The remnant under Johanan son of Kareah approaches Jeremiah and asks him to pray to the LORD for direction: should they stay in Judah or flee to Egypt? They swear to obey whatever God says. After ten days, the word of the LORD comes to Jeremiah. God's answer is unambiguous: remain in the land, and He will build them up and plant them; He relents of the disaster He brought upon them. They are not to fear the king of Babylon. But if they go to Egypt, the very sword, famine, and pestilence they fear will follow them there, and none will survive. Jeremiah warns them that they have made a fatal error in their hearts — they asked for God's word but never intended to obey it. He tells them plainly: you will die by sword, famine, and pestilence in Egypt.
What Makes This Chapter Remarkable
This chapter presents one of the most psychologically penetrating moments in the Hebrew Bible: people who ask God for guidance while having already decided what they will do. The ten-day delay (v.7) between the request and the answer is unusual — most prophetic responses in Jeremiah are immediate. The delay may test the remnant's patience and sincerity, or it may simply reflect that the word comes in God's time, not the prophet's. Jeremiah's final accusation (vv.20-22) is devastating: 'You have deceived yourselves' — they sought divine sanction for a decision already made, and when the answer contradicted their plan, they would reject it.
Translation Friction
The remnant's pledge of obedience (vv.5-6) appears sincere. We have not retroactively dismissed it as insincere from the start, though Jeremiah's accusation in verse 20 implies they were self-deceived. The tension between genuine petition and predetermined conclusion is preserved without resolution. God's promise to 'relent of the disaster' (v.10, nichamti) raises questions about divine immutability — we note the Hebrew without softening it.
Connections
The agricultural metaphors of verse 10 ('I will build you up and not tear you down, I will plant you and not uproot you') reprise the language of Jeremiah's commissioning in 1:10. The warning about sword, famine, and pestilence in Egypt echoes the threefold judgment formula that runs throughout Jeremiah (14:12, 21:7, 24:10, 27:8). The remnant's flight to Egypt will invert the exodus — a theme developed fully in chapters 43-44. God's call to 'not fear the king of Babylon' (v.11) inverts the people's stated fear (41:18).
Then all the commanders of the forces, Johanan son of Kareah, Jezaniah son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least to the greatest approached
KJV Then all the captains of the forces, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least even unto the greatest, came near,
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The entire community comes — mi-qaton ve-ad gadol ('from small to great') — indicating a unified delegation. Jezaniah (also called Azariah in 43:2) son of Hoshaiah is identified as one of the ringleaders who will reject Jeremiah's word.
and said to Jeremiah the prophet, 'Let our plea for mercy come before you. Pray for us to the LORD your God — for all this remnant. For we are left as only a few out of many, as your own eyes can see.
KJV And said unto Jeremiah the prophet, Let, we beseech thee, our supplication be accepted before thee, and pray for us unto the LORD thy God, even for all this remnant; (for we are left but a few of many, as thine eyes do behold us:)
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The phrase nish'arnu me'at me-harbeh ('we remain a few out of many') is a poignant admission: the once-great nation of Judah has been reduced to a tiny remnant. They address Jeremiah's God as 'the LORD your God' — not 'our God' — a subtle distancing that Jeremiah will correct in verse 4.
Let the LORD your God tell us the way we should go and what we should do.'
KJV That the LORD thy God may shew us the way wherein we may walk, and the thing that we may do.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The request is straightforward: direction (ha-derekh, 'the way') and instruction (ha-davar, 'the word/thing'). At face value, this is a humble petition for divine guidance. The sincerity of the request will be tested by whether they obey the answer.
Jeremiah the prophet said to them, 'I have heard you. I am going to pray to the LORD your God as you have asked, and whatever the LORD answers, I will tell you. I will withhold nothing from you.'
KJV Then Jeremiah the prophet said unto them, I have heard you; behold, I will pray unto the LORD your God according to your words; and it shall come to pass, that whatsoever thing the LORD shall answer you, I will declare it unto you; I will keep nothing back from you.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
Jeremiah corrects their distancing: he says 'the LORD your God' (elohekhem, not elohai), reassigning ownership. He also commits to full transparency — lo emna mikkhem davar ('I will not hold back a word from you'). The prophet is the faithful channel, not the filter, of divine speech.
They said to Jeremiah, 'May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act according to every word that the LORD your God sends through you to us.
KJV Then they said to Jeremiah, The LORD be a true and faithful witness between us, if we do not even according to all things for the which the LORD thy God shall send thee to us.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
They invoke God as a witness — ed emet ve-ne'eman ('a true and faithful witness') — binding themselves with an oath. The conditional curse ('if we do not act') makes this a self-maledictory oath: they call God's judgment upon themselves if they disobey. The tragic irony is that they will indeed disobey, making this oath their own condemnation.
Whether it is good or bad, we will obey the voice of the LORD our God, to whom we are sending you, so that it may go well with us when we obey the voice of the LORD our God.'
KJV Whether it be good, or whether it be evil, we will obey the voice of the LORD our God, to whom we send thee; that it may be well with us, when we obey the voice of the LORD our God.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
Now they say 'the LORD our God' (YHWH elohenu) — accepting ownership. The phrase im tov ve-im ra ('whether good or bad') pledges unconditional obedience. The clause le-ma'an asher yitav lanu ('so that it may go well with us') echoes Deuteronomic language (Deuteronomy 5:29, 6:3). But the question is whether words match will.
After ten days, the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah.
KJV And it came to pass after ten days, that the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The ten-day delay is significant. Prophetic words in Jeremiah usually come immediately. This delay tests the remnant's patience and commitment to their oath. Ten days of silence, ten days of uncertainty, ten days in which the pull of fear and the road to Egypt grow stronger.
He summoned Johanan son of Kareah, all the commanders of the forces with him, and all the people from the least to the greatest,
KJV Then called he Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces which were with him, and all the people from the least even to the greatest,
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
Jeremiah assembles the full community — the same group that came to him in verse 1. Everyone must hear the word directly from the prophet; there is no room for secondhand transmission or distortion.
and said to them, 'This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your plea, says:
KJV And said unto them, Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, unto whom ye sent me to present your supplication before him;
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The full divine title — YHWH elohei Yisra'el ('the LORD, the God of Israel') — gives the response maximum authority. Jeremiah reminds them that they initiated this inquiry: 'to whom you sent me.' The word is the answer they asked for.
If you will remain in this land, I will build you up and not tear you down; I will plant you and not uproot you. For I relent of the disaster that I have brought upon you.
KJV If ye will still abide in this land, then will I build you, and not pull you down, and I will plant you, and not pluck you up: for I repent me of the evil that I have done unto you.
Notes & Key Terms
1 term
Key Terms
נִחַמְתִּיnichamti
"I relent"—to relent, to be sorry, to comfort, to change one's mind
God declares that He has 'relented' (nacham) concerning the disaster. This is the same verb used in Genesis 6:6 ('the LORD was sorry He had made man') and Exodus 32:14 ('the LORD relented of the disaster'). It does not imply God made a mistake but that God responds to changed circumstances with changed action.
Translator Notes
This verse reprises the four key verbs of Jeremiah's call (1:10): build, tear down, plant, uproot. God promises to reverse the destruction — but only if they remain. The verb nichamti ('I have relented') is theologically weighty: God declares a change in His disposition toward the remnant. The disaster phase is over; restoration is offered.
Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, whom you now fear. Do not be afraid of him, declares the LORD, for I am with you to save you and to deliver you from his hand.
KJV Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom ye are afraid; be not afraid of him, saith the LORD: for I am with you to save you, and to deliver you from his hand.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The double al-tire'u ('do not fear') directly addresses the fear that drove them to Bethlehem (41:17-18). God names their fear and countermands it. The covenantal promise ki ittkhem ani ('for I am with you') echoes the assurance given to Jeremiah at his call (1:8) and to Israel throughout the prophets.
I will grant you mercy, and he will have compassion on you and let you return to your own land.
KJV And I will shew mercies unto you, that he may have mercy upon you, and cause you to return to your own land.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
God promises to move Nebuchadnezzar to show mercy (rachamim). The verb ve-heshiv ('and he will cause you to return') implies restoration to the land — not exile, not displacement, but a return to their own soil (admatkem). This is the positive outcome if they obey.
But if you say, "We will not remain in this land," and so refuse to obey the voice of the LORD your God,
KJV But if ye say, We will not dwell in this land, neither obey the voice of the LORD your God,
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The conditional shifts from promise to warning. God identifies refusal to stay as refusal to obey — the two are equated. Le-vilti shemo'a be-qol YHWH ('so as not to obey the voice of the LORD') reveals that the decision to flee is fundamentally a decision of disobedience.
saying, 'No! We will go to the land of Egypt, where we will not see war or hear the sound of the trumpet or be hungry for bread, and there we will live' —
KJV Saying, No; but we will go into the land of Egypt, where we shall see no war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor have hunger of bread; and there will we dwell:
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
God quotes the remnant's own reasoning back to them: Egypt means no war (milchamah), no trumpet alarm (qol shofar), no famine (la-lechem lo nir'av). These are precisely the three forms of suffering they experienced during the siege. Their logic is that Egypt offers what Judah cannot — security, peace, food. God is about to demolish this logic.
now therefore hear the word of the LORD, O remnant of Judah. This is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: If you are determined to go to Egypt and you go to settle there,
KJV And now therefore hear the word of the LORD, ye remnant of Judah; Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; If ye wholly set your faces to enter into Egypt, and go to sojourn there;
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The full title — YHWH tseva'ot elohei Yisra'el ('the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel') — adds military authority. The phrase som tesimu peneikhem ('you set, yes set your faces') uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis: if you are absolutely determined.
then the sword you fear will overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine you dread will pursue you to Egypt, and there you will die.
KJV Then it shall come to pass, that the sword, which ye feared, shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine, whereof ye were afraid, shall follow hard after you there in Egypt; and there ye shall die.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The divine irony is precise: the sword and famine they flee from in Judah will follow them to Egypt. The verb yidbaq ('will cling to, will pursue') is the same verb used in Deuteronomy for clinging to God (Deuteronomy 10:20) — but here it is famine that clings to them.
All the men who are determined to go to Egypt to settle there will die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence. None of them will survive or escape the disaster I will bring upon them.
KJV So shall it be with all the men that set their faces to go into Egypt to sojourn there; they shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: and none of them shall remain or escape from the evil that I will bring upon them.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The threefold judgment formula — cherev, ra'av, dever ('sword, famine, pestilence') — is Jeremiah's signature warning, appearing more than a dozen times throughout the book. The absoluteness — ve-lo yihyeh lahem sarid u-falit ('not a survivor or escapee among them') — leaves no room for partial safety in Egypt.
For this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: Just as My anger and My wrath were poured out on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so My wrath will be poured out on you when you enter Egypt. You will become an object of cursing, horror, execration, and reproach, and you will never see this place again.
KJV For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; As mine anger and my fury hath been poured forth upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem; so shall my fury be poured forth upon you, when ye shall enter into Egypt: and ye shall be an execration, and an astonishment, and a curse, and a reproach; and ye shall see this place no more.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The four terms — alah (oath-curse), shammah (horror/desolation), qelalah (curse), cherpah (reproach) — form a catalog of humiliation. The final phrase ve-lo tir'u od et ha-maqom ha-zeh ('you will not see this place again') is exile made permanent.
The LORD has spoken concerning you, O remnant of Judah: Do not go to Egypt. Know for certain that I have warned you this day.
KJV The LORD hath said concerning you, O ye remnant of Judah; Go ye not into Egypt: know certainly that I have admonished you this day.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The phrase yado'a ted'u ('know, yes know' — infinitive absolute for emphasis) makes the warning undeniable. The verb he'idoti ('I have testified/warned') is legal language — God is placing them on formal notice.
For you have deceived yourselves. You sent me to the LORD your God, saying, 'Pray for us to the LORD our God, and whatever the LORD our God says, tell us and we will do it.'
KJV For ye dissembled in your hearts, when ye sent me unto the LORD your God, saying, Pray for us unto the LORD our God; and according unto all that the LORD our God shall say, so declare unto us, and we will do it.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
Jeremiah's accusation is devastating: ki hit'etem be-nafshoteikhem ('you have deceived yourselves / led yourselves astray'). The reflexive form indicates self-deception. They asked for God's word, but their decision was already made. The quoted prayer repeats their own words from verses 5-6, throwing their oath back at them.
I have told you today, but you have not obeyed the voice of the LORD your God in anything He sent me to tell you.
KJV And now I have this day declared it to you; but ye have not obeyed the voice of the LORD your God, nor any thing for the which he hath sent me unto you.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
Jeremiah speaks in the prophetic perfect — the disobedience is so certain that he states it as already accomplished: ve-lo shema'tem ('you have not obeyed'), even though they have not yet physically departed for Egypt. The prophet sees through the pretense to the settled will beneath it.
Now therefore know for certain: you will die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence in the place where you desire to go and settle.
KJV Now therefore know certainly that ye shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, in the place whither ye desire to go and to sojourn.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The chapter ends with the same emphatic construction — yado'a ted'u ('know, yes know') — and the same threefold judgment: sword, famine, pestilence. The final word is ba-maqom asher chafatstem lavo lagur sham ('in the place where you desired to go to sojourn') — the place of their desire becomes the place of their death.