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Jeremiah 46:22

Old Testament Major Prophet ASV (1901)

What does Jeremiah 46:22 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “The sound thereof shall go like the serpent; for they shall march with an army, and come against her with axes, as hewers of wood.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

The sound thereof shall go like the serpent; for they shall march with an army, and come against her with axes, as hewers of wood.
Jeremiah 46:22 — American Standard Version

Context — Jeremiah 46

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
19O thou daughter that dwellest in Egypt, furnish thyself to go into captivity; for Memphis shall become a desolation, and shall be burnt up, without inhabitant.
20Egypt is a very fair heifer; [but] destruction out of the north is come, it is come.
21Also her hired men in the midst of her are like calves of the stall; for they also are turned back, they are fled away together, they did not stand: for the day of their calamity is come upon them, the time of their visitation.
22The sound thereof shall go like the serpent; for they shall march with an army, and come against her with axes, as hewers of wood.
23They shall cut down her forest, saith Jehovah, though it cannot be searched; because they are more than the locusts, and are innumerable.
24The daughter of Egypt shall be put to shame; she shall be delivered into the hand of the people of the north.
25Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, saith: Behold, I will punish Amon of No, and Pharaoh, and Egypt, with her gods, and her kings; even Pharaoh, and them that trust in him:
← Jeremiah 46:21Jeremiah 46:23 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“The voice thereof shall go like a serpent, etc.] That is, the voice of Egypt, before compared to a heifer, when in its glory; but now it shall not bellow like a heifer in fat pasture, bat hiss like a serpent, when drove out of its hole, and pursued; signifying, that their voice should be low and submissive, and should not speak one big or murmuring word to their conquerors. The voice of the serpent is, by Aristotlef853 said to be small and weak; so Aelianusf854. Though Jarchi, Kimchi, and Abarbinel, understand it of the voice of serpents heard afar off; and so it may respect the dreadful lamentation the Egyptians should make, when they should see the Chaldeans come upon them to destroy them;…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“The cry of Egypt when invaded shall be like the hissing of a serpent roused by the woodcutters from its lair. No longer shall she loudly roar like a heifer, but with a low murmur of fear, as a serpent hissing. with axes--the Scythian mode of armor. The Chaldeans shall come with such confidence as if not about to have to fight with soldiers, but merely to cut down trees offering no resistance.”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“The voice thereof - Her voice, i. e., the voice of Egypt. The word here probably means the busy sound of life and activity in the towns of Egypt, the tramping of her hosts, and the turmoil of camp and city. All this at the approach of the Chaldaean army shall depart, as the snake flees away when disturbed in its haunts by the wood-cutters. March with an army - Advance with might. With axes - The comparison of the Chaldaean warriors to woodcutters arose from their being armed with axes. As the Israelites did not use the battle-axe, their imagination would be the more forcibly struck by this weapon. return to 'Top of Page'”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“46:22-23 The picture of a serpent gliding away illustrates the panic that gripped Egypt. The invaders would chop the people to pieces like woodsmen after swarming into the country like locusts.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“voice: Isa 29:4; Mic 1:8, Mic 7:16 and come: Jer 51:20-23; Isa 10:15, Isa 10:33, Isa 10:34, Isa 14:8, Isa 37:24; Zac 11:2 Jeremiah 46:23”
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Related study paths

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Sources and verification