Jeremiah 42:22 · Bible study
Jeremiah 42:22 Commentary: The Certainty of Judgment for Disobedience
Hebrew · 9 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Jeremiah warns the remnant that fleeing to Egypt brings certain death. A study of the cost of ignoring God's clear guidance.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God’s judgment is certain for those who disobey a clear command, even after seeking His guidance.
- Key words: ‘know certainly’ (Hebrew infinitive absolute + verb) emphasizes undeniable certainty; ‘sojourn’ indicates a temporary stay, revealing their plan.
- Main debate: Whether the remnant’s fear mitigates their guilt; commentators agree that their deceit and rebellion justify the judgment.
- Theological theme: The seriousness of vows made to God, and the consequences of hypocritical religion.
- Best use: A warning against using prayer as a cover for disobedience, and a call to genuine surrender.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Now therefore, know for sure that by sword and famine and plague you will die in the place where you desire to go to reside.”
WEB World English Bible 2000
Now therefore know certainly that you will die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence in the place where you desire to go to live.”
KJV King James Version 1769
Now therefore know certainly that ye shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, in the place whither ye desire to go and to sojourn.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Now therefore know certainly that ye shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, in the place whither ye desire to go to sojourn there.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
And now, know ye certainly that by sword, by famine, and by pestilence ye die, in the place that ye have desired to go in to sojourn there.'
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And now know certainly that ye shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, in the place whither ye desire to go to sojourn.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Now therefore know certainly that you shall die by the sword, and by famine, and by pestilence in the place to which you desire to go to dwell there.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Ahora pues sabed de cierto que á cuchillo, y de hambre y pestilencia, moriréis en el lugar donde deseasteis entrar para peregrinar allí.
Agora, portanto, tende certeza de que pela espada, pela fome, e pela pestilência, morrereis no lugar onde desejastes entrar para ali peregrinardes.
Sachez maintenant que vous mourrez par l’ épée, par la famine ou par la peste, dans le lieu où vous voulez aller pour y demeurer.
So sollt ihr nun wissen, daß ihr durch Schwert, Hunger und Pestilenz sterben müßt an dem Ort, dahin ihr gedenkt zu ziehen, daß ihr daselbst wohnen wollt.
Zo weet nu zekerlijk, dat gij door het zwaard, door den honger en door de pestilentie sterven zult, ter plaatse, waar het u gelust heeft henen te gaan, om aldaar als vreemdelingen te verkeren.
Or dunque sappiate bene che voi morrete di spada, di fame e di peste, nel luogo dove desiderate andare per dimorarvi”.
Przetoż mówię: Wiedzcie wiedząc, że mieczem, głodem i morem pomrzecie na tem miejscu, do którego pragniecie wnijść, abyście tam pielgrzymowali.
Итак знайте, что вы умрете от меча, голода и моровой язвы в том месте, куда хотите идти, чтобы жить там.
現在 你們要確實地 知道， 你們在所 要 去 寄居 之地 必遭刀劍、饑荒、瘟疫 而死。」
And now be certain that you will come to your end by the sword and by being short of food and by disease, in the place to which you are pleased to go for a living-place.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Jeremiah 42:22
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that this verse seals the fate of a people whose hearts were already set against God. Adam Clarke observes that they never intended to obey, they asked out of curiosity, hoping for divine endorsement of their own plan. Calvin names their condition: perfidy, impiety, ingratitude, and obstinate contempt. The Hebrew doubling yāḏōaʿ tēḏə‘û, ‘in knowing know’ (Gill), drives home the certainty. They cannot claim ignorance. The triple threat of sword, famine, and pestilence is a standard prophetic formula for total judgment (Keil and Delitzsch; compare Ezekiel 6:11). The place where they intend only to sojourn, to stay temporarily until they can return (Calvin, Jamieson-Fausset-Brown), becomes their grave. The scholarly consensus is that the punishment fits the crime: they promised full obedience, received God’s word, and deliberately chose their own path.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: God commanded the remnant not to go to Egypt; they disobeyed; God’s judgment of death by sword, famine, and pestilence followed.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| The remnant's culpability | Christians across traditions agree that the remnant deliberately disobeyed God after promising to obey. Their guilt is established. | Some emphasize the human fear that drove their decision, viewing it as a tragic but understandable weakness; others stress the deceit of their hearts. All affirm the judgment as just. |
| The triad of judgments | Sword, famine, and pestilence are standard prophetic symbols for total destruction under the covenant curses. | No significant debate: all commentators see these as literal threats that were fulfilled historically when the remnant perished in Egypt. |
| The role of prophetic intercession | Jeremiah faithfully delivered God's message despite knowing the people would reject it. | Some note that Jeremiah's ten-day wait shows the seriousness of the inquiry; others focus on his continued prophetic witness after the rejection. |
| Historical fulfillment | The judgment described came true: the remnant died in Egypt by sword, famine, or plague, as confirmed in Jeremiah 43-44. | Minor disagreement on whether every single person died, but the general destruction is agreed upon. |
Historical & Cultural Context
This verse stands near the end of a tense drama. Jerusalem had fallen to Babylon in 586 BC. The Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar appointed Gedaliah as governor, but he was assassinated. Fearing reprisal, the remnant of Judah, military leaders, officials, and people, fled south to Bethlehem. They then approached Jeremiah, asking him to pray for God’s guidance. Their promise was solemn: ‘Whether it is good or evil, we will obey the voice of Yahweh our God’ (Jeremiah 42:6). Ten days later, Jeremiah delivered God’s reply: stay in the land and I will protect you; do not go to Egypt. Egypt appeared safe. It was a historic breadbasket (Ellicott), and an alliance with Egypt had been a recurring temptation (Jeremiah 2:36, 37:7). The people’s reasoning seemed practical: avoid war, hunger, and the Babylonians. But God’s command was clear. The phrase ‘know certainly’ echoes the language of covenantal warning. The triad of sword, famine, and pestilence matches the curses of Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28, judgment for covenant breaking. The remnant’s desire to ‘sojourn’ in Egypt, not settle permanently, shows they still hoped for return (Jamieson-Fausset-Brown). Yet God’s word is final: the same disasters they fled will find them there.
Textual Notes
The supplied sources mention no significant textual variants for Jeremiah 42:22. The Cambridge Bible notes that some scholars (e.g., Du.) consider portions of chapter 42 as editorial additions, but this does not affect verse 22 itself. The verse is consistently attested across manuscripts.
Reception History
This verse has been read in Christian tradition as a sober warning against hypocrisy in prayer. Puritan preachers often used it to illustrate the danger of asking God for direction while harboring a secret determination to disobey. It has also been cited in discussions on the nature of divine judgment: God’s word stands, even when human fear tries to reroute. The verse continues to be used in sermons on the cost of disobedience and the importance of integrity when making vows before God.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The danger of a divided heart. The remnant sought God’s guidance but had already decided what they would do. Clarke calls it curiosity, not submission. Their prayer was a formality, not a surrender.
- The certainty of God’s word. The Hebrew doubling emphasizes: you will know by experience what God has declared. Ignorance is no excuse when the warning has been spoken plainly.
- The inescapable reach of judgment. They thought Egypt was safe, but the sword, famine, and pestilence follow the disobedient wherever they flee. Sin carries its own consequences.
Five-point outline
- The request: The remnant asks for prayer and promises obedience (Jer 42:1-6).
- The response: God answers through Jeremiah: stay and be safe, or go to Egypt and die (Jer 42:7-18).
- The rebuke: Jeremiah exposes their hypocrisy, they never intended to obey (Jer 42:19-21).
- The pronouncement: Verse 22 delivers the final verdict.
- The result: The next chapter shows them accusing Jeremiah of lying and forcing him to go to Egypt (Jer 43:1-7).
Illustration hooks
- GPS rerouting: A driver who asks for directions but ignores them, ending up stuck in traffic. The guidance was good; the refusal to follow it caused the delay.
- A signed contract: Two parties agree to terms, but one quietly decides to break them before the ink dries. The breach is not a surprise, it was planned.
- Medical advice: A patient asks a doctor what to do for a condition, then rejects the recommended treatment and chooses a dangerous alternative. The outcome is tragic but foreseeable.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Why would God punish people who were just trying to survive? The issue is not their fear but their deceit: they promised obedience and then refused.
- Was it wrong to go to Egypt at all? Not inherently, God had commanded staying. Disobedience to a direct command is always the problem.
- How do I know if I am truly seeking God’s will or just asking for a blessing on my own plans? The test is whether we are willing to obey even when the answer is not what we hoped.
Leading a Discussion
The remnant of Judah asked Jeremiah to pray for guidance, promising to obey whatever God said. When God’s answer came, ‘Do not go to Egypt’, they rejected it. This passage forces us to examine our own hearts when we ask God for direction.
Discussion questions
- Read Jeremiah 42:1-6. What words show the remnant’s commitment? How does this contrast with their later actions?
- Why did God take ten days to answer? What does that delay teach us about waiting on God?
- In verse 22, what does the phrase ‘know certainly’ convey? How does the Hebrew repetition strengthen the warning?
- The triad of sword, famine, and pestilence appears throughout Jeremiah (e.g., 14:12, 44:13). What does this pattern say about God’s consistency in judgment?
- What motivated the remnant to prefer Egypt over staying in Judah? Were their fears legitimate? When does fear cross into disobedience?
- Calvin says the remnant suffered from ‘perfidy, impiety, ingratitude, and obstinate contempt.’ Which of these do you see in your own heart when God’s commands are hard?
- How can we guard against the temptation to ask God for guidance while already committed to our own plans?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Jeremiah 42:17 | So 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.’ |
| Jeremiah 43:11 | He will come, and will strike the land of Egypt; such as are for death will be put to death, and such as are for captivity to captivity, and such as are for the sword to the sword. |
| Ezekiel 5:3 | You shall take a small number of these and bind them in the folds of your robe. |
| Ezekiel 5:4 | Of these again you shall take, and cast them into the middle of the fire, and burn them in the fire. From it a fire will come out into all the house of Israel. |
| Ezekiel 6:11 | “The Lord Yahweh says: ‘Strike with your hand, and stamp with your foot, and say, “Alas!”, because of all the evil abominations of the house of Israel; for they will fall by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence. |
| Hosea 9:6 | For, behold, when they flee destruction, Egypt will gather them up. Memphis will bury them. Nettles will possess their pleasant things of silver. Thorns will be in their tents. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
6 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke draws attention to the hypocrisy of asking God for direction while already determined to disobey. The people's inquiry was mere curiosity, not a genuine search for guidance—they intended to follow their own wishes regardless of what God said.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
Du. (see introd. note to section) considers Jer_42:15-18 as wholly an addition, and Jer_42:9-14 as containing much editorial matter.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note stresses the terrible irony: the very place the people flee to for safety is where God’s judgment will find them. Their chosen refuge becomes the scene of their destruction by sword, famine, and plague. Their desire to dwell there seals their fate.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill stresses that the people brought this judgment on themselves. They had asked for God's word, promised to obey it, and then deliberately chose to go to Egypt anyway. For Gill, the certainty and justice of the punishment come from the fact that they knowingly rejected what they had requested.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB notes that the people planned only a temporary stay, expecting to return to their homeland. This hope directly contradicted God's clear prediction that they would not be restored.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil and Delitzsch expose the people's dangerous self-deception: they begged for the Lord's direction and vowed unconditional obedience, but when the answer opposed their wishes, they refused to comply. Their real error was not ignorance but a willful mistake, made at the peril of their own lives.