God's answer isn't a place to flee to, but a grim acknowledgement that there's no escape from His judgment for their persistent sin. He lays out that their destruction will be specific, with each person facing the particular punishment they are "destined for"—pestilence, sword, famine, or captivity.
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.’
English Standard Version (ESV)
God has just declared to Jeremiah that even the intercession of great figures like Moses and Samuel wouldn't change His mind about punishing His people. In response, the people, facing impending doom, ask Jeremiah where they should flee. Jeremiah's message from God is a stark declaration that there is no escape; destruction will find them in whatever form it's destined to—pestilence, sword, famine, or captivity.
Imagine a city under siege, its people desperate. They ask their leader, 'Where can we go to escape this?' But the answer they receive isn't about finding safety, it's about accepting their unavoidable fate.
Jeremiah's message in this passage is stark and absolute. When the people of Jerusalem, facing impending destruction, ask where they should flee, God's answer through Jeremiah is chillingly direct:
This isn't about God sending them to these fates in a capricious way. It's about God declaring the irreversible outcome of their persistent sin and rebellion. There is no 'somewhere else' to run to, because their choices have led them to a place where judgment is inevitable. The various forms of destruction are simply the ways God's justice will be enacted on a people who have refused His mercy.
Ask a follow-up
Even figures as mighty as Moses and Samuel, who once successfully interceded for Israel, would be powerless before God's judgment against this generation. Why?
The commentary highlights a crucial point: Jeremiah's message isn't just about what will happen, but why. God declares, "Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my mind could not be toward this people" (Jeremiah 15:1). This is a profound statement about the limits of intercession when a people have reached the absolute brink of judgment.
Understand the original words
deber · Hebrew Noun
A widespread and often fatal disease or infectious plague, frequently used in the Bible as an instrument of divine judgment.
chereb · Hebrew Noun
A weapon of war used for cutting or thrusting; symbolically, it often represents divine judgment, war, and the execution of God's wrath against sin.
ra'ab · Hebrew Noun
Severe scarcity of food, often resulting from drought, war, or divine judgment; it is a profound form of physical suffering and deprivation.
shebi · Hebrew Noun
The state of being held by an enemy or taken away into a foreign land; in the Old Testament, it is frequently the consequence of national apostasy and divine discipline.
This verse powerfully underscores that after decades of prophetic warning and the people's persistent sin, God's judgment is certain and inescapable. The specific punishments—pestilence, sword, famine, and captivity—are not random but the divinely appointed consequences foretold throughout Israel's history.
Late 8th century BC
King Manasseh's Idolatry
King Manasseh's reign was marked by extreme syncretism and idolatry, even introducing foreign cults into the Temple. This deeply entrenched apostasy filled the cup of Judah's sin.
c. 622 BC
Josiah's Reforms
King Josiah initiates a significant religious reformation after the discovery of the Book of the Law. While temporarily turning Judah back to God, the deep-seated corruption meant the reforms had lasting impact for only a short time.
605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
Under Nebuchadnezzar, Jerusalem is besieged, and members of the royal family and intelligentsia, including Daniel, are taken captive to Babylon. This marks the beginning of Judah's exile.
597 BC
Second Deportation to Babylon
Another siege of Jerusalem results in the deportation of King Jehoiachin and more of the population, including the prophet Ezekiel, to Babylon. This further weakens the kingdom.
587/586 BC
Destruction of Jerusalem and Temple
Nebuchadnezzar's final assault leads to the complete destruction of Jerusalem, its walls, and the Temple. The majority of the remaining population is exiled to Babylon.
c. 587 BC— this verse
Jeremiah's Message of Destruction and Exile
Jeremiah, having prophesied for decades, delivers God's final judgment. When the people ask where they will go, he declares they will face pestilence, sword, famine, and captivity – the very punishments foretold by Moses.
This passage echoes Jeremiah's message, stating that even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in the land, they could only save themselves, not the land, because of its wickedness. It highlights the inescapable judgment that befalls a corrupt people, regardless of righteous intercession.
Leviticus 26:14-17This passage from the Law lays out the curses that would follow disobedience, including pestilence, sword, famine, and captivity. Jeremiah's prophecy is a direct fulfillment of these ancient warnings, showing the consequences of turning away from God.
Deuteronomy 28:25This verse is directly alluded to in Jeremiah's prophecy. It states that God will cause enemies to overthrow Israel, leading to defeat by the sword, and subsequent scattering and captivity. Jeremiah is announcing the terrifying reality of this curse being enacted.
Luke 21:20-24Jesus Himself speaks of a future siege of Jerusalem, leading to destruction by the sword, famine, pestilence, and captivity. This prophetic word from Jeremiah finds a somber echo in Jesus' lament over Jerusalem, showing a recurring pattern of judgment for rejecting God's ways.
calvinJeremiah 15:1-2: "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."
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.
Et eri…
cambridgeJeremiah 15:2: "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."
2 . Whither shall we go forth ?] If we are driven unpardoned from the presence of the Lord, to what shall we betake ourselves? The reply is a stern and even ironical one. death ]…
God's answer isn't a place to flee to, but a grim acknowledgement that there's no escape from His judgment for their persistent sin. He lays out that their destruction will be specific, with each person facing the particular punishment they are "destined for"—pestilence, sword, famine, or captivity.
God has just declared to Jeremiah that even the intercession of great figures like Moses and Samuel wouldn't change His mind about punishing His people. In response, the people, facing impending doom, ask Jeremiah where they should flee. Jeremiah's message from God is a stark declaration that there is no escape; destruction will find them in whatever form it's destined to—pestilence, sword, famine, or captivity.
God has just declared to Jeremiah that even the intercession of great figures like Moses and Samuel wouldn't change His mind about punishing His people. In response, the people, facing impending doom, ask Jeremiah where they should flee. Jeremiah's message from God is a stark declaration that there is no escape; destruction will find them in whatever form it's destined to—pestilence, sword, famine, or captivity.
"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,…" — God's answer isn't a place to flee to, but a grim acknowledgement that there's no escape from His judgment for their persistent sin. He lays out that their destruction will be specific, with each per…
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Last reviewed October 2026