Albert Barnes Commentary Jeremiah 16:2

"Thou shalt not take thee a wife, neither shalt thou have sons or daughters, in this place." — Jeremiah 16:2 (ASV)

As marriage was obligatory for the Jews, the prohibition of it to Jeremiah was a sign that the impending calamity was so great as to override all ordinary duties. Jeremiah was unmarried, but the force of the sign lay in its being an exception to the ordinary practice of the prophets.

In this place — The whole of Judea.