Jeremiah 42:7-18 Meaning: Learning to Wait on God's Timing
7After ten days, Yahweh’s word came to Jeremiah.
8Then he called Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces who were with him, and all the people from the least even to the greatest,
9and said to them, “Yahweh, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your supplication before him, says:
10‘If you will still live in this land, then I will build you, and not pull you down, and I will plant you, and not pluck you up; for I grieve over the distress that I have brought on you.
11Don’t be afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom you are afraid. Don’t be afraid of him,’ says Yahweh, ‘for I am with you to save you, and to deliver you from his hand.
12I will grant you mercy, that he may have mercy on you, and cause you to return to your own land.
13“‘But if you say, “We will not dwell in this land,” so that you don’t obey Yahweh your God’s voice,
14saying, “No, but we will go into the land of Egypt, where we will see no war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor have hunger of bread; and there we will dwell;”’
15now therefore hear Yahweh’s word, O remnant of Judah! Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel, says, ‘If you indeed set your faces to enter into Egypt, and go to live there,
16then it will happen that the sword, which you fear, will overtake you there in the land of Egypt; and the famine, about which you are afraid, will follow close behind you there in Egypt; and you will die there.
17So will it be with all the men who set their faces to go into Egypt to live there. They will die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence. None of them will remain or escape from the evil that I will bring on them.’
18For Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘As my anger and my wrath has been poured out on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so my wrath will be poured out on you, when you enter into Egypt; and you will be an object of horror, an astonishment, a curse, and a reproach; and you will see this place no more.’
7And it came to pass after ten days, that the word of the Lord came unto Jeremiah.
8Then called he Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces which were with him, and all the people from the least even to the greatest,
9And said unto them, Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, unto whom ye sent me to present your supplication before him;
10If ye will still abide in this land, then will I build you, and not pull you down, and I will plant you, and not pluck you up: for I repent me of the evil that I have done unto you.
11Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom ye are afraid; be not afraid of him, saith the Lord: for I am with you to save you, and to deliver you from his hand.
12And I will shew mercies unto you, that he may have mercy upon you, and cause you to return to your own land.
13But if ye say, We will not dwell in this land, neither obey the voice of the Lord your God,
14Saying, No; but we will go into the land of Egypt, where we shall see no war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor have hunger of bread; and there will we dwell:
15And now therefore hear the word of the Lord, ye remnant of Judah; Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; If ye wholly set your faces to enter into Egypt, and go to sojourn there;
16Then it shall come to pass, that the sword, which ye feared, shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine, whereof ye were afraid, shall follow close after you there in Egypt; and there ye shall die.
17So shall it be with all the men that set their faces to go into Egypt to sojourn there; they shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: and none of them shall remain or escape from the evil that I will bring upon them.
18For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; As mine anger and my fury hath been poured forth upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem; so shall my fury be poured forth upon you, when ye shall enter into Egypt: and ye shall be an execration, and an astonishment, and a curse, and a reproach; and ye shall see this place no more.
7And it came to pass after ten days, that the word of Jehovah came unto Jeremiah.
8Then called he Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that were with him, and all the people from the least even to the greatest,
9and said unto them, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, unto whom ye sent me to present your supplication before him:
10If ye will still abide in this land, then will I build you, and not pull you down, and I will plant you, and not pluck you up; for I repent me of the evil that I have done unto you.
11Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom ye are afraid; be not afraid of him, saith Jehovah: for I am with you to save you, and to deliver you from his hand.
12And I will grant you mercy, that he may have mercy upon you, and cause you to return to your own land.
13But if ye say, We will not dwell in this land; so that ye obey not the voice of Jehovah your God,
14saying, No; but we will go into the land of Egypt, where we shall see no war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor have hunger of bread; and there will we dwell:
15now therefore hear ye the word of Jehovah, O remnant of Judah: Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, If ye indeed set your faces to enter into Egypt, and go to sojourn there;
16then it shall come to pass, that the sword, which ye fear, shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt; and the famine, whereof ye are afraid, shall follow hard after you there in Egypt; and there ye shall die.
17So shall it be with all the men that set their faces to go into Egypt to sojourn there: they shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence; and none of them shall remain or escape from the evil that I will bring upon them.
18For thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel: As mine anger and my wrath hath been poured forth upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so shall my wrath be poured forth upon you, when ye shall enter into Egypt; and ye shall be an execration, and an astonishment, and a curse, and a reproach; and ye shall see this place no more.
7And it cometh to pass, at the end of ten days, that there is a word of Jehovah unto Jeremiah,
8and he calleth unto Johanan son of Kareah, and unto all the heads of the forces that are with him, and to all the people, from the least even unto the greatest,
9and he saith unto them, `Thus said Jehovah, God of Israel, unto whom ye sent me, to cause your supplication to fall before Him:
10`If ye do certainly dwell in this land, then I have builded you up, and I throw not down; and I have planted you, and I pluck not up; for I have repented concerning the evil that I have done to you.
11Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, whom ye are afraid of; be not afraid of him--an affirmation of Jehovah--for with you am I, to save you, and to deliver you from his hand.
12And I give to you mercies, and he hath pitied you, and caused you to turn back unto your own ground.
13`And if ye are saying, We do not dwell in this land--not to hearken to the voice of Jehovah your God,
14saying, No; but the land of Egypt we enter, that we see no war, and the sound of a trumpet do not hear, and for bread be not hungry; and there do we dwell.
15And now, therefore, hear ye a word of Jehovah, O remnant of Judah: Thus said Jehovah of Hosts, God of Israel: If ye really set your faces to enter Egypt, and have gone in to sojourn there,
16then it hath come to pass, the sword that ye are afraid of, doth there overtake you, in the land of Egypt; and the hunger, because of which ye are sorrowful, doth there cleave after you in Egypt, and there ye die.
17`Thus are all the men who have set their faces to enter Egypt to sojourn there; they die--by sword, by hunger, and by pestilence, and there is not to them a remnant and an escaped one, because of the evil that I am bringing in upon them;
18for thus said Jehovah of Hosts, God of Israel: As poured out hath been Mine anger and My fury on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so poured out is My fury upon you in your entering Egypt, and ye have been for an execration, and for an astonishment, and for a reviling, and for a reproach, and ye do not see any more this place.
7And it came to pass at the end of ten days, that the word of Jehovah came unto Jeremiah.
8And he called Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that were with him, and all the people from the least even unto the greatest,
9and said unto them, Thus saith Jehovah the God of Israel, to whom ye sent me to present your supplication before him:
10If ye will still abide in this land, then will I build you, and not overthrow [you], and I will plant you, and not pluck [you] up; for I repent me of the evil that I have done unto you.
11Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom ye are afraid: be not afraid of him, saith Jehovah; for I will be with you to save you, and to deliver you from his hand.
12And I will grant mercies to you, that he may have mercy upon you, and cause you to return to your own land.
13But if ye say, We will not dwell in this land; so as not to hearken unto the voice of Jehovah your God,
14saying, No; but we will go into the land of Egypt, where we shall see no war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor have hunger for bread; and there will we dwell;
15— and now, therefore, hear the word of Jehovah, ye remnant of Judah: thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel: If ye really set your faces to enter into Egypt, and go to sojourn there,
16then it shall come to pass, that the sword which ye fear shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine, whereof ye are afraid, shall follow hard after you there in Egypt; and there ye shall die.
17And it shall be that all the men that have set their faces to go into Egypt to sojourn there shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence; and none of them shall remain or escape from the evil that I will bring upon them.
18For thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel: As mine anger and my fury have been poured forth upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so shall my fury be poured forth upon you, when ye shall enter into Egypt; and ye shall be an execration, and an astonishment, and a curse, and a reproach, and ye shall see this place no more.
Meaning in one sentence
Why did God delay ten days before answering Jeremiah? Learn what this passage reveals about trusting God's timing over our fears.
Context
The scene is bleak. The Babylonian army has destroyed Jerusalem. The governor Gedaliah has been murdered. The remnant of Judah is terrified, expecting the king of Babylon's revenge. They come to Jeremiah with a solemn promise: pray for us, and whatever God says, we will obey. So Jeremiah prays. And then he waits. Ten days pass before the word of the Lord comes. In the meantime, the people's fear grows. By the time the answer arrives, they have already made up their minds to flee to Egypt. God's message through Jeremiah offers two paths: stay in the land under His protection, or run to Egypt in unbelief and face the very disasters they dread. The passage is not just about geography. It is about whose voice we trust when we are afraid.
Key Words
The ten day wait is the first word of the passage. The Hebrew construction in verse 7 is deliberate: a full ten days passed. This silence mattered. Earlier in Jeremiah's ministry, he answered inquiries at once. Now God makes them wait. Prophecy was never under the prophet's control; it came when the Giver chose. The delay tested their promise to obey, and their fear failed the test.
When God says in verse 10, I grieve over the distress that I have brought on you, the Hebrew verb is nāḥam (H5162). It means to be sorry, to relent, to be moved to compassion. This is not a moody God changing His mind. It is a Father whose heart aches even as He disciplines. He longs to stop the punishment the moment His people turn back to Him.
Three times in verses 15 18 the phrase set your faces appears. The Hebrew idiom śîm pĕnêkem means to firmly resolve, to turn the whole person in one direction. It reveals a stubborn determination that no warning can bend. And the sword and famine the remnant fears will cling to them in Egypt. The verb dāḇaq (H1692) means to stick like glue, to pursue relentlessly. The very thing they flee will follow them into their false refuge.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christian readers across traditions agree that this passage teaches the sovereignty of God over prophecy. The ten day delay shows that the prophet could not speak at will; God gave the word when He chose. Many also see a pastoral lesson about waiting on God rather than rushing into human solutions. The remnant's story is a warning: even sincere promises to obey can crumble when the answer requires patience.
Some commentators, like Matthew Henry, emphasize that God's grief over the disaster He sent does not contradict His justice. It reveals His tender heart, slow to anger and quick to relent when His people repent. Others, like Calvin, focus on the stubbornness of the human heart: the people asked for God's will but had already decided their own. Both readings point to the same challenge: will we trust God enough to wait for His word, especially when fear is loud and the timer is ticking?
A common misunderstanding
A common misreading is that God was simply angry and unfair, punishing people for choosing the safer option. Egypt did look safer than staying in a ruined land under Babylonian control. In fact, the problem was not Egypt itself, but their refusal to trust God's promise of protection. They had promised to obey whatever God said, but when His word came, they rejected it. The real danger was not the king of Babylon; it was disobedience born from unbelief.
Living This Out
The remnant wanted a quick exit from fear. They had already packed for Egypt in their hearts before God answered. That is what panic does: it fills the silence with our own plans.
This week, notice when your fear wants to rush you into a decision. Maybe it is a job change, a move, a confrontation you want to avoid. Before you act, ask yourself: have I truly waited for God's guidance, or am I running toward my own Egypt? The promise in this passage is not that staying put will be easy. But God says, I am with you to save you and to deliver you. His presence is the only safe ground. Let that truth slow your heart before you move.
Main takeaway: God's timing reveals our true trust in Him; waiting for His word is not wasted time but a proving ground for faith.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
The people were scared, so they asked Jeremiah to pray. Then they had to wait ten days for God's answer. God told them to stay and trust Him. When we are scared, we can ask God what to do and then wait for His answer.
For ages 9, 12
The people promised to obey God no matter what He said. But when His answer came, they didn't like it. They had already made up their minds to run to Egypt. Waiting on God means trusting His plan even when we are scared and want to fix things ourselves. This week, if you feel anxious about something, pray about it and then wait quietly. God's timing is never wasted.
Questions People Ask
Why did God wait ten days to answer Jeremiah?
Prophecy was not something Jeremiah could produce on demand. The gift came from God at His chosen time. The delay also tested the people's sincerity. They had promised to obey whatever God said, but the ten day silence gave their fear time to grow and their resolve to weaken. God's timing reveals what is truly in our hearts.
What does 'I repent me of the evil' mean in Jeremiah 42:10?
The Hebrew verb nāḥam means to be grieved, to relent, or to be moved to compassion. God is not changing like a human who made a mistake. He is expressing His deep sorrow over the judgment His people brought on themselves and His readiness to stop punishing the moment they turn back. It shows God's heart, not a change in His character.
Why was it wrong for the remnant to go to Egypt?
God had clearly told them to stay in the land under His protection. Egypt represented a human solution chosen out of fear and unbelief. They rejected God's promise of safety and trusted their own judgment instead. The problem was not the destination but the disobedience. God was with them in the land; without His presence, nowhere is safe.
Does this passage mean Christians should never flee danger?
Not exactly. The issue here was not fleeing in itself but refusing to obey God's specific command. The remnant had asked for God's will, promised to obey it, and then rejected it. Throughout Scripture, God sometimes tells His people to flee and sometimes to stay. The key is listening to His word before making our own plans.
What can we learn from this passage about making decisions under pressure?
Fear makes us want to act quickly, often before we have heard from God. The remnant's mistake was deciding in their hearts while they waited for God's answer. When you feel pressured to decide, pause and ask: have I honestly waited for God's guidance, or have I already chosen my escape route? Trust His timing more than your panic.
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