Jeremiah Chapter 15

At a Glance

  • Jeremiah 15 is one of the stern prophetic bids in the book.
  • Yet within this severity, the chapter contains a glimmer of hope—the remnant that remains.
  • Historical & Literary Context.
  • Jeremiah 15 is part of a section where divine judgments are pronounced with intense clarity, especially directed at stubborn leadership and the people’s refusal to listen.
  • - Severity of divine judgment against hardened rebellion.

Chapter Overview

Jeremiah 15 is one of the stern prophetic bids in the book. The Lord declares a remarkable, if unsettling, stance: even if Moses and Samuel stood before him, his mind would not be toward this people; they must be cast out. The chapter then sketches the stark consequences: if the people persist in rebellion, they will face death, sword, famine, and captivity. The Lord appoints four kinds of judgment to purge the land: sword, beasts, birds, and wild beasts. The tone is severe, highlighting the seriousness of persistent sin and the seriousness of the divine response.

Yet within this severity, the chapter contains a glimmer of hope—the remnant that remains. The Lord will preserve a remnant, a seed of life and blessing, even in judgment. The Lord laments over Jerusalem, but his purposes endure. The prophet’s own speech mirrors the weight of divine judgment and the complexity of intercession—there is a sense that even genuine lament must be tempered by fidelity to God’s sovereignty. The chapter underscores the paradox that God’s justice and mercy continue to work together, even when the path forward is hard to see.

Historical & Literary Context

Jeremiah 15 is part of a section where divine judgments are pronounced with intense clarity, especially directed at stubborn leadership and the people’s refusal to listen. The language echoes Deuteronomic cycles of blessing and cursing, reminding readers that obedience shapes national fate. The chapter’s emphasis on a “remnant” foreshadows later prophetic developments that anticipate restoration, while maintaining the seriousness of exile and judgment.

Key Themes

- Severity of divine judgment against hardened rebellion

- The reality of a faithful remnant and divine preservation

- God’s intimate sorrow over his people and yet uncompromised sovereignty

- Intercessory challenge: the prophet’s role in a context of hardened hearts

- The paradox of judgment and hope

Modern Application

For modern readers, Jeremiah 15 is a sober reminder that persistence in disobedience can bring severe consequences, but God does not abandon his people entirely. It invites believers to reflect on the balance between judgment and hope: resignation to despair is not an option, because a remnant remains and God’s purposes endure. The chapter can encourage faithful intercession, perseverance, and a humility that acknowledges sin while trusting in God’s redemptive timeline.

Cross-References: Jeremiah 11; Jeremiah 12; Isaiah 6; Ezekiel 33

Recommended Personas: Jeremiah; Moses; Jesus (as intercessor under pressure of rejection); Paul (perseverance in mission amid rejection)

Chapter Text

1

Then said the LORD unto me, Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my mind could not be toward this people: cast them out of my sight, and let them go forth.

2

And it shall come to pass, if they say unto thee, Whither shall we go forth? then thou shalt tell them, Thus saith the LORD; Such as are for death, to death; and such as are for the sword, to the sword; and such as are for the famine, to the famine; and such as are for the captivity, to the captivity.

3

And I will appoint over them four kinds, saith the LORD: the sword to slay, and the dogs to tear, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the earth, to devour and destroy.

4

And I will cause them to be removed into all kingdoms of the earth, because of Manasseh the son of Hezekiah king of Judah, for that which he did in Jerusalem.

5

For who shall have pity upon thee, O Jerusalem? or who shall bemoan thee? or who shall go aside to ask how thou doest?

6

Thou hast forsaken me, saith the LORD, thou art gone backward: therefore will I stretch out my hand against thee, and destroy thee; I am weary with repenting.

7

And I will fan them with a fan in the gates of the land; I will bereave them of children, I will destroy my people, since they return not from their ways.

8

Their widows are increased to me above the sand of the seas: I have brought upon them against the mother of the young men a spoiler at noonday: I have caused him to fall upon it suddenly, and terrors upon the city.

9

She that hath borne seven languisheth: she hath given up the ghost; her sun is gone down while it was yet day: she hath been ashamed and confounded: and the residue of them will I deliver to the sword before their enemies, saith the LORD.

10

Woe is me, my mother, that thou hast borne me a man of strife and a man of contention to the whole earth! I have neither lent on usury, nor men have lent to me on usury; yet every one of them doth curse me.

11

The LORD said, Verily it shall be well with thy remnant; verily I will cause the enemy to entreat thee well in the time of evil and in the time of affliction.

12

Shall iron break the northern iron and the steel?

13

Thy substance and thy treasures will I give to the spoil without price, and that for all thy sins, even in all thy borders.

14

And I will make thee to pass with thine enemies into a land which thou knowest not: for a fire is kindled in mine anger, which shall burn upon you.

15

O LORD, thou knowest: remember me, and visit me, and revenge me of my persecutors; take me not away in thy longsuffering: know that for thy sake I have suffered rebuke.

16

Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.

17

I sat not in the assembly of the mockers, nor rejoiced; I sat alone because of thy hand: for thou hast filled me with indignation.

18

Why is my pain perpetual, and my wound incurable, which refuseth to be healed? wilt thou be altogether unto me as a liar, and as waters that fail?

19

Therefore thus saith the LORD, If thou return, then will I bring thee again, and thou shalt stand before me: and if thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth: let them return unto thee; but return not thou unto them.

20

And I will make thee unto this people a fenced brasen wall: and they shall fight against thee, but they shall not prevail against thee: for I am with thee to save thee and to deliver thee, saith the LORD.

21

And I will deliver thee out of the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem thee out of the hand of the terrible.

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