Jeremiah 46:25

The LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saith; Behold, I will punish the multitude of No, and Pharaoh, and Egypt, with their gods, and their kings; even Pharaoh, and all them that trust in him:

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(25) The multitude of No.—More accurately, I will punish Amon No. The first word is the Egyptian Ammon or Hammon, but is probably used also, with a natural paronomasia on the name of the city, in its Hebrew sense of “multitude.” “No” here, and as No Amon in Nahum 3:8, stands for Thebes, the capital of Upper Egypt. The name appears in the form NIA in Assyrian inscriptions. Compare also Ezekiel 30:14-16.

Benson Commentary

Jeremiah 46:25-26. Behold, I will punish the multitude of No — Hebrew, מנא אמון, Amon of No, which, says Blaney, “is the literal translation, and we need seek for no other.” Amon, or Ammon, as the word is generally written, was the name by which the Egyptians called Jupiter, who had a celebrated temple at Thebes, famous for its hundred gates in Homer’s time, and supposed to be the same city with No here mentioned. Here Jupiter was worshipped in a distinguished manner, on which account the place was called Diospolis, the city of Jupiter, which name the LXX. have put for No, Ezekiel 30:14-16. If therefore No be Thebes, or Diospolis, as it seems evident it is, then Amman of No signifies the deity of the place, the Theban Jupiter, as Herodotus styles him, lib. 2. cap. 42. As, on the other hand, נא אמון, No-ammon, Nahum 3:8, should be rendered, No of Amman, which exactly corresponds with the Greek Διοσπολις, or, city of Jupiter. But very different from these is the term, את המון נא, used Ezekiel 30:15, which indeed signifies the multitude, or numerous inhabitants of No; although, from the similitude of the words אמון and המון, Amon and Hamon, our translators, and others besides them, have confounded them together. Some have supposed No to mean Alexandria, the great emporium of Egypt; and the Chaldee and Vulgate have rendered it so. But Alexandria was not built till ages after the time when Jeremiah prophesied: and it does not appear that there had been before any city, at least any considerable one, standing upon the spot which the founder made the object of his choice. And Pharaoh and Egypt, with their gods and their kings — The same divine vengeance, which falls upon the idol Ammon and his worshippers, shall reach the rest of Egypt with their respective idols and governors. “When an idolatrous nation,” says Blaney, “is doomed to destruction, God is said to execute vengeance upon the idols of the country: see Jeremiah 43:12-13. Accordingly, here Ammon of No, the principal deity, and Pharaoh, the principal man, among the Egyptians, are marked out in the first place as the primary objects of divine visitation; then follows, in the gross, Egypt with all her gods, and all her kings; which latter term is explained to include both Pharaoh himself, and those subordinate rulers who were dependant upon him for the rank and authority they held. And afterward it shall be inhabited, as in the days of old — At the end of forty years Egypt was to begin to recover itself, as Ezekiel foretels, Ezekiel 29:13.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

46:13-28 Those who encroached on others, shall now be themselves encroached on. Egypt is now like a very fair heifer, not accustomed to the yoke of subjection; but destruction comes out of the north: the Chaldeans shall come. Comfort and peace are spoken to the Israel of God, designed to encourage them when the judgments of God were abroad among the nations. He will be with them, and only correct them in measure; and will not punish them with everlasting destruction from his presence.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The multitude of No - Rather, Amon of No. Ammon or Jupiter-Ammon was the first of the supreme triad of Thebes. He was the deity invisible and unfathomable, whose name signifies "the concealed." No-Amon, is the sacred city of Thebes, the capital of Upper Egypt. First then Yahweh's anger falls upon the representatives of the highest divine and human powers, Amon of No and Pharaoh. It next punishes Egypt generally, and her gods and her kings, for each city had its special divinity, and inferior rulers were placed in the several parts of the country. Finally, Pharaoh is again mentioned, with "all who trust in him," i. e., the Jews, who had made Egypt their confidence and not God.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

25. multitude—Hebrew, "Amon" (Na 3:8, Margin, "No-Ammon"), the same as Thebes or Diospolis in Upper Egypt, where Jupiter Ammon had his famous temple. In English Version, "multitude" answers to "populous No" (Na 3:8; Eze 30:15). The reference to "their gods" which follows, makes the translation more likely, "Ammon of No," that is, No and her idol Ammon; so the Chaldee Version. So called either from Ham, the son of Noah; or, the "nourisher," as the word means.

their kings—the kings of the nations in league with Egypt.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

The Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saith: these names are often in conjunction given unto God, the first signifying his power or ability to do what he either promiseth or threateneth, the other speaking his kindness and near relation to the Jews.

Behold, I will punish the multitude of No: there are great critical disputes about this phrase, whether the word translated

multitude signifies so, (as it doth Jeremiah 52:15) and if so, whether it should not be multitude from No; or whether it signifies the nourisher, (as some would have it,) because No (which some think is the same city with that at this time called Alexandria, being a great place of merchandise) nourished all the adjacent parts; but it is no easy thing to resolve the question, nor is the resolution of it of much moment to us. By those that trusted in Pharaoh the Jews are most probably meant, who all along in their prosperity put too much confidence in Egypt, and after that Jerusalem was taken some of them (as we before heard) fled into Egypt for sanctuary.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

The Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saith,.... These titles are often given to the Lord, and set before prophecies that come from him; and, according to Kimchi, the reason why he is here spoken of as the God of Israel was, because the vengeance threatened to the Egyptians should come upon them, as a punishment for using Israel ill; as Shishak king of Egypt, and Pharaohnecho, who slew Josiah:

behold, I will punish the multitude of No; the inhabitants of it, which were many, called "populous No", Nahum 3:8; a famous city in Egypt. Some take it to be Diospolis or Thebes; and others (p) the same that is now called Alexandria; and so the Targum renders it; and which is followed by the Vulgate Latin version: and Jarchi calls it the seignory or government of Alexandria; and takes Amon, the word for "multitude", to signify the prince of this place; and so Kimchi and Ben Melech interpret it, king of a city called No: rather Jupiter Ammon (q) is meant, an idol of the Egyptians, which had a temple in Thebes, and was worshipped in it; and who had his name from Ham, the son of Noah. Hillerus (r), by various arguments, endeavours to prove that No is the same city with Memphis, and that No Amon signifies "the habitation of the nourished"; that is, of Apis, which was nourished here. But be he who he will, or the place what it will, he or that would certainly be punished;

and Pharaoh, and Egypt, with their gods, and their kings; Pharaoh, the present king of Egypt, who was Pharaohhophra, and all the land of Egypt; and all their numerous idols, which were many indeed; and the several governors of the nomes or provinces into which the land was distributed; these should be punished, and suffer in the general calamity;

even Pharaoh, and all them that trust in him; the Jews that dwelt in Egypt, and who thought themselves safe under his protection; such who went along with Johanan thither, contrary to the will of God; these should not escape punishment, but be involved in the same destruction.

(p) R. David Ganz. Chronolog. par. 2. fol. 10. 1. Elias in Tishbi, p. 11. (q) Vid. Schmidt in loc & Stockium, p. 71. So Bochart. Phaleg. l. 1. c. 1. col. 5, 6. (r) Onomastic. Sacr. p. 571, &c.

Geneva Study Bible

The LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saith; Behold, I will punish the {y} multitude of No, and Pharaoh, and Egypt, with their gods, and their kings; even Pharaoh, and all them that trust in him:

(y) Some take the Hebrew word Amon for the kings name of No, that is, of Alexandria.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

25. Amon of No] i.e. the chief god worshipped in No (cp. No-Amon, Nahum 3:8). Thebes, the capital of Upper Egypt (now Luxor), a city of great interest from its remains of antiquity in the way of sculpture and tombs. It supplanted Memphis as a great centre, but declined under the Ptolemies. See Ezekiel 30:14 ff. Amon was represented in various ways, e.g. as a figure with a ram’s head and human body. “In course of time he absorbed into himself almost all the other deities of Egypt.” Sayce, Anc. Empires, p. 63.

and Pharaoh … her kings] omit with LXX.

them that trust in him] those Jews who still persistently trusted in Egypt as a support against Babylon.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 25. - The multitude of No; rather, Amen of No. Amon-Ra, or rather Amen-Ra, was the name adopted at Thebes (Homer's Thebes "of the hundred gateways," 'Iliad,' 9:383, called here "No," and in Nahum 3:8 "No [of] Anion") from the time of the eleventh dynasty, for the sun god Ra. Amen (Amen) signifies "hidden," for it is the mysterious, invisible deity who manifests himself in bodily form in the sun. From this name comes the classic designation, Jupiter-Ammon. Their gods... their kings; rather, her gods... her kings (viz. Egypt's). The "kings" are probably the high officials of the state, not a few of whom were either by birth or marriage members of the royal family. Even Pharaoh, and all them that trust in him. With a suggestive allusion to the many in Judah who "trusted" in that "broken reed" (Isaiah 36:6). Jeremiah 46:25

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

In Jeremiah 46:24. the result of the overthrow of Egypt, which has hitherto been set forth in figurative language, is stated in words which describe the exact realities: Egypt will be given up to ignominy, delivered into the power of a people from the north, i.e., the Chaldeans. The Lord of hosts, the Almighty God of Israel, punishes it for its sins. He visits, i.e., punishes, Amon of No, the chief idol of Egypt; Pharaoh, and the land, with all its gods and its kings, and with Pharaoh, all those who place their trust in his power. Words are accumulated for the purpose of showing that the judgment will be one which shall befall the whole land, together with its gods, its rulers, and its inhabitants. First of all is mentioned Amon of No, as in Ezekiel 30:14. נא is an abbreviation of נא אמון , i.e., dwelling of Amon, the sacred name of the royal city in Upper Egypt, famous in antiquity, which the Greeks called Διὸς πόλις, or Θήβη, or Θῆβαι it is supposed, after the vulgar Egyptian name Tapet or Tape (Throne or Seat); see on Nahum 3:8. Amon - in Greek ̓Αμμοῦν (Herodotus, ii. 42), ̓Αμοῦν (Plutarch, de Is. Ch. 9), ̓Αμῶν (Jamblichus, de myst. 5, 8) - was a sun-god (Amon-R), probably a symbol of the sun as it appears in the spring, in the sign of the Ram; hence he was represented with rams' horns. By the Greeks he was compared to Jupiter, or Zeus, and named Jupiter Ammon. The chief seat of his worship was Thebes, where he had a temple, with a numerous learned priesthood and a famous oracle (cf. Strabo, xvii. 1. 43; Justin. xi. 11), which Cambyses destroyed (Diodorus, Siculus, Fragm. Lib. x.). Under the expression "kings of Egypt" we are not to include governors or vassal-kings, but all the kings who ever ruled Egypt; for in the judgment now falling on Egypt, all the kings it ever had, together with all its gods, are punished. In the last part of the verse the name of Pharaoh is once more given, for the purpose of attaching to it the words "and all who trust in him;" these are intended for the Jews who expected help from Egypt. The punishment consists in their being all given into the hand of their enemies, namely (ו explic.) into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar and his servants. This defeat, however, is not to be the end of the Egyptian kingdom. The threat of judgment concludes, in Jeremiah 46:26, with a promise for the future. "Afterwards, it shall be inhabited, as in the days of yore." שׁכן is used in a neuter sense, as in Jeremiah 17:6; Jeremiah 33:16, etc. Since this verb also signifies to settle down, be encamped (Numbers 24:2), and to lie quiet, to rest, or keep oneself quiet, inactive (Judges 5:17; Proverbs 7:11), Hitzig and Graf, with Kimchi, give the explanation: "because the power of Egypt shall be broken, it will keep quiet, and remain at home in its own country, instead of marching forth and fighting other nations, as it has lately begun again to do (Jeremiah 46:7) after centuries of peace." But although, in support of this view, we are pointed to Ezekiel 29:13, where the restoration of Egypt is predicted, with the further remark, "it will be an abject kingdom," yet this idea is not contained in the words of our verse. To render שׁכן by "to keep quiet, be inactive," does not suit the words "as in the days of old." In former days, Egypt was neither inactive nor remained at home in peace in its own land. From the remotest antiquity, the Pharaohs made wars, and sought to enlarge their dominions by conquest. Add to this, that we must view the concluding portion of this prophecy in a manner analogous to the closing thought of the prophecies regarding Moab (Jeremiah 48:47), Ammon (Jeremiah 49:6), and Elam (Jeremiah 49:39), where the turning of the captivity in the last times is given in prospect to these nations, and "afterwards," in Jeremiah 49:6, alternates with "in the latter days" found in Jeremiah 48:47 and Jeremiah 49:39. From this it follows that, in the verse now before us also, it is not the future in general, but the last time, i.e., the Messianic future, that is pointed out; hence שׁכן does not express the peaceful condition of the land, but its being inhabited, in contrast with its depopulation in the immediate future, in consequence of its inhabitants being killed or carried away. On the fulfilment of this threatening, see p. 351ff.