The big picture
Jeremiah 15 opens in verse 1 with “Then said the LORD unto me, Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my mind could…”, reaches its middle movement near verse 11 with “The LORD said, Verily it shall be well with thy remnant; verily I will cause the enemy…”, and closes in verse 21 with “And I will deliver thee out of the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem thee out of the…” Repeated or prominent terms include LORD, hand, return, sword, deliver. Together, those details trace this chapter’s own movement from its opening to its conclusion.
Scripture beside the summary
Jeremiah · King James Version · 21Jeremiah 15:1-7
1–7: Said the LORD unto me, Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my…
Jeremiah 15:1–7 opens with “Then said the LORD unto me, Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my mind could not be…” and reaches “And I will fan them with a fan in the gates of the land; I will bereave them of children, I will…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Jeremiah 15 develops its own movement around LORD, hand, return, sword, deliver, with particular weight carried by LORD, destroy, sword.
Context that brings the passage to life
This block contains 2 explicit questions. They are more than punctuation: they reveal where a voice is searching, challenging, afraid, or trying to understand.
“Then said the LORD unto me, Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my mind could not be toward this people: cast…” Naming Moses and Samuel keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
“And it shall come to pass, if they say unto thee, Whither shall we go forth? then thou shalt tell them, Thus saith the…” The question slows the passage down. Notice who is being pressed to answer, what the question assumes, and whether the next lines provide a response.
“And I will appoint over them four kinds, saith the LORD : the sword to slay, and the dogs to tear, and the fowls of…” The number four makes the report concrete. Ask whether it measures time, people, distance, repetition, or completeness before deciding what weight it carries.
Jeremiah 15:1-7
King James Version1Then said the LORD unto me, Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my mind could not be toward this people: cast them out of my sight, and let them go forth.
2And 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.
3And I will appoint over them four kinds, saith the LORD : the sword to slay, and the dogs to tear, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the earth, to devour and destroy.
4And I will cause them to be removed into all kingdoms of the earth, because of Manasseh the son of Hezekiah king of Judah, for that which he did in Jerusalem.
5For who shall have pity upon thee, O Jerusalem? or who shall bemoan thee? or who shall go aside to ask how thou doest?
6Thou 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.
7And 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.
Jeremiah 15:8-14
8–14: Their widows are increased to me above the sand of the seas: I have…
Jeremiah 15:8–14 opens with “Their widows are increased to me above the sand of the seas: I have brought upon them against…” and reaches “And I will make thee to pass with thine enemies into a land which thou knowest not: for a fire…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Jeremiah 15 develops its own movement around LORD, hand, return, sword, deliver, with particular weight carried by borne, enemies, iron.
Context that brings the passage to life
This block contains 1 explicit questions. They are more than punctuation: they reveal where a voice is searching, challenging, afraid, or trying to understand.
“Their widows are increased to me above the sand of the seas: I have brought upon them against the mother of the young…” Naming Their keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
“She that hath borne seven languisheth: she hath given up the ghost; her sun is gone down while it was yet day: she…” The number seven makes the report concrete. Ask whether it measures time, people, distance, repetition, or completeness before deciding what weight it carries.
Jeremiah 15:8-14
King James Version8Their widows are increased to me above the sand of the seas: I have brought upon them against the mother of the young men a spoiler at noonday: I have caused him to fall upon it suddenly, and terrors upon the city.
9She that hath borne seven languisheth: she hath given up the ghost; her sun is gone down while it was yet day: she hath been ashamed and confounded: and the residue of them will I deliver to the sword before their enemies, saith the LORD .
10Woe is me, my mother, that thou hast borne me a man of strife and a man of contention to the whole earth! I have neither lent on usury, nor men have lent to me on usury; yet every one of them doth curse me.
11The LORD said, Verily it shall be well with thy remnant; verily I will cause the enemy to entreat thee well in the time of evil and in the time of affliction.
12Shall iron break the northern iron and the steel?
13Thy substance and thy treasures will I give to the spoil without price, and that for all thy sins, even in all thy borders.
14And I will make thee to pass with thine enemies into a land which thou knowest not: for a fire is kindled in mine anger, which shall burn upon you.
Jeremiah 15:15-21
15–21: O LORD , thou knowest: remember me, and visit me, and revenge me of my…
Jeremiah 15:15–21 opens with “O LORD , thou knowest: remember me, and visit me, and revenge me of my persecutors; take me not…” and reaches “And I will deliver thee out of the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem thee out of the hand of…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Jeremiah 15 develops its own movement around LORD, hand, return, sword, deliver, with particular weight carried by LORD, hand, return.
Context that brings the passage to life
This block contains 1 explicit questions. They are more than punctuation: they reveal where a voice is searching, challenging, afraid, or trying to understand.
“O LORD , thou knowest: remember me, and visit me, and revenge me of my persecutors; take me not away in thy…” The line’s distinctive content terms include know, knowest, longsuffering. Its relationship to verses 16 shows what work it does in this passage.
“Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am…” Naming Thy keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
Jeremiah 15:15-21
King James Version15O LORD , thou knowest: remember me, and visit me, and revenge me of my persecutors; take me not away in thy longsuffering: know that for thy sake I have suffered rebuke.
16Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.
17I sat not in the assembly of the mockers, nor rejoiced; I sat alone because of thy hand: for thou hast filled me with indignation.
18Why is my pain perpetual, and my wound incurable, which refuseth to be healed? wilt thou be altogether unto me as a liar, and as waters that fail?
19Therefore thus saith the LORD , If thou return, then will I bring thee again, and thou shalt stand before me: and if thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth: let them return unto thee; but return not thou unto them.
20And I will make thee unto this people a fenced brasen wall: and they shall fight against thee, but they shall not prevail against thee: for I am with thee to save thee and to deliver thee, saith the LORD .
21And I will deliver thee out of the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem thee out of the hand of the terrible.
Details worth noticing
The opening image
Jeremiah 15:1 begins with “Then said the LORD unto me, Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my mind could not be toward this people: cast them out of my sight, and let them…”
Where the chapter turns
Jeremiah 15:12 forms a natural hinge: “Shall iron break the northern iron and the steel?”
The final note
Jeremiah 15:21 leaves the reader with “And I will deliver thee out of the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem thee out of the hand of the terrible.”
A word trail through the chapter
The words LORD, hand, return, sword, deliver, destroy help reveal the chapter’s repeated concerns.
What is Abram invited to trust?
God's promise of an heir and innumerable descendants despite his present childlessness.
Why does the delay matter?
The covenant is larger than one lifetime and includes suffering before deliverance.
KJV words made clear
- unto
- to
- thee
- you
- thou
- you
- thy
- your
- hath
- has
Text first
Where readers differ
The chapter summary begins with what the passage says and how its parts fit together. It does not assume one denomination has already settled every question. Where a conclusion depends on a tradition, literary theory, or historical reconstruction, that dependence is named openly.
The KJV text is presented first. Interpretive conclusions are labeled, and differences are introduced only when they help a reader understand why serious communities do not always reach the same answer.
Comparative interpretive notes for this chapter are in preparation. Until reviewed notes are ready, this page separates the KJV text from summary and application without claiming that serious readers agree on every question.