You have rejected me, declares the LORD; you keep going backward, so I have stretched out my hand against you and destroyed you— I am weary of relenting.
English Standard Version (ESV)
God's declaration, "I am weary of relenting," isn't about His changing feelings, but about the utter exhaustion of His patience with repeated sin. He's not tired of being merciful, but tired of having to turn back from justly punishing a people who refuse to change their ways despite His repeated efforts.
You have rejected me, declares the LORD; you keep going backward, so I have stretched out my hand against you and destroyed you— I am weary of relenting.
English Standard Version (ESV)
God declares His people have turned their backs on Him, repeatedly rejecting Him despite His past mercies. This persistent backsliding has exhausted His patience, leading Him to finally withdraw His hand of protection and unleash destruction, weary of relenting and forgiving those who show no desire to change.
Jeremiah declares the people have turned away from God. But what does it mean to 'keep going backward' with God, and why is this so serious?
The core of Israel's sin, as stated here, is a profound rejection and turning away from God. The phrase 'you keep going backward' paints a vivid picture of a people actively retreating from God's presence and commands.
A Deliberate Retreat
This isn't just a passive wandering; it's a conscious decision to move away from what is right and good. It signifies a progression deeper into sin, a worsening state of spiritual distance.
The Consequence of Turning Away
When a people forsakes God, they forfeit the protection and favor that come from His covenant. This turning back invites judgment, as God's justice must respond to persistent rebellion.
God declares He is 'weary of relenting.' What does this mean for a God who is eternal and unchanging?
This powerful statement describes God's immense patience reaching its breaking point. It's not that God wants to punish, but that His mercy has been so repeatedly spurned that He can no longer justly withhold judgment.
The Nature of God's 'Repentance'
When the Bible says God 'repents,' it's describing His actions from our human perspective. God doesn't change His character, but He does change His dealings with people based on their response to Him. He has repeatedly shown mercy, altered His course of punishment, but Israel has met each act of grace with more sin.
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Justice Demands Action
God's long-suffering has a limit. When sin and rebellion persist, and mercy is treated with contempt, justice must finally take its course. God is 'weary' not of being merciful, but of the futility of extending mercy to those who refuse to turn from their destructive path.
Understand the original words
YHWH · Hebrew Noun
The covenant name of the one true God, signifying His eternal self-existence, faithfulness, and holiness. It is the name through which God revealed Himself to Israel as their Redeemer and King.
sug · Hebrew Verb
A state of persistent rebellion or wandering away from the covenant relationship with God. It involves a fundamental hardening of the heart that leads to spiritual decline and divine judgment.
natah yad · Hebrew Verb phrase
An action of divine judgment where God actively intervenes to punish persistent sin. It reflects God’s authority over history and His unwavering commitment to righteousness.
This verse captures God's profound weariness with Judah's persistent rebellion. The repeated cycles of sin, judgment, and hesitant repentance had exhausted His patience, leading to the final, irreversible judgment symbolized by Jerusalem's destruction.
c. 722 BC
Fall of the Northern Kingdom
The Assyrian Empire conquers the northern Kingdom of Israel, exiling its people and scattering them, serving as a stark warning to Judah.
605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon conquers Judah, taking Jehoiakim and a number of exiles, including Daniel, to Babylon.
597 BC
Second Deportation to Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar deports King Jehoiachin and thousands more of Judah's elite to Babylon, intensifying the crisis and Jeremiah's prophetic warnings.
c. 587-586 BC— this verse
Fall of Jerusalem
Nebuchadnezzar destroys Jerusalem and the Temple, exiling the remaining population to Babylon, marking the fulfillment of God's judgment.
c. 587 BC
Jeremiah's Continued Ministry
Jeremiah remains in Jerusalem after the final destruction, continuing to preach God's message even amidst the devastation and exiles.
This passage shows God relenting from His judgment against Israel after they made the golden calf, illustrating the concept of God 'repenting' or changing His destructive course due to intercession, a concept Jeremiah is grappling with.
1 Samuel 15:11God expresses regret ('repents') for making Saul king because Saul disobeyed Him, showing how human disobedience can lead God to change His mind about His plans, similar to the weariness God expresses in Jeremiah.
Psalm 7:11This verse declares God as a righteous judge who is angry every day, highlighting the tension between God's justice and His mercy, a tension evident in Jeremiah's lament and God's declaration of being weary of relenting.
Romans 2:4-5Paul speaks of the 'riches of God’s kindness and forbearance and patience,' warning that people often treat these as opportunities to harden their hearts, which directly parallels God's weariness with Judah's persistent rejection despite His repeated leniency.
Hebrews 12:16-17Esau is an example of someone who, like the people of Judah, acted recklessly and later sought a blessing but found no place for repentance, illustrating the severe consequences when mercy is rejected and judgment finally falls.
clarkeJeremiah 15:6: "Thou hast forsaken me, saith the LORD, thou art gone backward: therefore will I stretch out my hand against thee, and destroy thee; I am weary with repenting."
I am weary with repenting - With repeatedly changing my purpose. I have often, after purposing to punish, showed them mercy. I will do it no longer; it is useless. I took them often at their promise, and in every instance they have failed.
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…
God's declaration, "I am weary of relenting," isn't about His changing feelings, but about the utter exhaustion of His patience with repeated sin. He's not tired of being merciful, but tired of having to turn back from justly punishing a people who refuse to change their ways despite His repeated efforts.
God declares His people have turned their backs on Him, repeatedly rejecting Him despite His past mercies. This persistent backsliding has exhausted His patience, leading Him to finally withdraw His hand of protection and unleash destruction, weary of relenting and forgiving those who show no desire to change.
God declares His people have turned their backs on Him, repeatedly rejecting Him despite His past mercies. This persistent backsliding has exhausted His patience, leading Him to finally withdraw His hand of protection and unleash destruction, weary of relenting and forgiving those who show no desire to change.
"You have rejected me, declares the LORD; you keep going backward, so I have stretched out my hand against you and destroyed you— I am weary of relenting." — God's declaration, "I am weary of relenting," isn't about His changing feelings, but about the utter exhaustion of His patience with repeated sin. He's not tired of being merciful, but tired of *ha…
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Last reviewed October 2026