Isaiah 19
Jeremiah 19 is a chapter in which God uses a broken jar to symbolically portray Israel’s sins and the judgment that will come as their result. The chapter unfolds in a structure that delivers God’s clear message to both the prophet and the people. Its content can be divided into two parts: the section in which God commands Jeremiah (verses 1–13), and the section in which Jeremiah proclaims the message again in the temple after delivering God’s words (verses 14–15).
1verseThe burden of Egypt. “Behold, the LORD rides on a swift cloud, and comes to Egypt. The idols of Egypt will tremble at his presence; and the heart of Egypt will melt within it.
2verseI will stir up the Egyptians against the Egyptians, and they will fight everyone against his brother, and everyone against his neighbor; city against city, and kingdom against kingdom.
3verseThe spirit of the Egyptians will fail within them. I will destroy their counsel. They will seek the idols, the charmers, those who have familiar spirits, and the wizards.
4verseI will give over the Egyptians into the hand of a cruel lord. A fierce king will rule over them,” says the Lord, GOD of Armies.
5verseThe waters will fail from the sea, and the river will be wasted and become dry.
6verseThe rivers will become foul. The streams of Egypt will be diminished and dried up. The reeds and flags will wither away.
7verseThe meadows by the Nile, by the brink of the Nile, and all the sown fields of the Nile, will become dry, be driven away, and be no more.
8verseThe fishermen will lament, and all those who fish in the Nile will mourn, and those who spread nets on the waters will languish.
9verseMoreover those who work in combed flax, and those who weave white cloth, will be confounded.
10verseThe pillars will be broken in pieces. All those who work for hire will be grieved in soul.
11verseThe princes of Zoan are utterly foolish. The counsel of the wisest counselors of Pharaoh has become stupid. How do you say to Pharaoh, “I am the son of the wise, the son of ancient kings”?
12verseWhere then are your wise men? Let them tell you now; and let them know what the LORD of Armies has purposed concerning Egypt.
13verseThe princes of Zoan have become fools. The princes of Memphis are deceived. They have caused Egypt to go astray, those who are the cornerstone of her tribes.
14verseThe LORD has mixed a spirit of perverseness in the middle of her; and they have caused Egypt to go astray in all of its works, like a drunken man staggers in his vomit.
15verseNeither shall there be any work for Egypt, which head or tail, palm branch or rush, may do.
16verseIn that day the Egyptians will be like women. They will tremble and fear because of the shaking of the LORD of Armies’s hand, which he shakes over them.
17verseThe land of Judah will become a terror to Egypt. Everyone to whom mention is made of it will be afraid, because of the plans of the LORD of Armies, which he determines against it.
18verseIn that day, there will be five cities in the land of Egypt that speak the language of Canaan, and swear to the LORD of Armies. One will be called “The city of destruction.”
19verseIn that day, there will be an altar to the LORD in the middle of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to the LORD at its border.
20verseIt will be for a sign and for a witness to the LORD of Armies in the land of Egypt; for they will cry to the LORD because of oppressors, and he will send them a savior and a defender, and he will deliver them.
21verseThe LORD will be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians will know the LORD in that day. Yes, they will worship with sacrifice and offering, and will vow a vow to the LORD, and will perform it.
22verseThe LORD will strike Egypt, striking and healing. They will return to the LORD, and he will be entreated by them, and will heal them.
23verseIn that day there will be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian shall come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Assyria; and the Egyptians will worship with the Assyrians.
24verseIn that day, Israel will be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, a blessing within the earth;
25versebecause the LORD of Armies has blessed them, saying, “Blessed be Egypt my people, Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance.”
The Structure and Flow of the Passage
- Verses 1–2: God commands Jeremiah to buy a jar and go with the people’s representatives to the Valley of Hinnom.
- Verses 3–9: Jeremiah declares on the spot that Israel has sinned by committing idolatry and other sins, and that judgment will come as the due penalty. He warns that this place will no longer be called “Topheth,” but will become “the Valley of Death.”
- Verses 10–13: Jeremiah breaks the jar, symbolically showing God’s intention to break this people and this city.
- Verses 14–15: In the courtyard of the temple, Jeremiah again proclaims that judgment will come upon Jerusalem and its towns.
The Overall Meaning and Message
This chapter emphasizes that God’s judgment is not merely a warning, but an irreversible (not able to be undone) event that will truly take place. Jeremiah’s act of breaking the jar symbolizes that there will come a result that cannot be undone—namely, irreparable destruction brought on by repeated sin. However, embedded in this warning of judgment is the thought that the present wrongdoing can be reflected on, and that an opportunity to turn back is being given. God shows that He is the One who, at last, takes decisive action against repeated disobedience, and at the same time He continues to speak constantly through the prophet.
Points for Meditation
- What is the meaning of the symbolism behind the jar-breaking Jeremiah carried out, and what message is God trying to convey through it?
- You can also check whether there is foolishness that keeps recurring in your own life or something you need to turn away from.
Try Applying It to Yourself
- How are you responding to the warning voice God gives in real life?
- If there is something in my daily life or in my community that I need to turn away from, I can practice it specifically.
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