Yirmeyah 15:3

3 And I will appoint over them four mishpechot (families, categories [of covenant reprisal]), saith Hashem; the cherev to slay, and the kelevim to drag off, and the oph HaShomayim, and the behemat ha’aretz, to devour and destroy.

Yirmeyah 15:3 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 15:3

And I will appoint over them four kinds, saith the Lord
Or four families ^F24, and these very devouring ones; that is, four sorts of punishment; and so the Targum,

``four evil punishments;''

which are after mentioned. These are represented as under God, and at his beck and command; servants of his, that go and come at his pleasure, and do his will; and as being over men, and having power and authority to kill and to destroy by a divine commission: the sword to slay:
the first and chief of the four families or punishments, which had a commission from the Lord to sheath itself in his people, the Jews; even the sword of the enemy, the Chaldeans, drawn against them by a divine order and appointment: and the dogs to tear;
the carcasses of those that are slain with the sword: or "to draw" ^F25; as the word signifies; it being the usual way of dogs to draw and drag the flesh about they are feeding on; this is another of the four families, and a very voracious one it is: and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the earth, to devour and
destroy;
or "to eat, and to corrupt", the bodies of those that are slain by the sword. The meaning is, that such should not have a burial, but should be the food of fowls and wild beasts: these are the other two destroying families, which have their commission from the Lord for such service.

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FOOTNOTES:

F24 (twxpvm ebra) "quatuor familias, [sive] cognationes", Vatablus, Tigurine version, Calvin.
F25 (bwxol) "ad trahendum", Calvin, Pagninus, Montanus, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Schmidt; so Ben Melech,

Yirmeyah 15:3 In-Context

1 5 Then said Hashem unto me, Though Moshe and Shmuel stood before Me, yet My Nefesh could not be toward HaAm Hazeh; cast them out of My sight, and let them go forth.

2 And it shall come to pass, if they say unto thee, Where shall we go forth? Then thou shalt tell them, Thus saith Hashem: Such as are for mavet, to mavet; and such as are for the cherev, to the cherev; and such as are for the ra’av (famine), to the ra’av (famine); and such as are for shevi (captivity, Golus) to the shevi.

3 And I will appoint over them four mishpechot (families, categories [of covenant reprisal]), saith Hashem; the cherev to slay, and the kelevim to drag off, and the oph HaShomayim, and the behemat ha’aretz, to devour and destroy.

4 And I will cause them to be a horrific sight to kol mamlechot ha’aretz, because of Menasheh Ben Chizkiyah Melech Yehudah, for that which he did in Yerushalayim.

5 For who shall have pity upon thee, O Yerushalayim? Or who shall mourn thee? Or who shall go aside to inquire regarding the shalom of thee?