Jeremiah 43:1-7 Meaning: When God's Word Doesn't Match Our Plans
1When Jeremiah had finished speaking to all the people all the words of Yahweh their God, with which Yahweh their God had sent him to them, even all these words,
2then Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the proud men spoke, saying to Jeremiah, “You speak falsely. Yahweh our God has not sent you to say, ‘You shall not go into Egypt to live there;’
3but Baruch the son of Neriah has turned you against us, to deliver us into the hand of the Chaldeans, that they may put us to death or carry us away captive to Babylon.”
4So Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces, and all the people, didn’t obey Yahweh’s voice, to dwell in the land of Judah.
5But Johanan the son of Kareah and all the captains of the forces took all the remnant of Judah, who had returned from all the nations where they had been driven, to live in the land of Judah—
6the men, the women, the children, the king’s daughters, and every person who Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had left with Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan; and Jeremiah the prophet, and Baruch the son of Neriah.
7They came into the land of Egypt, for they didn’t obey Yahweh’s voice; and they came to Tahpanhes.
1And it came to pass, that when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking unto all the people all the words of the Lord their God, for which the Lord their God had sent him to them, even all these words,
2Then spake Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the proud men, saying unto Jeremiah, Thou speakest falsely: the Lord our God hath not sent thee to say, Go not into Egypt to sojourn there:
3But Baruch the son of Neriah setteth thee on against us, for to deliver us into the hand of the Chaldeans, that they might put us to death, and carry us away captives into Babylon.
4So Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces, and all the people, obeyed not the voice of the Lord, to dwell in the land of Judah.
5But Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces, took all the remnant of Judah, that were returned from all nations, whither they had been driven, to dwell in the land of Judah;
6Even men, and women, and children, and the king’s daughters, and every person that Nebuzar–adan the captain of the guard had left with Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Jeremiah the prophet, and Baruch the son of Neriah.
7So they came into the land of Egypt: for they obeyed not the voice of the Lord: thus came they even to Tahpanhes.
1And it came to pass that, when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking unto all the people all the words of Jehovah their God, wherewith Jehovah their God had sent him to them, even all these words,
2then spake Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the proud men, saying unto Jeremiah, Thou speakest falsely: Jehovah our God hath not sent thee to say, Ye shall not go into Egypt to sojourn there;
3but Baruch the son of Neriah setteth thee on against us, to deliver us into the hand of the Chaldeans, that they may put us to death, and carry us away captive to Babylon.
4So Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces, and all the people, obeyed not the voice of Jehovah, to dwell in the land of Judah.
5But Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces, took all the remnant of Judah, that were returned from all the nations whither they had been driven, to sojourn in the land of Judah;
6the men, and the women, and the children, and the king’s daughters, and every person that Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had left with Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan; and Jeremiah the prophet, and Baruch the son of Neriah.
7And they came into the land of Egypt; for they obeyed not the voice of Jehovah: and they came unto Tahpanhes.
1And it cometh to pass, when Jeremiah doth finish to speak unto all the people all the words of Jehovah their God, with which Jehovah their God hath sent him unto them--all these words--
2that Azariah son of Hoshaiah, and Johanan son of Kareah, and all the proud men, speak unto Jeremiah, saying, `Falsehood thou art speaking; Jehovah our God hath not sent thee to say, Do not enter Egypt to sojourn there;
3for Baruch son of Neriah is moving thee against us, in order to give us up into the hand of the Chaldeans, to put us to death, and to remove us to Babylon.'
4And Johanan son of Kareah, and all the heads of the forces, and all the people, have not hearkened to the voice of Jehovah, to dwell in the land of Judah;
5and Johanan son of Kareah, and all the heads of the forces, take all the remnant of Judah who have turned from all the nations whither they were driven to sojourn in the land of Judah,
6the men, and the women, and the infant, and the daughters of the king, and every person that Nebuzar-Adan, chief of the executioners, had left with Gedaliah son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, and Jeremiah the prophet, and Baruch son of Neriah,
7and they enter the land of Egypt, for they have not hearkened to the voice of Jehovah, and they enter unto Tahpanhes.
1And it came to pass, when Jeremiah had ended speaking unto all the people all the words of Jehovah their God, with which Jehovah their God had sent him to them — all these words,
2— then spoke Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the proud men, saying to Jeremiah, Thou speakest falsely: Jehovah our God hath not sent thee to say, Go not into Egypt to sojourn there;
3but Baruch the son of Nerijah is setting thee on against us, to deliver us into the hand of the Chaldeans, that they may put us to death, and carry us away captives into Babylon.
4So Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces, and all the people, hearkened not unto the voice of Jehovah to abide in the land of Judah;
5but Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces, took all the remnant of Judah, that were returned from all nations whither they had been driven, to sojourn in the land of Judah;
6men, and women, and children, and the king's daughters, and every person that Nebuzar-adan the captain of the body-guard had left with Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Jeremiah the prophet, and Baruch the son of Nerijah;
7and they came into the land of Egypt: for they hearkened not unto the voice of Jehovah. And they came as far as Tahpanhes.
Meaning in one sentence
Why did the remnant of Judah reject Jeremiah's prophecy after promising to obey? A study of Jeremiah 43:1-7.
Context
After Jerusalem fell to Babylon, a small remnant of survivors remained in Judah. They had been scattered among the nations and had returned, terrified of what might come next. They came to the prophet Jeremiah and begged him to seek God's will for them. They made a solemn promise: whatever God said, they would do it, whether it seemed good or bad to them. Ten days later, Jeremiah brought back God's answer: stay in the land, do not go to Egypt, and you will be safe. But the leaders did not want to hear that. Egypt looked like safety. Babylon still felt like a threat. So when Jeremiah finished speaking, the leaders accused him of lying. They claimed God had not sent him, and that his scribe Baruch was manipulating him. Then they forcibly gathered every last person, men, women, children, even the king's daughters, and Jeremiah himself, and marched into Egypt. The last line of the passage is heartbreaking: they did not obey the voice of the Lord.
Key Words
Three Hebrew words give this scene its weight. The first is zedim, translated here as "proud men" but carrying the force of "arrogant" or "insolent." It describes people who are so sure of themselves that they cannot bend, not even to God. The second word is sheqer, the word the leaders use when they shout "You speak falsely." It means a lie, a deception, something that betrays. They did not simply disagree with Jeremiah; they branded God's own word as a cheat. The third key phrase is lo' shama', repeated three times in these verses, "did not obey" or, more literally, "did not listen." In Hebrew, hearing and obeying are the same word. They refused to hear because they had already decided what they wanted. Together these words show a people who had promised to listen, but who shut their ears the moment God's answer crossed them.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christians across traditions have read this passage as a sobering warning. Reformed commentators like Calvin note that these leaders had not asked for God's will in good faith, they had already made up their minds to go to Egypt. Matthew Henry observes that "pride is the parent of disobedience and contempt of God." The Jamieson-Fausset-Brown commentary agrees, calling the leaders' accusation against Baruch a cover for their own rebellion. Wesley's Explanatory Notes point to the city of Tahpanhes as a place where the king of Egypt resided, showing how the people sought human protection rather than divine guidance. All traditions see this as a moment when people heard God clearly and chose their own way anyway, a warning to every generation that asks God for direction but resists the answer.
A common misunderstanding
Some readers think the people had a genuine misunderstanding, that maybe Jeremiah's message was unclear, or they had grounds to doubt him. In fact, the text is plain. They had just sworn before God to obey whatever He said through Jeremiah. The moment they heard the answer, they did not debate or ask for clarification. They flatly accused the prophet of lying and invented a conspiracy theory about Baruch. This was not confusion. It was a deliberate refusal to submit to God's word when it crossed their own plans.
Living This Out
If you are facing a hard decision and have asked God for direction, this passage asks you a question: are you truly open to hearing the answer, even if it is not what you want? The leaders of Judah wanted God to bless their plan, not change it. You can test yourself this week by paying attention to what happens inside you when a Scripture reading, a sermon, or a trusted friend challenges a decision you have already made. Do you get defensive? Do you start explaining why that doesn't apply? That is the same pride the zedim showed. You can choose a different way: slow down, admit the struggle honestly, and ask God for the willingness to obey whatever He shows you.
Main takeaway: Hearing God's word includes obeying it, especially when it goes against our own plans and fears.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
The people asked God what to do, but when He told them, they said, "No, that's not what we want." They didn't listen. God wants us to listen to Him, even when He says something different from what we wanted.
For ages 9, 12
The leaders of Judah made a promise to obey God, but when His answer came through Jeremiah, they rejected it. They were scared and proud, so they accused Jeremiah of lying. This story shows us that asking God for guidance means being ready to follow it, even when it's scary. You can learn to be honest with God about your fears, and still trust that His way is best.
Questions People Ask
Why did the people reject Jeremiah's prophecy after promising to obey?
They had promised to obey whatever God said through Jeremiah (Jeremiah 42:5-6). But when God's answer told them not to go to Egypt, it went against their own plan. They were afraid of Babylon and believed Egypt was safer. Instead of admitting their fear, they accused Jeremiah of lying and claimed that Baruch was manipulating him. Pride and fear together shut their ears.
Who was Baruch and why did they blame him?
Baruch was Jeremiah's faithful scribe and companion. He wrote down Jeremiah's prophecies and often delivered them publicly. The leaders blamed Baruch because they could not find fault with Jeremiah himself, so they invented a conspiracy: Baruch was supposedly influencing Jeremiah to side with Babylon. This was a convenient excuse to reject the message.
Did God say anything else to them after they went to Egypt?
Yes. In Jeremiah 43:8-13, God gave Jeremiah another prophecy while he was in Tahpanhes. He told Jeremiah to bury large stones in the brickwork at Pharaoh's palace as a sign that Nebuchadnezzar would come and conquer Egypt. The people who fled to Egypt for safety would not escape the Babylonians after all.
What does the word 'proud men' mean in this context?
The Hebrew word is 'zedim,' which means arrogant, insolent, or presumptuous. It describes people who are full of themselves and refuse to submit to authority, especially God's authority. These men were not just confident; they were so self-assured that they openly defied God's word and accused His prophet of lying. Their pride blinded them.
Why did they force Jeremiah to go with them to Egypt?
The text says they took everyone, including Jeremiah and Baruch. They probably did not trust Jeremiah to stay behind; they may have feared he would continue to prophesy against them. By forcing him along, they tried to silence God's voice. It also shows that their rebellion was total, they would not leave anyone who might challenge their decision.
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