God poses this question to assert the inevitability and righteousness of His judgment rather than to seek information or dialogue. By framing divine judgment as a question, God invites implicit agreement that such punishment is not only warranted but morally necessary given the catalog of sins just enumerated in Jeremiah 5. The interrogative form compels hearers to confront their own culpability and acknowledge that God’s justice would be compromised if He failed to act.

No verbal response is recorded in the text. The rhetorical questions stand as self-answering declarations of inevitable judgment. The immediate context shifts to further description of Judah’s sins in verse 30, confirming that repentance was not forthcoming and judgment remained certain.

God’s double question functions as both indictment and verdict. The Hebrew construction expects an affirmative answer: of course God must punish, of course He must avenge Himself. The word translated ‘avenge’ (naqam) appears frequently in prophetic literature to describe God’s righteous response to covenant violation and oppression of the vulnerable. By asking rather than simply declaring judgment, God demonstrates His covenant faithfulness even in wrath, giving His people opportunity to recognize their guilt and the justice of impending consequences. This rhetorical form appears multiple times in Jeremiah, creating a pattern that builds moral urgency. The questions are not divine uncertainty but prophetic pedagogy, forcing hearers to confront the logical necessity of judgment. The phrase ‘such a nation as this’ carries contemptuous force, highlighting how far God’s chosen people have fallen. The interrogative structure paradoxically demonstrates both God’s holiness that cannot tolerate sin and His reluctance to destroy the people He has loved.