Bible Strands
Jeremiah 46:9
Advance, O horses! Race furiously, O chariots! Let the warriors come forth—Cush and Put carrying their shields, men of Lydia drawing the bow.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jeremiah addresses the Egyptian military command, ordering the mobilization of horses, chariots, and allied troops. The prophet delivers this declaration immediately before announcing the Lord’s coming day of vengeance against Egypt.
The words — The Hebrew verb הִתְהֹלְלוּ (hit.ho.le.lu) literally means "to drive madly" or "rage," paired with עֲלוּ ('a.lu), "go up" or "advance," which frames the call to arms as a frenzied, uncontrolled mobilization.
The thread — The named allied forces reappear in other prophetic texts: Nahum 3:9 identifies Cush and Put as Egypt’s historical military strength, Ezekiel 27:10 lists Put and Lydia as warriors for Tyre, and Isaiah 66:19 sends survivors to Put to proclaim God’s glory.
Why it lands — The text states a human command to prepare for battle, which the immediate context directly contrasts with a divinely appointed day of vengeance. It requires the reader to acknowledge that military organization and foreign alliances cannot alter sovereign judgment.
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
Come up, ye horses; and rage, ye chariots; and let the mighty men come forth; the Ethiopians and the Libyans, that handle the shield; and the Lydians, that handle and bend the bow.
Cross-references
- Isaiah 66:19 I will establish a sign among them, and I will send survivors from among them to the nations—to Tarshish, Put, and the archers of Lud; to Tubal, Javan, and the islands far away who have not heard of My fame or seen My glory. So they will proclaim My glory among the nations.
- Ezekiel 27:10 Men of Persia, Lydia, and Put served as warriors in your army. They hung their shields and helmets on your walls; they gave you splendor.
- Nahum 3:9 Cush and Egypt were her boundless strength; Put and Libya were her allies.
- Genesis 10:6 The sons of Ham: Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan.
- Genesis 10:13 Mizraim was the father of the Ludites, the Anamites, the Lehabites, the Naphtuhites,
- 1 Chronicles 1:11 Mizraim was the father of the Ludites, the Anamites, the Lehabites, the Naphtuhites,
- Jeremiah 30:5 Yes, this is what the LORD says: “A cry of panic is heard—a cry of terror, not of peace.
- Jeremiah 47:3 at the sound of the galloping hooves of stallions, the rumbling of chariots, and the clatter of their wheels. The fathers will not turn back for their sons; their hands will hang limp.
- Nahum 2:3 The shields of his mighty men are red; the valiant warriors are dressed in scarlet. The fittings of the chariots flash like fire on the day they are prepared, and the spears of cypress have been brandished.
- Acts 2:10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome,