Jeremiah 15:2
in Jeremiah 15If they ask you, ‘Where shall we go?’ you are to tell them that this is what the LORD says: ‘Those destined for death, to death; those destined for the sword, to the sword; those destined for famine, to famine; and those destined for captivity, to captivity.’
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And it shall come to pass, when they say unto thee, Whither shall we go forth? then thou shalt tell them, Thus saith Jehovah: 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 captivity, to captivity.
KJV
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.
⋯
This verse in Jeremiah 15
Commentary
6 notes on this verseWhither shall we go forth? - Such as are for death, to death - Some shall be destroyed by the pestilence, here termed death. See Jer 18:21. Others shall be slain by the sword in battle, and in the sackage of cities. Others shall perish by famine, shall be starved to death through the mere want of the necessaries of life; and the rest shall go into captivity. There shall be different sorts of punishments inflicted on them according to the nature of their transgressions. Some shall be punished in one way, and some in another.
This site's exposition
Even if Moses and Samuel should stand before Me
on Jeremiah 15:1-4
The chapter answers the plea of 14:19-22: “Even if Moses and Samuel should stand before Me, My heart would not go out to this people”. The LORD appoints “four kinds of destroyers” and lays the cause on Manasseh, whose sins recorded in 2 Kings 21 still bear fruit generations later.
This site's exposition
If they ask you
The question has four answers, and each is a judgment. Adam Clarke takes death here as the plague, set beside the sword, famine and captivity. Matthew Henry pictures the people fleeing one judgment only to meet another, with no place left to be safe.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
(Verses 2, 3.) But if they say to you: Where shall we go out? You shall say to them: Thus says the Lord: He who is for death, to death; and he who is for the sword, to the sword; and he who is for famine, to famine; and he who is for captivity, to captivity. And I will visit upon them four kinds, says the Lord: the sword for killing, and dogs for tearing, and birds of the sky and beasts of the earth for devouring and scattering.
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Certainly nowhere to be safe or easy, but to be met by one judgment while they are pursued by another, till they find themselves surrounded with mischiefs on all hands, so that they cannot escape; Such as are for death to death. By death here is meant the pestilence ( Rev. vi.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
And it shall come to pass, if they say unto thee,....
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
Moses and Samuel Both were needed to beg mercy for Israel, but first they induced them to repent, and afterwards they prayed on their behalf, but they had no idea of turning away My wrath until they had induced them to repent.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 4 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
23 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְהָיָ֛ה | vehayah | and it will be | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| כִּֽי־ | ki- | that | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| יֹאמְר֥וּ | yomeru | they will say | H559 → | 5305 times |
| אֵלֶ֖יךָ | ʾeleikha | to you | H413 → | 5510 times |
| אָ֣נָה | ʾanah | where? | H575 → | |
| נֵצֵ֑א | netze' | will we go out | H3318 → | 1067 times |
| וְאָמַרְתָּ֨ | veamarta | and you will say | H559 → | 5305 times |
| אֲלֵיהֶ֜ם | ʾaleihem | to them | H413 → | 5510 times |
| כֹּֽה־ | koh- | thus | H3541 → | 577 times |
| אָמַ֣ר | ʾamar | he says | H559 → | 5305 times |
| יְהוָ֗ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֨ר | ʾasher | [those] who | H834 → | 5497 times |
| לַמָּ֤וֶת | lamavet | [are] for <the> death | H4194 → | 156 times |
| לַמָּ֙וֶת֙ | lamavet | to <the> death | H4194 → | 156 times |
| וַאֲשֶׁ֤ר | vaasher | and [those] who | H834 → | 5497 times |
| לַחֶ֙רֶב֙ | lacherev | [are] for the sword | H2719 → | 413 times |
| לַחֶ֔רֶב | lacherev | to the sword | H2719 → | 413 times |
| וַאֲשֶׁ֤ר | vaasher | and [those] who | H834 → | 5497 times |
| לָֽרָעָב֙ | laraav | [are] for the famine | H7458 → | 101 times |
| לָֽרָעָ֔ב | laraav | to the famine | H7458 → | 101 times |
| וַאֲשֶׁ֥ר | vaasher | and [those] who | H834 → | 5497 times |
| לַשְּׁבִ֖י | lashevi | [are] for <the> captivity | H7628 → | 49 times |
| לַשֶּֽׁבִי׃ | lashevi | to <the> captivity | H7628 → | 49 times |
וְהָיָ֛הand it will be
vehayahH1961 →3559 times
כִּֽי־that
ki-H3588 →4482 times
יֹאמְר֥וּthey will say
yomeruH559 →5305 times
אֵלֶ֖יךָto you
ʾeleikhaH413 →5510 times
אָ֣נָהwhere?
ʾanahH575 →
נֵצֵ֑אwill we go out
netze'H3318 →1067 times
וְאָמַרְתָּ֨and you will say
veamartaH559 →5305 times
אֲלֵיהֶ֜םto them
ʾaleihemH413 →5510 times
כֹּֽה־thus
koh-H3541 →577 times
אָמַ֣רhe says
ʾamarH559 →5305 times
יְהוָ֗הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
אֲשֶׁ֨ר[those] who
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
לַמָּ֤וֶת[are] for <the> death
lamavetH4194 →156 times
לַמָּ֙וֶת֙to <the> death
lamavetH4194 →156 times
וַאֲשֶׁ֤רand [those] who
vaasherH834 →5497 times
לַחֶ֙רֶב֙[are] for the sword
lacherevH2719 →413 times
לַחֶ֔רֶבto the sword
lacherevH2719 →413 times
וַאֲשֶׁ֤רand [those] who
vaasherH834 →5497 times
לָֽרָעָב֙[are] for the famine
laraavH7458 →101 times
לָֽרָעָ֔בto the famine
laraavH7458 →101 times
וַאֲשֶׁ֥רand [those] who
vaasherH834 →5497 times
לַשְּׁבִ֖י[are] for <the> captivity
lasheviH7628 →49 times
לַשֶּֽׁבִי׃to <the> captivity
lasheviH7628 →49 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Revelation 13:10“If anyone is destined for captivity, into captivity he will go; if anyone is to die by the sword, by the sword he must be killed.” Here is a call for the perseverance and…
it leads to
- Revelation 14:12
Here is a call for the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.
- Isaiah 33:1
Woe to you, O destroyer never destroyed, O traitor never betrayed! When you have finished destroying, you will be destroyed. When you have finished betraying, you will be betrayed.
- Revelation 3:10
Because you have kept My command to persevere, I will also keep you from the hour of testing that is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the…
- Luke 21:19
By your patient endurance you will gain your souls.
- Hebrews 6:12
Then you will not be sluggish, but will imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.
- Revelation 14:12
Through
Ezekiel 5:2When the days of the siege have ended, you are to burn up a third of the hair inside the city; you are also to take a third and slash it with the sword…
it leads to
- Ezekiel 5:12
A third of your people will die by plague or be consumed by famine within you, a third will fall by the sword outside your walls, and a third I will scatter to every…
- Leviticus 26:33
But I will scatter you among the nations and will draw out a sword after you as your land becomes desolate and your cities are laid waste.
- Ezekiel 5:12
Through
Jeremiah 43:11He will come and strike down the land of Egypt, bringing death to those destined for death, captivity to those destined for captivity, and the sword to those destined for the sword.
it leads to
- Jeremiah 44:13
I will punish those who live in the land of Egypt, just as I punished Jerusalem, by sword and famine and plague,
- Jeremiah 44:13
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Jeremiah
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Jeremiah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.