Jeremiah 43, Wrapping Egypt Like a Garment (DRAFT)

(This DRAFT study has been done fairly quickly, without the further guide of commentaries. I hope to improve on it later.)

Jeremiah has been warning people not to go to Egypt. They should stay in Judah.

Jeremiah 43:1-3, Response from Johanan

When Jeremiah finished telling the people all the words of the LORD their God--everything the LORD had sent him to tell them-- Azariah son of Hoshaiah and Johanan son of Kareah and all the arrogant men said to Jeremiah, "You are lying! The LORD our God has not sent you to say, `You must not go to Egypt to settle there.' 

But Baruch son of Neriah is inciting you against us to hand us over to the Babylonians, so they may kill us or carry us into exile to Babylon." 

Johanan's group, who had promised to obey God's answer, now refuse. They are angry and accuse Jeremiah of working with Baruch to undermine them and hand them over to Babylon.

Jeremiah 43:4-6, Led away

So Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers and all the people disobeyed the LORD's command to stay in the land of Judah. Instead, Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers led away all the remnant of Judah who had come back to live in the land of Judah from all the nations where they had been scattered. 

They also led away all the men, women and children and the king's daughters whom Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard had left with Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, and Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch son of Neriah. 

Johanan's group decide to go to Egypt and lead astray a royal remnant still living in Jerusalem.

Jeremiah 43:7-11, Canopy over these stones

So they entered Egypt in disobedience to the LORD and went as far as Tahpanhes. In Tahpanhes the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: "While the Jews are watching, take some large stones with you and bury them in clay in the brick pavement at the entrance to Pharaoh's palace in Tahpanhes. Then say to them, `This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I will send for my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and I will set his throne over these stones I have buried here; he will spread his royal canopy above them. He will come and attack Egypt, bringing death to those destined for death, captivity to those destined for captivity, and the sword to those destined for the sword. 

The group of refugees now head west to Egypt. They pause at Tahpanhes, in northern Egypt, along the Nile. Jeremiah seems to have traveled with this cohort and there he makes a symbolic statement, setting up large stones at the entrance to the Pharaoh's palace. Jeremiah then says that Nebuchadnezzar will someday spread his canopy over those stones. Nebuchadnezzar will conquer Egypt and kill many of the refugees.

Jeremiah 43:12-13, Wrapping Egypt as a garment

He will set fire to the temples of the gods of Egypt; he will burn their temples and take their gods captive. As a shepherd wraps his garment around him, so will he wrap Egypt around himself and depart from there unscathed. There in the temple of the sun in Egypt he will demolish the sacred pillars and will burn down the temples of the gods of Egypt.'" 

Nebuchadnezzar (or is it YHWH?) will destroy the Egyptian temples and capture their idols. The king of Babylon will wear Egypt like a robe.