Jeremiah 8:16

16 From Dan is heard the snorting of horses. At the sound of the neighing of mighty steeds,^[a] the whole land quakes. They come to devour the land and everything in it, the city and all its residents.

Jeremiah 8:16 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 8:16

The snorting of his horses was heard from Dan
That is, was heard at Jerusalem. It seems to be a hyperbolical expression, showing the certainty of the coming of the Assyrian monarch and his army, to invade Judea, and besiege Jerusalem; the news of which was brought from Dan, which lay in the further part of the land; see ( Jeremiah 4:15 ) , and pointing at the way in which they should come northwards, through Phoenicia and the tribe of Dan, with a numerous cavalry of horses and horsemen: for, by "his" horses are meant Nebuchadnezzar's; unless, with Calvin, it can be thought that they are called the Lord's, because ordered and sent by him, whose war it was against the people. The Targum paraphrases the words thus,

``because they worshipped the calf that is in Dan, a king with his army shall come up against them, and carry them captive;''

and so Jarchi interprets it. The whole land trembled at the sound of the neighing of his strong
ones;
his horses, strong and mighty; see ( Judges 5:22 ) where we read of the prancings of the mighty ones; and here the Targum,

``at the voice of the treading of his strong ones, all the inhabitants of the earth shall be moved;''

and by the land trembling undoubtedly are meant the inhabitants of the land, filled with dread and consternation at the noise and near approach of the Chaldean army. For they are come, and have devoured the land, and all that is in it;
or, "the fulness of it"; which because of the certainty of it, is represented as then done: the city, and those that dwell therein; meaning not only the city of Jerusalem, and the inhabitants of it, but other cities also, the singular being put for the plural; and so the Targum,

``the cities, and they that dwell in them.''

Jeremiah 8:16 In-Context

14 Why are we just sitting here? Gather together; let us enter the fortified cities and there suffer our fate, for the Lord our God has condemned us. He has given us poisoned water to drink, because we have sinned against the Lord.

15 We hoped for peace, but there was nothing good; for a time of healing, but there was only terror.

16 From Dan is heard the snorting of horses. At the sound of the neighing of mighty steeds, the whole land quakes. They come to devour the land and everything in it, the city and all its residents.

17 Indeed, I am about to send snakes among you, poisonous vipers that cannot be charmed. They will bite you. [This is] the Lord's declaration.

18 My joy has flown away; grief has settled on me. My heart is sick.

Footnotes

• [a]. Jr 47:3; 50:11; Jdg 5:22