“The one in the field
Must not turn back
To get a coat.”
καὶ ὁ ἐν τῷ ἀγρῷ μὴ ἐπιστρεψάτω ὀπίσω ἆραι τὸ ἱμάτιον αὐτοῦ.
This is almost the same, word for word, in Mark, chapter 13:16, but not in Luke. If you were in the field working (καὶ ὁ ἐν τῷ ἀγρῷ), you were not to turn back or return to your house (μὴ ἐπιστρεψάτω ὀπίσω) to get or take a coat or outer garment (ἆραι τὸ ἱμάτιον αὐτοῦ). You had no need for clothes because the end was near.
“How long will
The land mourn?
How long will
The grass of every field wither?
Due to the wickedness of those
Who live in it,
The animals
Are swept away.
The birds
Are swept away.
Because people said.
‘He is blind to our ways.’”
Jeremiah wanted to know how long the land would mourn. How long would the grass wither in the fields? Due to the wickedness of these people, the animals and the birds of this land were to be swept away. These people thought that Yahweh was blind to their evil ways.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 