The fatal news of invasion has come, and he sounds the alarm to his
countrymen. _Why are we sitting still_ (in silent stupefaction)?
_assemble yourselves, that we may go into the defenced cities, and be
silent_ (or _amazed_, _stupefied_, with terror) _there! for Iahvah
our God hath silenced us_ (with speechless terror) _and given us
water of gall to drink; for we trespassed toward Iahvah. We looked
for peace_ (or, _weal_, _prosperity_), _and there is no good; for a
time of healing, and behold panic fear!_ So the prophet represents the
effect of the evil tidings upon the rural population. At first they
are taken by surprise; then they rouse themselves from their stupor
to take refuge in the walled cities. They recognise in the trouble
a sign of Iahvah's anger. Their fond hopes of returning prosperity
are nipped in the bud; the wounds of the past are not to be healed;
the country has hardly recovered from one shock, before another
and more deadly blow falls upon it. The next verse describes more
particularly the nature of the bad news; the enemy, it would seem, had
actually entered the land, and given no uncertain indication of what
the Judeans might expect, by his ravages on the northern frontier.
_From Dan was heard the snorting of his horses; at the sound of the
neighings of his chargers all the land did quake: and they came in_
(into the country) _and eat up the land and the fulness thereof, a
city and them that dwelt_ _therein._ This was what the invaders did
to city after city, once they had crossed the border; ravaging its
domain, and sacking the place itself. Perhaps, however, it is better
to take the perfects as prophetic, and to render: "From Dan shall be
heard ... shall quake: and they shall come and eat up the land," etc.
This makes the connexion easier with the next verse, which certainly
has a future reference: _For behold I am about to send_ (or simply, _I
send_) _against you serpents, basilisks_ (Isa. xi. 8, the _cif.oni_
was a small but very poisonous snake; Aquila [Greek: basiliskos],
Vulg. regulus), _for whom there is no charm, and they will bite
you! saith Iahvah_. If the tenses be supposed to describe what has
already happened, then the connexion of thought may be expressed thus:
all this evil that you have heard of has happened, not by mere ill
fortune, but by the Divine will: Iahvah Himself has done it, and the
evil will not stop there, _for_ He purposes to send these destroying
serpents into your very midst (cf. Num. xxi. 6).