those shrines (2 Kgs 23:13 ⁿ; see 1 Kgs 11:5 ^o). Ashtoreth was associated with the planet Venus and with all types of reproduction among plants and animals, so she was a popular idol among farmers and herdsmen. Offerings of incense, food, and liquids were regarded as magical triggers that would induce reproduction and prosperity.
44:18 ^p These Judeans believed that worshiping the Queen of Heaven provided prosperity and that ceasing to worship her would cause war and famine (cp. Hos 2:8 ^q). Their mindset was completely pagan.
Summary for Jer 44:20-30: 44:20-30 ^r This group of Judeans in Egypt had severed themselves from all meaningful relationship with the one true God of Israel; they were condemned to death.
Summary for Jer 44:20-23: 44:20-23 ^s The destruction of Judah and Jerusalem had not been due to the Lord’s inability to provide prosperity; rather, he could no longer bear all the disgusting things the people were doing.
Summary for Jer 44:24-25: 44:24-25 ^t The Lord released the people to serve the Queen of Heaven; they would bear the consequences of their decision (cp. Rom 1:24 ^u, 28 ^v).
Summary for Jer 44:26-28: 44:26-28 ^w The Judeans in Egypt were now forever free of covenant obligations to the Lord. They were also banned from covenant protection. They chose to sever their relationship with the one true God of Israel, so they retained no privileges—they could not pray or make oaths in God’s name. Still, the Lord would not be absent from their lives, because he would see to it that disaster plagued them. Those who individually turned to the Lord in repentance would enjoy salvation and blessings. Even in Egypt, a small remnant of people trusted in the Lord (e.g., Jeremiah and Baruch).
44:30 ^x Pharaoh Hophra was killed by his enemies in Egypt in 570 BC.

• This verse concludes the record of Jeremiah’s forty-year ministry. Nothing is known about where, when, or how Jeremiah died.