John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Jeremiah 4:7
The lion is come up from his thicket ,.... Meaning Nebuchadnezzar F19 So T. Bab. Megilia, fol. 11. 1. & Sanhedrin. fol 94. 2. , from Babylon, who is compared to a lion for his strength, fierceness, and cruelty; see Jeremiah 50:17 so the Roman emperor is called a lion, 2 Timothy 4:17 , agreeably to this the Targum paraphrases it, "a king is gone from his fortress;' or tower; and the Syriac version, "a certain most powerful king is about to go up as a lion out of his wood:'... read more
Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Jeremiah 4:5-18
God's usual method is to warn before he wounds. In these verses, accordingly, God gives notice to the Jews of the general desolation that would shortly be brought upon them by a foreign invasion. This must be declared and published in all the cities of Judah and streets of Jerusalem, that all might hear and fear, and by this loud alarm be either brought to repentance or left inexcusable. The prediction of this calamity is here given very largely, and in lively expressions, which one would... read more