Jeremiah 15:2
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)
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God’s answer isn’t just about destruction, but about destiny: each person is already marked for a specific doom—pestilence, sword, famine, or captivity. It’s a stark reminder that their fate is sealed, and there’s no escaping the divine judgment already in motion.
God declares to Jeremiah that even the prayers of great intercessors like Moses and Samuel couldn't sway Him from His judgment on this disobedient people. Now, when the people, facing imminent disaster, ask where they should flee, Jeremiah is to tell them there is no escape, as God has destined them for different forms of destruction.
Imagine asking for directions to safety, only to be told there's nowhere left to go. That's the chilling reality Jeremiah delivers here.
The people of Judah are facing utter devastation. They've rejected God, and now they desperately ask the prophet, 'Where can we flee?' Jeremiah's answer is stark: there is no escape.
The Inevitable End
God declares that destruction will come in various forms – pestilence ('death'), warfare ('sword'), starvation ('famine'), and exile ('captivity'). Each person will face the specific judgment they are 'for,' meaning the judgment they have earned through their actions. There's no special hiding place, no loophole.
This isn't about random misfortune; it's about God's righteous decree falling upon a people who have repeatedly turned their backs on Him. Even the most esteemed intercessors, like Moses and Samuel, would be powerless to divert this judgment because the people's rebellion had reached its breaking point.
Not everyone faces the same fate, even in judgment. Jeremiah hints at a deeper reality about who truly belongs to God.
While Jeremiah's message sounds like absolute doom for everyone, the commentators point out a crucial distinction. God's judgment is indeed severe for the majority, but it doesn't erase His ultimate plan for a remnant.
Divine Discrimination
Think of it like a farmer separating the wheat from the chaff. The chaff is blown away, destined for destruction, while the wheat is gathered. Similarly, God's judgment separates the unrepentant and rebellious – the 'chaff' – from those who, though hidden, are His true people – the 'wheat' or 'chosen seed'.
Jeremiah’s prayer, though not granted in the way he might have hoped (saving everyone), was heard by God in that it preserved His Church, the hidden faithful, even amidst national catastrophe. This concept highlights that God's knowledge and plans extend beyond what is visible, discerning the hearts of His people.
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.
Jeremiah's stark message in this verse is delivered during a period of intense judgment, following multiple deportations and the destruction of Jerusalem. The people, facing imminent ruin, ask where they can flee, only to be told by Jeremiah that God's judgment is inescapable, manifesting in pestilence, sword, famine, or captivity.
c. 701 BC
Sennacherib's Invasion of Judah
The Assyrian king Sennacherib invades Judah, capturing many cities and besieging Jerusalem. This event serves as a significant backdrop for prophetic warnings of divine judgment.
c. 622 BC
Josiah's Reforms and Discovery of the Law
King Josiah institutes religious reforms after the discovery of the Book of the Law in the Temple. This period represents a brief moment of potential renewal before further decline.
605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
Under Nebuchadnezzar, Babylon conquers Judah, and a first group of exiles, including members of the royal family and intellectual elite, are deported to Babylon.
597 BC
Second Deportation to Babylon
Another wave of exiles is deported to Babylon after a revolt, including the prophet Ezekiel. Jerusalem and the Temple remain, but under strict Babylonian control.
This passage presents a similar grim outlook, stating that even if Noah, Daniel, and Job stood before God, they could only save themselves, highlighting that ultimate judgment for sin often leaves no room for intercession for others.
Deuteronomy 28:25This verse from the Law directly parallels Jeremiah's message, as Moses warned the Israelites that they would be scattered and defeated by their enemies, facing destruction by pestilence, sword, famine, and captivity if they disobeyed God's commands.
Revelation 6:8The rider on the pale horse, whose name is Death, and Hades followed him, is given authority over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine, pestilence, and by the wild beasts of the earth, echoing the same four instruments of destruction mentioned in Jeremiah.
Matthew 10:28Jesus' teaching here warns that we should fear God, who has the power to destroy both the soul and the body in hell, aligning with the idea that God's judgment is supreme and can bring about total destruction, not just physical death.
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 just about destruction, but about destiny: each person is already marked for a specific doom—pestilence, sword, famine, or captivity. It’s a stark reminder that their fate is sealed, and there’s no escaping the divine judgment already in motion.
God declares to Jeremiah that even the prayers of great intercessors like Moses and Samuel couldn't sway Him from His judgment on this disobedient people. Now, when the people, facing imminent disaster, ask where they should flee, Jeremiah is to tell them there is no escape, as God has destined them for different forms of destruction.
God declares to Jeremiah that even the prayers of great intercessors like Moses and Samuel couldn't sway Him from His judgment on this disobedient people. Now, when the people, facing imminent disaster, ask where they should flee, Jeremiah is to tell them there is no escape, as God has destined them for different forms of destruction.
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586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem and Third Deportation
After a prolonged siege, Jerusalem falls to the Babylonians. The Temple is destroyed, and the remaining population is largely exiled, marking the end of Judah as an independent kingdom.
c. 580 BC— this verse
Jeremiah's Prophetic Ministry Amidst Exile
Jeremiah continues to prophesy to those remaining in and around Jerusalem, and later to the exiles in Egypt. He declares God's judgment on Judah for its persistent disobedience and foretells impending destruction.
"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 just about destruction, but about destiny: each person is already marked for a specific doom—pestilence, sword, famine, or captivity. It’s a stark reminder that their fate is seale…