“Prepare the buckler and shield, and draw near to battle!
Parallel translations
- KJV Order ye the buckler and shield, and draw near to battle.
- BSB “Deploy your shields, small and large; advance for battle!
- NKJV “Order the buckler and shield, And draw near to battle!
- NASB “Set up the buckler and shield, And advance to the battle!
- NLT “Prepare your shields, and advance into battle!
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
A summons calls Egypt's soldiers to prepare their shields and march to battle. The poetic command sets the scene for Egypt's coming defeat.
Overview
With vivid imagery, the oracle ironically musters Egypt's troops for a battle they are destined to lose. The call to arms heightens the drama of the prophecy as the proud army advances. This portrayal of human might marshaled in vain reminds readers that no military preparation can prevail against God's decree, whose ultimate victory is won not by sword but through Christ's triumph.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Isa 21:5They prepare the table. They set the watch. They eat. They drink. Rise up, you princes, oil the shield!
- Nah 3:14Draw water for the siege. Strengthen your fortresses. Go into the clay, and tread the mortar. Make the brick kiln strong.
- Nah 2:1He who dashes in pieces has come up against you. Keep the fortress! Watch the way! Strengthen your waist! Fortify your power mightily!
- Jer 51:11–12“Make the arrows sharp! Hold the shields firmly! Yahweh has stirred up the spirit of the kings of the Medes, because his purpose is against Babylon, to destroy it; for it is the vengeance of Yahweh, the vengeance of his temple.
- Joel 3:9Proclaim this among the nations: “Prepare for war! Stir up the mighty men. Let all the warriors draw near. Let them come up.
- Isa 8:9–10Make an uproar, you peoples, and be broken in pieces! Listen, all you from far countries: dress for battle, and be shattered! Dress for battle, and be shattered!
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 46:3 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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