Who was the queen of heaven?
A goddess worshiped with incense, drink offerings and cakes, probably a fertility deity, identified by many with Astarte or Ishtar. The Bible presents her as an idol, and God condemns her worship as an abomination.
Jeremiah · chapter 44 of 52
Jeremiah 44: Summary, Key Verses and Study Questions
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What happens in Jeremiah 44?
Jeremiah 44 is Jeremiah's last message to the people in Egypt. He reminds them that Jerusalem fell because of idolatry and asks why they repeat the sin. The people living in Egypt, and especially the women, answer that they will keep burning incense to the queen of heaven. God announces that he will consume them in Egypt, with a sign: Pharaoh Hophra will fall into the hands of his enemies.
The Jews who fled to Egypt have spread out over several cities. This chapter is Jeremiah's last public speech recorded in the book, and the people's reaction is the hardest of all: they not only refuse to repent but defend their idolatry and say things went better when they worshiped other gods.
Jeremiah 44 summary
The word of the Lord comes to Jeremiah for all the Jews living in Egypt, at Migdol, Tahpanhes, Memphis and the land of Pathros. He reminds them that they saw all the disaster he brought on Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, now in ruins, because they provoked his anger by burning incense to other gods. The Lord sent his servants the prophets again and again with the plea not to do this abomination, but they did not listen.
He asks why they do such great harm to themselves by burning incense to other gods in Egypt: they will cut themselves off and become a curse and a reproach among the nations. No one has humbled himself or feared to this day. So the Lord will consume them in Egypt; only a few fugitives will escape and return to Judah.
The men who knew that their wives burned incense, and all the women present, answer Jeremiah that they will not obey him. They will keep burning incense to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, as they, their ancestors, their kings and officials did in the cities of Judah. They claim that then they had plenty of food and saw no disaster, and that since they stopped they have lacked everything and been consumed by sword and famine.
Jeremiah answers that the Lord remembered that incense and could bear it no longer, which is why their land became a desolation. He tells them to go ahead with their vows, and announces that no Jew in Egypt will ever again invoke the name of the Lord: he will watch over them for harm, and all will perish by sword and famine. The sign will be that the Lord will give Pharaoh Hophra into the hand of his enemies, as he gave Zedekiah into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar.
Chapter outline
- vv. 1-14: The Lord recalls the ruin of Jerusalem through idolatry and asks why they repeat the sin in Egypt.
- vv. 15-19: The people and the women answer that they will keep burning incense to the queen of heaven.
- vv. 20-28: Jeremiah answers that the incense brought the ruin and announces judgment.
- vv. 29-30: The sign: Pharaoh Hophra will be handed over to his enemies.
Key verses in Jeremiah 44
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
Jeremiah 44:4-5
The Lord recalls that he sent his servants the prophets again and again with the plea not to do this abomination he hates, and that they neither listened nor inclined their ear. God's patience with his people had been long and repeated.
Jeremiah 44:16-17
The people answer Jeremiah that they will not obey him and will burn incense to the queen of heaven, as they did in Judah. It is an open rejection: they no longer hide or pretend to repent.
Jeremiah 44:18
They say that since they stopped burning incense to the queen of heaven they have lacked everything and been consumed by sword and famine. Their reasoning credits idolatry with prosperity and faithfulness with disaster, exactly the reverse of the truth Jeremiah proclaimed.
Jeremiah 44:22-23
Jeremiah answers that the Lord could no longer bear the evil of their deeds and so the land became desolate, as it is today. The calamity did not come from abandoning the queen of heaven but from burning her incense and not hearing the voice of the Lord.
Main themes
- Persistent idolatry
- Blaming God for what sin causes
- God's patience
- Judgment on the refugees in Egypt
People and places
- Jeremiah
- The Jews in Egypt
- The women who burned incense
- The queen of heaven
- Pharaoh Hophra
- Zedekiah
- Nebuchadnezzar
Jeremiah 44 study questions and answers
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
1. In what places in Egypt did the Jews Jeremiah addressed live?
Answer: At Migdol, Tahpanhes, Memphis and in the land of Pathros. — Jeremiah 44:1
2. Why were Jerusalem and the cities of Judah in ruins?
Answer: Because of the people's wickedness, which provoked the Lord by burning incense to other gods. — Jeremiah 44:2-3
3. What did the Lord say through his servants the prophets?
Answer: That they must not do this abominable thing he hates. — Jeremiah 44:4
4. How did the men and women answer Jeremiah?
Answer: They said they would not obey him and would keep burning incense to the queen of heaven. — Jeremiah 44:16-17
5. To what did they credit their past prosperity?
Answer: To burning incense to the queen of heaven; they said then they had plenty of food and saw no disaster. — Jeremiah 44:17-18
6. What sign does the Lord give?
Answer: That he will give Pharaoh Hophra into the hand of his enemies, as he gave Zedekiah to Nebuchadnezzar. — Jeremiah 44:29-30
Application for today
Jeremiah 44 shows starkly how the heart deceives. The people read their history backwards: they blamed faithfulness for their poverty and credited idolatry with their abundance. In a small group you can ask what things in your life you read wrongly, and whether there are places or habits to which you attribute a security only God gives.
God's patience is also a central theme: he sent prophets again and again. Today he still speaks through Scripture, and the response of the heart still matters. Let the Word correct you before habit hardens you, and pray for those who suffer for having ignored his call.
With this chapter the story of Jeremiah in Egypt ends: a voice that is not heard, yet remains faithful to the end. Chapter 45 goes back to an earlier moment and offers a personal word to Baruch, his secretary.
Frequently asked questions about Jeremiah 44
Who was Pharaoh Hophra?
A pharaoh of Egypt (Apries), who reigned from about 589 to 570 BC. According to historical sources he was overthrown by Amasis and died afterward. Jeremiah mentions him as a sign that Egypt would not escape judgment either.