Jeremiah’s prayer continues as he asks, How long will the land mourn and the grass of the field wither?
Jeremiah understands that the faithlessness of the people has implications, not just for the nation’s continued existence in the land, but for the land itself. Throughout Israel’s history, the Lord has used natural disasters and the devastation caused by foreign invasions to warn his people of the danger of judgment because of their unfaithfulness. The land itself is impacted by the covenant curses, much like the disobedience of Adam and Eve brought curses on the ground (Genesis 3:17). Jeremiah is pleading with the Lord to bring this hardship to an end and to simply deal with the wicked.
4 How long will the land mourn and the grass of every field wither? For the evil of those who dwell in it the beasts and the birds are swept away, because they said, “He will not see our latter end.”