Behold, I am against you, O inhabitant of the valley, O rock of the plain, declares the Lord.
The you
here is second person singular, feminine and it refers to the whole city of Jerusalem.1
The Lord refers to Jerusalem as the inhabitant of the valley
and rock of the plain.
The literal meaning of the Hebrew is sitting one of the valley, rock of the plain.
This description may come from the fact that the city is surrounded by hills and also situated on a hill that stands out on a plateau. This physical location fortified the city against attack and made it very secure. But it is likely that more is being referred to than its physical location. The phrase sitting one of the valley
is similar to the one used to describe the Lord as the sitting one of the cherubim
(1 Samuel 4:4; 2 Samuel 6:2; Psalm 80:1; Psalm 99:1), where it refers to the ark of the covenant as the symbol of the Lord’s presence with his people. In a similar way the Hebrew word sur, translated as rock
is often used to describe the Lord (Deuteronomy 32:4, Deuteronomy 32:15, Deuteronomy 32:18, Deuteronomy 32:30, Deuteronomy 32:31).2
The Lord is exposing the arrogant assumptions of the people of Jerusalem. This is confirmed by the next sentence when the Lord accuses them of saying, Who shall come down against us, or who shall enter our habitation?
This is more than just confidence in the physical location of Jerusalem. This assumes that the Lord will protect Jerusalem because it is the covenant city where the temple is located, the dwelling place of the Lord. This attitude reflects the Zion theology that Jeremiah condemned throughout his ministry; the belief that the Lord will keep his covenant promise to protect and bless Jerusalem and her people simply because of the temple and the acts of worship that took place there, while completely ignoring the fact that the people of Judah failed in every way to be faithful to the covenant. The Lord not only exposes this arrogant assumption but makes it very clear that he is in fact against
the city. He is faithful to the covenant that promised curses if the people of Israel were unfaithful; that time has now come.
13 Voici, j'en veux à toi, Ville assise dans la vallée, sur le rocher de la plaine, Dit l'Eternel, A vous qui dites: Qui descendra contre nous? Qui entrera dans nos demeures?