ירמיהו, פרק ל״ז, פסוק ז׳

The king of Judah sends messengers to the prophet, hoping that seeking God in prayer will bring salvation [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. However, God's response shatters the people's false hope for a military rescue. The divine message makes it clear that relying on foreign powers is a mere illusion. The Egyptian army, which supposedly marched out to help Judah, is actually retreating to its own land and will offer no salvation [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

Commentators offer different explanations for why Pharaoh's army turned back. From a political and military standpoint, the Egyptian forces simply lacked the strength to fight the Babylonian king [מלבי״ם]. Furthermore, the Egyptian deployment was driven by internal considerations and amounted to nothing more than an empty threat against the Babylonians, highlighting the inconsistency and unreliability of Egyptian politics [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. A Midrashic approach provides a miraculous, historical motive for the retreat. According to this view, the Egyptians arrived by ship, and God caused objects resembling swollen human skin to float on the surface of the water. Seeing this, the Egyptian soldiers believed these were the remains of their ancestors who had drowned in the Red Sea. Realizing they were about to fight on behalf of the descendants of the very people responsible for their ancestors' demise, they immediately turned their ships around and went home [רש״י].

The consequences of this retreat are devastating for Judah. The Babylonians never abandoned the land permanently; they only lifted their siege temporarily to confront the approaching Egyptians. With Pharaoh's army returning to Egypt, the Babylonians are left standing in the land of Judah, leaving the people with absolutely no time or ability to prepare a defense against them [מלבי״ם].