Jeremiah’s vision of the great disaster that is about to come to Judah continues. The Lord either tells Jeremiah’s listeners to ask a question, or the Lord asks the question of those who are crying out in fear, Ask now and see, can a man bear a child?
1 . The answer to this question is of course, no, and so the follow up question comes, Why then do I see every man with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labour?
In Scripture, the pains of childbirth are often used as an image of hope and new life coming about after a time of suffering. However, in Jeremiah the pains of childbirth often simply speak of being overcome by sudden distress (Jeremiah 4:31; Jeremiah 6:24; Jeremiah 13:2;Jeremiah 22:23; Jeremiah 49:24; Jeremiah 50:43)2. That is the image here. It is much like the curse of warriors who become like women (Isaiah 19:16; Jeremiah 50:37;Jeremiah 51:30)3. The fighting men who are supposed to protect Judah from the Babylonian army are left paralyzed by fear in the face of an overwhelming force. Their faces turn pale with fear.
6 Ask now, and see, can a man bear a child? Why then do I see every man with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor? Why has every face turned pale?