So that none of the remnant of Judah, which are gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall escape or remain, that they should return into the land of Judah, to the which they have a desire to return to dwell there: for none shall return but such as shall escape.

JEREMIAH 44:14KJV
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Jeremiah 44:14 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 44:14 mean?

Jeremiah 44:14 says that none of the people from Judah who fled to Egypt will be able to escape or survive and return to Judah, even though they strongly wish to go back; only a very few who escape will return. The verse warns that their hope to return home will not be fulfilled for almost all of them.

Jeremiah is speaking God’s message to the Judeans who had left their homeland and settled in Egypt after Jerusalem’s destruction. The people hoped they could one day return to Judah, but Jeremiah tells them that because of their choices and disobedience, almost none will make it back. This is a direct warning about the consequences of seeking safety in Egypt instead of trusting God’s instructions.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 44:14

  • "Remnant" (שְׁאֵרִית, she'erit): This word means the small group left after a disaster. Here, it highlights that even this surviving group from Judah will not escape further judgment.
  • "Sojourn" (גּוּר, gur): This word means to live as a temporary resident. The Judeans went to Egypt not as citizens, but as people seeking refuge, which underscores their unsettled and vulnerable state.
  • "Desire" (נֶפֶשׁ, nefesh): Literally meaning "soul" or "life," here it points to a deep, heartfelt longing. The verse emphasizes that their wish to return to Judah is not casual but a strong inner yearning.
  • "Escape" (פָּלִיט, palit and מָלַט, malat): Two related words are used for escaping or surviving. The repetition stresses that only a tiny number will avoid the coming disaster.

Why Jeremiah 44:14 matters

  • Jeremiah 44:14 clarifies that the hope of returning to Judah is not just unlikely but almost entirely ruled out for those who fled to Egypt, correcting any false optimism among the exiles.
  • The verse highlights the seriousness of ignoring God’s warnings, connecting the fate of these Judeans to the larger theme of consequences for disobedience throughout Jeremiah.
  • This verse helps explain the broader context of Jeremiah 44, where the prophet confronts the people’s stubbornness and their mistaken belief that Egypt would be a safe haven.

Where else these words appear

“escape” Hebrew H6405 · used in 5 verses

  • Psalms 32:7 Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.
  • Psalms 56:7 Shall they escape by iniquity? in thine anger cast down the people, O God.
  • Jeremiah 50:28 The voice of them that flee and escape out of the land of Babylon, to declare in Zion the vengeance of the LORD our God, the vengeance of his temple.

“escape” Hebrew H6412 · used in 21 verses

  • Genesis 14:13 And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew; for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner: and these were confederate with Abram.
  • Isaiah 45:20 Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, ye that are escaped of the nations: they have no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven image, and pray unto a god that cannot save.
  • Ezekiel 7:16 But they that escape of them shall escape, and shall be on the mountains like doves of the valleys, all of them mourning, every one for his iniquity.

“remain” Hebrew H8300 · used in 28 verses

  • Numbers 21:35 So they smote him, and his sons, and all his people, until there was none left him alive: and they possessed his land.
  • Joshua 10:37 And they took it, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and the king thereof, and all the cities thereof, and all the souls that were therein; he left none remaining, according to all that he had done to Eglon; but destroyed it utterly, and all the souls that were therein.
  • Job 27:15 Those that remain of him shall be buried in death: and his widows shall not weep.

“remnant” Hebrew H7611 · used in 66 verses

  • Genesis 45:7 And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.
  • Jeremiah 15:9 She that hath borne seven languisheth: she hath given up the ghost; her sun is gone down while it was yet day: she hath been ashamed and confounded: and the residue of them will I deliver to the sword before their enemies, saith the LORD.
  • Ezekiel 11:13 And it came to pass, when I prophesied, that Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died. Then fell I down upon my face, and cried with a loud voice, and said, Ah Lord GOD! wilt thou make a full end of the remnant of Israel?