Bible Strands
Jeremiah 46:17
There they will cry out: ‘Pharaoh king of Egypt was all noise; he has let the appointed time pass him by.’
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The prophet delivers a prophecy concerning the rout of the Egyptian army at the moment their forces begin to flee and stumble under attack.
The words — The Hebrew שָׁא֔וֹן (sha.'on) literally denotes a loud noise or boast, while הֶעֱבִ֖יר (he.'e.Vir) paired with הַ/מּוֹעֵֽד (ha./mo.'Ed) means to let an appointed time pass by or miss an opportunity.
The thread — The theme of Pharaoh’s empty boasts and failed counsel appears in Isaiah 19:11, while the motif of a missed divine opportunity echoes the defeated enemy’s failed pursuit in Exodus 15:9.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition that human power and timing are subject to divine judgment, requiring a reader to abandon reliance on military might or self-made schedules.
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
They did cry there, Pharaoh king of Egypt is but a noise; he hath passed the time appointed.
Cross-references
- Isaiah 19:11 The princes of Zoan are mere fools; Pharaoh’s wise counselors give senseless advice. How can you say to Pharaoh, “I am one of the wise, a son of eastern kings”?
- Exodus 15:9 The enemy declared, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake. I will divide the spoils; I will gorge myself on them. I will draw my sword; my hand will destroy them.’
- 1 Kings 20:10 Then Ben-hadad sent another message to Ahab: “May the gods deal with me, and ever so severely, if enough dust remains of Samaria for each of my men to have a handful.”
- 1 Kings 20:18 “If they have marched out in peace,” he said, “take them alive. Even if they have marched out for war, take them alive.”
- Isaiah 31:3 But the Egyptians are men, not God; their horses are flesh, not spirit. When the LORD stretches out His hand, the helper will stumble, and the one he helps will fall; both will perish together.
- Isaiah 37:27 Therefore their inhabitants, devoid of power, are dismayed and ashamed. They are like plants in the field, tender green shoots, grass on the rooftops, scorched before it is grown.
- Ezekiel 29:3 Speak to him and tell him that this is what the Lord GOD says: Behold, I am against you, O Pharaoh king of Egypt, O great monster who lies among his rivers, who says, ‘The Nile is mine; I made it myself.’
- Ezekiel 31:18 Who then is like you in glory and greatness among the trees of Eden? You also will be brought down to the depths of the earth to be with the trees of Eden. You will lie among the uncircumcised, with those slain by the sword. This is Pharaoh and all his multitude, declares the Lord GOD.’”