Jeremiah 43:13

He shall break also the images of Beth-shemesh, that is in the land of Egypt; and the houses of the gods of the Egyptians shall he burn with fire.

Beth-shemesh is the name given to the Egyptian city On, and it means the house of the sun. It stands within that part of Jeremiah which recounts the events of the two years before Jerusalem fell. It belongs to the prophecy given after the disobedient remnant fled to Egypt, declaring that Egypt would be defeated and spoiled by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. He would set up his standard in Egypt's capital, showing the futility of the Jews' plan to flee there for safety.

Those who fled to Egypt would face sword and famine and pestilence. Nebuchadnezzar himself would break the images or obelisks of Beth-shemesh in Egypt and burn the houses or temples of the gods of the Egyptians with fire. The mention of images of the sun and houses devoted to the gods shows that Egypt had such images and houses, evidencing Egyptian sun worship and the homage paid to the sun.

The images of Beth-shemesh stand as evidence that the Jews themselves, by the influence and example of the Egyptians, did homage to the sun. That sun worship the Egyptians memorialized by dedicating the first day of the week to him. The prediction was fulfilled in the conquest of Egypt and its loss of its former idolatry. This is seen in the ruins of On, where one obelisk remains among vanished monuments whose destruction was foretold.

The fulfillment is further evidenced by the later absence of images among Egypt's nominal Christians and Muslims. The destruction foretold illustrates the ruin of systems of worship that put created things in the place of the Creator.

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