Study notes

Jeremiah 44

Introducing JeremiahWho wrote it, when, why, and what to look for as you read

34:1–45:5 Section

These chapters are a collection of stories from Jeremiah’s life. They include events from Jehoiakim’s rule through the time after Jerusalem was destroyed.

These stories show something about the people and leaders of the southern kingdom. They didn’t pay any attention to what the Lord had said through Jeremiah. This was true before the Babylonian government took control of the southern kingdom and after.

The story about Rekab’s family line gave an example of faithfully obeying. Rekab’s family line faithfully obeyed the instructions of Rekab’s son Jehonadab. God used their ability to obey as an example. Compared to Rekab’s family, it was clear that God’s people refused to obey him.

Another example of this was what King Jehoiakim did after hearing God’s messages. Baruch was a secretary. He wrote down on scrolls the messages that Jeremiah had spoken for many years. Jehoiakim burnt the scrolls and tried to arrest Jeremiah and Baruch. Baruch wrote them down again with even more messages.

Later, other officials arrested Jeremiah. Some tried to kill him so that he would stop speaking God’s messages. King Zedekiah asked Jeremiah for advice. He asked Jeremiah to pray for him. Jeremiah gave him instructions about being humble and serving the king of Babylon. But Zedekiah and his officials didn’t follow those instructions. Nor did they obey the instructions in the Law of Moses about slaves and servants. They had promised to free their slaves but then changed their mind.

Because of these things, God allowed Nebuchadnezzar to fully destroy Jerusalem. The Babylonians treated Jeremiah well and set him free. Gedaliah was a leader who paid attention to God’s messages. He understood that the southern kingdom was supposed to serve Babylon. As governor of Judah that is what he led the people to do. But an officer from David’s family line killed Gedaliah. Then a large group of those left in the southern kingdom ran away to Egypt. They thought that they would be safe from Babylon’s armies there.

Jeremiah warned them not to do this. But this group forced Jeremiah and Baruch to go with them to Egypt. In Egypt this group of Jews worshipped a false god called the Queen of Heaven. They believed that Jerusalem had been destroyed because for a time they had stopped worshipping her. This showed that they hadn’t listened to Jeremiah or understood God’s messages at all. God had promised that Baruch wouldn’t be killed when trouble came to Jerusalem. It isn’t known what happened to Jeremiah and Baruch in Egypt.

44:1

After arriving in Egypt, the refugees from Judah spread across the country. Migdol was a fortress near Tahpanhes in northeastern Egypt. Memphis was the first capital of Egypt. It became the religious center of northern Egypt. Its ruins are on the west side of the Nile River, about thirteen miles southwest of Cairo. Some refugees had already moved to southern Egypt, following the Nile River upstream.

44:2

Jeremiah's message connected with the shared understanding of the disaster that destroyed Judah and Jerusalem.

44:3

Since the Exodus, Israel has forbidden the worship of false gods.

44:9

These Judean refugees did not learn from their past. They forgot their previous mistakes and how God judged them.

44:11

The Lord declared a death sentence, using the power of his own name.

44:15

This group of Judeans likely gathered to watch a non-Jewish festival.

44:15–19

The people rejected Jeremiah's warning of judgment. They had stopped even pretending to serve the Lord (Jeremiah 42:1–3) and were fully devoted to idol worship.

44:17

  • The Judean refugees thought they had freedom. They believed obeying the Lord meant being in bondage, while pagan worship led to fulfillment.

  • The Queen of Heaven had many names across the ancient Near East. In Assyria and Babylon, she was "Ishtar," and the Canaanites called her "Astarte." In the Old Testament, she is often "Ashtoreth" and linked with Baal. Solomon worshiped Ashtoreth and built shrines for her, but Josiah later destroyed them (2 Kings 23:13; see 1 Kings 11:5). Ashtoreth was connected to the planet Venus and all types of reproduction in plants and animals, making her a popular idol for farmers and herdsmen. People believed offerings of incense, food, and liquids would magically trigger reproduction and prosperity.

44:18

These Judeans believed that worshiping the Queen of Heaven brought prosperity. They thought stopping this worship would lead to war and famine (see Hosea 2:8). Their beliefs were entirely pagan.

44:20–23

The destruction of Judah and Jerusalem was not because the Lord could not provide prosperity. Instead, he could no longer tolerate the people's disgusting actions.

44:20–30

This group of Judeans in Egypt had cut ties with the one true God of Israel, leading to their condemnation to death.

44:24–25

The Lord allowed the people to serve the Queen of Heaven, and they would face the results of their choice (compare Romans 1:24, 28).

44:26–28

The Judeans in Egypt were now free from their covenant obligations to the Lord. However, they also lost covenant protection. By choosing to end their relationship with the God of Israel, they gave up all privileges. They could not pray or make oaths in God's name. Still, the Lord would not be absent from their lives, as he would ensure that disaster affected them. Those who turned to the Lord in repentance would receive salvation and blessings. Even in Egypt, a small group of people, like Jeremiah and Baruch, trusted in the Lord.

44:30

  • Pharaoh Hophra was killed by his enemies in Egypt in 570 BC.

  • This verse ends the account of Jeremiah’s forty-year ministry. We do not know where, when, or how Jeremiah died.

Verse notes: Adapted by Mission Mutual (Aquifer Open Study Notes) from Tyndale Open Study Notes © 2023 Tyndale House Publishers. CC BY-SA 4.0. Section notes: Biblica Study Notes © 2023 Biblica, Inc. CC BY-SA 4.0, via BibleAquifer. About the sources