Jeremiah Chapter 42

At a Glance

  • Jeremiah 42 unfolds as a tense, petitionary interlude in which a surviving remnant in Judah seeks divine guidance in the face of uncertain fate under Babylonian dominance.
  • Jeremiah responds with a prepared plan: he will pray as they ask, and whatever the Lord reveals, he will faithfully convey.
  • This chapter thus centers on discernment, obedience, and the tension between imminent danger and divine faithfulness.
  • Historical & Literary Context.
  • Jeremiah 42 sits within the same historical arc as the preceding chapters, during the Babylonian siege and post-Fall era in Judah.

CHAPTER REFERENCE

Chapter Overview

Jeremiah 42 unfolds as a tense, petitionary interlude in which a surviving remnant in Judah seeks divine guidance in the face of uncertain fate under Babylonian dominance. The leaders—Johanan the son of Kareah, the military captains, and all the people—from the least to the greatest—approach Jeremiah with a crucial request: they want him to intercede with the Lord for them and reveal the path they should take. Their question is stark: should they remain in the land or flee to Egypt for safety? The tone blends humility with anxiety, as they acknowledge dependence on the Lord’s guidance for a decision that will shape the remnant’s future.

Jeremiah responds with a prepared plan: he will pray as they ask, and whatever the Lord reveals, he will faithfully convey. There is a covenant-like pledge among the people: whether the command is favorable or dire, they commit to obey. After a ten-day period of waiting, the word of the Lord comes to Jeremiah. The message is nuanced and pastoral: if the remnant remains in the land, God promises to build and plant them, to show mercy, and to deliver them from Babylonian fear. The Prophet’s words emphasize divine protection and continued presence, even as the future remains unsettled. The remainder of the chapter details further warnings and conditionalities, including admonitions not to fear the king of Babylon and assurances of God’s steadfast mercy if they choose to stay.

This chapter thus centers on discernment, obedience, and the tension between imminent danger and divine faithfulness. It invites readers to consider how communities today seek divine counsel in uncertain geopolitical or personal circumstances and how trust in God’s purposes shapes decisions about where to live, how to respond to power, and how to preserve identity in exile.

Historical & Literary Context

Jeremiah 42 sits within the same historical arc as the preceding chapters, during the Babylonian siege and post-Fall era in Judah. The chapter’s setting is a community grappling with survival and identity under imperial threat. The genre remains prophetic-narrative: a dialogue between human agency (the remnant’s leaders) and divine agency (God’s word mediated by Jeremiah). The ten-day waiting period before God’s word signals a contemplative, patient approach to discernment, contrasting with impulsive decision-making driven by fear.

In the broader book, this chapter balances Jeremiah’s oracles of judgment with messages of hope for fidelity and restoration. It shows how God engages with a people who must decide where to place their trust: in a foreign king’s stability or in the God who sent prophets. The chapter also foreshadows the eventual exile to Egypt that some Judahites would undertake—an alternative path to survival that the text treats with caution and prophetic warning.

Key Themes

- Discernment under pressure: The remnant seeks God’s guidance before taking action, modeling thoughtful decision-making in crisis.

- Obedience and commitment: Their vow to obey whatever God commands reflects a trust-based, covenantal posture, even when outcomes are uncertain.

- God’s presence in exile-like situations: The message emphasizes that God remains with the remnant, offering protection and a future if they stay.

- Fear versus faith: The fear of Babylon’s power tempts retreat to Egypt; the challenge is to choose faith over flight when God’s call is costly.

- Conditional blessing: God’s promise is tied to the remnant’s choice to remain in the land and follow His guidance, highlighting that obedience shapes destiny.

Modern Application

- Seeking divine guidance in communal decision-making: The chapter models a posture of collective prayerful discernment before decisive choices, a relevant pattern for churches, families, or organizations facing major transitions.

- Courage to stay when safer options exist: The call to remain in the land despite pressure resonates with faith communities that must stay committed to a place or task despite hostile contexts.

- Faithful risk-taking: Trusting God with uncertain futures invites believers to act with moral courage, prioritizing faithfulness over comfort.

- Covenant fidelity in leadership: Leaders can learn from the remnant’s vow to obey God’s word regardless of outcome, emphasizing integrity and accountability.

- Realistic hope rooted in God’s faithfulness: The chapter invites believers to hold onto hope grounded not in political stability but in God’s steadfast presence and promises.

- Jeremiah 29 (God’s plans to prosper the remnant, build and plant)

- Jeremiah 40–41 (context of Gedaliah and the aftermath of leadership changes)

- Deuteronomy 8:1-18 (faithfulness, blessings tied to obedience)

- Ezekiel 37 (future restoration and presence of God with his people)

- Jeremiah (prophetic voice of discernment)

- Johanan the son of Kareah (responsible leadership under pressure)

- Moses (leadership and obedience in challenging times)

- Jesus (New Testament lens on discernment, obedience, and trust in God’s plan)

Chapter Text

1

Then all the captains of the forces, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least even unto the greatest, came near,

2

And said unto Jeremiah the prophet, Let, we beseech thee, our supplication be accepted before thee, and pray for us unto the LORD thy God, even for all this remnant; (for we are left but a few of many, as thine eyes do behold us:)

3

That the LORD thy God may shew us the way wherein we may walk, and the thing that we may do.

4

Then Jeremiah the prophet said unto them, I have heard you; behold, I will pray unto the LORD your God according to your words; and it shall come to pass, that whatsoever thing the LORD shall answer you, I will declare it unto you; I will keep nothing back from you.

5

Then they said to Jeremiah, The LORD be a true and faithful witness between us, if we do not even according to all things for the which the LORD thy God shall send thee to us.

6

Whether it be good, or whether it be evil, we will obey the voice of the LORD our God, to whom we send thee; that it may be well with us, when we obey the voice of the LORD our God.

7

And it came to pass after ten days, that the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah.

8

Then 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,

9

And said unto them, Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, unto whom ye sent me to present your supplication before him;

10

If 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.

11

Be 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.

12

And I will shew mercies unto you, that he may have mercy upon you, and cause you to return to your own land.

13

But if ye say, We will not dwell in this land, neither obey the voice of the LORD your God,

14

Saying, 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:

15

And 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;

16

Then 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.

17

So 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.

18

For 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.

19

The LORD hath said concerning you, O ye remnant of Judah; Go ye not into Egypt: know certainly that I have admonished you this day.

20

For ye dissembled in your hearts, when ye sent me unto the LORD your God, saying, Pray for us unto the LORD our God; and according unto all that the LORD our God shall say, so declare unto us, and we will do it.

21

And now I have this day declared it to you; but ye have not obeyed the voice of the LORD your God, nor any thing for the which he hath sent me unto you.

22

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.

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