Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 15:5
For who shall have pity upon thee, O Jerusalem? or who shall bemoan thee? or who shall go aside to ask how thou doest?
Verse 5. Who shall go aside to ask how thou doest?] Perhaps there is not a more despised nor a more degraded people under the sun. Scarcely any one thinks himself called upon to do a kind office for a Jew. Their character is bad in society, and they are not at all solicitous to redeem it.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
The sum of this is, that this people should be in a most miserable, pitiless state and condition; none should regard them in the day of their calamity, nor so much as once inquire after them, or how they fared, or what they did.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
5. go aside . . . how thou doestWhowill turn aside (in passing by) to salute thee (to wish thee”peace”)?
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
For who shall have pity upon thee, O Jerusalem?…. The inhabitants of it; their sins being so many, and so heinous, and so aggravated, and so deserving of punishment, that none could pity their case, or have a heart of compassion towards them, or even spare reproaching them: or “who shall bemoan thee?” sympathize and condole with thee, or speak a comfortable word to thee, or seek to alleviate thy grief and sorrow: or “who shall go aside to ask how thou doest?” or “of thy peace?” c shall not think it worth their while to go a step out of their way, or turn into a house, and inquire of thy welfare, or salute thee.
c “ad petendum [de] pace tua”, Pagninus; “ad interrogandum te de paca tua”, Piscator; “[sive] prosperitate tua”, Junius & Tremellius.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
In Jer 15:5-9 we have a still further account of this appalling judgment and its causes. The grounding in Jer 15:5 attaches to the central thought of Jer 15:4. The sinful people will be given up to all the kingdoms of the earth to be ill used, for no one will or can have compassion on Jerusalem, since its rejection by God is a just punishment for its rejection of the Lord (Jer 15:6). “Have pity” and “bemoan” denote loving sympathy for the fall of the unfortunate. , to feel sympathy; , to lament and bemoan. , to swerve from the straight way, and turn aside or enter into any one’s house; cf. Gen 19:2., Exo 3:3, etc. , to inquire of one as to his health, cf. Exo 18:7; then: to salute one, to desire , Gen 43:27; Jdg 18:15, and often. Not only will none show sympathy for Jerusalem, none will even ask how it goes with her welfare.
Jer 15:6 The reason of this treatment: because Jerusalem has dishonoured and rejected its God, therefore He now stretched out His hand to destroy it. To go backwards, instead of following the Lord, cf. Jer 7:24. This determination the Lord will not change, for He is weary of repenting. frequently of the withdrawal, in grace and pity, of a divine decree to punish, cf. Jer 4:28, Gen 6:6., Joe 2:14, etc.
Jer 15:7 is a continuation of , Jer 15:6, and, like the latter, is to be understood prophetically of what God has irrevocably determined to do. It is not a description of what is past, an allusion to the battle lost at Megiddo, as Hitz., carrying out his priori system of slighting prophecy, supposes. To take the verbs of this verse as proper preterites, as J. D. Mich. and Ew. also do, is not in keeping with the contents of the clauses. In the first clause Ew. and Gr. translate gates, i.e., exits, boundaries of the earth, and thereby understand the remotest lands of the earth, the four corners of extremities of the earth, Isa 11:12 (Ew.). But “gates” cannot be looked on as corners or extremities, nor are they ends or borders, but the inlets and outlets of cities. For how can a man construe to himself the ends of the earth as the outlets of it? where could one go to from there? Hence it is impossible to take of the earth in this case; it is the land of Judah. The gates of the land are either mentioned by synecdoche for the cities, cf. Mic 5:5, or are the approaches to the land (cf. Nah 3:13), its outlets and inlets. Here the context demands the latter sense. , to fan, c. loci, to scatter into a place, cf. Eze 12:15; Eze 30:26: fan into the outlets of the land, i.e., cast out of the land. , make the people childless, by the fall in battle of the sons, the young men, cf. Eze 5:17. The threat is intensified by , added as asyndeton. The last clause: from their ways, etc., subjoins the reason.
Jer 15:8-9 By the death of the sons, the women lose their husbands, and become widows. is the dative of sympathetic interest. “Sand of the sea” is the figure for a countless number. is poetic plural; cf. Psa 78:27; Job 6:3. On these defenceless women come suddenly spoilers, and these mothers who had perhaps borne seven sons give up the ghost and perish without succour, because their sons have fallen in war. Thus proceeds the portrayal as Hitz. has well exhibited it. is variously interpreted. We must reject the view taken by Chr. B. Mich. from the Syr. and Arab. versions: upon mother and young man; as also the view of Rashi, Cler., Eichh., Dahl., etc., that means the mother-city, i.e., Jerusalem. The true rendering is that of Jerome and Kimchi, who have been followed by J. D. Mich., Hitz., Ew., Graf, and Ng. : upon the mother of the youth or young warrior. This view is favoured by the correspondence of the woman mentioned in Job 6:9 who had borne seven sons. Both are individualized as women of full bodily vigour, to lend vividness to the thought that no age and no sex will escape destruction , at clear noontide, when one least looks for an attack. Thus the word corresponds with the “suddenly” of the next clause. , Aramaic form for , Isa 13:8, pangs. The bearer of seven, i.e., the mother of many sons. Seven as the perfect number of children given in blessing by God, cf. 1Sa 2:5; Rth 4:15. “She breathes to her life,” cf. Job 31:39. Graf wrongly: she sighs. The sun of her life sets ( ) while it is still day, before the evening of her life has been reached, cf. Amo 8:9. “Is put to shame and confounded” is not to be referred to the son, but the mother, who, bereaved of her children, goes covered with shame to the grave. The Keri for is an unnecessary change, since is also construed as fem., Gen 15:17. The description closes with a glance cast on those left in life after the overthrow of Jerusalem. These are to be given to the sword when in flight before their enemies, cf. Mic 6:14.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
Va. 5-9: JEHOVAH’S HAND STRETCHED OUT AGAINST JERUSALEM
1. Because Jerusalem has so persistently rejected Jehovah, He is weary of grieving over her, and stretches forth His hand in judgment, (vs. 5-6).
a. Who will then pity her? or mourn the calamity that has befallen her? (Jer 13:14; Jer 21:7; Jer 16:5; comp. Isa 51:19).
b. Will any ever turn aside to inquire of her welfare?
2. Judah will be shaken as with a winnowing fork, that her chaff may be blown away: but, the heart of the nation being unchanged, the broken-hearted Lord brings a destructive end to her pride, (vs. 7).
3. Her young men devastated in battle, the widows of Judah are likened, in number, to the sands of the sea, (vs. 8; comp. 2Ch 28:6).
4. Jerusalem, the fruitful mother-city of Judah, collapses in shock for the shame and disgrace that has befallen her, and the tragedy that awaits her sons before the sword of the enemy, (vs. 9; Jer 6:4; Amo 8:9-10; Jer 21:7).
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
The Prophet shews here that the severe punishment of which he had spoken could not be deemed unjust, according to what those men thought who were querulous, and ever expostulated with God, and charged him with too much rigour. Lest, then, the Jews should complain, the Prophet says briefly, that all the evils which were nigh at hand were fully due, and so deserved, that they could find no pity, even among men. We know that the worst of men, when the Lord punishes them, have some to condole with them. There is no one so wicked that relatives do not favor him, and that some do not console him. But the Prophet shews that the Jews were not only inexcusable before God, but that they were undeserving of any sympathy from men.
He first says, Who will pity thee? and then, Who will console with thee? The verb. נוד, nud, means properly to give comfort by words, as when relatives, and friends, and neighbors meet together for the purpose of mourning; they hear lamentations, and join in them. But he says that no one would perform this office towards Jerusalem. He adds, in the third place, And who will turn aside? or, strictly, change place — Who will change place to enquire? or, as some render it, to pray. The verb שאל shal, means properly to ask, and hence sometimes to pray. So, many give this meaning, that there would be no one to pray for the Jews. But if we consider the construction of the sentence, we shall see that the Prophet speaks of that duty of kindness which men cultivate and observe towards one another, by enquiring of their welfare, — “Are all things well with thee?” How dost thou do? Are all things well with thee and thine?” When we thus enquire of the state of any one we shew some concern for him, for love is always solicitous for the welfare of others. The Prophet then says, “Who will turn aside to thee to enquire of thy welfare?” that is, that he may know how thou art, and what is thy state and condition.
We hence see that the Jews are here divested of every complaint, for the whole world would acknowledge them to be unworthy of any commiseration. But the Prophet does not mean that all would act cruelly towards Jerusalem, but rather shews, that such were their crimes that there was no room for courtesy, or for those acts of kindness which men of themselves perform towards one another. (132)
(132) There is a general agreement as to the two first clauses of this verse, but not as to the last. The Syriac and the Targum give the meaning advocated by Calvin, with whom Gataker, Grotius, and Blayney agree. But the Septuagint and the Vulgate seem to take the other view, that to “pray for peace” is what is meant; and this has been adopted by Montanus, Castalio, and Venema. But the former is no doubt substantially the right view, though the phrase used, “to salute,” or “to enquire of one’s welfare,” or “how thou doest,” is too general. In 1Sa 25:5 (see also 1Sa 10:4) we have the same form of words too loosely rendered, “greet him in my name,” in our version. The following verse shews that the rendering ought to be, “wish (or bid) him peace in my name.” Literally it is, “Ask for him in my name for peace.” So here the literal rendering is, —
Or who will turn aside to ask for peace for thee?
or, in our language, “to bid thee peace.”
The word “turn aside” seems clearly to favor this meaning. In the other case its import does not appear. The intimation is, that no one would deem it worth his while to turn out of his way to express a good wish in behalf of Jerusalem. — Ed.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(5) To ask how thou doest?This is a fair paraphrase of the original, but it wants the Oriental colouring of the more literal to ask after thy peace. As Peace be with thee was the usual formula of salutation, sc., Is it peace? was the equivalent for our more prosaic question, How do you do? (Gen. 43:27; Jdg. 18:15). The same phrase meets us in Exo. 18:7, They asked each other of their welfare, literally, of their peace.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
5. Who shall have pity, etc. Who if not Jeremiah? In rejecting him the people were sacrificing their last friend influential with God. How like to the after conduct of descendants of this very people in crucifying the Son of God.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Jer 15:5 For who shall have pity upon thee, O Jerusalem? or who shall bemoan thee? or who shall go aside to ask how thou doest?
Ver. 5. Who shall bemoan thee? ] Heb., Who shall come out of his place to comfort thee? Or, Who shall shake his head in commiseration to thee?
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Jer 15:5-9
5Indeed, who will have pity on you, O Jerusalem,
Or who will mourn for you,
Or who will turn aside to ask about your welfare?
6You who have forsaken Me, declares the LORD,
You keep going backward.
So I will stretch out My hand against you and destroy you;
I am tired of relenting!
7I will winnow them with a winnowing fork
At the gates of the land;
I will bereave them of children, I will destroy My people;
They did not repent of their ways.
8Their widows will be more numerous before Me
Than the sand of the seas;
I will bring against them, against the mother of a young man,
A destroyer at noonday;
I will suddenly bring down on her
Anguish and dismay.
9She who bore seven sons pines away;
Her breathing is labored.
Her sun has set while it was yet day;
She has been shamed and humiliated.
So I will give over their survivors to the sword
Before their enemies, declares the LORD.
Jer 15:5-9 Jer 15:5-9 are YHWH’s lament! This poetic strophe (characterized by PERFECT VERBS) describes the coming judgment of Judah’s incalcitrant rebellion and idolatry.
Jer 15:5 is a series of questions.
1. who will have pity on you
2. who will mourn you
3. who will turn aside to ask about your welfare
The theological implication is that without YHWH’s help, there is no one else who cares, protects, and provides for them. But they have rejected Him.
1. you have forsaken Me
2. you keep going backward
Because of this YHWH will act as judge. He is tired of relenting (cf. Jer 6:11; Jer 7:6).
1. stretch out His hand against them
2. destroy them (cf. Jer 15:8)
3. winnow them (cf. Jer 51:2)
4. bereave them of children
5. give them numerous widows
6. bring the destroyer at noonday
7. anguish and dismay
8. bring shame (BDB 101, KB 116) and humiliation (BDB 344, KB 340)
9. give the survivors to the sword
Wow! Idolatry has consequences! Lack of repentance (cf. Jer 15:7, line 3) has consequences! If this were true then, why not now?
I do like the NET Bible’s understanding of an outline of this poem based on who is speaking to whom (p. 1333).
1. Jer 15:1-4 – YHWH addresses Jeremiah
2. Jer 15:5-6 – YHWH addresses Jerusalem
3. Jer 15:7-9 – YHWH addresses Jeremiah
Jer 15:6 I will stretch out My hand against you and destroy you This is an idiom from the exodus (cf. Exo 7:5; Isa 31:3) of YHWH’s power in judgment (cf. Jer 6:12). In Exo 7:5 it is against the Egyptians on behalf of His covenant people, but now YHWH acts against His own people (cf. Isa 5:25; Isa 10:4; Isa 14:27).
NASB, JPSOAYou keep going backward
NKJV, NJB,
PESHITTAYou have gone backwards
NRSV, TEV,
REB, NETYou have turned your back to me
LXXyou will go backward
NIVyou keep on backsliding
Hebrew VERBS do not have a time element; that must be determined from context. Notice how the translations of Jer 15:6 differ.
The best parallel use of backward (BDB 229) is Jer 7:24.
I am tired of relenting The VERB (BDB 521, KB 512, Niphal PERFECT) is used of exhausted patience. The Niphal PERFECT can be used in a good sense.
1. Jer 6:11, in relation to YHWH’s wrath
2. Jer 20:9, in relation to YHWH’s word
3. Isa 1:14, in relation to YHWH’s feasts
It can be used in a bad sense.
1. Jer 9:5, in relation to iniquity
2. Isa 47:13, in relation to occult practices
The second VERBAL (BDB 636, KB 688, Niphal INFINITIVE CONSTRUCT) means to be moved with pity. Here it is negated. YHWH will not be moved with pity (cf. Jer 7:16). Judgment is coming! He has waited and waited but Judah would not repent and return to Him (cf. Jer 15:7 c; Jer 7:13).
Jer 15:7 At the gates of the land This would refer to the
1. walled cities near the borders where invading armies would travel (i.e., coastal plain)
2. fortresses on the invasion routes (i.e., caravan routes)
Jer 15:8 This verse is difficult to understand.
1. Does it refer to the dead children of the widows who were strong young soldiers but now dead? (i.e., little children)
2. Does it refer to the death of the remaining widows by young invaders because their own children/warriors cannot defend them?
The widows described as the sand of the sea is an allusion to YHWH’s promise to Abraham about his numerous descendants (cf. Gen 22:17; Gen 32:12). But now his many descendants will be destroyed! The fathers/husbands and their young men/soldiers are already dead, and now their mothers also (i.e., no hope for a next generation).
A destroyer at noonday This seems to refer to the personification of an invading army that attacks at the time when the defenders could see best (cf. Jer 6:4). This would then be a symbol of the invulnerability of the invaders.
Anguish This word (BDB 735 I, KB 822 II) is found only here and in Hos 11:9. It denotes shock and agitation (KB).
dismay This word (BDB 96, KB 111) basically means sudden fear (cf. Psa 78:33). It is used in the cursing and blessing section of Leviticus (cf. Lev 26:16). In Isa 65:23 it is used of what will not happen to a restored, repentant people of God.
Jer 15:9 There have been several ways to understand Jer 15:9, line 2.
1. her breathing is labored, NASB
2. she has breathed her last, NKJV, NIV, NAB
3. gasps for breath, NRSV
4. she has swooned away, NJB
The numerous widows and mothers of Jer 15:7-8 are again used as imagery of Judah invaded, defeated, and taken into exile.
seven This is a symbolic number, going back to Genesis 1-2, for perfection. A woman with seven sons would be considered uniquely blessed by God (cf. 1Sa 2:5).
SPECIAL TOPIC: SYMBOLIC NUMBERS IN SCRIPTURE
So I will give over their survivors to the sword This phrase appears to denote a complete destruction of Judah by the sword. This is prophetic hyperbole because we know many thousands were exiled. Poetry is meant to function on an emotional level, not a literal, historical level.
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
how thou doest? = of thy welfare?
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
For who: Jer 16:5, Jer 21:7, Job 19:21, Psa 69:20, Isa 51:19, Lam 1:12-16, Lam 2:15, Lam 2:16, Nah 3:7
how thou doest: Heb. of thy peace, Exo 18:7, Jdg 18:15, 1Sa 10:4, 1Sa 17:22, 1Sa 25:5, *marg.
Reciprocal: Hos 3:4 – without a king
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 15:5. Who shall have pity is a declaration in question form that the Lord will not have pity on Jerusalem, but she must go through the punishment that has been threatened. Who shall osfc, etc., is a form of speech to indicate that Jerusalem will he aban-doned to her fate with nobody to save her from the doom awaiting her.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
A lament concerning Jerusalem’s terrible fate 15:5-9
Invasion and war had already overtaken Jerusalem when Jeremiah wrote this lament, but more destruction was to come (Jer 15:9).
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
The Lord said that no one would have pity on Jerusalem when she had experienced His judgment (cf. Lam 1:1; Lam 1:12; Lam 1:21; Lam 2:13; Lam 2:20).