“Who will have pity on you, O Jerusalem, or who will grieve for you? Who will turn aside to ask about your welfare?
English Standard Version (ESV)
The verse doesn't just ask who will pity Jerusalem; it highlights the very absence of a simple, everyday kindness: someone stopping to ask "How are you?" This wasn't just a casual greeting, but a gesture of care, implying that Jerusalem's future suffering will be so profound, no one will even bother to check on her welfare.
“Who will have pity on you, O Jerusalem, or who will grieve for you? Who will turn aside to ask about your welfare?
English Standard Version (ESV)
God has just declared that even the most righteous intercessors, like Moses and Samuel, couldn't save Jerusalem from His judgment, emphasizing the severity of their impending doom. Now, Jeremiah questions who would possibly show compassion for the city, highlighting that their deep-seated sin and rebellion have made them utterly undeserving of any pity or concern, even from ordinary people. This rhetorical question sets the stage for God's explanation in the following verses about why such devastation is necessary and deserved.
Imagine a city so broken that no one even stops to ask if it's okay. Jeremiah 15:5 paints a stark picture of Jerusalem's future isolation.
This verse isn't just a prediction; it's a declaration of divine justice. The people of Jerusalem are so steeped in sin and rebellion against God that they forfeit the basic human courtesy usually extended to those in distress.
The Weight of Their Sins
Jeremiah's message, especially when read alongside the following verses, reveals that this utter lack of pity is a direct consequence of their actions. They have actively turned away from God, embracing sin and rejecting His guidance. This isn't a minor offense; it's a fundamental betrayal.
Beyond Human Compassion
The question, "Who will have pity on you?" implies that their sin has reached a point where even natural human empathy is withdrawn. Normally, people show compassion even to enemies when they fall into misfortune. But Jerusalem's crimes are so profound, their rejection of God so complete, that they become undeserving of even this basic kindness. It’s a state of being so marred by sin that it repels natural sympathy.
What does it truly mean to show concern for someone? Jeremiah 15:5 points to a simple act of human connection that Jerusalem will no longer receive.
The final question in Jeremiah 15:5 – "Who will turn aside to ask about your welfare?" – zeroes in on a profound loss.
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More Than Just Small Talk
This isn't about superficial greetings. In ancient Near Eastern culture, inquiring about someone's "peace" (shalom) was a genuine act of showing care and concern. It meant taking a moment, perhaps even stepping out of your way, to acknowledge another person's well-being and offer a good wish.
A Sign of Alienation
For Jerusalem, the fact that no one will even perform this simple courtesy signifies their utter alienation. They won't just be facing destruction; they'll be facing it alone, with no one offering a word of comfort, no one checking in, no one remembering their existence with kindness. It's a chilling picture of complete social and spiritual isolation.
Understand the original words
chamal · Hebrew Verb
Compassion or sympathy felt for the plight or suffering of another; here it highlights the absolute nature of the judgment coming upon the city.
shalom · Hebrew Noun
The Hebrew concept of peace, wholeness, prosperity, and relational harmony; asking after it implies concern for the well-being and health of another.
Jeremiah's lament in this verse underscores the profound desolation and abandonment of Jerusalem following its destruction by the Babylonians. The city and its people are so utterly ruined and disgraced that no one, not even former allies or sympathetic onlookers, bothers to inquire about their well-being, highlighting the completeness of their judgment.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria and the Northern Kingdom
The Assyrian Empire conquers the northern Kingdom of Israel, exiling its population and scattering them. This event leaves the southern Kingdom of Judah isolated and serves as a stark warning of potential future destruction.
605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon conquers Judah and carries off a portion of the population, including members of the royal family and educated elite, to Babylon. This marks the beginning of Judah's Babylonian exile.
597 BC
Second Deportation to Babylon
Following a rebellion, Nebuchadnezzar again besieges Jerusalem and deports more citizens, including the prophet Ezekiel and King Jehoiachin. This further weakens the kingdom and intensifies the sense of impending doom.
586 BC— this verse
Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple
Nebuchadnezzar's forces raze Jerusalem and destroy Solomon's Temple, the heart of Israel's religious life. The majority of the remaining population is exiled to Babylon. This is the pinnacle of Judah's suffering.
c. 586-538 BC
Exile in Babylon
The Judean people live in exile in Babylon. During this period, Jeremiah's prophecies, including lamentations over Jerusalem's fate, are deeply felt and understood in light of their national catastrophe.
This passage describes a similar desolation and loss of comfort for Jerusalem, where the survivors will not be able to offer solace to each other, mirroring the profound isolation Jeremiah 15:5 conveys.
Lamentations 1:2The Book of Lamentations, often attributed to Jeremiah, paints a vivid picture of Jerusalem's desolation and the lack of anyone to comfort her, directly echoing the themes of abandonment and pity found in this verse.
Deuteronomy 28:64-67These verses in Deuteronomy describe the future scattering and suffering of Israel due to disobedience, foretelling a state of despair and lack of rest where they would 'seek death rather than life' and find no solace, which aligns with the sentiment of Jeremiah 15:5.
Job 2:11-13In this passage, Job's friends initially sit with him in silence, a profound expression of shared grief. Jeremiah 15:5 contrasts this by stating no one will even take the minimal step of inquiring about Jerusalem's welfare, highlighting the extreme abandonment.
clarkeJeremiah 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?"
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.
calvinJeremiah 15:5-6: "For who shall have pity upon thee, O Jerusalem? or who shall bemoan thee? or who shall go aside to ask how thou doest?"
Nam quis parcet tibi Jerusalem (vel, quis miserebitur tui? sed chml proprie est ignoscere vel parcere; hic tamen accipitur pro indulgere vel misereri: quis ergo miserebitur tui Jerusalem?) et quis consolabitur te? et quis locum mutabit ad inquirendum de pace tibi? (hoc est, tua: jungamus et alterum versum:)
Thou hast forsaken me, saith the LORD, thou a…
The verse doesn't just ask who will pity Jerusalem; it highlights the very absence of a simple, everyday kindness: someone stopping to ask "How are you?" This wasn't just a casual greeting, but a gesture of care, implying that Jerusalem's future suffering will be so profound, no one will even bother to check on her welfare.
God has just declared that even the most righteous intercessors, like Moses and Samuel, couldn't save Jerusalem from His judgment, emphasizing the severity of their impending doom. Now, Jeremiah questions who would possibly show compassion for the city, highlighting that their deep-seated sin and rebellion have made them utterly undeserving of any pity or concern, even from ordinary people. This rhetorical question sets the stage for God's explanation in the following verses about why such devastation is necessary and deserved.
God has just declared that even the most righteous intercessors, like Moses and Samuel, couldn't save Jerusalem from His judgment, emphasizing the severity of their impending doom. Now, Jeremiah questions who would possibly show compassion for the city, highlighting that their deep-seated sin and rebellion have made them utterly undeserving of any pity or concern, even from ordinary people. This rhetorical question sets the stage for God's explanation in the following verses about why such devastation is necessary and deserved.
"“Who will have pity on you, O Jerusalem, or who will grieve for you? Who will turn aside to ask about your welfare?" — The verse doesn't just ask who will pity Jerusalem; it highlights the very absence of a simple, everyday kindness: someone stopping to ask "How are you?" This wasn't just a casual greeting, but a ges…
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Last reviewed October 2026