Bible Strands
Jeremiah 43:9
“In the sight of the Jews, pick up some large stones and bury them in the clay of the brick pavement at the entrance to Pharaoh’s palace at Tahpanhes.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Yahweh speaks to Jeremiah at Tahpanhes, commanding him to act before the Jewish remnant who have relocated to Egypt.
The words — קַח (kach) translates to "take," and וּטְמַנְתָּם (u.te.man.Ta/m) translates to "and you will bury them," directing Jeremiah to physically conceal large stones in the mortar of a brick pavement.
The thread — This burial of stones as a prophetic sign parallels Jeremiah’s earlier commands to procure a clay jar (Jeremiah 19:1) and to fasten a stone to a scroll before casting it into the Euphrates (Jeremiah 51:63).
Why it lands — The text requires Jeremiah to perform a visible act of concealment that the following verse explicitly interprets as the placement of Nebuchadnezzar’s throne over those stones. It demands the reader accept that physical obedience to a divine directive functions as an unambiguous warning of impending conquest, leaving no room for alternative political alliances.
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
Take great stones in thine hand, and hide them in the clay in the brickkiln, which is at the entry of Pharaoh’s house in Tahpanhes, in the sight of the men of Judah;
Cross-references
- Jeremiah 18:2 “Go down at once to the potter’s house, and there I will give you My message.”
- Jeremiah 19:1 This is what the LORD says: “Go and buy a clay jar from a potter. Take some of the elders of the people and leaders of the priests,
- Jeremiah 51:63 When you finish reading this scroll, tie a stone to it and cast it into the Euphrates.
- Exodus 1:14 and made their lives bitter with hard labor in brick and mortar, and with all kinds of work in the fields. Every service they imposed was harsh.
- 2 Samuel 12:31 David brought out the people who were there and put them to work with saws, iron picks, and axes, and he made them work at the brick kilns. He did the same to all the Ammonite cities. Then David and all his troops returned to Jerusalem.
- 1 Kings 11:29 During that time, the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite met Jeroboam on the road as he was going out of Jerusalem. Now Ahijah had wrapped himself in a new cloak, and the two of them were alone in the open field.
- Isaiah 20:1 Before the year that the chief commander, sent by Sargon king of Assyria, came to Ashdod and attacked and captured it,
- Jeremiah 13:1 This is what the LORD said to me: “Go and buy yourself a linen loincloth and put it around your waist, but do not let it touch water.”
- Ezekiel 4:1 “Now you, son of man, take a brick, place it before you, and draw on it the city of Jerusalem.
- Ezekiel 12:3 Therefore, son of man, pack your bags for exile. In broad daylight, set out from your place and go to another as they watch. Perhaps they will understand, though they are a rebellious house.