What is the meaning of Jeremiah 6:25? Do not go out to the fields Jeremiah warns the citizens of Jerusalem to stay inside the city’s walls. The open country—usually the place of work, harvest, and freedom—has become lethal ground. • Jeremiah 4:17 records that the besieging army “surrounds her like men guarding a field,” showing the fields are now under enemy control. • Exodus 12:22 offers a similar command during the Passover judgment: “None of you shall go out of the door of his house until morning.” • Isaiah 26:20 echoes the call to shelter: “Hide yourselves for a little while until wrath has passed.” The instruction is literal, but it also illustrates a spiritual lesson: when God’s judgment is moving, safety is found in obedient separation from the world’s routine. Do not walk the road Even the familiar roadways have become ambush sites. Commerce, family visits, and worship journeys are all suspended. • Judges 5:6 describes a comparable time: “The highways were deserted, travelers walked by crooked paths.” • Lamentations 1:4 laments, “The roads to Zion mourn, for no one comes to her appointed feasts.” • Proverbs 1:15 counsels, “My son, do not walk the road with them,” underscoring the wisdom of avoiding paths dominated by evil. When outward movement brings exposure to danger, staying put becomes an act of faith. For the enemy has a sword The Babylonian army literally bears the sword, yet Scripture affirms that the sword is ultimately God’s instrument of covenant discipline. • Leviticus 26:25 foretells, “I will bring a sword against you that will execute the vengeance of the covenant.” • Ezekiel 21:3–4 amplifies, “I will draw My sword from its sheath and cut off both righteous and wicked.” • Romans 13:4 reminds us that the sword signifies delegated authority to punish wrongdoing. The sword in Jeremiah’s day demonstrates that ignoring God’s warnings invites the sharp edge of judgment. Terror is on every side This refrain, repeated throughout Jeremiah, captures the atmosphere of unrelenting dread. • Jeremiah 20:3–4 names Pashhur “Magor-missabib,” meaning “terror on every side,” prophesying the spread of panic. • Psalm 31:13 confesses, “I hear the whispering of many; terror is on every side.” • Lamentations 2:22 looks back on the siege: “You have summoned as for a festival day my terrors on every side.” Fear is not merely emotional; it is a divine tool exposing self-confidence and compelling the humble to seek the Lord. summary Jeremiah 6:25 delivers a four-fold call: stay out of the open fields, abandon the well-traveled roads, recognize the enemy’s sword as God’s chastening, and acknowledge the pervasive terror that follows rebellion. The verse is a sober, literal alert to Judah and a timeless warning to every generation: when God signals judgment, wisdom and safety lie in swift obedience, humble repentance, and steadfast trust in His protection. |
    |