ירמיהו, פרק מ״ד, פסוק ט״ו

The remnant of Judah faces a moment of truth following a stern prophetic warning, but their response exposes a deep and open defiance. Instead of taking the warnings to heart, the people band together with arrogance to reject the word of God, proudly declaring their continued devotion to idol worship [אברבנאל].

The makeup of this rebellious crowd reveals the distinct dynamics of their society. Among the men, only those who actively knew about their wives' idol worship stepped forward to answer the prophet. While all the women were burning incense to other gods, many did so in secret without their husbands' knowledge. Therefore, only the men who were fully aware and personally invested in these actions spoke up [מלבי״ם]. In contrast, the women reacted as a sweeping, unified force. They stood together in a massive gathering [מצודת ציון, מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

Joining this confrontation were the people living in Pathros, a specific region within the land of Egypt [מצודת דוד]. In this area, both men and women were full, equal partners in their idolatry, which led them to answer the prophet together in a single voice [מלבי״ם]. Swept up by the bold arrogance of the main group, the rest of the people quickly followed suit [מצודת דוד]. United, the entire crowd stood before Jeremiah with a clear, public message: they would ignore the voice of God and continue their chosen practices [אברבנאל].