Jer 46:2-12 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for Jer 46:2-12: 46:2-12 Jeremiah used the results of a battle known to Jehoiakim to warn him and the people of Jerusalem that Egypt could not protect them from Babylon. Pharaoh Neco had thought that the time was ripe to become the dominant power in the ancient Near East, so he moved north in 609 BC . After Neco spent several years trying to help fragments of the Assyrian army stop the westward movements of the Babylonian army, he was soundly defeated at Carchemish on the Euphrates River in 605 BC . Soon after that, the Babylonian army surrounded Jerusalem and forced Jehoiakim to become a vassal of Babylon.

a46:2-12►

b46:3-4►

c46:7-8►

d1 Kgs 20:11►

e46:9-10►

‏ Jeremiah 46:2-12

Summary for Jer 46:2-12: 46:2-12 ^a Jeremiah used the results of a battle known to Jehoiakim to warn him and the people of Jerusalem that Egypt could not protect them from Babylon. Pharaoh Neco had thought that the time was ripe to become the dominant power in the ancient Near East, so he moved north in 609 BC. After Neco spent several years trying to help fragments of the Assyrian army stop the westward movements of the Babylonian army, he was soundly defeated at Carchemish on the Euphrates River in 605 BC. Soon after that, the Babylonian army surrounded Jerusalem and forced Jehoiakim to become a vassal of Babylon.
Summary for Jer 46:3-4: 46:3-4 ^b Military commands such as these would have been issued when the soldiers were excited, well armed, and ready to fight.
Summary for Jer 46:7-8: 46:7-8 ^c In spite of Pharaoh Neco’s boasting and the imposing presence of his soldiers, his tactics did not confuse the enemy or win the battle (cp. 1 Kgs 20:11 ^d).
Summary for Jer 46:9-10: 46:9-10 ^e The Lord had decreed that Egypt would lose the battle, so allies would be of little help. The battle of Carchemish was pivotal to the rise of Babylon as the great empire of the area.
46:11 ^f Gilead was known as a source of healing plants (cp. 8:22 ^g).