Jeremiah 15

This chapter is one of the prophecies of judgment against Judah found in the early part of the book of Jeremiah. It continues from Jeremiah 14, where Jeremiah and the people pray in the midst of drought; here God answers that He will not accept their prayer.

Outline

• Verses 1–4 God declares that even if Moses and Samuel stood before Him to intercede, His mind would not be toward this people. Death, the sword, famine, and captivity have been appointed for them, and He will punish them with four kinds of destroyers: the sword, dogs, birds, and beasts. As the reason, He cites what Manasseh did in Jerusalem.
• Verses 5–9 A lament over Jerusalem. God has scattered the people as one winnows with a fan in the gates; widows become more numerous than the sand of the seas, and even the woman who has borne seven children languishes and faints.
• Verses 10–14 Jeremiah laments that he was ever born. God promises to strengthen him, yet declares that the people's wealth will be plundered and that they will be carried off into a land they do not know.
• Verses 15–18 Jeremiah confesses both the joy of having eaten the Lord's words and the loneliness of sitting alone. He then protests, asking whether the Lord will be to him "as a liar, and as waters that fail."
• Verses 19–21 God calls him to return. He promises to make him a fortified bronze wall and to deliver him from the hand of the wicked.

Key Verses

• Jeremiah 15:1 "Though Moses and Samuel stood before me" — By naming Israel's foremost intercessors, the verse shows that judgment has already been determined.
• Jeremiah 15:16 "Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart" — The verse likens receiving God's word to eating it.
• Jeremiah 15:19 "If thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth" — With these words God reestablishes the prophet's calling.

People and Places

• Jeremiah: The prophet who utters the lament in this chapter.
• Moses, Samuel: Mentioned only by name, as intercessors who prayed on behalf of the people.
• Manasseh: The son of Hezekiah and a king of Judah who spread idolatry.
• Jerusalem: The capital of Judah and the object of judgment and lament.

Points for Reflection

• Scholars commonly count verses 10–21 among the passages known as the "Confessions (Laments) of Jeremiah."
• The Hebrew text of verses 11–12 is difficult, and translations render its meaning in noticeably different ways.
• Verse 4's attribution of the judgment to Manasseh reflects the same perspective as 2 Kings 21. By contrast, 2 Chronicles 33 records Manasseh's repentance, and how to read the two accounts together remains a subject of discussion.
• The image of eating the word in verse 16 connects with Ezekiel 3 and Revelation 10. The promise of a bronze wall in verse 20 recalls the call narrative of Jeremiah 1.