The forest imagery is continued with reference to choicest cedars
which will be cast into the fire.
The Lord is going to prepare destroyers
against the king. The word prepare
is the Hebrew word qiddes which literally means sanctify
or set apart
for the Lord. It is clear that the Lord himself is bringing this destruction as he sets apart an enemy to destroy the palace in Jerusalem.1 Earlier in this section, in Jeremiah 21:3–6, the language of the Exodus, where the Lord was described as a mighty warrior who fought to set his people free from their enemies, was used to show that the Lord is now a mighty warrior who fights to hand his people over to their enemies. That language is repeated here in Jeremiah 22:7.2
7 I will prepare destroyers against you, each with his weapons, and they shall cut down your choicest cedars and cast them into the fire.