Jeremiah 43 records what happened after the remnant of Judah refused God’s word and fled to Egypt, and it gives small groups a clear set of questions for working through the chapter’s hard moments. These questions suit a Sunday class, a midweek group, or personal study. Each set moves from what the text says to what it means and then to how it shapes ordinary faithfulness.
Jeremiah 43 at a Glance
The chapter opens with Jeremiah finishing his message to the people. Instead of listening, the proud leaders accuse him of lying and blame his scribe Baruch, and the people choose to disobey the LORD and go down to Egypt. Jeremiah is carried along with them against his will.
The story then shifts to Tahpanhes in Egypt, where God tells Jeremiah to hide stones in the brickwork at the entrance of Pharaoh’s house. Those stones become a sign that Nebuchadnezzar will set his throne there and strike Egypt, burning the temples of its gods. The people who fled from judgment find that judgment has followed them.
Observation Questions
Use these questions first, before anyone offers an interpretation. Ask the group to point to the exact words in the text, and resist the urge to explain what the passage “really means” until the facts are on the table.
Jeremiah 43:1
When Jeremiah had finished speaking to all the people all the words of the LORD their God, with which the LORD their God had sent him to them, even all these words…
(WEB)
Reading the opening verse first reminds the group that everything in this chapter follows from Jeremiah finishing the message God gave him. It sets the tone for the whole study by making clear that the words were complete and deliberate.
Jeremiah 43:2-3
2 Then Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the proud men spoke, saying to Jeremiah, “You speak falsely. The LORD our God has not sent you to say, ‘You shall not go into Egypt to live there;’ 3 but Baruch the son of Neriah has turned you against us, to deliver us into the hand of the Chaldeans, that they may put us to death, and carry us away captive to Babylon.”
(WEB)
These verses show the exact accusation the leaders hurled at the prophet. Reading them aloud lets the group hear how quickly rejection of God’s word can turn into personal blame, which makes the rest of the chapter more understandable.
Jeremiah 43:4-5
4 So Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces, and all the people, didn’t obey the LORD’s voice, to dwell in the land of Judah. 5 But Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces, took all the remnant of Judah, who had returned from all the nations where they had been driven, to live in the land of Judah…
(WEB)
Hearing the refusal to obey stated plainly helps the group feel the weight of the decision. These verses mark the turning point where the remnant chooses its own path, and they are worth reading slowly.
Jeremiah 43:10
And tell them, the LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘Behold, I will send and take Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will set his throne on these stones that I have hidden; and he will spread his royal pavilion over them.
(WEB)
This verse contains the LORD’s own words calling Nebuchadnezzar his servant and describing the throne set over the hidden stones. It is the central declaration of the chapter, so it deserves a careful reading and a pause afterward.
Jeremiah 43:12-13
12 I will kindle a fire in the houses of the gods of Egypt. He will burn them, and carry them away captive. He will array himself with the land of Egypt, as a shepherd puts on his garment; and he will go out from there in peace. 13 He will also break the pillars of Beth Shemesh, that is in the land of Egypt; and he will burn the houses of the gods of Egypt with fire.’”
(WEB)
Ending with the burning of the gods of Egypt gives the group a clear sense of God’s sovereignty over every false security. Read these verses to close the reading portion and to set up the application questions that follow.
Memory Verse for Jeremiah 43
A Closing Prayer for the Group
Father, we come to you as people who sometimes refuse your word and then wonder why trouble follows us. Thank you that your word still reached Jeremiah in Egypt, and that you pursue your purposes even when your people wander. Give us humble hearts that receive hard truth without turning it into an attack on the messenger. Show us the Egypts we run toward for safety, and draw us back to trust in you alone. Help us take one faithful step this week, however small. We rest in your rule over every nation and every throne, and we ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
