Bible Strands
2 Kings 24:7
Now the king of Egypt did not march out of his land again, because the king of Babylon had taken all his territory, from the Brook of Egypt to the Euphrates River.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator records a geopolitical shift immediately following Jehoiachin’s accession to the throne in Jerusalem. The text states that the Egyptian monarch permanently halted military expansion into the region after Babylonian conquests.
The words — The Hebrew לֹא (lo') combined with הֹסִ֥יף (ho.Sif) and עוֹד ('Od) literally renders "he did not go out again," correctly emphasizing permanent cessation rather than mere repetition. The causal particle כִּי (ki) introduces the explanation that Babylonian forces had seized the entire territory from the Brook of Egypt to the Euphrates.
The thread — This specific territorial boundary echoes the land promise in Genesis 15:18 and provides historical context for the later Egyptian campaign noted in Jeremiah 46:2 and Jeremiah 37:5. The passage documents the decisive transfer of regional hegemony from Egypt to Babylon.
Why it lands — The text requires readers to observe how geopolitical realities directly constrain political alliances and royal timelines. It asks the reader to recognize that historical consequences, not human expectations, dictate the movement of nations and the fate of Judah’s monarchy.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And the king of Egypt came not again any more out of his land: for the king of Babylon had taken from the river of Egypt unto the river Euphrates all that pertained to the king of Egypt.
Cross-references
- Jeremiah 37:5 Pharaoh’s army had left Egypt, and when the Chaldeans who were besieging Jerusalem heard the report, they withdrew from Jerusalem.
- Jeremiah 46:2 concerning Egypt and the army of Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt, which was defeated at Carchemish on the Euphrates River by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah:
- Genesis 15:18 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I have given this land—from the river of Egypt to the great River Euphrates—
- Numbers 34:5 where it will turn from Azmon, join the Brook of Egypt, and end at the Sea.
- Joshua 15:4 It proceeded to Azmon, joined the Brook of Egypt, and ended at the Sea. This was their southern border.
- 1 Kings 4:21 And Solomon reigned over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. These kingdoms offered tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.
- Isaiah 27:12 In that day the LORD will thresh from the flowing Euphrates to the Wadi of Egypt, and you, O Israelites, will be gathered one by one.