It may be that the Lord places these words on the lips of the Philistines, but the oracle ends with the Philistines recognizing that it is indeed the Lord who has come against them. Nebuchadnezzar is the Lord’s sword and they desperately ask, How long till you are quiet?
They cry out for the sword to be returned to its scabbard and to rest and be still!
The Lord responds with a question of his own. How can it be quiet when the Lord has given it a charge?
Nebuchadnezzar will not withdraw or stop until the Lord has accomplished the purposes for which he appointed him.
This prophecy was fulfilled when Nebuchadnezzar overran Ashkelon in 604 BC. The destruction of Ashkelon was a very ominous sign for Judah. They would be next and so Jehoiakim called for a day of fasting (Jeremiah 36:1–32). It was during this fast that Baruch read the scroll to the people and the king, and Jehoiakim burned it.
6 Ah, sword of the LORD! How long till you are quiet? Put yourself into your scabbard; rest and be still!