Jeremiah 4:17

17 'Like watchmen of a field they are 1against her round about, Because she has 2rebelled against Me,' declares the LORD.

Jeremiah 4:17 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 4:17

As keepers of a field, are they against her round about
As those that are set to watch a field, in which are fruit and corn of any sort, that thieves and robbers, and wild beasts, may not enter to waste and destroy, and are placed on all sides for that purpose; so the Chaldeans were round about Jerusalem, that none could make their escape out of it; see ( 2 Kings 25:4 ) : because she hath been rebellious against me, saith the Lord;
it was not without reason that the Lord suffered the Chaldeans to come against Jerusalem, besiege, and take it; the inhabitants of it had rebelled against him, their King and their God; and therefore he delivers them up into the hands of another lord, and a cruel one; they had provoked him to anger with their sins, and caused him to stir up his wrath against them in this way: rebellion against a prince, or against a parent, is a provoking sin; see ( 1 Samuel 15:23 ) ( Isaiah 1:2 ) .

Jeremiah 4:17 In-Context

15 For a voice declares from Dan, And proclaims wickedness from Mount Ephraim.
16 "Report it to the nations, now! Proclaim over Jerusalem, 'Besiegers come from a far country, And lift their voices against the cities of Judah.
17 'Like watchmen of a field they are against her round about, Because she has rebelled against Me,' declares the LORD .
18 "Your ways and your deeds Have brought these things to you. This is your evil. How bitter! How it has touched your heart!"
19 My soul, my soul! I am in anguish! Oh, my heart! My heart is pounding in me; I cannot be silent, Because you have heard, O my soul, The sound of the trumpet, The alarm of war.

Cross References 2

  • 1. 2 Kings 25:1, 4
  • 2. Isaiah 1:20, 23; Jeremiah 5:23
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