I have winnowed them with a winnowing fork in the gates of the land; I have bereaved them; I have destroyed my people; they did not turn from their ways.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This isn't just about God punishing them; it's about Him actively scattering them out of the land, like chaff blown away at the "gates"—the points of entry and exit. Even this drastic action, the "bereaving" and "destroying," won't make them turn from their destructive paths.
I have winnowed them with a winnowing fork in the gates of the land; I have bereaved them; I have destroyed my people; they did not turn from their ways.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jeremiah has just lamented his own suffering and questioned God's justice, feeling abandoned despite his faithfulness. In response, God declares that He will powerfully judge Judah, scattering them like chaff with a winnowing fork at the entrances and boundaries of their land. This judgment is final and devastating, leading to destruction and loss, because the people stubbornly refuse to turn from their destructive ways.
The image of 'winnowing' can sound like a farmer separating good grain from bad. But here, it's a violent, destructive act.
God uses the metaphor of winnowing, but not in the way one might first imagine. It's not a gentle sifting to preserve the good.
God’s judgment, marked by scattering and loss, is directly tied to His people's refusal to change.
The verse makes a stark connection between devastating judgment and the people's unrepentant hearts. Their persistence in sin is the direct cause of their suffering.
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Understand the original words
zarah · Hebrew Verb
A metaphor for divine judgment whereby God separates the righteous from the wicked, or executes a swift and thorough removal of the rebellious from the land. It implies a thorough purging or scattering.
shakal · Hebrew Verb
A state of profound grief caused by the loss of children, often depicted in the Bible as a result of divine judgment upon a faithless nation. It signifies the cutting off of a future and the emptiness of hope.
sha'ar · Hebrew Noun
The primary area of a city where public business, legal proceedings, and social life occurred. It served as the central point for judicial authority and public observation.
This verse vividly depicts the desolation and scattering of Judah following the final destruction of Jerusalem and its people's exile to Babylon, emphasizing God's judgment for their persistent disobedience.
Late 8th century BC
Assyrian Invasions
The northern Kingdom of Israel was conquered and its people exiled by the Assyrian Empire, serving as a stark warning to the southern Kingdom of Judah.
605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon conquered Jerusalem, taking Jehoiakim captive and deporting some of the Judahite nobility and skilled workers, including young Daniel, to Babylon.
597 BC
Second Deportation to Babylon
Following a rebellion, Nebuchadnezzar exiled King Jehoiachin and thousands more of Jerusalem's elite and craftsmen to Babylon, a significant blow to the nation's strength and hope.
587/586 BC— this verse
Fall and Destruction of Jerusalem
Nebuchadnezzar's armies finally destroyed Jerusalem and its Temple, with the remaining population largely exiled to Babylon, marking the end of the Kingdom of Judah.
c. 587–538 BC
Babylonian Exile
The majority of the Judahite people were in exile in Babylon, experiencing profound loss and reflecting on the reasons for their national catastrophe, as Jeremiah's prophecies foretold.
This passage uses the same powerful metaphor of winnowing and divine judgment to describe how God's judgment is carried out with great precision and thoroughness against His people for their sin.
Ezekiel 5:10This verse echoes Jeremiah's message by detailing the severe judgments God would bring upon Jerusalem, including destruction and scattering, because of their disobedience, mirroring the 'bereaving' and 'destroying' mentioned.
Matthew 3:12This New Testament passage directly references the winnowing imagery, showing how John the Baptist uses it to describe Jesus's future judgment, separating the righteous from the wicked, much like God is separating the unrepentant in Jeremiah.
Hosea 10:2This verse shares the theme of Israel's spiritual barrenness and the consequence of their actions, stating their hearts will be divided and their punishment deserved, similar to Jeremiah's point that God's judgment comes because they do not turn from their ways.
barnesJeremiah 15:7: "And I will fan them with a fan in the gates of the land; I will bereave them of children, I will destroy my people, since they return not from their ways."
I will fan them ... - Or, "I have winnowed them with a winnowing shovel." The "gates of the land" mean the places by which men enter or leave it. As God winnows them they are driven out of the land through all its outlets in every direction. I will bereave - Rather, "I have bereaved, I have destroyed my people." Omit "of chil…
clarkeJeremiah 15:7: "And I will fan them with a fan in the gates of the land; I will bereave them of children, I will destroy my people, since they return not from their ways."
I will fan them with a fan - There is no pure grain; all is chaff. In the gates of the land - The places of public justice: and there it shall be seen that the judgments that have fallen upon them have been highly merited. And from these places of fanning they shall go out into their captivity.
This isn't just about God punishing them; it's about Him actively scattering them out of the land, like chaff blown away at the "gates"—the points of entry and exit. Even this drastic action, the "bereaving" and "destroying," won't make them turn from their destructive paths.
Jeremiah has just lamented his own suffering and questioned God's justice, feeling abandoned despite his faithfulness. In response, God declares that He will powerfully judge Judah, scattering them like chaff with a winnowing fork at the entrances and boundaries of their land. This judgment is final and devastating, leading to destruction and loss, because the people stubbornly refuse to turn from their destructive ways.
Jeremiah has just lamented his own suffering and questioned God's justice, feeling abandoned despite his faithfulness. In response, God declares that He will powerfully judge Judah, scattering them like chaff with a winnowing fork at the entrances and boundaries of their land. This judgment is final and devastating, leading to destruction and loss, because the people stubbornly refuse to turn from their destructive ways.
"I have winnowed them with a winnowing fork in the gates of the land; I have bereaved them; I have destroyed my people; they did not turn from their ways." — This isn't just about God punishing them; it's about Him actively scattering them out of the land, like chaff blown away at the "gates"—the points of entry and exit. Even this drastic action, the "…
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Last reviewed October 2026