Shall be well with thy remnant - Or, thy loosing shall be for good; in the sense of being set free, deliverance.

To entreat thee well ... - Rather, "to supplicate thee in the time of evil etc.;" fulfilled in Jeremiah 21:1-2; Jeremiah 37:3; Jeremiah 42:2.

I will cause the enemy to entreat thee well in the time of evil - This was literally fulfilled; see Jeremiah 39:11, etc. Nebuchadnezzar had given strict charge to Nebuzaradan, commander in chief, to look well to Jeremiah, to do him no harm, and to grant him all the privileges he was pleased to ask.

The Lord said,.... In answer to the prophet's complaint:

verily it shall be well with thy remnant: not with the remnant of his people, or those that should escape the threatened calamities; but the sense is, that it should be well with him in his latter end; the remainder of his days should be comfortable or be spent in peace and prosperity; and so the Targum,

"if thine end shall not be for good.''

The words are in the form of an oath, as Kimchi and Ben Melech observe; and the meaning is, that if it is not well with thee in thy last days, then say I am unfaithful, and not true to my word. According to Donesh, cited by Jarchi, the word translated "remnant" has the signification of loosing; and he renders it, "if I loose thee not for good" (m); which accordingly was done, Jeremiah 40:4, and this sense is confirmed by the note of the Masorites: "verily I will cause the enemy to entreat thee well"; or, "if I do not", &c. for it is also in the form of an oath, as before, as Jarchi notes; and so it was, Nebuchadnezzar gave charge to Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, to look well to him, and do him no harm; who, when he loosed him, gave him his choice to go with him to Babylon, or continue in the land, Jeremiah 39:11, or, "verily I will", or, "shall I not entreat the enemy for thee?" (n) and make him gentle and humane, so that he shall use thee kindly. Jarchi interprets this of Zedekiah and his courtiers seeking to Jeremiah, in the time of their distress, to pray for them, Jeremiah 37:2, and to which sense the Targum inclines,

"if they shall not come and help thee, &c.''

in the time of evil, and in the time of affliction; when the city is taken, and the people carrying captive.

(m) "si non absolvero te in bonum", Schmidt. Vid. De Dieu in loc. (n) "sed faciam hostem occurrere tibi", Calvin: "annon intervenirem pro te apud inimicum?" Junius & Tremellius; "nisi interveniam pro te apud inimicum", Piscator.

To this complaint the Lord makes answer in Jeremiah 15:11-14, first giving the prophet the prospect of complete vindication against those that oppose him (Jeremiah 15:11), and then (Jeremiah 15:12-14) pointing to the circumstances that shall compel the people to this result. The introduction of God's answer by אמר יהוה without כּה is found also in Jeremiah 46:25, where Graf erroneously seeks to join the formula with what precedes. In the present 11th verse the want of the כּה is the less felt, since the word from the Lord that follows bears in the first place upon the prophet himself, and is not addressed to the people. אם לא is a particle of asseveration, introducing the answer which follows with a solemn assurance. The vowel-points of שׁרותך fo require שׁריתיך, 1 pers. perf., from שׁרה equals the Aram. שׁרא, loose, solve (Daniel 5:12): I loose (free) thee to thy good. The Chet. is variously read and rendered. By reason of the preceding אם, the view is improbable that we have here an infinitive; either שׁרותך, inf. Pi. of שׁרר in the sig. inflict suffering: "thy affliction becomes welfare" (Hitz.); or שׁרותך, inf. Kal of שׁרה, set free: thy release falls out to thy good (Ros., etc.). The context suggests the 1 pers. perf. of שׁרר, against which the defective written form is no argument, since this occurs frequently elsewhere, e.g., ענּתך, Nahum 1:12. The question remains: whether we are to take שׁרר according to the Hebrew usage: I afflict thee to thy good, harass thee to thine advantage (Gesen. in the thes. p. 1482, and Ng.), or according to the Aramaic (_ra) in the sig. firmabo, stabiliam: I strengthen thee or support thee to thy good (Ew., Maur.). We prefer the latter rendering, because the saying: I afflict thee, is not true of God; since the prophet's troubles came not from God, nor is Jeremiah complaining of affliction at the hand of God, but only that he was treated as an enemy by all the world. לטוב, for good, as in Psalm 119:122, so that it shall fall out well for thee, lead to a happy issue, for which we have elsewhere לטובה, Jeremiah 14:11, Psalm 86:17; Nehemiah 5:19. - This happy issue is disclosed in the second clause: I bring it about that the enemy shall in time of trouble turn himself in supplication to thee, because he shall recognise in the prophet's prayers the only way of safety; cf. the fulfilment of this promise, Jeremiah 21:1., Jeremiah 37:3; Jeremiah 38:14., Jeremiah 42:2. הפנּיע, here causative, elsewhere only with the sig. of the Kal, e.g., Jeremiah 36:25, Isaiah 53:12. "The enemy," in unlimited generality: each of thine adversaries.

The LORD said, {m} Verily it shall be well with thy remnant; verily I will cause the enemy to entreat thee well in the time of evil and in the time of affliction.

(m) In this perplexity the Lord comforted me, and said that my last days would be quiet: and by the enemy he means here Nebuzaradan the captain of Nebuchadnezzar, who gave Jeremiah the choice either to remain in his country or to go where he would; or by the enemy he means the Jews, who would later know Jeremiah's faithfulness, and therefore favour him.

15:11 Thy remnant - The latter words of the verse expound the former; for by remnant is meant the remnant of days that Jeremiah had to live.

cause...: or, intreat the enemy for thee

[1] the Lord said

The Remnant, of whom Jeremiah was the representative, are carefully distinguished from the unbelieving mass of the people. The coming captivity, which they must share, for they too have sinned Jer 15:13 though Jehovah's judgment upon the nation, will be but a purifying chastisement to them, and they receive a special promise Jer 15:11. Verses Jer 15:15-18 give the answer of the Remnant to verses Jer 15:11-14. Two things characterize the believing Remnant always-loyal to the word of God, and separation from those who mock at that word Jer 15:16,17 Cf. Rev 3:8-10.

11. Verily-literally, "Shall it not be?" that is, "Surely it shall be."

thy remnant-the final issue of thy life; thy life, which now seems to thee so sad, shall eventuate in prosperity [Calvin]. They who think that they shall be the surviving remnant, whereas thou shalt perish, shall themselves fall, whereas thou shalt remain and be favored by the conquerors [Junius], (Jer 40:4, 5; 39:11, 12). The Keri reads, "I will set thee free (or as Maurer, 'I will establish thee') for good" (Jer 14:11; Ezr 8:22; Ps 119:122).

to entreat thee well-literally, "to meet thee"; so "to be placable, nay, of their own accord to anticipate in meeting thee with kindness" [Calvin]. I prefer this translation as according with the event (Jer 39:11, 12; 40:4, 5). Gesenius, from Jer 7:16; 27:18; Job 21:15, translates (not only will I relieve thee from the enemy's vexations, but) "I will make thine enemy (that now vexeth thee) apply to thee with prayers" (Jer 38:14; 42:2-6).

15:10-14 Jeremiah met with much contempt and reproach, when they ought to have blessed him, and God for him. It is a great and sufficient support to the people of God, that however troublesome their way may be, it shall be well with them in their latter end. God turns to the people. Shall the most hardy and vigorous of their efforts be able to contend with the counsel of God, or with the army of the Chaldeans? Let them hear their doom. The enemy will treat the prophet well. But the people who had great estates would be used hardly. All parts of the country had added to the national guilt; and let each take shame to itself.