Jeremiah 15:15
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Jeremiah isn't just asking for God's vengeance; he's pleading that God's patience with his enemies doesn't inadvertently become God's abandonment of him. He cries out that God's long-suffering toward the wicked shouldn't mean their hands are free to destroy him, especially since his suffering is directly for God's name.
O LORD, you know; remember me and visit me, and take vengeance for me on my persecutors. In your forbearance take me not away; know that for your sake I bear reproach.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jeremiah is pouring out his heart to God, feeling overwhelmed by the rejection and suffering he faces because of his prophetic ministry. He's just heard God declare judgment on Judah, and in this verse, he turns to God directly, appealing to God's knowledge of his heart and his loyalty. He asks God to remember him, act on his behalf against those who persecute him, and importantly, not to be swept away in God's judgment that is coming upon the unrepentant people.
When your world feels chaotic and your suffering seems invisible, where do you turn? Jeremiah starts with a powerful declaration of God's awareness.
Jeremiah opens his prayer with 'O LORD, you know.' This isn't just a casual observation; it's the bedrock of his plea. He's reminding God, and himself, that God sees his sincerity, understands his pain, and is fully aware of the injustice he's facing.
The Depth of God's Knowing
This assurance that God is not distant or ignorant fuels Jeremiah's courage to continue speaking and praying.
Jeremiah cries out for God to 'take vengeance.' How can a prophet, a man of God, ask for such a thing? It reveals a deeper spiritual warfare.
Jeremiah doesn't ask for personal revenge in a petty sense. His cry for vengeance comes from a place of deep conviction that God's justice must be served, especially when His name and His prophet are being slandered.
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Understanding 'Vengeance'
He's essentially asking God to vindicate His own name through the judgment of those who reject Him.
Jeremiah is bearing 'reproach' – harsh criticism and shame. But he's quick to add, 'for your sake.' What does it mean to suffer for God's name?
This is the heart of prophetic suffering. Jeremiah isn't just facing personal hardship; he's enduring public shame and ridicule because he faithfully delivered God's unpopular message.
The Weight of Reproach
Jeremiah's plea isn't just about survival; it's about divine vindication for faithfulness in the face of rejection.
Understand the original words
naqam · Hebrew Noun
The act of responding to wrong or injustice by inflicting a reciprocal penalty. In the Bible, vengeance belongs ultimately to God, who judges righteously to restore order and vindicate the oppressed.
erek appayim · Hebrew Noun phrase
Long-suffering or the withholding of judgment. It reflects God’s character of patience, giving space for repentance before His inevitable judgment falls.
cherpah · Hebrew Noun
Shame, disgrace, or insult experienced by an individual, often for their faithfulness to God. It highlights the social or personal cost of standing for truth in a world that opposes it.
Jeremiah's raw cry for vengeance and remembrance comes in the midst of profound national catastrophe and personal persecution. He feels forgotten by God even as he suffers for God's sake during the devastating Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem and its people.
Late 8th century BC
Assyrian Deportations of Israel
The Northern Kingdom of Israel was largely depopulated by the Assyrian Empire, with many citizens deported to other parts of the empire. This established a precedent for large-scale forced migration.
605 BC
First Babylonian Deportation
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, conquers Judah and deports a number of its prominent citizens, including Daniel, to Babylon. This marks the beginning of the Babylonian exile.
597 BC
Second Babylonian Deportation
Following a rebellion, Nebuchadnezzar deports more Judeans to Babylon, including King Jehoiachin and the prophet Ezekiel. Jerusalem's temple is desecrated.
586 BC— this verse
Fall of Jerusalem and Third Deportation
Nebuchadnezzar destroys Jerusalem and its temple, exiling the majority of the remaining population to Babylon. This catastrophic event is the backdrop for much of Jeremiah's prophetic ministry.
c. 582 BC
Further Deportations
Babylonian forces conduct further deportations from Judah, rounding up remaining groups of Judeans and exiling them to Babylon.
c. 580 BC
Jeremiah in Egypt
After the fall of Jerusalem, Jeremiah is taken by Judean refugees to Egypt, where he continues to prophesy. Some traditions suggest he died there.
This psalm echoes Jeremiah's plea by invoking God's omniscience, acknowledging that God knows all thoughts and actions, which is a foundational comfort for Jeremiah in this verse.
Psalm 69:7-9This passage directly parallels Jeremiah's lament, as the psalmist also expresses suffering reproach for God's sake and asks for vindication, showing this was a shared experience among God's servants.
Romans 8:35-37While Jeremiah pleads for vengeance, this New Testament passage provides a broader perspective, assuring believers that no suffering, even for Christ's sake, will separate them from God's love and ultimate victory through Him.
Luke 18:7-8Jesus tells a parable about a persistent widow seeking justice from an unjust judge, which highlights the theme of crying out to God for vindication against oppressors and the hope for eventual justice, even when it seems delayed.
clarkeJeremiah 15:15: "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."
O Lord - remember me, and visit me - Let me not be carried away into captivity; and it does not appear that he had ever been taken to Babylon. After the capture of the city he went into Egypt; and either died there, or was put to death by his countrymen.
pooleJeremiah 15:15: "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."
O Lord, thou knowest; either thou knowest my sincerity, how faithfully I have revealed thy will; so Psalm 139:1,23 ; or thou knowest my sufferings, how wickedly they deal with me; or thou knowest what thou hast to do, what is in thy purpose and resolution to dc; I will say no more unto thee; only for my. own sa…
Jeremiah isn't just asking for God's vengeance; he's pleading that God's patience with his enemies doesn't inadvertently become God's abandonment of him. He cries out that God's long-suffering toward the wicked shouldn't mean their hands are free to destroy him, especially since his suffering is directly for God's name.
Jeremiah is pouring out his heart to God, feeling overwhelmed by the rejection and suffering he faces because of his prophetic ministry. He's just heard God declare judgment on Judah, and in this verse, he turns to God directly, appealing to God's knowledge of his heart and his loyalty. He asks God to remember him, act on his behalf against those who persecute him, and importantly, not to be swept away in God's judgment that is coming upon the unrepentant people.
Jeremiah is pouring out his heart to God, feeling overwhelmed by the rejection and suffering he faces because of his prophetic ministry. He's just heard God declare judgment on Judah, and in this verse, he turns to God directly, appealing to God's knowledge of his heart and his loyalty. He asks God to remember him, act on his behalf against those who persecute him, and importantly, not to be swept away in God's judgment that is coming upon the unrepentant people.
"O LORD, you know; remember me and visit me, and take vengeance for me on my persecutors. In your forbearance take me not away; know that for your sake I bear reproach." — Jeremiah isn't just asking for God's vengeance; he's pleading that God's patience with his enemies doesn't inadvertently become God's abandonment of him. He cries out that God's long-suffering toward…
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Last reviewed October 2026
