“Their horses
Are swifter
Than leopards.
They are more menacing
Than evening wolves.
Their horsemen
Come from far away.
They fly
Like an eagle,
Swift to devour.”
The Chaldean horses and riders were extraordinary. Their horses were quicker than leopards and more menacing than wild wolves at sunset. The cavalry horsemen came from distant places. They seemed to fly on their horses like fast eagles ready to devour their prey.
“You are my war club!
You are my hammer!
My weapon of battle!
With you
I smash nations.
With you
I destroy kingdoms.
With you
I smash the horse.
With you
I smash its rider.
With you
I smash the chariot.
With you
I smash the charioteer.
With you
I smash men.
With you
I smash women.
With you
I smash the old man.
With you
I smash the boy.
With you
I smash the young man.
With you
I smash the girl.
With you
I smash the shepherds.
With you
I smash their flock.
With you
I smash the farmers.
With you
I smash their teams.
With you
I smash the governors.
With you
I smash their deputies.”
Yahweh is the war club or hammer that smashes everything. Thus with Yahweh, Jeremiah can smash nations, kingdoms, horses, riders, chariots, charioteers, men, women, old men, boys, young men, girls, shepherds, their flocks, farmers, their teams, governors, and their deputies. Yahweh is a strong weapon that can smash practically everything.
“Glorious are you!
You are more majestic
Than the everlasting mountains!
The stouthearted were stripped
Of their spoil.
They sank into sleep.
None of the troops
Were able to life a hand.
At your rebuke!
O God of Jacob!
Both rider and horse lay stunned.”
This great victory is probably a reference to the defeat of the Assyrians under King Sennacherib when he tried to attack Jerusalem under King Hezekiah in 2 Kings, chapter 19. This was the time that the angel of Yahweh struck down 185,000 Assyrians in one night. Obviously this made a big impression upon the Israelites. God was glorious and more majestic than the so-called everlasting mountains. The enemy was stripped of their spoils as they sank into a sleep that they never recovered from. Both riders and horses were unable to do battle. Perhaps, the extremely high number of causalities made it difficult to repeat. Clearly the God of Jacob had brought them victory.
“The ostrich’s wings flap proudly.
Its pinions lack plumage.
It leaves its eggs to the earth.
It lets them be warmed on the ground.
It forgets that a foot may crush them.
A wild animal may trample them.
It deals cruelly with its young.
It treats them as if they were not its own.
Even though its labor be in vain,
It has no fear.
Because God has made it forget wisdom.
God has given it no share in understanding.
When it spreads its plumes aloft,
It laughs at the horse and its rider.”
Somehow Yahweh wanted Job to know about ostriches. Its wings do not have feathers. It seems to be stupid since it leaves its eggs on the ground for anyone to trample on them. It is kind of cruel to its young. Ostriches seem to lack wisdom and understanding. However, it still laughs at horses and riders. It seems strange that Yahweh should be so interested in ostriches.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 