Bible Strands
Jeremiah 46:26
I will deliver them into the hands of those who seek their lives—of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and his officers. But after this, Egypt will be inhabited as in days of old, declares the LORD.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The LORD speaks through Jeremiah regarding the defeat of Egypt, positioning this oracle between the pronouncement of judgment on Pharaoh and his gods and the promise of restoration to Jacob.
The words — נְתַתִּי (ne.tat.ti) means I will give or deliver, and מְבַקְשֵׁי נַפְשָׁם (me.vak.Shei naf.Sha/m) denotes those who seek their lives.
The thread — God’s pattern of delivering rulers into enemy hands recurs in Jeremiah 44:30 and Ezekiel 32:11, where Babylon’s military executes the judgment. Ezekiel 29:8 aligns with this theme by recording God’s promise to bring a sword against Egypt to cut off its people and livestock.
Why it lands — The text states that God controls the rise and fall of empires, using human agents to execute judgment before restoring His people, requiring readers to acknowledge His sovereignty over history and reject reliance on political power.
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 I will deliver them into the hand of those that seek their lives, and into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of his servants: and afterward it shall be inhabited, as in the days of old, saith the Lord.
Cross-references
- Jeremiah 44:30 This is what the LORD says: Behold, I will deliver Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt into the hands of his enemies who seek his life, just as I delivered Zedekiah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the enemy who was seeking his life.”
- Ezekiel 32:11 For this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘The sword of the king of Babylon will come against you!
- Ezekiel 29:8 Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: I will bring a sword against you and cut off from you man and beast.
- Jeremiah 48:47 Yet in the latter days I will restore Moab from captivity,” declares the LORD. Here ends the judgment on Moab.
- Jeremiah 49:39 “Yet in the last days, I will restore Elam from captivity,” declares the LORD.