Jeremiah 15 2

Jeremiah 15:2 kjv

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.

Jeremiah 15:2 nkjv

And it shall be, if they say to you, 'Where should we go?' then you shall tell them, 'Thus says 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." '

Jeremiah 15:2 niv

And if they ask you, 'Where shall we go?' tell them, 'This is what the LORD says: "?'Those destined for death, to death; those for the sword, to the sword; those for starvation, to starvation; those for captivity, to captivity.'

Jeremiah 15:2 esv

And when they ask you, 'Where shall we go?' you shall say to them, 'Thus says the LORD: "'Those who are for pestilence, to pestilence, and those who are for the sword, to the sword; those who are for famine, to famine, and those who are for captivity, to captivity.'

Jeremiah 15:2 nlt

And if they say to you, 'But where can we go?' tell them, 'This is what the LORD says: "'Those who are destined for death, to death;
those who are destined for war, to war;
those who are destined for famine, to famine;
those who are destined for captivity, to captivity.'

Jeremiah 15 verses

Jeremiah 15 2 Meaning

Jeremiah 15:2 declares an immutable divine judgment upon the people of Judah for their unfaithfulness and persistent sin. God, through His prophet Jeremiah, pronounces a decree where the nation is irrevocably divided into categories, each destined for a specific catastrophic end: some to death by pestilence, some to be slain by the sword of war, some to perish from severe famine, and others to endure the harshness of captivity and exile. This verse underscores the complete and unyielding nature of God's wrath in response to their unrepentance, sealing their fate to face these dreadful consequences.

Jeremiah 15 2 Context

Jeremiah chapter 15 follows Jeremiah's heartfelt lament over the suffering of his people in chapter 14 and God's earlier declaration that He would not repent of the coming judgment. In 15:1, God adamantly refuses to intercede for Judah, explicitly stating that even if Moses and Samuel—two revered intercessors in Israelite history—were to stand before Him, His favor would not turn back from the people. This sets the stage for 15:2, where the people, facing imminent disaster, would naturally inquire about their fate or where they could find safety. God's response through Jeremiah in verse 2 is a stark and unyielding decree, dismantling any lingering hope of escape or mercy for the nation as a whole. It outlines the fourfold specific judgments—pestilence, sword, famine, and captivity—that awaited the various segments of the populace, a clear sign that divine judgment had reached its tipping point due to their deep-rooted idolatry and persistent rejection of God's commands and prophetic warnings. Historically, Judah was rapidly approaching its ultimate destruction and exile by Babylon.

Jeremiah 15 2 Word analysis

• And when they say to you, "Where shall we go forth?"

  • "they": Refers to the people of Judah, perhaps a segment that recognized the impending doom or was still resistant to the full prophetic message. Their question is one of desperation, seeking direction, safety, or an escape from the announced judgments.
  • "say" (yō'měrû): Future imperfect tense, suggesting this question would naturally arise as the crisis deepens, confirming Jeremiah's role as their primary point of contact with God.
  • "go forth" (nēṣē'): Implies leaving their current location, likely referring to flight, seeking refuge, or departing for a predetermined destination. It's a question rooted in despair and a loss of secure grounding.

• then you shall tell them, "Thus says the Lord:"

  • "you": Jeremiah himself, singled out to deliver this severe message directly, despite his own suffering for his people (Jer 15:10).
  • "tell them": A divine command, emphasizing Jeremiah's responsibility to articulate even the harshest truths, without compromise or softening.
  • "Thus says the Lord" (kōh 'āmar YHWH): The definitive prophetic formula. It declares the message is not Jeremiah's personal opinion or a human deduction but the absolute, authoritative word of Yahweh, binding and final.

• "Such as are for death, to death;"

  • "death" (lammawet): This isn't natural death but a specific, punitive form of death, usually by pestilence (cf. Jer 15:3). It indicates God's direct agency in bringing about demise through plague and disease as a consequence of sin, a common form of divine judgment in the Old Testament. The phrase uses a prepositional lamed indicating destination or purpose ("for death, to death").

• "and such as are for the sword, to the sword;"

  • "sword" (laḥereḇ): Represents violent death through warfare, enemy invasion, and direct slaughter. It signifies the destruction wrought by foreign armies, specifically the Babylonians, who would be God's instrument of judgment. This punishment is external and aggressive.

• "and such as are for famine, to famine;"

  • "famine" (lārāʿāḇ): Signifies death by starvation due to siege, drought, or societal collapse. This punishment is slow, agonizing, and often accompanies prolonged conflict or siege conditions. It attacks life at its most basic level, through the deprivation of sustenance.

• "and such as are for captivity, to captivity."

  • "captivity" (lashšᵊḇī): Denotes exile, enslavement, and displacement from their homeland to a foreign land. It means losing identity, land, and freedom, a deep spiritual and physical suffering. While not a direct "death" in the immediate sense, it implies a societal death and separation from the covenant land, a life often worse than physical death for ancient Israelites.

• Words-group Analysis

• "And when they say to you, 'Where shall we go forth?' then you shall tell them": This highlights Jeremiah's unavoidable prophetic task. He is positioned as the sole divine spokesperson in a desperate time. The people's question, though phrased as a choice of destination, receives a terrifyingly predetermined answer from God.

• "Thus says the Lord: 'Such as are for death, to death; and such as are for the sword, to the sword; and such as are for famine, to famine; and such as are for captivity, to captivity.'": This is the core pronouncement. It details a fourfold judgment that leaves no avenue for escape for the guilty nation. The repetitive structure ("to X, to X") emphasizes the certainty and preordained nature of their fate. God is actively partitioning the people into categories of doom, ensuring that none evade their just recompense. This categorisation speaks to a thorough, comprehensive, and unavoidable judgment from which no segment of the population could entirely escape, though their exact end would vary.

Jeremiah 15 2 Bonus section

This four-fold judgment found in Jeremiah 15:2 (and elsewhere, like Ezek 14:21) becomes a recurring motif in the prophetic books, especially during the time leading up to the Babylonian exile. It symbolizes the completeness and totality of God's wrath when His people persist in rebellion. These specific forms of judgment are often mentioned together because they represent the most common and devastating consequences of divine displeasure and covenant curses as detailed in the Torah (Lev 26, Deut 28). They highlight the internal collapse (famine, pestilence) and external destruction (sword, captivity) that together dismantle a nation. Furthermore, this verse illustrates God's sovereignty over life and death, demonstrating that the ultimate "chooser" of destiny for unrepentant Judah was not their own free will to seek new refuge, but God's divine hand assigning them to specific fates. The severity here also acts as a dark prefigurement for the Day of the Lord, where a similar sifting and assignment of ultimate destinies will occur on a global scale for all who reject God (cf. Matthew 25:31-46).

Jeremiah 15 2 Commentary

Jeremiah 15:2 represents a profound moment in Jeremiah's prophetic ministry, signifying an absolute turning point in God's dealing with Judah. The question, "Where shall we go forth?" reveals the people's latent anxiety, a desperate search for direction in the face of escalating troubles. However, God's answer, delivered through Jeremiah, shatters any illusion of human control or alternative paths. This isn't about choosing a path to go forth, but about being assigned to a predetermined end. The formula "Thus says the Lord" imbues the declaration with incontrovertible divine authority, signaling that all previous warnings have now solidified into an irreversible decree.

The four categories of judgment—death (often by pestilence), sword, famine, and captivity—are not merely a list of misfortunes but a comprehensive execution of divine justice for chronic sin and idolatry. Each represents a distinct form of destruction, demonstrating the thoroughness of God's judgment and His control over all aspects of their lives and demise. This is a severe lesson in the consequences of rejecting covenant obligations. It reflects God's sorrowful, yet necessary, judgment, allowing the natural consequences of apostasy to manifest fully. The verse also underscores Jeremiah's agonizing position: tasked with relaying a message that directly contradicts the hopes of his own people and confirms their coming catastrophe. It teaches us about God's patience, His commitment to His covenant warnings, and the ultimate irrevocability of His word when repentance is withheld.