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.
Original Language Analysis
נָטַ֥שְׁתְּ
Thou hast forsaken
H5203
נָטַ֥שְׁתְּ
Thou hast forsaken
Strong's:
H5203
Word #:
2 of 14
properly, to pound, i.e., smite; by implication (as if beating out, and thus expanding) to disperse; also, to thrust off, down, out or upon (inclusive
אֹתִ֛י
H853
אֹתִ֛י
Strong's:
H853
Word #:
3 of 14
properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)
יְהוָ֖ה
the LORD
H3068
יְהוָ֖ה
the LORD
Strong's:
H3068
Word #:
5 of 14
(the) self-existent or eternal; jeho-vah, jewish national name of god
אָח֣וֹר
backward
H268
אָח֣וֹר
backward
Strong's:
H268
Word #:
6 of 14
the hinder part; hence (adverb) behind, backward; also (as facing north) the west
תֵּלֵ֑כִי
H1980
תֵּלֵ֑כִי
Strong's:
H1980
Word #:
7 of 14
to walk (in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively)
וָאַ֨ט
therefore will I stretch out
H5186
וָאַ֨ט
therefore will I stretch out
Strong's:
H5186
Word #:
8 of 14
to stretch or spread out; by implication, to bend away (including moral deflection); used in a great variety of application (as follows)
אֶת
H853
אֶת
Strong's:
H853
Word #:
9 of 14
properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)
יָדִ֤י
my hand
H3027
יָדִ֤י
my hand
Strong's:
H3027
Word #:
10 of 14
a hand (the open one [indicating power, means, direction, etc.], in distinction from h3709, the closed one); used (as noun, adverb, etc.) in a great v
עָלַ֙יִךְ֙
H5921
עָלַ֙יִךְ֙
Strong's:
H5921
Word #:
11 of 14
above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications
וָֽאַשְׁחִיתֵ֔ךְ
against thee and destroy
H7843
וָֽאַשְׁחִיתֵ֔ךְ
against thee and destroy
Strong's:
H7843
Word #:
12 of 14
to decay, i.e., (causatively) ruin (literally or figuratively)
Cross References
Jeremiah 7:24But 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 1:4I 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;Isaiah 1:4Ah 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.Zechariah 7:11But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear.Hosea 11:7And my people are bent to backsliding from me: though they called them to the most High, none at all would exalt him.Jeremiah 6:19Hear, 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.Jeremiah 2:17Hast thou not procured this unto thyself, in that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, when he led thee by the way?Jeremiah 1:16And I will utter my judgments against them touching all their wickedness, who have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, and worshipped the works of their own hands.Jeremiah 6:11Therefore I am full of the fury of the LORD; I am weary with holding in: I will pour it out upon the children abroad, and upon the assembly of young men together: for even the husband with the wife shall be taken, the aged with him that is full of days.Ezekiel 25:7Behold, therefore I will stretch out mine hand upon thee, and will deliver thee for a spoil to the heathen; and I will cut thee off from the people, and I will cause thee to perish out of the countries: I will destroy thee; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD.
Historical Context
God's 'repenting' (nacham) of judgment appears throughout Israel's history—after the golden calf (Exodus 32:14), at Nineveh (Jonah 3:10), with David (2 Samuel 24:16). But Judah's persistent rebellion exhausted divine patience. The anthropomorphic language ('weary with repenting') expresses how human unfaithfulness tests even God's longsuffering. By Jeremiah's time, the accumulated centuries of rebellion exceeded what divine patience would further tolerate.
Questions for Reflection
- What does God's 'weariness with repenting' reveal about the limits of divine patience?
- How does this verse balance God's reluctance to judge with His determination to act?
Related Resources
Explore related topics, people, and study resources to deepen your understanding of this passage.
Analysis & Commentary
This verse expresses divine exhaustion: '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.' 'Forsaken me' (natash, נָטַשׁ) indicates abandonment; 'gone backward' (achar, אָחוֹר) describes retreat from relationship. God's response: 'stretch out my hand' (natah yad) for destruction. The stunning phrase 'I am weary with repenting' (nil'ethi hinachem, נִלְאֵיתִי הִנָּחֵם) indicates divine exhaustion with relenting from judgment. God has repeatedly held back punishment, but patience has ended. The divine reluctance to judge, expressed throughout prophetic literature, finally yields to exhausted necessity.