Skeptics point out that Jews lived and established a cultural center in Alexandria, claiming that Jeremiah 42:17 was therefore not fulfilled. But this passage is referring to the specific situation when Babylon was threatening Israel (v.11). There is no basis for suggesting that this refers to all Israelites at all times.

Skeptics argue that this prophecy failed because Jews later lived and established a vibrant cultural center in Alexandria, Egypt:
> All the men who set their faces to go to Egypt shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence; they shall have no remnant or survivor from the evil which I will bring on them. (Jeremiah 42:17)

This passage, however, is referring to a very specific historical situation when Babylon was threatening Israel (v. 11). It addresses the specific group of Judeans attempting to flee to Egypt to escape Babylonian rule at that moment. There is no exegetical basis for suggesting that this decree refers to all Israelites migrating to Egypt at all times throughout history.