Jeremiah 15:7 - Exposition

The gates of the land . The phrase might mean either the cities in general (comp. Micah 5:5 ; Isaiah 3:26 ) or the fortresses commanding the entrance into the land (comp. Nahum 3:13 ). The context decides in favor of the latter view. Ewald's explanation, "borders of the earth" ( i.e. the most distant countries), seems less natural. I will bereave them , etc. The proper object of the verb is my people (personified as a mother). The population are to fall in war (comp. the same figure in Ezekiel 5:17 ). The tense is the perfect of prophetic certitude; literally, I have bereaved , etc .