“For thus says the LORD: Do not enter the house of mourning, or go to lament or grieve for them, for I have taken away my peace from this people, my steadfast love and mercy, declares the LORD.
English Standard Version (ESV)
God is telling Jeremiah to skip the usual funeral customs, not just because the impending disaster will be so widespread that no one will have time to mourn, but because this people has forfeited any right to God's "peace" – His protection, favor, and very essence of well-being. This isn't about God withholding comfort; it's about His judgment finally withdrawing the loving-kindness and mercy that He had so patiently offered.
“For thus says the LORD: Do not enter the house of mourning, or go to lament or grieve for them, for I have taken away my peace from this people, my steadfast love and mercy, declares the LORD.
English Standard Version (ESV)
God commands Jeremiah to refrain from participating in typical funeral customs like attending mourning gatherings or offering condolences. This isn't a casual suggestion but a profound prophetic sign, foreshadowing a time of such widespread destruction and divine judgment that normal expressions of grief will become impossible and inappropriate because God has withdrawn His peace, steadfast love, and mercy from the people due to their unfaithfulness.
Why would God tell his prophet not to grieve with people who are grieving? This verse drops a bombshell: the normal signs of human sympathy are being set aside.
The Unthinkable Command
Jeremiah is told, "Do not enter the house of mourning, or go to lament or grieve for them." This is shocking! Our instinct is to offer comfort when someone dies. But God's message here is stark: the nation's sin has reached a point where even normal expressions of sorrow are inappropriate.
A Prophetic Sign
This wasn't just about Jeremiah's personal feelings. It was a prophetic sign. The calamities coming upon Judah would be so overwhelming, so widespread, that there wouldn't be enough people left to mourn the dead. Their judgment was so severe that they were being taken away from the 'evil to come,' making personal lamentation almost a mockery in the face of God's sweeping judgment.
The Deeper Reason
The core reason is given: God has withdrawn His peace. This wasn't a small thing. It meant the removal of His favor, His protection, His blessings, and His presence. When the source of all peace and well-being is removed, the usual human customs of dealing with loss become secondary to the reality of divine judgment.
What does it mean for God to 'take away His peace'? It's more than just hardship; it's the absence of His life-giving presence.
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The Meaning of 'My Peace'
When God says, 'I have taken away my peace from this people,' He's referring to far more than just a lack of external tranquility. His 'peace' encompasses His favor, His covenant blessings, His protection, and His intimate presence with His people. It's the wholeness and well-being that flows directly from His relationship with them.
Withdrawn Steadfast Love and Mercy
The verse clarifies this by adding, 'even lovingkindness and mercies.' This signifies that God is withdrawing the very qualities that define His relationship with His chosen people. His steadfast love (his covenant loyalty) and His mercy are being removed because of their persistent sin and rejection of Him.
The Ultimate Consequence
The ultimate consequence of this withdrawal is not just suffering, but spiritual desolation. It's a state where the source of all good and life is no longer actively present and at work. This isn't a punishment of abandonment, but a consequence of their own actions pushing away the very God who offered them life and peace.
Understand the original words
chesed · Hebrew Noun
A term often denoting the covenant loyalty, faithful love, and devotion of God toward His people. It implies an act of kindness that goes beyond mere obligation, rooted in His promise.
racham · Hebrew Noun
A term signifying compassion, pity, or tender affection, often used to describe God's internal disposition toward those in need or distress. It is frequently associated with the 'womb' or deep, visceral feeling.
shalom · Hebrew Noun
The Hebrew concept of wholeness, completeness, soundness, and welfare. It encompasses not just the absence of conflict, but the presence of God's blessing, order, and harmony in the life of a person or nation.
saphad · Hebrew Verb
In a biblical context, it refers to the act of expressing deep sorrow or grief, typically over death or divine judgment. It involves both the internal emotion and the external ritualistic expression of mourning.
Jeremiah's message comes during the intensifying crisis leading up to the fall of Jerusalem and the Babylonian exile. The prohibition against mourning highlights the coming desolation where normal expressions of grief would be impossible, and the divine withdrawal of peace signifies the profound judgment upon a people who had rejected God's steadfast love and mercy.
Late 8th century BC
Assyrian conquests and deportations
The Assyrian Empire, under rulers like Tiglath-Pileser III and Sargon II, waged campaigns against the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah. These conquests led to significant deportations of Israelites, weakening the nation and foreshadowing future devastation.
605 BC
First Babylonian deportation
Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon captures Jerusalem and deports a group of Judean elites, including the prophet Daniel, to Babylon. This marks the beginning of the Babylonian threat and a period of increasing national crisis for Judah.
597 BC
Second Babylonian deportation
Following a rebellion, Nebuchadnezzar deports King Jehoiachin and another large group of Judeans, including the prophet Ezekiel, to Babylon. This event severely diminishes Judah's leadership and resources.
c. 587-586 BC— this verse
Fall of Jerusalem and Temple destruction
Nebuchadnezzar destroys Jerusalem and its magnificent Temple, the heart of Judean religious and national identity. The majority of the remaining population is exiled to Babylon, leaving the land desolate.
539 BC
Cyrus the Great conquers Babylon
The Persian Empire, under Cyrus the Great, overthrows the Babylonian Empire. This shift in power eventually leads to the decree allowing the Jewish exiles to return to Judah.
538 BC onwards
Return from Exile and Temple rebuilding
Cyrus issues a decree permitting the Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple. This marks the beginning of the post-exilic period, with challenges of restoration and spiritual renewal.
This passage parallels Jeremiah's experience by commanding Ezekiel not to mourn for his wife's death, symbolizing the overwhelming grief that will soon consume the people of Israel.
Luke 7:32The commentary notes that the Hebrew word for 'mourning' can also refer to a feast or gathering. This passage mentions children 'playing at market' with pipes, suggesting a contrast between normal social gatherings and the profound sorrow described in Jeremiah.
Romans 11:22Jeremiah states God has taken away 'lovingkindness and mercies.' This passage speaks of God's kindness and severity, showing that while God's mercy can be withdrawn due to sin, His nature remains consistent.
John 14:27The commentary mentions 'my peace' as that which God gives and withholds. This verse shows Jesus offering a different kind of peace, His own peace, which the world cannot give and which is not dependent on external circumstances.
clarkeJeremiah 16:5: "For thus saith the LORD, Enter not into the house of mourning, neither go to lament nor bemoan them: for I have taken away my peace from this people, saith the LORD, even lovingkindness and mercies."
Enter not into the house of mourning - The public calamities are too great to permit individual losses to come into consideration.
gillJeremiah 16:5: "For thus saith the LORD, Enter not into the house of mourning, neither go to lament nor bemoan them: for I have taken away my peace from this people, saith the LORD, even lovingkindness and mercies."
For thus saith the Lord, enter not into the house of mourning,.... On account of his dead relations or neighbours; since they were taken away from the evil to come, and therefore no occasion to mourn for them: moreover, this was to show the certainty of what is before and after said…
God is telling Jeremiah to skip the usual funeral customs, not just because the impending disaster will be so widespread that no one will have time to mourn, but because this people has forfeited any right to God's "peace" – His protection, favor, and very essence of well-being. This isn't about God withholding comfort; it's about His judgment finally withdrawing the loving-kindness and mercy that He had so patiently offered.
God commands Jeremiah to refrain from participating in typical funeral customs like attending mourning gatherings or offering condolences. This isn't a casual suggestion but a profound prophetic sign, foreshadowing a time of such widespread destruction and divine judgment that normal expressions of grief will become impossible and inappropriate because God has withdrawn His peace, steadfast love, and mercy from the people due to their unfaithfulness.
God commands Jeremiah to refrain from participating in typical funeral customs like attending mourning gatherings or offering condolences. This isn't a casual suggestion but a profound prophetic sign, foreshadowing a time of such widespread destruction and divine judgment that normal expressions of grief will become impossible and inappropriate because God has withdrawn His peace, steadfast love, and mercy from the people due to their unfaithfulness.
"“For thus says the LORD: Do not enter the house of mourning, or go to lament or grieve for them, for I have taken away my peace from this people, my steadfast love and mercy, declares the LORD." — God is telling Jeremiah to skip the usual funeral customs, not just because the impending disaster will be so widespread that no one will have time to mourn, but because this people has forfeited any…
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Last reviewed October 2026