Jeremiah 15:6

Thou 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.

Thou hast forsaken {H5203} me, saith {H5002} the LORD {H3068}, thou art gone {H3212} backward {H268}: therefore will I stretch out {H5186} my hand {H3027} against thee, and destroy {H7843} thee; I am weary {H3811} with repenting {H5162}.

You have rejected me," says ADONAI. "You are heading backward. So I am stretching out my hand against you; tired of sparing you, I am destroying you.

You have forsaken Me, declares the LORD. You have turned your back. So I will stretch out My hand against you and I will destroy you; I am weary of showing compassion.

Thou 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.

Jeremiah 15:6 captures a profound and sobering declaration from the LORD concerning the nation of Judah. It reveals God's deep disappointment and firm resolve for judgment after prolonged unfaithfulness. The verse highlights the culmination of divine patience and the inevitable consequences of persistent spiritual rebellion.

Context

This verse is situated within a section of Jeremiah's prophecy (Jeremiah 15:1-9) where God emphatically states His decision to bring severe judgment upon Judah. Despite Jeremiah's intercession and God's earlier calls for repentance, the people of Judah had consistently turned away from Him, embracing idolatry and injustice. The preceding verses in chapter 15 detail the various forms of destruction and suffering that await them, emphasizing that God's decree is now irreversible. This declaration comes after centuries of God's covenant faithfulness and repeated warnings through His prophets, underscoring the severity of Judah's spiritual decline.

Key Themes

  • Divine Patience Exhausted: The striking phrase, "I am weary with repenting," signifies that God's long-suffering patience has reached its limit. This doesn't imply a change in God's nature, but rather an end to His repeated acts of relenting from deserved judgment when His people failed to genuinely turn back to Him. It underscores the gravity of their persistent sin.
  • Apostasy and Backsliding: The accusation, "Thou hast forsaken me, saith the LORD, thou art gone backward," directly addresses Judah's spiritual abandonment. They had deliberately turned away from the covenant relationship and the Law of God, choosing paths of disobedience and idolatry. This forsaking of God and going backward illustrates their deliberate rejection of His ways.
  • Inevitable Judgment: The consequence is clear: "therefore will I stretch out my hand against thee, and destroy thee." This is a divine decree of judgment, indicating that the time for mercy and further warnings has passed, and the era of divine retribution has begun. The imagery of God stretching out His hand often signifies an act of power, here specifically for destruction, as seen in other contexts of divine wrath (Isaiah 5:25).

Linguistic Insights

The phrase "I am weary with repenting" is particularly significant. The Hebrew word for "repenting" is nicham (נִחָם), which can also be translated as "to relent," "to have sorrow," or "to change one's mind." In this context, it does not mean God repents of His own sin (which He cannot do), but rather that He is tired of relenting from the judgment He has threatened, or of showing pity and compassion when His people consistently fail to respond with genuine repentance. It expresses a divine weariness with the cycle of their sin and His deferred punishment, leading to a firm decision to execute justice.

Practical Application

Jeremiah 15:6 serves as a powerful reminder of several timeless truths:

  • The Seriousness of Backsliding: It warns believers against spiritual complacency and drifting away from God. While God's grace is vast, there are consequences for persistent unfaithfulness and a refusal to repent.
  • God's Patience Has Limits: Though God is infinitely patient and merciful, His justice demands a response to sin. This verse highlights that there can come a point where divine patience reaches its limit, and judgment becomes inevitable for those who refuse to turn from their wickedness.
  • The Call to Genuine Repentance: The verse implicitly underscores the importance of sincere and timely repentance. God's "weariness with repenting" is a direct result of Judah's failure to offer true contrition and change, contrasting with the riches of God's forbearance leading to repentance for those who truly turn.

Reflection

This verse is a stern warning from a holy God who takes covenant relationship seriously. It reveals a God who, though slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, will ultimately uphold His justice. For us today, it is a call to examine our own hearts, to remain faithful to God, and to respond promptly to His calls for repentance, ensuring we do not exhaust His divine patience through our own spiritual negligence.

Note: Commentary was generated by an advanced AI, utilizing a prompt that emphasized Biblical fidelity over bias. We've found these insights to be consistently reliable, yet we always encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

  • Jeremiah 7:24

    But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels [and] in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward.

  • Zephaniah 1:4

    I will also stretch out mine hand upon Judah, and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place, [and] the name of the Chemarims with the priests;

  • Zechariah 7:11

    But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear.

  • Hosea 11:7

    And my people are bent to backsliding from me: though they called them to the most High, none at all would exalt [him].

  • Isaiah 1:4

    Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.

  • Hosea 13:14

    I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.

  • Jeremiah 6:19

    Hear, O earth: behold, I will bring evil upon this people, [even] the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto my words, nor to my law, but rejected it.
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