2 To Egypt , concerning the army of Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt , which was by the Euphrates River at Carchemish , which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon defeated in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah , king of Judah : 3 " Line up the shield and buckler , And draw near for the battle ! 4 "Harness the horses , And mount the steeds , And take your stand with helmets on! Polish the spears , Put on the scale-armor ! 5 "Why have I seen it? They are terrified , They are drawing back , And their mighty men are defeated And have taken refuge in flight , Without facing back ; Terror is on every side !" Declares the Lord . 6 Let not the swift man flee , Nor the mighty man escape ; In the north beside e the river Euphrates They have stumbled and fallen . 7 Who is this that rises like the Nile , Like the rivers whose waters surge about? 8 Egypt rises like the Nile , Even like the rivers whose waters surge about; And He has said , "I will rise and cover that land ; I will surely destroy the city and its inhabitants ." 9 Go up, you horses , and drive madly , you chariots , That the mighty men may march forward : Ethiopia and Put , that handle the shield , And the Lydians , that handle and bend the bow .
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Jeremiah 46:2-9
Commentary on Jeremiah 46:1-12
(Read Jeremiah 46:1-12)
The whole word of God is against those who obey not the gospel of Christ; but it is for those, even of the Gentiles, who turn to Him. The prophecy begins with Egypt. Let them strengthen themselves with all the art and interest they have, yet it shall be all in vain. The wounds God inflicts on his enemies, cannot be healed by medicines. Power and prosperity soon pass from one to another in this changing world.