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are gone into the land of Egypt, to sojourn there, shall escape or remain, that they should return into the land of Judah, to the which they have a desire to return to dwell there for none shall return but such as shall escape.*

Then all the men which knew that their wives had burned incense unto other gods, and all the women that stood by, a great multitude, even all the people that dwelt in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, answered Jeremiah, saying, As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us, in the name of Jehovah, we will not hearken unto thee. But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our mouth, to burn incense unto the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, as we have done, we, and our fathers, our kings, and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem: for then had we plenty of victuals, and were well, and saw no evil: But since we left off to burn incense unto the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, we have wanted all things, and have been consumed by the sword, and by the famine. And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven, and poured out drink offerings unto her, did we make her cakes to worship her, and pour out drink offerings unto her, without our men ?†

Then Jeremiah said unto all the people, to the men, and to the women, and to all the people which had given him that answer, saying, The incense that ye burned in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, ye, and your fathers, your kings, and your princes, and the people of the land, did not Jehovah remember them, and came it not into his mind? So that Jehovah could no longer bear, because of the evil of

Jer. xliv. 1-14. Scaliger observes, cut of Eusebius, that Artaxerxes Ohcus, making an expedition into Egypt, removed a considerable number of Jews out of that country, and carried them away as far as the Caspian Sea, and there settled them. LoWTH. + Jer. xliv. 15-19.

your doings, and because of the abominations which ye have committed; therefore, is your land a desolation, and an astonishment, and a curse, without inhabitant, as at this day. Because ye have burned incense, and because ye have sinned against Jehovah, and have not obeyed the voice of Jehovah, nor walked in his law, nor in his statutes, nor in his testimonies; therefore, this evil is happened unto you, as at this day.

Moreover, Jeremiah said unto all the people, and to all the women, Hear the word of Jehovah, all Judah, that are in the land of Egypt: thus saith' Jehovah of Hosts, the God of Israel, saying; Ye and your wives have both spoken with your mouths, and fulfilled with your hand, saying, We will surely perform our vows that we have vowed, to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her: ye will surely accomplish your vows, and surely perform your vows. Therefore, hear ye the word of Jehovah, all Judah, that dwell in the land of Egypt; Behold, I have sworn by my great name, saith Jehovah, that my name shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah, in all the land of Egypt, saying, Jehovah, God, liveth. Behold, I will watch over them for evil, and not for good: and all the men of Judah, that are in the land of Egypt, shall be consumed by the sword and by the famine, until there be an end of them. Yet a small number that escape the sword, shall return out of the land of Egypt into the land of Judah, and all the remnant of Judah, that are gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall know whose word shall stand, mine, or theirs. And this shall be a sign unto you, saith Jehovah, that I will punish you in this place, that ye may know that my words shall surely stand against you for evil: thus saith Jehovah; Behold, I will give Pharaoh Hophra, king of Egypt, into the hand of his enemies, and into the hand of them that seek his life; as I gave Zedekiah, king of Judah, into the hand of

Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, his enemy, and that sought his life.*

Of the prophet Jeremiah the sacred record affords no further information ; but we may suppose that he died in Egypt, worn out with grief, anxiety, fatigue, and old age; but assured of a glorious reward for his faithfulness, at the hand of that Being who never fails those who trust in him. Neither does the

Jer. xliv. 20-30. xlvi. 13-26. "It is very remarkable, that at the very same time when Jeremiah had declared this prophecy in Egypt, Ezekiel, who was then in Babylon, prophesied the same thing to his captive brethren there." Ezek. xxxii. and Wall in loco.

† According to the account of St. Jerome, he was stoned to death at Tahpanhes, (see p. 276) about 586 years before the birth of Christ, either by his own countrymen, as is generally maintained, or by the Egyptians; to both of which people he had rendered himself obnoxious, by the terrifying prophecies which he had uttered. The chronicle of Alexandria relates, that the prophet had incensed the Egyptians by predicting that their idols should be overthrown by an earthquake, when the Saviour of the earth should be born and placed in a manger. His prophecies, however, that are still extant concerning the conquests of Egypt by Nebuchadnezzar, "the servant of God," must have been sufficient to excite the fears and hatred of those against whom they were uttered. It was added to this account which Ptolemy received, that Alexander the Great visiting the tomb of Jeremiah, and hearing what he had predicted concerning his person, ordered that the prophet's urn should be removed to Alexandria, and built a magnificent monument to his memory. This was soon rendered famous, and, as a reverence for the prophet's character encircled it with imaginary influence, it became celebrated as a place of miracles. Other accounts, however, relate that the prophet returned into his own country; and travellers are still shewn a place in the neigbourhood of Jerusalem, where, as they are told, Jeremiah composed his prophecies; and where Constantine erected a tomb to his memory. Other traditions relate that he was thrown into a pit, and transfixed with darts. Gray's Key, 375, 376. A. CLARKE. The Jews of Cairo allege that Jeremiah visited the exact spot upon which their synagogue is built. Wilson's Travels, i. 117.

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Scripture give us any further account of his rebellious countrymen, who had carried the prophet into Egypt.*

* Jer. xliv. 27, 28. Behold, I will watch over them for evil, and not for good; and all the men of Judah, that are in the land of Egypt, shall be consumed by the sword and by the famine, until there be an end of them. Yet a small number that escape the sword, shall return out of the land of Egypt into the land of Judah; and all the remnant of Judah, that are gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall know whose words shall stand, mine or theirs; (Jer. xliv. 27, 29.) and it is most probable that most of these rebellious Jews fell into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, when he shortly afterwards invaded Egypt, and spread devastation from Migdol to Cyrene. Prid. i. 127.

"How these prophecies were fulfilled we learn from ancient historians. The sum of such information is this:-The subjects of Hophra rebelling, he sent Amasis, one of his generals,* to reduce them to their duty. But no sooner had Amasis begun to make his speech, than they fixed a helmet on his head, and proclaimed him king. Amasis accepted the title, and confirmed the Egyptians in their revolt; and the greater part of the nation declaring for him, Hophra was obliged to return into Upper Egypt; and the country being thus weakened by intestine war, was attacked and easily overcome by Nebuchadnezzar, who, on quitting it, left Amasis his viceroy. After Nebuchadnezzar's departure, Apries, or Hophra, marched against Amasis: but, being defeated at Memphis, was taken prisoner, carried to Saïs, and strangled in his own palace, thus verifying this prophecy. Herodot. Euterpe. Thus Nebuchadnezzar made an easy conquest of the land. He conquered it as easily as a shepherd puts on his cloak; he went thence in peace, having clothed himself with its spoils; and kept all quiet under a viceroy of his own choosing. The rebellion of Pharaoh's subjects was the fire that God kindled in Egypt. (Jer. xliii. 12.) And thus was he delivered into the hands of his enemies, his revolted people, and into the hand of him who sought his life, viz.-Amasis, his general. And thus the whole prophecy was literally fulfilled." A. CLARKE.

• Dr. Wall says he was Hophra's own son.

THE CAPTIVITY.

We have seen that the prophets Ezekiel and Daniel were taken amongst the captives to Babylon, and it was during that captivity that their prophecies were delivered.

In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, and before the rebellion of Jehoiakim, the former monarch had a dream, wherewith his spirit was troubled, but which he had wholly forgotten. All the wise men of the Chaldeans having failed to recover this dream, and being immediately condemned to death, as they justly deserved, for pretending to foretel that of which they knew they were wholly ignorant, Jehovah condescended to put honour upon the prophet Daniel, not only by communicating to him the remarkable dream of the metallic image, but also by enabling him, thence to pourtray and depict the four great monarchies, which have ever since more or less ruled the civilized world.*

Nebuchadnezzar having returned to Babylon with his army, after the captivity of Zedekiah, set up the golden image in honour of his god, in the plains of Dura, which gave rise to that magnificent display of the divine power, which is related by the same prophet.+

After this, the Babylonish monarch proceeded to besiege the city of Old Tyre; but whilst his army lay there, he dispatched Nebuzaradan, with a body of troops, to put a finishing stroke to the ravage of Jerusalem, probably in revenge for the murder of Gedaliah; when he took from thence 745 persons, being all that then remained of that once immense population.+

Dan. i. See this prophecy illustrated by Sir Isaac Newton, Bp. Newton, and all the commentators; and a long discourse respecting it in Adam Clarke, Keith, &c.

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