King James Version

What Does Jeremiah 2:16 Mean?

“Also the children of Noph and Tahapanes have broken the crown of thy head. have: or, feed on thy crown”

Context

Is Israel a servant? is he a homeborn slave? why is he spoiled? spoiled: Heb. become a spoil?

The young lions roared upon him, and yelled , and they made his land waste: his cities are burned without inhabitant. yelled: Heb. gave out their voice

Also the children of Noph and Tahapanes have broken the crown of thy head. have: or, feed on thy crown

Hast thou not procured this unto thyself, in that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, when he led thee by the way?

And now what hast thou to do in the way of Egypt, to drink the waters of Sihor? or what hast thou to do in the way of Assyria, to drink the waters of the river?

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Commentary

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(16) **Also the children of Noph . . .**—We pass from the language of poetry to that of history, and the actual enemies of Israel appear on the scene, not as the threatening danger in the north, but in the far south. The words indicate that the prophet set himself from the first, as Isaiah had done (Isaiah 31:1), against the policy of an Egyptian alliance. The LXX. translators, following, we must believe, an Egyptian tradition, identify the Hebrew Noph with Memphis in northern Egypt; later critics, with Napata in the south. Its conjunction with Tahapanes, the Daphnæ of the Greeks, which was on the Pelusiac mouth of the Nile, and on the frontier, seems in favour of the former view. **Have broken.**—More accurately, *shall feed on, lay waste, depasture, *so as to produce baldness. Baldness among the Jews, as with other -Eastern nations, was a shame and reproach (Isaiah 3:24; Isaiah 15:2; Isaiah 22:12; 2Kings 2:23), and was therefore a natural symbol of the ignominy and ruin of a people.

Charles John Ellicott (1819–1905). Public Domain.

Historical Context

This verse is found in the book of Jeremiah. Understanding the historical and cultural background helps illuminate its meaning for the original audience and for us today.

Theological Significance

Jeremiah 2:16 contributes to our understanding of God's character and His relationship with humanity. Consider how this verse connects to the broader themes of Scripture.