Jeremiah 46:8
Egypt riseth up like a flood, and his waters are moved like the rivers; and he saith, I will go up, and will cover the earth; I will destroy the city and the inhabitants thereof.
Original Language Analysis
כַּיְאֹ֣ר
like a flood
H2975
כַּיְאֹ֣ר
like a flood
Strong's:
H2975
Word #:
2 of 14
a channel, e.g., a fosse, canal, shaft; specifically the nile, as the one river of egypt, including its collateral trenches; also the tigris, as the m
אַֽעֲלֶה֙
I will go up
H5927
אַֽעֲלֶה֙
I will go up
Strong's:
H5927
Word #:
3 of 14
to ascend, intransitively (be high) or actively (mount); used in a great variety of senses, primary and secondary, literal and figurative
וְכַנְּהָר֖וֹת
like the rivers
H5104
וְכַנְּהָר֖וֹת
like the rivers
Strong's:
H5104
Word #:
4 of 14
a stream (including the sea; expectation the nile, euphrates, etc.); figuratively, prosperity
מָ֑יִם
and his waters
H4325
מָ֑יִם
and his waters
Strong's:
H4325
Word #:
6 of 14
water; figuratively, juice; by euphemism, urine, semen
אַֽעֲלֶה֙
I will go up
H5927
אַֽעֲלֶה֙
I will go up
Strong's:
H5927
Word #:
8 of 14
to ascend, intransitively (be high) or actively (mount); used in a great variety of senses, primary and secondary, literal and figurative
אֲכַסֶּה
and will cover
H3680
אֲכַסֶּה
and will cover
Strong's:
H3680
Word #:
9 of 14
properly, to plump, i.e., fill up hollows; by implication, to cover (for clothing or secrecy)
אֹבִ֥ידָה
I will destroy
H6
אֹבִ֥ידָה
I will destroy
Strong's:
H6
Word #:
11 of 14
properly, to wander away, i.e., lose oneself; by implication to perish (causative, destroy)
עִ֖יר
the city
H5892
עִ֖יר
the city
Strong's:
H5892
Word #:
12 of 14
a city (a place guarded by waking or a watch) in the widest sense (even of a mere encampment or post)
Historical Context
This oracle references Pharaoh Necho II's ambitious northern campaign (609-605 BC), culminating in the catastrophic defeat at Carchemish in 605 BC where Nebuchadnezzar crushed the Egyptian-Assyrian coalition. Egypt's imperial aspirations to control Syria-Palestine and restore its ancient glory were dramatically reversed. The 'city' likely refers to Carchemish or represents Egyptian-controlled cities throughout the Levant that would fall to Babylon.
Questions for Reflection
- How does Egypt's flood imagery contrast with God as the true controller of waters and nations?
- What does Egypt's boastful language reveal about the spiritual danger of national or personal pride?
- How does this prophecy demonstrate God's sovereignty over empires that seem invincible?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
Egypt riseth up like a flood, and his waters are moved like the rivers—Jeremiah employs vivid flood imagery using ye'or (יְאֹר), specifically the Nile River whose annual inundations both sustained and threatened Egypt. The verb ga'ah (גָּאָה, "riseth up") conveys pride, arrogance, and overwhelming force—the same word used for the Red Sea's waves in Exodus 15:1. Egypt's boast I will go up, and will cover the earth; I will destroy the city uses alah (עָלָה, ascend/attack) and kasah (כָּסָה, cover/engulf), echoing the prideful language of imperial conquest.
Yet the oracle ironically foreshadows Egypt's defeat—just as Pharaoh's armies were swallowed by flood waters at the Red Sea, so Egypt's military ambitions would be drowned at Carchemish. The dual imagery of Nile and rivers (neharot, נְהָרוֹת) points to Egypt's confederation with other nations, all rising together in apparent strength. This passage illustrates the prophetic principle that pride precedes destruction (Proverbs 16:18)—Egypt's self-exalting confidence made them ripe for divine judgment through Babylon.