Jeremiah 4

16. The neighboring foreign "nations" are summoned to witness Jehovah's judgments on His rebel people ( Jeremiah 6:18 Jeremiah 6:19 ).
watchers--that is, besiegers (compare 2 Samuel 11:16 ); observed or watched, that is, besieged.
their voice--the war shout.

17. keepers of a field--metaphor from those who watch a field, to frighten away the wild beasts.

18. ( Jeremiah 2:17 Jeremiah 2:19 , Psalms 107:17 ).
this is thy wickedness--that is, the fruit of thy wickedness.

19. The prophet suddenly assumes the language of the Jewish state personified, lamenting its affliction ( Jeremiah 10:19 Jeremiah 10:20 , Jeremiah 9:1 Jeremiah 9:10 , Isaiah 15:5 ; compare Luke 19:41 ).
at my very heart--Hebrew, "at the walls of my heart"; the muscles round the heart. There is a climax, the "bowels," the pericardium, the "heart" itself.
maketh . . . noise--moaneth [HENDERSON].
alarm--the battle shout.

20. Destruction . . . cried--Breach upon breach is announced ( Psalms 42:7 , Ezekiel 7:26 ). The war "trumpet" . . . the battle shout . . . the "destructions" . . . the havoc throughout "the whole land" . . . the spoiling of the shepherds "tents" ( Jeremiah 10:20 ; or, "tents" means cities, which should be overthrown as easily as tents [CALVIN]), form a gradation.

21. Judah in perplexity asks, How long is this state of things to continue?

22. Jehovah's reply; they cannot be otherwise than miserable, since they persevere in sin. The repetition of clauses gives greater force to the sentiment.
wise . . . evil . . . to do good . . . no knowledge--reversing the rule ( Romans 16:19 ) "wise unto . . . good, simple concerning evil."

23. Graphic picture of the utter desolation about to visit Palestine. "I beheld, and lo!" four times solemnly repeated, heightens the awful effect of the scene (compare Isaiah 24:19 , 34:11 ).
without form and void--reduced to the primeval chaos ( Genesis 1:2 ).

24. mountains--( Isaiah 5:25 ).
moved lightly--shook vehemently.

25. no man . . . birds--No vestige of the human, or of the feathered creation, is to be seen ( Ezekiel 38:20 , Zephaniah 1:3 ).

26. fruitful place--Hebrew, Carmel.
a wilderness--Hebrew, "the wilderness," in contrast to "the fruitful place"; the great desert, where Carmel was, there is now the desert of Arabia [MAURER].
cities--in contrast to the fruitful place or field.

27. full end--utter destruction: I will leave some hope of restoration ( Jeremiah 5:10 Jeremiah 5:18 , 30:11 , 46:28 ; compare Leviticus 26:44 ).

28. For this--on account of the desolations just described ( Isaiah 5:30 , Hosea 4:3 ).
not repent--( Numbers 23:19 ).

29. whole city--Jerusalem: to it the inhabitants of the country had fled for refuge; but when it, too, is likely to fall, they flee out of it to hide in the "thickets." HENDERSON translates, "every city."
noise--The mere noise of the hostile horsemen shall put you to flight.

30. when thou art spoiled--rather, "thou, O destroyed one" [MAURER].
rentest . . . face with painting--Oriental women paint their eyes with stibium, or antimony, to make them look full and sparkling, the black margin causing the white of the eyes to appear the brighter by contrast ( 2 Kings 9:30 ). He uses the term "distendest" in derision of their effort to make their eyes look large [MAURER]; or else, "rentest," that is, dost lacerate by puncturing the eyelid in order to make the antimony adhere [ROSENMULLER]. So the Jews use every artifice to secure the aid of Egypt against Babylon.
face--rather, thy eyes ( Ezekiel 23:40 ).

31. anguish--namely, occasioned by the attack of the enemy.
daughter of Zion--There is peculiar beauty in suppressing the name of the person in trouble, until that trouble had been fully described [HENDERSON].
bewaileth herself--rather, "draweth her breath short" [HORSLEY]; "panteth."
spreadeth . . . hands--( Lamentations 1:17 ).