John Calvin Commentary Jeremiah 15:5-6

"For who will have pity upon thee, O Jerusalem? or who will bemoan thee? or who will turn aside to ask of thy welfare? 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 15:5-6 (ASV)

The Prophet shows here that the severe punishment he had spoken of could not be considered unjust, as those complaining men thought, who continually remonstrated with God and charged Him with too much rigor.

To prevent the Jews from complaining, therefore, the Prophet briefly states that all the evils which were close at hand were fully due, and so deserved, that they could find no pity, even among men.

We know that even the worst of men, when the Lord punishes them, have some who condole with them. There is no one so wicked that relatives do not favor him, and that some do not console him. But the Prophet shows that the Jews were not only inexcusable before God but also undeserving of any sympathy from men.

He first says, Who will pity thee? and then, Who will console thee? The verb נוּד (nud) properly means to give comfort by words, as when relatives, friends, and neighbors meet together for the purpose of mourning; they hear lamentations and join in them. But he says that no one would perform this service for Jerusalem.

He adds, in the third place, And who will turn aside? or, strictly, change place—Who will change place to inquire? or, as some render it, to pray. The verb שָׁאַל (shal) properly means to ask, and hence sometimes to pray. So, many interpret this to mean that there would be no one to pray for the Jews.

But if we consider the construction of the sentence, we shall see that the Prophet speaks of that duty of kindness which men cultivate and observe towards one another, by inquiring about their welfare—“Are all things well with you?” “How do you do?” “Are all things well with you and yours?” When we thus inquire about the state of anyone, we show some concern for him, for love is always solicitous for the welfare of others.

The Prophet then says, “Who will turn aside to you to inquire about your welfare?” that is, that he may know how you are, and what is your state and condition.

We therefore see that the Jews are here divested of every complaint, for the whole world would acknowledge them to be unworthy of any commiseration. But the Prophet does not mean that all would act cruelly towards Jerusalem, but rather shows that their crimes were such that there was no room for courtesy, or for those acts of kindness which men of themselves perform towards one another.

Then follows the reason: For thou hast forsaken me, saith Jehovah. Since, then, God had been rejected by the Jews, did not such a defection bring its deserved reward when they were deprived of every human aid?

He afterwards adds, Backward hast thou gone. He intimates that there was a continuance in their wicked defection, for they not only forgot God for a time but departed far from Him, so as to become wholly alienated.

And I will stretch out, etc.; that is, “therefore will I stretch out,” etc.; for the copulative is to be taken here as an illative (expressing inference). This may be viewed in the past or the future tense, for God had, to some extent, already afflicted the people; but heavier judgments awaited them.

I am inclined to regard it as a prediction of what was to come, as it immediately follows, I am weary with repenting, that is, “I have so often repented that I cannot possibly be induced now to forgive; for I see that I have been so often deceived, that I cannot bear to be deceived any longer.” Some, indeed, offer this translation—“I am weary with consoling myself,” and נָחַם (nacham) means both; but the other meaning seems most suitable to me.

I do not doubt then that the Prophet means repentance. We indeed know that God does not change His purpose, for men repent because their expectations are often disappointed when things happen otherwise than they had thought; but no such thing can happen to God. He is said to repent according to our understanding.

God then is said to ‘repent’ of His severity whenever He lessens it towards His people, whenever He withdraws His hand from executing His vengeance, whenever He forgives sins. This had often been done for the Jews, but they had mocked such mercy.

The more often God spared them, the more audaciously they provoked His wrath. Hence He says, “I am weary with repenting so often;” meaning that He had so often spared them and suspended His judgment.

In short, he deprives the Jews of every excuse and shows that they acted impiously when they murmured against God, for they allowed no room for His mercy; indeed, whenever they found Him reconcilable, they abused His forbearance with extreme contempt and perversity.