ירמיהו, פרק מ״ו, פסוק ב׳

A sweeping vision of disaster targets the Egyptian empire, focusing on a dramatic military defeat far from its own borders. The mighty Egyptian army suffers a crushing blow from the rising Babylonian force, an event that changes the balance of power in the region. This marks the first of two major defeats the Egyptians experience at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar [מלבי״ם, אברבנאל]. While the prophecy is directed at Egypt as a whole, it specifically zeroes in on the military forces of Pharaoh Necho, the ruling monarch at the time [מצודת דוד]. His title, Necho, indicates that he was a lame or crippled man [מצודת ציון, רד״ק].

The historical backdrop of this battle at Carchemish spans several years [מצודת ציון, מצודת דוד]. Pharaoh Necho's military campaign to this area originally began during the reign of Josiah, king of Judah. The Egyptian forces laid siege to the city, a standoff that dragged on until the fourth year of King Jehoiakim's reign. It was only then that Nebuchadnezzar advanced and struck them down [רד״ק, אברבנאל]. However, a deeper layer of divine providence lies behind this military collapse. The prolonged siege and the ultimate arrival of the Babylonian king were carefully orchestrated by God. He arranged these events specifically to avenge the blood of King Josiah, whom Pharaoh Necho had killed while marching toward this very war [אברבנאל].