Jeremiah 15:2

2 And it will be, when they say to you, Where are we to go? then you are to say to them, The Lord has said, Such as are for death, to death; and such as are for the sword, to the sword; and such as are to be in need of food, to need of food; and such as are to be taken away prisoners, to be taken away.

Jeremiah 15:2 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 15:2

And it shall come to pass, if they say unto thee
As doubtless they will, when this message is brought to them: whither shall we go forth?
in a jeering scornful manner, not believing that this would be their case: then thou shall tell them, thus saith the Lord, such as are for death,
to death;
such as were appointed to death, or to die by the pestilence, which is often signified by death; they shall go forth unto it; or it shall meet them, and seize upon them, and take them away: and such as are for the sword, to the sword;
who are appointed to die by the sword of the enemy, into whose hands they should fall by attempting to escape out of the city, shall perish by it: and such as are for the famine, to the famine;
such as are appointed to die by that, shall die of it in the city, where they shall be besieged, and not be able to get out to fetch in any provisions, and where none can be brought, because of the enemy: and such as are for the captivity, to the captivity;
such as are spared from the pestilence, sword, and famine, and are designed to be carried captive into a strange land, shall be taken and carried thither; nor will it be in their power, or in any other's, to hinder any of the above things, to which they are appointed of God. According to the Jews, the latter of these is more grievous than the former; as the sword than death, and famine than the sword, so captivity than them all {w}.


FOOTNOTES:

F23 T. Bab Bava Bathra, fol. 8. 2.

Jeremiah 15:2 In-Context

1 Then the Lord said to me, Even if Moses and Samuel came before me, I would have no desire for this people: send them away from before me, and let them go.
2 And it will be, when they say to you, Where are we to go? then you are to say to them, The Lord has said, Such as are for death, to death; and such as are for the sword, to the sword; and such as are to be in need of food, to need of food; and such as are to be taken away prisoners, to be taken away.
3 And I will put over them four divisions, says the Lord: the sword causing death, dogs pulling the dead bodies about, and the birds of heaven, and the beasts of the earth to take their bodies for food and put an end to them.
4 And I will make them a cause of fear to all the kingdoms of the earth, because of Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah, king of Judah, and what he did in Jerusalem.
5 For who will have pity on you, O Jerusalem? and who will have sorrow for you? or who will go out of his way to see how you are?
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