Prepare for battle against her; rise up, let us attack at noon. Woe to us, for the daylight is fading; the evening shadows grow long. Prepare for battleThe phrase "Prepare for battle" in Jeremiah 6:4 is a call to arms, a rallying cry for the forces of destruction that are about to descend upon Jerusalem. The Hebrew root word here is "קדש" (qadash), which means to consecrate or sanctify. This is significant because it implies that the battle is not merely a physical confrontation but a divinely ordained event. In the historical context, this reflects the impending Babylonian invasion, which God allowed as a judgment against Judah's persistent sinfulness. The call to prepare is both a literal and spiritual readiness, emphasizing the seriousness of the coming judgment. against her
The pronoun "her" refers to Jerusalem, personified as a city under siege. In the Hebrew text, cities and nations are often depicted in feminine terms, which can evoke a sense of vulnerability and intimacy. Jerusalem, the heart of Judah, is the focal point of God's covenant people, and its impending destruction is a profound moment of divine judgment. Historically, Jerusalem was the center of worship and the location of the Temple, making its fall a significant theological event, symbolizing the breach of the covenant relationship between God and His people. Arise, let us attack at noon
The command "Arise, let us attack at noon" suggests urgency and determination. The Hebrew word for "arise" is "קום" (qum), which conveys a sense of standing up or taking action. Noon, typically a time of rest due to the heat, is chosen here to emphasize the relentless nature of the attackers. This reflects the historical reality of the Babylonian tactics, which were thorough and unyielding. Spiritually, it serves as a metaphor for the unexpected and relentless nature of divine judgment when God's patience has been exhausted. Woe to us, for the day is waning
The lament "Woe to us, for the day is waning" captures a sense of impending doom and regret. The Hebrew word "אוי" (oy) is an expression of distress and sorrow. The imagery of the day waning suggests that time is running out, and the opportunity for repentance is slipping away. Historically, this reflects the last moments before the Babylonian siege fully envelops the city. Theologically, it serves as a warning to heed God's call to repentance before it is too late, highlighting the urgency of turning back to God. for the shadows of evening are lengthening
The phrase "for the shadows of evening are lengthening" paints a vivid picture of the encroaching darkness. In Hebrew, the word for shadows "צללים" (tzalalim) evokes the idea of obscurity and impending night. This imagery signifies the approach of judgment and the end of an era for Jerusalem. Historically, it marks the final stages before the city's fall. Spiritually, it serves as a reminder of the consequences of persistent disobedience and the need for vigilance in maintaining a right relationship with God. The lengthening shadows symbolize the closing window of opportunity for repentance and redemption. Persons / Places / Events 1. JeremiahThe prophet who conveyed God's messages to the people of Judah, warning them of impending judgment due to their disobedience. 2. JudahThe southern kingdom of Israel, which was facing imminent invasion due to its persistent sin and rebellion against God. 3. Babylonian InvadersThe foreign army that God would use as an instrument of judgment against Judah. 4. The City of JerusalemThe capital of Judah, often personified in the text as the object of the impending attack. 5. The Day and Evening ShadowsSymbolic of the urgency and the impending doom that was approaching Judah, emphasizing the limited time for repentance. Teaching Points Urgency of RepentanceJust as the people of Judah were warned of the impending attack, we are reminded of the urgency to turn from sin and seek God’s forgiveness. God’s Sovereignty in JudgmentGod uses nations and events to fulfill His purposes. We must recognize His hand in the affairs of the world and trust in His ultimate plan. The Reality of Divine JudgmentThe passage serves as a sobering reminder that God’s patience has limits, and judgment is a real consequence of persistent disobedience. Spiritual PreparednessJust as the invaders prepared for battle, we must be spiritually prepared, living in a state of readiness for Christ’s return. The Shortness of TimeThe imagery of the day waning and evening shadows lengthening reminds us that our time is limited, urging us to live purposefully and righteously. Bible Study Questions 1. How does the urgency in Jeremiah 6:4 challenge you to examine areas of your life that need repentance? 2. In what ways can you see God’s sovereignty at work in the world today, similar to how He used Babylon in Jeremiah’s time? 3. How can the reality of divine judgment motivate you to share the gospel with others? 4. What steps can you take to ensure you are spiritually prepared for Christ’s return? 5. Reflect on the concept of time in your life. How can you make the most of the time you have to fulfill God’s purposes? Connections to Other Scriptures Isaiah 13:4-5This passage also speaks of a gathering army, emphasizing God's sovereignty in using nations to execute His judgment. Ezekiel 7:7Similar themes of impending doom and the urgency of the hour are echoed, highlighting the need for repentance. Amos 5:18-20Discusses the "day of the Lord" as a time of darkness and judgment, paralleling the themes of urgency and impending disaster. Matthew 24:42-44Jesus speaks of being watchful and prepared, drawing a parallel to the urgency and readiness required in Jeremiah's time. People Benjamin, JeremiahPlaces Beth-haccherem, Jerusalem, Sheba, Tekoa, ZionTopics Alas, Arise, Attack, Battle, Daylight, Declined, Declines, Declineth, Departeth, Evening, Fading, Grow, Lengthen, Lengthened, Lengthening, Noon, Ours, Prepare, Ready, Rise, Sanctify, Shades, Shadows, Sorrow, Stretched, War, Wo, WoeDictionary of Bible Themes Jeremiah 6:4 4846 shadow
4933 evening
4960 noon Jeremiah 6:2-5 7271 Zion, as symbol Library Stedfastness in the Old Paths.
"Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls."--Jer. vi. 16. Reverence for the old paths is a chief Christian duty. We look to the future indeed with hope; yet this need not stand in the way of our dwelling on the past days of the Church with affection and deference. This is the feeling of our own Church, as continually expressed in the Prayer Book;--not to slight what has gone before, …
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VIIA Blast of the Trumpet against False Peace
The motive with these false prophets is an abominable one. Jeremiah tells us it was an evil covetousness. They preached smooth things because the people would have it so, because they thus brought grist to their own mill, and glory to their own names. Their design was abominable, and without doubt, their end shall be desperate--cast away with the refuse of mankind. These who professed to be the precious sons of God, comparable to fine gold, shall be esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of the hands …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 6: 1860 Whitefield -- the Method of Grace
George Whitefield, evangelist and leader of Calvinistic Methodists, who has been called the Demosthenes of the pulpit, was born at Gloucester, England, in 1714. He was an impassioned pulpit orator of the popular type, and his power over immense congregations was largely due to his histrionic talent and his exquisitely modulated voice, which has been described as "an organ, a flute, a harp, all in one," and which at times became stentorian. He had a most expressive face, and altho he squinted, in …
Grenville Kleiser—The world's great sermons, Volume 3 Reprobation.
In discussing this subject I shall endeavor to show, I. What the true doctrine of reprobation is not. 1. It is not that the ultimate end of God in the creation of any was their damnation. Neither reason nor revelation confirms, but both contradict the assumption, that God has created or can create any being for the purpose of rendering him miserable as an ultimate end. God is love, or he is benevolent, and cannot therefore will the misery of any being as an ultimate end, or for its own sake. It is …
Charles Grandison Finney—Systematic Theology Prefatory Scripture Passages.
To the Law and to the Testimony; if they speak not according to this Word, it is because there is no light in them.-- Isa. viii. 20. Thus saith the Lord; Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls.--Jer. vi. 16. That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive. But …
G. H. Gerberding—The Way of Salvation in the Lutheran Church Jesus Raises the Widow's Son.
(at Nain in Galilee.) ^C Luke VII. 11-17. ^c 11 And it came to pass soon afterwards [many ancient authorities read on the next day], that he went into a city called Nain; and his disciples went with him, and a great multitude. [We find that Jesus had been thronged with multitudes pretty continuously since the choosing of his twelve apostles. Nain lies on the northern slope of the mountain, which the Crusaders called Little Hermon, between twenty and twenty-five miles south of Capernaum, and about …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel Backsliding.
"I will heal their backsliding; I will love them freely: for Mine anger is turned away."--Hosea xiv. 4. There are two kinds of backsliders. Some have never been converted: they have gone through the form of joining a Christian community and claim to be backsliders; but they never have, if I may use the expression, "slid forward." They may talk of backsliding; but they have never really been born again. They need to be treated differently from real back-sliders--those who have been born of the incorruptible …
Dwight L. Moody—The Way to God and How to Find It An Obscured vision
(Preached at the opening of the Winona Lake Bible Conference.) TEXT: "Where there is no vision, the people perish."--Proverbs 29:18. It is not altogether an easy matter to secure a text for such an occasion as this; not because the texts are so few in number but rather because they are so many, for one has only to turn over the pages of the Bible in the most casual way to find them facing him at every reading. Feeling the need of advice for such a time as this, I asked a number of my friends who …
J. Wilbur Chapman—And Judas Iscariot Sin Charged Upon the Surety
All we like sheep have gone astray: we have turned every one to his own way, and the LORD hath laid upon Him the iniquity of us all. C omparisons, in the Scripture, are frequently to be understood with great limitation: perhaps, out of many circumstances, only one is justly applicable to the case. Thus, when our Lord says, Behold, I come as a thief (Revelation 16:15) , --common sense will fix the resemblance to a single point, that He will come suddenly, and unexpectedly. So when wandering sinners …
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 1 An Address to the Regenerate, Founded on the Preceding Discourses.
James I. 18. James I. 18. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures. I INTEND the words which I have now been reading, only as an introduction to that address to the sons and daughters of the Lord Almighty, with which I am now to conclude these lectures; and therefore shall not enter into any critical discussion, either of them, or of the context. I hope God has made the series of these discourses, in some measure, useful to those …
Philip Doddridge—Practical Discourses on Regeneration Scriptures Showing the Sin and Danger of Joining with Wicked and Ungodly Men.
Scriptures Showing The Sin And Danger Of Joining With Wicked And Ungodly Men. When the Lord is punishing such a people against whom he hath a controversy, and a notable controversy, every one that is found shall be thrust through: and every one joined with them shall fall, Isa. xiii. 15. They partake in their judgment, not only because in a common calamity all shares, (as in Ezek. xxi. 3.) but chiefly because joined with and partakers with these whom God is pursuing; even as the strangers that join …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning How those who Fear Scourges and those who Contemn them are to be Admonished.
(Admonition 14.) Differently to be admonished are those who fear scourges, and on that account live innocently, and those who have grown so hard in wickedness as not to be corrected even by scourges. For those who fear scourges are to be told by no means to desire temporal goods as being of great account, seeing that bad men also have them, and by no means to shun present evils as intolerable, seeing they are not ignorant how for the most part good men also are touched by them. They are to be admonished …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great Christian Meekness
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth Matthew 5:5 We are now got to the third step leading in the way to blessedness, Christian meekness. Blessed are the meek'. See how the Spirit of God adorns the hidden man of the heart, with multiplicity of graces! The workmanship of the Holy Ghost is not only curious, but various. It makes the heart meek, pure, peaceable etc. The graces therefore are compared to needlework, which is different and various in its flowers and colours (Psalm 45:14). …
Thomas Watson—The Beatitudes: An Exposition of Matthew 5:1-12 Jeremiah
The interest of the book of Jeremiah is unique. On the one hand, it is our most reliable and elaborate source for the long period of history which it covers; on the other, it presents us with prophecy in its most intensely human phase, manifesting itself through a strangely attractive personality that was subject to like doubts and passions with ourselves. At his call, in 626 B.C., he was young and inexperienced, i. 6, so that he cannot have been born earlier than 650. The political and religious …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Jeremiah 6:4 NIVJeremiah 6:4 NLTJeremiah 6:4 ESVJeremiah 6:4 NASBJeremiah 6:4 KJV
Jeremiah 6:4 Commentaries
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