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Jeremiah 15:5

Old Testament Major Prophet ASV (1901)

What does Jeremiah 15:5 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “For who will have pity upon thee, O Jerusalem? or who will bemoan thee? or who will turn aside to ask of thy welfare?” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

For who will have pity upon thee, O Jerusalem? or who will bemoan thee? or who will turn aside to ask of thy welfare?
Jeremiah 15:5 — American Standard Version

Context — Jeremiah 15

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
2And 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.
3And I will appoint over them four kinds, saith Jehovah: the sword to slay, and the dogs to tear, and the birds of the heavens, and the beasts of the earth, to devour and to destroy.
4And I will cause them to be tossed to and fro among all the kingdoms of the earth, because of Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah, king of Judah, for that which he did in Jerusalem.
5For who will have pity upon thee, O Jerusalem? or who will bemoan thee? or who will turn aside to ask of thy welfare?
6Thou hast rejected me, saith Jehovah, thou art gone backward: therefore have I stretched out my hand against thee, and destroyed thee; I am weary with repenting.
7And I have winnowed them with a fan in the gates of the land; I have bereaved [them] of children, I have destroyed my people; they returned not from their ways.
8Their widows are increased to me above the sand of the seas; I have brought upon them against the mother of the young men a destroyer at noonday: I have caused anguish and terrors to fall upon her suddenly.
← Jeremiah 15:4Jeremiah 15:6 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“For who shall have pity upon thee, O Jerusalem? etc.] The inhabitants of it; their sins being so many, and so heinous, and so aggravated, and so deserving of punishment, that none could pity their case, or have a heart of compassion towards them, or even spare reproaching them: or “who shall bemoan thee?” sympathize and condole with thee, or speak a comfortable word to thee, or seek to alleviate thy grief and sorrow: or “who shall go aside to ask how thou doest?” or “of thy peace?”f316 shall not think it worth their while to go a step out of their way, or turn into a house, and inquire of thy welfare, or salute thee.”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“go aside . . . how thou doest--Who will turn aside (in passing by) to salute thee (to wish thee "peace")?”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“15:5 These three questions are rhetorical—the answer is, “No one!””
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“For who: Jer 16:5, Jer 21:7; Job 19:21; Psa 69:20; Isa 51:19; Lam 1:12-16, Lam 2:15, Lam 2:16; Nah 3:7 how thou doest: Heb. of thy peace, Exo 18:7; Jdg 18:15; Sa1 10:4, Sa1 17:22, Sa1 25:5 \*marg. Jeremiah 15:6”
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Keil & Delitzsch
C. F. Keil & F. Delitzsch · Commentary on the Old Testament · 19th-century historical commentary
“In Jer 15:5-9 we have a still further account of this appalling judgment and its causes. The grounding כּי in Jer 15:5 attaches to the central thought of Jer 15:4. The sinful people will be given up to all the kingdoms of the earth to be ill used, for no one will or can have compassion on Jerusalem, since its rejection by God is a just punishment for its rejection of the Lord ( Jer 15:6). "Have pity" and "bemoan" denote loving sympathy for the fall of the unfortunate. חמל, to feel sympathy; נוּד, to lament and bemoan. סוּר, to swerve from the straight way, and turn aside or enter into any one's house; cf. Gen 19:2., Exo 3:3, etc. ל שׁאל לשׁלום, to inquire of one as to his health, cf. Exo…”
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Related study paths

Read Jeremiah 15 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification