Jeremiah 44:26

26. my name shall no more be named] The Jews in Egypt shall be exterminated.

26–28. As these vv. stand, there is, if we take them literally, a considerable amount of contradiction (cp. Jer_44:14). The Egyptian Jews are (Jer_44:26) to perish completely; but (Jer_44:27) some are to escape into Judah, while survivors in Egypt (Jer_44:28) shall know whose word shall stand. Du., Erbt and Co. consider that Jer_44:26 was originally a continuation of the irony of Jer_44:25 (“establish then, etc.”) and that it should accordingly read, “let my name be no more, etc.” (i.e. let my worship and with it all oaths taken in my name cease), while Jer_44:27 and the first part of Jer_44:28 are a subsequent addition, the second part of the latter remaining as genuine. At any rate we find from the Assuan papyri (see Introd. p. xix.) that the gloomy anticipations of the MT. were not in fact fulfilled; for the Egyptian Jews in the century following were a flourishing community and were worshippers of Jehovah and not idolaters.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Jer 44:26 Therefore hear ye the word of the LORD, all Judah that dwell in the land of Egypt; Behold, I have sworn by my great name, saith the LORD, that my name shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, The Lord GOD liveth.

Ver. 26. Behold, I have sworn by my great name.] Jehovah, my incommunicable name, my proper name, or by myself, and that is no small oath.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

44:26-28 The Judeans in Egypt were now forever free of covenant obligations to the Lord. They were also banned from covenant protection. They chose to sever their relationship with the one true God of Israel, so they retained no privileges—they could not pray or make oaths in God’s name. Still, the Lord would not be absent from their lives, because he would see to it that disaster plagued them. Those who individually turned to the Lord in repentance would enjoy salvation and blessings. Even in Egypt, a small remnant of people trusted in the Lord (e.g., Jeremiah and Baruch).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

This declareth an horrible plague toward idolaters, seeing that God will not vouchsafe to have his Name mentioned by such as have polluted it.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

I have sworn--I, too have made a vow which I will fulfil. Since ye will not hear Me speaking and warning, hear Me swearing.

by my great name--that is, by Myself (Gen 22:16), the greatest by whom God can swear (Heb 6:13-14).

my name shall no more be named--The Jews, heretofore, amidst all their idolatry, had retained the form of appeal to the name of God and the law, the distinctive glory of their nation; God will allow this no more (Eze 20:39): there shall be none left there to profane His name thus any more.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Hear ye now, he says, the word of Jehovah, etc. By these words, as I have already hinted, he intimates, that they could gain nothing by their insolence, except that they would thereby provoke God, who on the other hand did set up his own power against them. Thus, then, saith Jehovah, Behold, I have sworn by my great name, etc. As they had so often disregarded God speaking to them, he confirmed by an oath what he was going to say. Had he only threatened, they might have as usual disregarded him, as though the Prophet spoke what was vain. This is the reason why he now introduces God as making an oath. And it ought to be observed, that whenever God confirms his words by an oath, this he does, either because he sees that he has to do with men who are like stones, who cannot be made to feel by simple truth; or when he is pleased to give aid to our infirmity and sloth: for God confirms threatenings as well as promises by an oath. When he thus confirms threatenings, then he indirectly condemns the obstinate wickedness of those whom he addresses. But when he promises anything by an oath, he shews how great our propensity is to indulge doubts, and what weakness there is in our faith; for were such faith in us as ought to be, we should be contented with one little word. As, then, God interposes his own name as a pledge, it hence appears, that we are naturally unbelieving, or that the weakness of our faith is such that it wants this support. But here, as God threatens, he shews that the Jews were so obstinate in their wickedness, that it was necessary to shake them by terror.

Now, God makes an oath by his own great name Men, as the Apostle says, swear by God, (Hebrews 6:16;) because he is called as a witness and a judge when his name is interposed. But it is no superfluous addition, when God not only swears by himself, but by his own great name For he thus intimated, that the Jews were greatly deceived, if they thought that God would not execute vengeance on them, because they indulged themselves. For it is a common thing with hypocrites to measure God by their own judgment; and when they extenuate his power, they think of him as of a child. In order, then, to divest the Jews of this false imagination, he says, by his own great name There is, then, implied here a contrast between the greatness of God’s name, which cannot be diminished at the will of man, and the presumption of the ancient people, who rendered God’s name contemptible.

He afterwards adds, If my name, etc. It is an imperfect sentence, which, as we have often said, was frequently used in order that a greater reverence may be observed by us, when we swear by God’s name. We must now come to what is said, There shall not be a Jew, who is to swear any more in my name God himself makes an oath, and what is the oath which he makes? that no one was to profane his name; for they thought that it was some evidence of religion when they swore by Jehovah. It was yet nothing but an awful profanation of God’s name. They contaminated themselves, as it appears, with Egyptian superstitions; but that they might differ from the Egyptians themselves and possess something special, that they, in short, might seem to be a holy nation, they still retained a form of swearing, distinct from what was common among the Gentiles. God declares that he would not suffer his name to be any more irreverently used in Egypt. Not invoked, he says, shall be my name any more by the mouth of a Jew And that he speaks of oaths we gather from the next verse, when he says, Live doth Jehovah in all the land of Egypt For, as it has been said, the Jews as yet boasted that they kept the Law, because God’s name was still in their mouth and on their tongue. But God says that it was to be taken away from them, because it was a disgraceful pollution of his name, when they mingled themselves with the Egyptians in all kinds of superstitions, and yet boasted that they were God’s people. It follows, —

John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.

Therefore hear ye the word of the Lord, all Judah that dwell in the land of Egypt,.... See Gill on Jer 44:24; since you have made your vows, and will perform them, I will take an oath, and abide by it:

behold, I have sworn by my great name, saith the Lord; by his name Jehovah, which is incommunicable, and expressive of his eternity and immutability; or by himself, his name being himself, and than which he can swear by no greater, Heb 6:13;

that my name shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, the Lord God liveth: this cannot be understood of the name of the Lord being called upon them, or of their being called by his name, and reckoned his people, which is the sense of Abarbinel; since this respects not a name by which they should be named, but which they should name; and intends their use of the divine name in an oath, of which this is a form, "the Lord God liveth": or as sure as the Lord lives, or by the living God, it is so and so; and especially as used in their vows to burn incense to the queen of heaven, they vowing by the living God that they would do so, which must be very abominable to him; and therefore he solemnly swears there should not be a Jew in all Egypt that should use it; the reason is, because everyone of them that did should be cut off, as follows:

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Liveth. They swore by his name as by that of idols. God could not abide such company. (Calmet) --- Not one of these obstinate Jews shall be spared, ver. 14. Others, like Jeremias, the Septuagint [translators], and the holy family, no doubt called upon the Lord in the land of Egypt. (Haydock)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Seeing you are so fixed and peremptory, God is as resolved as you are; and as you think you must be religious to your wicked vows, so be assured God will be as religious to his oath; because he can swear by no greater, he hath sworn by himself, Heb 6:13,17, (for so name signifieth here,) There shall not any be left of the Jews that are in Egypt, to swear,

The Lord God liveth (for it should seem that the Jews yet retained something of the religion of their country, and sware by the name of the living God, according to the precept, Deu 6:13; 10:20). God threateneth there should be none of them left alive to do it; he would not have his holy name polluted by those mouths that had been used to bless idols.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

26. My name shall no more be named — As this is Jehovah’s final sentence it is introduced by a formal oath. Jehovah repudiates his covenant relation to them. They are no longer his people, and he is no longer their God.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

My Name shall no more be named. Because no Jews will be left alive in Egypt.

Vers. 26-28. The danger of corrupting true religion.

God has from the beginning been solicitous for the purity of his revelation and worship. He would never suffer his ordinances to be tampered with, or share his honour with other gods. "Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve". (Deu_6:13 Luk_4:8)

I IT HAS BEEN GUARDED BY AWFUL SANCTIONS. Frequently in Old Testament history the death penalty was inflicted upon spiritual pretenders, false prophets, and idolatrous worshippers of Jehovah. The warning of the text is very significant; a time was to come when no Jew would any more swear by Jehovah in Egypt, for the very good reason that there would be none there. "In the form of asseveration the Name of Jehovah would be still retained, although they had long since been devoted to the service of other gods. But Jehovah, who is a jealous God, rejects honour and acknowledgment which he must share with others; and so his Name shall no longer be heard from the mouth of any Jews in Egypt" (Hitzig). In the New Testament men are warned of making the Word of God "a cloke for lasciviousness;" of "perishing in the gainsaying of Core;" of tasting of the powers of the world to come, and falling back; of making gain of godliness; of handling the Word of God deceitfully, and wresting it to their own destruction; or of adding aught to the revealed truth. (Rev_22:18, Rev_22:19)

II REASONS FOR THIS SEVERITY,

1. Objective.

a. The slow advance of truth.

b. The costliness of the Divine relation.

2. Subjective.

(1) Partly in the very nature of the ease moral simplicity being sacrificed in the self-consciousness of a corrupt worship.

(2) The necessity of inspiration by the truth in order to the spiritual welfare and true immortality of man. M.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The Lord liveth - There shall not any be left alive of the Jews that are in Egypt, to swear The Lord God liveth.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

all of Judah

Here "Judah" represents the people. AT: "all the people of Judah" (See: Metonymy)

I have sworn by my great name

Yahweh's "great name" refers to his whole being and reputation. AT: "I have sworn upon myself" or "I have sworn by speaking my powerful name" (See: Metonymy)

My name will no longer be called upon by the mouths of any of the men of Judah in all the land of Egypt

Here "name" represents the whole being of Yahweh. And, "mouth" represents the whole person. This can be stated in active form. AT: "No person of Judah living in the land of Egypt will ever call upon me again" (See: Metonymy and Synecdoche and Active or Passive)

As the Lord Yahweh lives

"as surely as the Lord Yahweh is alive." The people use this expression to show that what they say next is certainly true. This is a way of making a solemn promise. See how you transited "As Yahweh lives" Jeremiah 4:2. AT: "I solemnly swear" or "I solemnly swear by the Lord Yahweh" (See: Idiom)

Every person of Judah in the land of Egypt will perish by sword and famine until they are all finished

Here "Every person" is a generalization that means "very many people." Also, "sword" represents enemies carrying weapons. AT: "Nearly every person of Judah in the land of Egypt will die. Enemies will kill many of them and many of them will starve to death until there is very few of them left" (See: Hyperbole and Generalization and Metonymy)

Then the survivors of the sword

Here "sword" represents enemies carrying weapons. AT: "Then those whom the enemies do not kill" (See: Metonymy)

translationWords

oath

name

Lord Yahweh

life

good

perish

sword

famine

remnant

know

true

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.