Jeremiah 44:27

I am watching over them for harm and not for good, and every man of Judah who is in the land of Egypt will meet his end by sword or famine, until they are finished off.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — God addresses the Judahite exiles in Egypt through Jeremiah, responding to their continued idolatry and false oaths by His name.

The words — שֹׁקֵד (sho.Ked) "watching over" is directly qualified by לְרָעָה (le./ra.'Ah) "for harm" and לְטוֹבָה (le./to.Vah) "for good" to show a deliberate reversal of divine protection. וְתַמּוּ (ve./ta.Mu) "they will meet their end" declares the absolute destruction of every Judahite remaining in Egypt.

The thread — This pattern of punitive oversight repeats in Jeremiah 31:28 where God watches to uproot rather than build, and fulfills the warning in 2 Kings 21:14 that the remnant will be delivered to their enemies.

Why it lands — The text states that God actively oversees judgment to finish off the rebellious, requiring the reader to acknowledge that persistent defiance triggers the same sovereign oversight as destruction.

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

הִנְנִ֨יhi./Nihere/ I שֹׁקֵ֧דsho.Ked[am] watching עֲלֵיהֶ֛ם'a.lei./Hemover/ them לְרָעָ֖הle./ra.'Ahfor/ harm וְלֹ֣אve./Lo'and/ not לְטוֹבָ֑הle./to.Vahfor/ good וְתַמּוּ֩ve./ta.Muand/ they will meet their end כָל־khol-every אִ֨ישׁ'ishperson of יְהוּדָ֜הye.hu.DahJudah אֲשֶׁ֧ר'a.Sherwho בְּאֶֽרֶץ־be./'e.retz-[is] in/ [the] land of מִצְרַ֛יִםmitz.Ra.yimEgypt בַּחֶ֥רֶבba./Che.revby the/ sword וּבָרָעָ֖בu./va./ra.'Avand/ by <the>/ famine עַד־'ad-until כְּלוֹתָֽם׃ke.lo.Ta/mcome to an end/ they

King James Version

Behold, I will watch over them for evil, and not for good: and all the men of Judah that are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by the famine, until there be an end of them.

Cross-references

Jeremiah 31:28 Just as I watched over them to uproot and tear down, to demolish, destroy, and bring disaster, so I will watch over them to build and to plant,” declares the LORD.
2 Kings 21:14 So I will forsake the remnant of My inheritance and deliver them into the hands of their enemies. And they will become plunder and spoil to all their enemies,
Jeremiah 1:10 See, I have appointed you today over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and plant.”
Jeremiah 21:10 For I have set My face against this city to bring disaster and not good, declares the LORD. It will be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, who will destroy it with fire.’
Jeremiah 44:12 And I will take away the remnant of Judah who have resolved to go to the land of Egypt to reside there; they will meet their end. They will all fall by the sword or be consumed by famine. From the least to the greatest, they will die by sword or famine; and they will become an object of cursing and horror, of vilification and reproach.
Jeremiah 44:18 But from the time we stopped burning incense to the Queen of Heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything and have been perishing by sword and famine.”
Ezekiel 7:6 The end has come! The end has come! It has roused itself against you. Behold, it has come!