Jeremiah 46:12
The nations have heard of thy shame, and thy cry hath filled the land: for the mighty man hath stumbled against the mighty, and they are fallen both together.
Original Language Analysis
שָׁמְע֤וּ
have heard
H8085
שָׁמְע֤וּ
have heard
Strong's:
H8085
Word #:
1 of 13
to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etc.; causatively, to tell, etc.)
גוֹיִם֙
The nations
H1471
גוֹיִם֙
The nations
Strong's:
H1471
Word #:
2 of 13
a foreign nation; hence, a gentile; also (figuratively) a troop of animals, or a flight of locusts
מָלְאָ֣ה
hath filled
H4390
מָלְאָ֣ה
hath filled
Strong's:
H4390
Word #:
5 of 13
to fill or (intransitively) be full of, in a wide application (literally and figuratively)
כִּֽי
H3588
כִּֽי
Strong's:
H3588
Word #:
7 of 13
(by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexed
בְּגִבּוֹר֙
against the mighty
H1368
בְּגִבּוֹר֙
against the mighty
Strong's:
H1368
Word #:
8 of 13
powerful; by implication, warrior, tyrant
בְּגִבּוֹר֙
against the mighty
H1368
בְּגִבּוֹר֙
against the mighty
Strong's:
H1368
Word #:
9 of 13
powerful; by implication, warrior, tyrant
כָּשָׁ֔לוּ
hath stumbled
H3782
כָּשָׁ֔לוּ
hath stumbled
Strong's:
H3782
Word #:
10 of 13
to totter or waver (through weakness of the legs, especially the ankle); by implication, to falter, stumble, faint or fall
Cross References
Isaiah 19:2And I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians: and they shall fight every one against his brother, and every one against his neighbour; city against city, and kingdom against kingdom.Jeremiah 46:6Let not the swift flee away, nor the mighty man escape; they shall stumble, and fall toward the north by the river Euphrates.Jeremiah 14:2Judah mourneth, and the gates thereof languish; they are black unto the ground; and the cry of Jerusalem is gone up.
Historical Context
The Battle of Carchemish (605 BC) was one of antiquity's decisive battles, ending Egyptian dominance and establishing Babylon as the regional superpower. The Babylonian Chronicles confirm the totality of Egypt's defeat. Nebuchadnezzar pursued retreating Egyptian forces south, slaughtering them in vast numbers. The shame was compounded because Egypt had presented itself as the great hope against Babylon—its defeat demoralized all who trusted Egyptian power rather than God.
Questions for Reflection
- How does Egypt's public shame illustrate the principle that pride goes before a fall?
- What does the image of mighty men stumbling over each other reveal about panic when God's judgment comes?
- In what ways do our own 'cries' of defeat result from trusting human strength rather than God?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
The nations have heard of thy shame, and thy cry hath filled the land—Egypt's humiliation becomes international spectacle. The Hebrew qalon (קָלוֹן, "shame") denotes disgrace, dishonor, and ignominy—the opposite of the glory (kavod, כָּבוֹד) Egypt sought. The phrase tsa'aqatekh (צַעֲקָתֵךְ, "thy cry") refers to the shriek of terror and anguish in defeat, contrasting sharply with verse 8's boastful declarations. What Egypt intended to inflict on others—destruction and covering the earth—has rebounded upon them.
The tragic image follows: for the mighty man hath stumbled against the mighty, and they are fallen both together. The Hebrew kashal (כָּשַׁל, "stumbled") suggests not honorable defeat but clumsy, humiliating collapse. Egypt's elite warriors (gibbor, גִּבּוֹר, "mighty man") trip over each other in panicked retreat, falling together in heaps. This fulfills the biblical principle that those who exalt themselves will be humbled (Luke 14:11). Egypt's cry reverses the exodus narrative—once Egypt cried out under plagues while Israel sang victory songs; now Egypt screams in defeat.