When the Lord saw. The Lord does not delight in the suffering that transgressors bring upon themselves, but is ever watching to see whether they will turn themselves from their iniquities so that the threatened judgments may be removed (see Eze. 18:30-32).
Some deliverance. Judgment in considerable measure had already fallen. The Lord would now grant deliverance to a remnant, and would not bring upon them the complete destruction that their iniquities deserved (see 2 Chron. 12:12; Ezra 9:13; Isa. 1:9).
Upon Jerusalem. Because the people repented, the threat of immediate destruction of Jerusalem was withdrawn. However, the menace of destruction still hung over the city, and would ultimately be carried out if the people persisted in iniquity.