Jeremiah 15 Study Notes: Jeremiah's Lament and God's Reply
God declares that even Moses and Samuel could not turn aside His judgment on Judah, citing the sins of King Manasseh. Jeremiah then laments being cursed by everyone, and God calls him to return, promising to make him a bronze wall and to rescue him.
General
The LORD says His people will become an object of horror among the world’s kingdoms. Whose deeds does He name as a cause (Jeremiah 15:2-4)?
Answer: Manasseh, Hezekiah’s son, for his deeds in Jerusalem
If the people ask where they should go, Jeremiah is to answer that each will meet the end appointed for them: death, sword, famine, or captivity (15:2). The LORD would appoint four agents of destruction against them (15:3). They would become an object of dread among the world’s kingdoms on account of the deeds of Manasseh, Hezekiah’s son and a king of Judah, in Jerusalem (15:4). The book of Kings gives the same reason: the LORD’s burning anger against Judah was not turned back because of all of Manasseh’s provocations (2 Kings 23:26), and Judah was removed from His presence for Manasseh’s sins and the guiltless blood that he spilled throughout Jerusalem (2 Kings 24:3-4). Yet the people bore their own guilt as well: in 15:6 the LORD charges them directly with forsaking Him.
- Jeremiah 15:4 (BSB)“I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth because of what Manasseh son of Hezekiah king of Judah did in Jerusalem.”The LORD names Manasseh’s deeds in Jerusalem as a cause of the coming judgment.
- Jeremiah 15:6 (BSB)“You have forsaken Me, declares the LORD. You have turned your back. So I will stretch out My hand against you and I will destroy you; I am weary of showing compassion.”The people themselves have forsaken the LORD and turned their backs on Him.
- 2 Kings 23:26 (BSB)“Nevertheless, the LORD did not turn away from the fury of His burning anger, which was kindled against Judah because of all that Manasseh had done to provoke Him to anger.”Kings says the LORD’s anger against Judah remained because of all Manasseh had done.
- 2 Kings 24:3-4 (BSB)“Surely this happened to Judah at the LORD’s command, to remove them from His presence because of the sins of Manasseh and all that he had done, and also for the innocent blood he had shed. For he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the LORD was unwilling to forgive.”Kings attributes Judah’s removal to Manasseh’s sins and the innocent blood he shed.
Theological
In Jeremiah 15:2-4, whose actions does the LORD cite in explaining why Judah will become a horror among the kingdoms?
Answer: Manasseh, Hezekiah’s son, for his deeds in Jerusalem
The oracle assigns destinies, death, sword, famine, captivity (15:2), and four agents of destruction (15:3), and grounds the sentence partly in the deeds of Manasseh, Hezekiah’s son, as king in Jerusalem (15:4). The book of Kings gives the same verdict: the LORD’s burning anger against Judah was not turned back, because of Manasseh’s provocations (2 Kings 23:26), and Judah was removed from His presence for his sins and the guiltless blood with which he filled Jerusalem (2 Kings 24:3-4). The guilt is not merely inherited: 15:6 charges the people directly with forsaking the LORD, and 15:7 says they have refused to change their ways.
- Jeremiah 15:4 (BSB)“I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth because of what Manasseh son of Hezekiah king of Judah did in Jerusalem.”The LORD names Manasseh’s deeds in Jerusalem as a cause of the coming judgment.
- Jeremiah 15:6 (BSB)“You have forsaken Me, declares the LORD. You have turned your back. So I will stretch out My hand against you and I will destroy you; I am weary of showing compassion.”The people themselves have forsaken the LORD and turned their backs on Him.
- 2 Kings 23:26 (BSB)“Nevertheless, the LORD did not turn away from the fury of His burning anger, which was kindled against Judah because of all that Manasseh had done to provoke Him to anger.”Kings says the LORD’s anger against Judah remained because of all Manasseh had done.
- 2 Kings 24:3-4 (BSB)“Surely this happened to Judah at the LORD’s command, to remove them from His presence because of the sins of Manasseh and all that he had done, and also for the innocent blood he had shed. For he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the LORD was unwilling to forgive.”Kings attributes Judah’s removal to Manasseh’s sins and the innocent blood he shed.
General
The LORD tells Jeremiah that even Moses and Samuel, standing before Him, could not win His favor for this people. What is the point of naming these two men (Jeremiah 15:1)?
Answer: That not even the greatest intercessors could turn Him now
Moses and Samuel were remembered as Israel’s great intercessors, people who prayed on behalf of others. When Israel worshiped the golden calf, Moses pleaded for them and the LORD relented (Exodus 32:11-14), and Samuel told the people it would be a sin for him to stop praying for them (1 Samuel 12:23). The psalmist remembers both as men who called on the LORD and were answered (Psalm 99:6). Yet now the LORD says that even if these two stood before Him, He would not be moved toward this people; they must be sent away from His presence (15:1). The judgment was settled. This answers the people’s prayers of chapter 14 and explains the command not to pray for them (14:11).
- Jeremiah 15:1 (BSB)“Then the LORD said to me: “Even if Moses and Samuel should stand before Me, My heart would not go out to this people. Send them from My presence, and let them go!”The LORD says even Moses and Samuel could not move Him to spare this people.
- Exodus 32:11-14 (BSB)“But Moses sought the favor of the LORD his God, saying, “O LORD, why does Your anger burn against Your people, whom You brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians declare, ‘He brought them out with evil intent, to kill them in the mountains and wipe them from the face of the earth’? Turn from Your fierce anger and relent from doing harm to Your people. Remember Your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, to whom You swore by Your very self when You declared, ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky, and I will give your descendants all this land that I have promised, and it shall be their inheritance forever.’” So the LORD relented from the calamity He had threatened to bring on His people.”Moses interceded after the golden calf and the LORD relented.
- 1 Samuel 12:23 (BSB)“As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you. And I will continue to teach you the good and right way.”Samuel considered it sin to stop praying for Israel.
- Psalm 99:6 (BSB)“Moses and Aaron were among His priests; Samuel was among those who called on His name. They called to the LORD and He answered.”The psalmist names Moses and Samuel among those who called on the LORD and were answered.
- Ezekiel 14:14 (BSB)“then even if these three men—Noah, Daniel, and Job—were in it, their righteousness could deliver only themselves, declares the Lord GOD.”Ezekiel similarly names righteous men whose presence could not save a guilty land.
Theological
What does the LORD’s reference to Moses and Samuel in Jeremiah 15:1 convey about the coming judgment?
Answer: That not even the greatest intercessors could turn Him now
The LORD’s reply to the laments of chapter 14 is final: even Moses and Samuel, standing before Him, could not turn His heart toward this people; they are to be sent out of His presence (15:1). Both men were classic intercessors: Moses turned away wrath after the golden calf (Exodus 32:11-14), and Samuel counted prayerlessness for Israel a sin (1 Samuel 12:23); the psalmist remembers them as men God answered (Psalm 99:6). By naming them, the LORD declares that the decree of judgment is fixed. Ezekiel makes a similar point with Noah, Job, and Daniel, three famously righteous men whose righteousness could save only themselves (Ezekiel 14:14).
- Jeremiah 15:1 (BSB)“Then the LORD said to me: “Even if Moses and Samuel should stand before Me, My heart would not go out to this people. Send them from My presence, and let them go!”The LORD says even Moses and Samuel could not move Him to spare this people.
- Exodus 32:11-14 (BSB)“But Moses sought the favor of the LORD his God, saying, “O LORD, why does Your anger burn against Your people, whom You brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians declare, ‘He brought them out with evil intent, to kill them in the mountains and wipe them from the face of the earth’? Turn from Your fierce anger and relent from doing harm to Your people. Remember Your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, to whom You swore by Your very self when You declared, ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky, and I will give your descendants all this land that I have promised, and it shall be their inheritance forever.’” So the LORD relented from the calamity He had threatened to bring on His people.”Moses interceded after the golden calf and the LORD relented.
- 1 Samuel 12:23 (BSB)“As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you. And I will continue to teach you the good and right way.”Samuel considered it sin to stop praying for Israel.
- Psalm 99:6 (BSB)“Moses and Aaron were among His priests; Samuel was among those who called on His name. They called to the LORD and He answered.”The psalmist names Moses and Samuel among those who called on the LORD and were answered.
- Ezekiel 14:14 (BSB)“then even if these three men—Noah, Daniel, and Job—were in it, their righteousness could deliver only themselves, declares the Lord GOD.”Ezekiel similarly names righteous men whose presence could not save a guilty land.
General
How does the LORD answer Jeremiah’s bitter complaint (Jeremiah 15:19-21)?
Answer: That if Jeremiah returned, God would restore and keep him
The LORD does not simply comfort Jeremiah; He calls him to turn back from his bitter words. If Jeremiah returns, God will restore him so that he stands before God again. If he speaks what is noble rather than worthless, he will be God’s mouthpiece. The people must turn to him, not he to them (15:19). Then the LORD repeats the promise from Jeremiah’s call: He will make him like a bronze wall. They will fight him but not overcome him, because God is with him to save and rescue him (15:20; compare Jeremiah 1:18-19). He will rescue him from evil men and ransom him from the ruthless (15:21). The God who called Jeremiah would keep him. Paul knew the same faithfulness: the Lord stayed at his side, rescued him, and would carry him safely home to His kingdom (2 Timothy 4:17-18).
- Jeremiah 15:19 (BSB)“Therefore this is what the LORD says: “If you return, I will restore you; you will stand in My presence. And if you speak words that are noble instead of worthless, you will be My spokesman. It is they who must turn to you, but you must not turn to them.”The LORD calls Jeremiah to return and promises to restore him as His spokesman.
- Jeremiah 15:20-21 (BSB)“Then I will make you a wall to this people, a fortified wall of bronze; they will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you to save and deliver you, declares the LORD. I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked and redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless.””God promises to make Jeremiah a bronze wall and to save and redeem him.
- Jeremiah 1:18-19 (BSB)“Now behold, this day I have made you like a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls against the whole land—against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land. They will fight against you but will never overcome you, since I am with you to deliver you,” declares the LORD.”The promise renews Jeremiah’s original commission, when God made him like a fortified city and bronze walls that enemies cannot overcome.
- 2 Timothy 4:17-18 (BSB)“But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message would be fully proclaimed, and all the Gentiles would hear it. So I was delivered from the mouth of the lion. And the Lord will rescue me from every evil action and bring me safely into His heavenly kingdom. To Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”Paul testifies that the Lord stood by him, delivered him, and will rescue him from every evil and bring him safely into His heavenly kingdom.
Theological
What is the substance of the LORD’s response to Jeremiah’s lament in Jeremiah 15:19-21?
Answer: That if Jeremiah returned, God would restore and keep him
The divine answer combines rebuke and promise. Jeremiah himself must turn back: if he returns, the LORD will restore him to stand before Him; if his speech is noble rather than worthless, he will be as God’s mouth; the people must turn to him, not he to them (15:19). Then the LORD renews the promise of Jeremiah’s commission: a fortified bronze wall that the people will attack but never overcome, for the LORD is with him to rescue and save him (15:20), closely echoing 1:18-19. He will free him from evil men and ransom him from the ruthless (15:21). The prophet’s endurance rests not on his own steadiness but on God’s preserving faithfulness to the servant He called, the same faithfulness Paul confessed as the Lord stayed at his side and would bring him safely into His kingdom (2 Timothy 4:17-18).
- Jeremiah 15:19 (BSB)“Therefore this is what the LORD says: “If you return, I will restore you; you will stand in My presence. And if you speak words that are noble instead of worthless, you will be My spokesman. It is they who must turn to you, but you must not turn to them.”The LORD calls Jeremiah to return and promises to restore him as His spokesman.
- Jeremiah 15:20-21 (BSB)“Then I will make you a wall to this people, a fortified wall of bronze; they will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you to save and deliver you, declares the LORD. I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked and redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless.””God promises to make Jeremiah a bronze wall and to save and redeem him.
- Jeremiah 1:18-19 (BSB)“Now behold, this day I have made you like a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls against the whole land—against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land. They will fight against you but will never overcome you, since I am with you to deliver you,” declares the LORD.”The promise renews Jeremiah’s original commission, when God made him like a fortified city and bronze walls that enemies cannot overcome.
- 2 Timothy 4:17-18 (BSB)“But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message would be fully proclaimed, and all the Gentiles would hear it. So I was delivered from the mouth of the lion. And the Lord will rescue me from every evil action and bring me safely into His heavenly kingdom. To Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”Paul testifies that the Lord stood by him, delivered him, and will rescue him from every evil and bring him safely into His heavenly kingdom.
General
Jeremiah cries out to his mother that he was born to be a man everyone quarrels with. What does he complain about (Jeremiah 15:10)?
Answer: That everyone cursed him though he had wronged no one
Jeremiah grieves that he was ever born, since he has become a man everyone in the land fights with (15:10). He has not been part of any lending or borrowing, the kind of money dealings that often cause bitter disputes, yet everyone curses him (15:10). His only offense was speaking God’s word, for which he bears reproach (15:15). The LORD answers with a promise: He will rescue Jeremiah for good ends and intercede with his enemy on his behalf when hard times come (15:11). Then the word turns to the nation: no one can break northern iron, and the people’s riches will be handed over as plunder and they will serve their enemies in an unknown land (15:12-14). Jeremiah later cursed the day of his birth in an even darker lament (Jeremiah 20:14). Jesus told His followers that the world would hate them as it hated Him (John 15:18-20), and that those insulted for His sake are blessed, as the prophets were persecuted before them (Matthew 5:11-12).
- Jeremiah 15:10 (BSB)“Woe to me, my mother, that you have borne me, a man of strife and conflict in all the land. I have neither lent nor borrowed, yet everyone curses me.”Jeremiah laments that though he has done no wrong in money matters, everyone curses him.
- Jeremiah 15:11 (BSB)“The LORD said: “Surely I will deliver you for a good purpose; surely I will intercede with your enemy in your time of trouble, in your time of distress.”The LORD promises to rescue Jeremiah for good ends and to act for him against his enemy in trouble.
- Jeremiah 20:14 (BSB)“Cursed be the day I was born! May the day my mother bore me never be blessed.”Jeremiah later curses the day of his birth in a deeper lament.
- John 15:18-20 (BSB)“If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me first. If you were of the world, it would love you as its own. Instead, the world hates you, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. Remember the word that I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you as well; if they kept My word, they will keep yours as well.”Jesus warns that the world will hate His servants as it hated Him.
- Matthew 5:11-12 (BSB)“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets before you.”Jesus says those persecuted for His sake share the lot of the prophets.
Theological
What is the substance of Jeremiah’s complaint in Jeremiah 15:10?
Answer: That everyone cursed him though he had wronged no one
Jeremiah laments his own birth: he is a man of contention with the whole land, though he has had no part in lending or borrowing, the usual occasions of grudges, and still all curse him (15:10). The hostility is due to his message, for which he bears reproach (15:15). The LORD responds with a promise to rescue him for good ends and to act for him against the enemy in his time of distress (15:11); the word then turns to the nation, whose wealth will become plunder and who will serve enemies in an unknown land (15:12-14). The lament anticipates the darker cry of 20:14. The persecution of God’s spokesmen for faithfulness, not for wrongdoing, is the pattern Jesus applies to His disciples: the world hates them as it hated Him (John 15:18-20), and they stand in the line of the persecuted prophets (Matthew 5:11-12).
- Jeremiah 15:10 (BSB)“Woe to me, my mother, that you have borne me, a man of strife and conflict in all the land. I have neither lent nor borrowed, yet everyone curses me.”Jeremiah laments that though he has done no wrong in money matters, everyone curses him.
- Jeremiah 15:11 (BSB)“The LORD said: “Surely I will deliver you for a good purpose; surely I will intercede with your enemy in your time of trouble, in your time of distress.”The LORD promises to rescue Jeremiah for good ends and to act for him against his enemy in trouble.
- Jeremiah 20:14 (BSB)“Cursed be the day I was born! May the day my mother bore me never be blessed.”Jeremiah later curses the day of his birth in a deeper lament.
- John 15:18-20 (BSB)“If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me first. If you were of the world, it would love you as its own. Instead, the world hates you, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. Remember the word that I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you as well; if they kept My word, they will keep yours as well.”Jesus warns that the world will hate His servants as it hated Him.
- Matthew 5:11-12 (BSB)“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets before you.”Jesus says those persecuted for His sake share the lot of the prophets.
General
True or False: The LORD says Jerusalem has forsaken Him and turned her back, and that He is tired of showing compassion (Jeremiah 15:5-6).
Answer: True
This is true. The LORD asks who will pity Jerusalem or mourn for her (15:5). She has abandoned Him and turned her back, so He will stretch out His hand against her, for He is tired of showing compassion (15:6). He will winnow His people like grain at the land’s gates, because they have refused to change their ways (15:7), widows will multiply, and mothers will be struck with sudden anguish (15:8-9). The LORD had been patient for a long time. Chronicles describes how He sent His messengers again and again out of compassion for His people, until His wrath rose beyond any remedy (2 Chronicles 36:15-16). Jeremiah had earlier said that Judah brought disaster on herself when she abandoned the LORD (Jeremiah 2:17).
- Jeremiah 15:6-7 (BSB)“You have forsaken Me, declares the LORD. You have turned your back. So I will stretch out My hand against you and I will destroy you; I am weary of showing compassion. I will scatter them with a winnowing fork at the gates of the land. I will bereave and destroy My people who have not turned from their ways.”The LORD says the people have forsaken Him and not turned, and He is weary of compassion.
- 2 Chronicles 36:15-16 (BSB)“Again and again the LORD, the God of their fathers, sent word to His people through His messengers because He had compassion on them and on His dwelling place. But they mocked the messengers of God, despising His words and scoffing at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD against His people was stirred up beyond remedy.”God’s long compassion through His messengers was met with scorn until there was no remedy.
- Jeremiah 2:17 (BSB)“Have you not brought this on yourself by forsaking the LORD your God when He led you in the way?”Judah’s trouble is the result of forsaking the LORD.
Theological
True or False: In Jeremiah 15:5-6 the LORD charges Jerusalem with forsaking Him and declares that He has grown tired of showing pity.
Answer: True
This is true. No one will pity Jerusalem (15:5), because she has forsaken the LORD and turned her back; He will stretch out His hand to destroy, being weary of showing pity (15:6). He will winnow them at the gates and bereave them, since they have refused to change their ways (15:7-9). The language marks the end of long-suffering patience, the same pattern Chronicles summarizes: the LORD sent His messengers persistently out of compassion until His wrath was stirred beyond remedy (2 Chronicles 36:15-16). Judgment is the fruit of their own forsaking (Jeremiah 2:17).
- Jeremiah 15:6-7 (BSB)“You have forsaken Me, declares the LORD. You have turned your back. So I will stretch out My hand against you and I will destroy you; I am weary of showing compassion. I will scatter them with a winnowing fork at the gates of the land. I will bereave and destroy My people who have not turned from their ways.”The LORD says the people have forsaken Him and not turned, and He is weary of compassion.
- 2 Chronicles 36:15-16 (BSB)“Again and again the LORD, the God of their fathers, sent word to His people through His messengers because He had compassion on them and on His dwelling place. But they mocked the messengers of God, despising His words and scoffing at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD against His people was stirred up beyond remedy.”God’s long compassion through His messengers was met with scorn until there was no remedy.
- Jeremiah 2:17 (BSB)“Have you not brought this on yourself by forsaking the LORD your God when He led you in the way?”Judah’s trouble is the result of forsaking the LORD.
General
In his prayer of Jeremiah 15:15-18, how does Jeremiah describe his response when God’s words came to him?
Answer: He took them in, and they became his joy and delight
Jeremiah asks the LORD to remember him and to act against those persecuting him, since he suffers insults for God’s sake (15:15). When God’s words came, he took them in like food, and they became the joy and delight of his heart, for he was called by God’s name (15:16). Because God’s hand was on him, he did not join the partygoers but sat alone (15:17). Yet his pain feels endless, and he even says God has become to him like a mirage that promises water but has none (15:18). God’s word is often pictured as something sweet to eat: Ezekiel ate the scroll and it tasted like honey (Ezekiel 3:3), and the psalmist says God’s words taste better than honey (Psalm 119:103; Psalm 19:10).
- Jeremiah 15:16 (BSB)“Your words were found, and I ate them. Your words became my joy and my heart’s delight. For I bear Your name, O LORD God of Hosts.”Jeremiah says he took in God’s words and they became his joy and delight.
- Jeremiah 15:17-18 (BSB)“I never sat with the band of revelers, nor did I celebrate with them. Because Your hand was on me, I sat alone, for You have filled me with indignation. Why is my pain unending, and my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? You have indeed become like a mirage to me—water that is not there.”He describes his isolation under God’s hand and his unending pain.
- Ezekiel 3:3 (BSB)““Son of man,” He said to me, “eat and fill your stomach with this scroll I am giving you.” So I ate, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth.”Ezekiel eats the scroll of God’s words and finds it sweet.
- Psalm 119:103 (BSB)“How sweet are Your words to my taste—sweeter than honey in my mouth!”The psalmist says God’s words are sweeter than honey.
- Psalm 19:10 (BSB)“They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.”God’s judgments are more desirable than gold and sweeter than honey.
Theological
How does Jeremiah describe his reception of God’s words in Jeremiah 15:16, within the lament of 15:15-18?
Answer: He took them in, and they became his joy and delight
The lament moves from petition (15:15) to testimony: when God’s words came, Jeremiah ate them, and they became his joy and heart’s delight, for he bears the LORD’s name (15:16). That commission set him apart; he sat alone under God’s hand rather than with the revelers (15:17). Yet he ends with a bitter accusation that God has become to him like a mirage that promises water but has none (15:18). The image of eating God’s word appears in Ezekiel’s commission, where the scroll is sweet as honey (Ezekiel 3:3), and the delight in God’s words echoes the Psalms (Psalm 119:103; Psalm 19:10).
- Jeremiah 15:16 (BSB)“Your words were found, and I ate them. Your words became my joy and my heart’s delight. For I bear Your name, O LORD God of Hosts.”Jeremiah says he took in God’s words and they became his joy and delight.
- Jeremiah 15:17-18 (BSB)“I never sat with the band of revelers, nor did I celebrate with them. Because Your hand was on me, I sat alone, for You have filled me with indignation. Why is my pain unending, and my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? You have indeed become like a mirage to me—water that is not there.”He describes his isolation under God’s hand and his unending pain.
- Ezekiel 3:3 (BSB)““Son of man,” He said to me, “eat and fill your stomach with this scroll I am giving you.” So I ate, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth.”Ezekiel eats the scroll of God’s words and finds it sweet.
- Psalm 119:103 (BSB)“How sweet are Your words to my taste—sweeter than honey in my mouth!”The psalmist says God’s words are sweeter than honey.
- Psalm 19:10 (BSB)“They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.”God’s judgments are more desirable than gold and sweeter than honey.