Then all the people small and great, together with the commanders of the army, arose and fled to Egypt for fear of the Chaldeans.
Parallel translations
- WEB All the people, both small and great, and the captains of the forces, arose, and came to Egypt; for they were afraid of the Chaldeans.
- KJV And all the people, both small and great, and the captains of the armies, arose, and came to Egypt: for they were afraid of the Chaldees.
- NKJV And all the people, small and great, and the captains of the armies, arose and went to Egypt; for they were afraid of the Chaldeans.
- NASB Then all the people, from the small to the great, and the captains of the forces set out and came to Egypt; for they were afraid of the Chaldeans.
- NLT Then all the people of Judah, from the least to the greatest, as well as the army commanders, fled in panic to Egypt, for they were afraid of what the Babylonians would do to them.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Fearing Babylon's reprisal, the remaining people fled to Egypt. The remnant abandoned the land and returned to the place of former bondage.
Overview
Terrified of Chaldean vengeance after Gedaliah's murder, all the people fled to Egypt, against the counsel of Jeremiah, who had warned them not to go. Their flight to Egypt poignantly reverses the Exodus, as those whom God had once redeemed from Egypt now return there in fear. It pictures the heart's tendency to seek refuge in old bondage rather than trust the Lord's word.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- Jer 43:4–7So Johanan son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces disobeyed the command of the LORD to stay in the land of Judah.
- Jer 41:16–18Then Johanan son of Kareah and all the commanders of the armies with him took the whole remnant of the people from Mizpah whom he had recovered from Ishmael son of Nethaniah after Ishmael had killed Gedaliah son of Ahikam: the soldiers, women, children, and court officials he had brought back from Gibeon.
- Jer 42:14–22and if you say, ‘No, but we will go to the land of Egypt and live there, where we will not see war or hear the sound of the ram’s horn or hunger for bread,’
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Christ at the center
Amid the long decline toward exile, the promise to David's house refuses to die; the flickering lamp kept burning anticipates the coming King who will not fail or be cut off.
How 2 Kings 25:26 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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