The prophet’s words continue, but he is no longer merely reporting on what his search
of Jerusalem revealed, but he speaks of the consequences of what he found. The word therefore
at the start of Jeremiah 5:6 suggests that the image of the nation’s leadership as an ox breaking from its yoke ( Jeremiah 5:5) is continued. Breaking free from the Lord will not end well for the great
ones of Jerusalem. Escaping the master’s yoke means the ox has escaped from his master’s protection, only to be attacked by lions, wolves, and leopards.1 The images of a lion, wolf and leopard waiting to tear the leaders of Jerusalem in pieces is probably not a reference to three different enemies, but rather describes the full extent of the Lord’s judgment that will come through the foe from the north.2 However, this is more than just metaphorical language. The prophet Hosea uses similar language (Hosea 13:7–8) to speak of the Lord’s judgment on his people. This is the language of curse because of covenant unfaithfulness. The coming judgment is not just disaster, but rather disaster brought about by Jerusalem’s many transgressions
and great apostasies.
They have broken the terms of the covenant over and over and now the consequences are finally falling on them.3 Jeremiah’s assessment of the moral and ethical state of Jerusalem means that judgment is inevitable.
6 Therefore a lion from the forest shall strike them down; a wolf from the desert shall devastate them. A leopard is watching their cities; everyone who goes out of them shall be torn in pieces, because their transgressions are many, their apostasies are great.