Ver. 2. — Against Egypt, against the army ; ruther, concerning h'gypt, concerning the army. Pharaoh-necho. Necho II., a mem- ber of the twenty-sixth Bsyptian dynasty, son of Psametik I. (PsMmraetichus), who had for a time revived the declining power of Egypt. Herodotus (ii. 15S) credits him with being the first to construct a canal to the Bed Sea, which seems an exaggeration (see Sir Gardner Wilkinson's note ap. Eaw- linson), also (iv. 42) with having caused the circumnavigation of Africa, after which the Phoenician seamen brought back the start- ling news that they had had ihe sun upon their right hand. This energetic monarch noticed the decline of Assyria, and, at the battle ofMegiddo(Heiodotus,ii.lo9, wrongly says Magdulus or Migdol), reattached Juilah to the Egyptian empire. Four years later, at ttie battle ot Oarchemish, he himselt sus- tained a crushing defeat at the hands oi the Babylonian king NebucUaduezzar (2 Chron. XXXV. 20). Carohemish. This was the great emporium ot Mesopotamia, Syria, and Palestine. Its true site was discovered by Mr. George Smith, in his last fatal journey, to be at Jerftbis or Jirb&s, on the right bank of the Euphrates. It was auoiently a city of ttie Khebi (equivalent to Khittim, " Hittites "), but passed to the Assyiiuus, under Sargon, under whom it attained the highest com- mercial pri)si)eiity,especially after the over- throw of Tyre by Sennacherib. The "mana," or mina, " ot Gargamis " is constantly re- ferred to as a standard weight in the cotn- mercialouneilormin.-criiitions. In the fourth year, etc. Marcus Nicbulir wishes to put a atop before these words, so as to make them K (leHnition of the date of the prophecy. He thinks the date of the battle of Oarchemish was the third and not the fourth year of Jehoiakim. This view, however, ia very uncertain (see Eeil), and it is exegetically very unnatural to detach the closing words of ver. 2 from those which precede. The obvious inference, moreover, from the pro- phecy (vers. 2 —12) is that it was written at or about the time of the battle ; a special date for the prophecy did not require to be given. Should Niebuhr's chronological combina- Mmu, kowvver, tarn out to be correc^t, the mMaka vouM probably not be tliat t>t .lure-
miah, nor of his scribe, but of Mi editor, who may eiisily have fallen into error in the mere minutiie of clinmology.
Ver. :>. — Order ye, etc. The leaders of the Egyptians are heard summoning their men to make ready their armour, and set them- selves in array (comp. ver. 9). The buckler (Hebrew, TOKjen) is the small shield; the shield (Hebrew, finuah) is the large one (scutum), which covered the whole body (oomp. 2 Chrnu. ix. 15, 16).
Ver. 4. — Harne3s the horses ; viz. to the war-cliariiits, for which Egypt was famous (comp. Exod. xiv. 6, 9 ; 1 Kings x. 28, 29 ; Isa. xxxi. 1). Get up, ye horsemen. An equally possible rendering, and one which bettei' suits the parallelism, is, " mount the chargers." Put on the brigandines. " Bri- gand iue " is an archaic word (Hakluyt's ' Voyages '), meaning the armour of a " bri- gand " or member of a " brigade," or "troop " (comp. Italian, brigata). The Hebrew word means " coats of mail."
Ver. 5. — That so well-equipped an army should flee seems incredible. Hence the astonished question. Wherefore have I seen, etc. ? literally. Why do I see (that) they (are) dismayed, turning hack t And look not back. With the object of rallying the scattered forces. For fear was round about. It is a pity that the Authorized Version has not kept one uniform rendering for this favourite expression of Jer< raiah. In ch. vi. 25 (see note) it is translated, " fear is on every side " (Hebrew, mSgor missabib),
Ver. 6. — let not the swift flee away. A strong way of expressing that even tne swiftest cannot expect to flee, just as, in Isa. ii. 9, " forgive them not " means " tliou canst not forgive them." Nothing seems to have struck the Jews so much astlie unparalleled swiftness of the Chaldean warriors (Hab. i. 6, 8 ; ch. iv. 13). They shall stumble ; literally, they have stumbled ; it is most pro- bably the prophetic perfect (" they shall certainly fall"), though Ewald denies this, and consequently maintains that the pro- phecy was written after the battle ot Oar- chemish. Toward tJie north ; t.e. " in the northern region," or, more loosely, " in the north " (oomp. ver. 10). Oarchemish was, ot course, far to the north of Jerusalem.
Ver. 7.— Who is this, etc.? "Once more surprise at the [same] (jhenomenon recurs, and in a stronger form ; a moustrous, devas- tating river appears to roll itself wildly along, overwhelming all countries: who is it ? It is Egypt, which is now threatening to overrun the earth and to lay everything waste, whose various nationalities are advan- eing fully equipped " (Ewald). As a flood ; rather, a» the Nile (y'Sr, a word of Egyptian affinities, and only ouce used uf anotliei river than the Nile. Dan xii. 5, 6, 7)
OH. XLTL 1— 28.] THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET JEREMIAH.
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The naturalness of the figure in this con- text needs no exhibiting. It nminds us of Isa. viii. 7, 8, where (he Assyrian army is compared to the Euphratrs. Are moved as the rivers ; rather, toss tliemaelves as the rivers. By the "rivers " the pioplat means the branches of the Nile, which are described by the same word in Isa. xix. 8; Exod. vii. 19.
Ver. 8. — Egypt riseth up, eto. The answer to the question in ver. 7. The city. The article is not expressed ; and there can be no doubt that the word is used culleotively of cities in general (comp. eh. xlvii. 2).