The voice thereof shall go like a serpent; for they shall march with an army, and come against her with axes, as hewers of wood.
Parallel translations
- WEB It’s sound will go like the serpent; for they shall march with an army, and come against her with axes, as wood cutters.
- BSB Egypt will hiss like a fleeing serpent, for the enemy will advance in force; with axes they will come against her like woodsmen cutting down trees.
- NKJV Her noise shall go like a serpent, For they shall march with an army And come against her with axes, Like those who chop wood.
- NASB “Its sound moves along like a serpent; For they move on like an army And come to her as woodcutters with axes.
- NLT Egypt flees, silent as a serpent gliding away. The invading army marches in; they come against her with axes like woodsmen.
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
Egypt, once mighty, hisses and retreats like a fleeing serpent as Babylon's army advances against her with axes.
Overview
In the oracle against Egypt, the once-proud nation is reduced to a snake slithering away, while invaders come like woodcutters to fell her. The image conveys how thoroughly the LORD humbles human power. It anticipates the gospel truth that every earthly kingdom falls before God's purposes, while Christ's kingdom alone endures.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Isa 14:8Yea, the fir trees rejoice at thee, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying, Since thou art laid down, no feller is come up against us.
- Isa 29:4And thou shalt be brought down, and shalt speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall be low out of the dust, and thy voice shall be, as of one that hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground, and thy speech shall whisper out of the dust.
- Isa 10:15Shall the axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith? or shall the saw magnify itself against him that shaketh it? as if the rod should shake itself against them that lift it up, or as if the staff should lift up itself, as if it were no wood.
- Mic 1:8Therefore I will wail and howl, I will go stripped and naked: I will make a wailing like the dragons, and mourning as the owls.
- Isa 37:24By thy servants hast thou reproached the Lord, and hast said, By the multitude of my chariots am I come up to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon; and I will cut down the tall cedars thereof, and the choice fir trees thereof: and I will enter into the height of his border, and the forest of his Carmel.
- Zech 11:2Howl, fir tree; for the cedar is fallen; because the mighty are spoiled: howl, O ye oaks of Bashan; for the forest of the vintage is come down.
- Jer 51:20–23Thou art my battle axe and weapons of war: for with thee will I break in pieces the nations, and with thee will I destroy kingdoms;
- Isa 10:33–34Behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, shall lop the bough with terror: and the high ones of stature shall be hewn down, and the haughty shall be humbled.
- Mic 7:16The nations shall see and be confounded at all their might: they shall lay their hand upon their mouth, their ears shall be deaf.
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Christ at the center
Against the failure of false shepherds Jeremiah promises the Righteous Branch, 'The LORD our righteousness,' and the new covenant written on the heart and sealed in the blood of Christ.
How Jeremiah 46:22 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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