Imminent Threat from the North (4:5–31)

Fortified cities (4:5). Judah at different times had a number of fortified cities—cities with walls built around them to protect them against enemy invasion. Some cities like Lachish had double walls.51 During Jeremiah’s time King Josiah had rebuilt cities such as Tekoa, Arad, Azekah, and even Lachish so as to make them safer. Cities or towns not fortified with walls and towers were more vulnerable to enemy attack. The Assyrian King Sennacherib (704–681 B.C.) boasted of having defeated and captured forty-six of these fortified cities in Judah.52

The Elamite city of Madaktu is surrounded by canals. The fortress is standing on the river bank. Houses, among palmtrees, are surrounded by walls. Stone bas-relief (seventh c. B.C.) from the palace of Ashurbanipal in Nineveh.

Erich Lessing/Art Resource, NY, courtesy of the British Museum

Signal (4:6). The Hebrew term for “signal” does not refer to an auditory sound such as the blowing of a horn that announces a state of emergency, or to a smoke or fire signal. Rather, it has to do with a flag or a visual signal. It most likely was some kind of a banner lifted by a pole to signal danger, distress, and imminent danger. This was a signal for the people to try and reach the fortified cities for protection. Banners were used as signals and as standards for army troops throughout the ancient Near East. Many had animal figures on them. A common Assyrian figure used on banners was a moon sickle mounted on a spear.53

Disaster from the north (4:6). See comments on 1:13.

Sackcloth (4:8). This material was used as a symbol of mourning. It was made out of goat or camel hair and therefore was coarse and dark in color. It was also used to make grain bags. When used in the time of mourning, it was worn around the loins and was extremely uncomfortable. Jeremiah’s call to put on sackcloth and thus begin the mourning rites seems to indicate that danger and destruction are imminent.54

Sarcophagus of Ahiram depicts mourning women wearing sackcloth.

Library of Congress, LC-matpc-03493/www.LifeintheHolyLand.com

The Akkadian term for sackcloth is bašamu. This term refers both to coarse, irregular fabric used to make sacks as well as garments used to express repentance. An inscription from Esarhaddon, king of Assyria from 681–559 B.C., indicates that sackcloth was used as dress for slaves.55

Not to winnow or cleanse (4:11). The wind mentioned in this verse is probably the well-known sirocco. This wind is a hot wind from the east and can be quite destructive. Thus, it is not useful for winnowing the grain on the threshing floor. In Israel one can find many threshing floors where the wind was used to help separate the grain from the chaff. The sirocco, in contrast, carried away both the grain and the chaff. Jeremiah uses this as a metaphor to warn that God’s judgment will only bring destruction.

The term “cleanse” can also be translated “sift” and thus would refer to the same process of separating what is useful and valuable from what is useless.

Announcing from Dan (4:15). Dan was the Israelite outpost furthest to the north. In fact, the boundaries of Israel were popularly expressed by the somewhat optimistic phrase “from Dan to Beersheba.” During Jeremiah’s time, Dan seems to have flourished despite the fact that it remained an undefended city during the seventh century.56 It was located in a strategic place where it would be the first to see the approach of an enemy coming from the north.

Hills of Ephraim (4:15). South of Dan and closer to Jerusalem lies the hill country of Ephraim. It is mountainous region that extends from Shechem to Bethel. Jeremiah uses these geographic locations in order to demonstrate that the message of danger is traveling fast across the land of Israel.

Tel Dan aerial

Z. Radovan/www.BibleLandPictures.com

Heavens above grow dark (4:28). This does not necessarily refer to an eclipse. In the context of this verse along with verse 23, the darkness is associated with mourning. Not only is all creation being reversed into its original state of chaos, but the issue here seems to be that the cities are being destroyed. This destruction creates a sense of doom and darkness wherein the entire earth mourns.

Dress yourself in scarlet (4:30). Clothing of this color was considered the most sophisticated and elegant. The dye for this color came from the female kermes insects (Coccus ilicis), which attach themselves to the leaves and branches of the kermes oak.57 There may be a subtle reminder here of the scarlet cord used by Rahab (Josh. 2:18, 21).

Eyes with paint (4:30). The practice of lining the eyes with paint was common in the ancient Near East, particularly in Egypt. Painting the eyes makes them look larger. The eye paint or “antinomy” most likely came from a lead sulphide, which is a dark black mineral powder.58