Jeremiah 4:24Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Observe the mountain and see it tremble. This signifies that those situated on the mountains will find no salvation. The term "see" is absent in the early versions of the Greek translation but can be found in the Hebrew text.

I observed the earth, and it was desolate; there was nothing upon it. I gazed at the heavens, and they lacked illumination. I examined the mountains, and they trembled, as did all the hills. I looked again, and there was no human presence, and every creature that flew across the sky had vanished. My attention turned to Carmel, which lay in ruin, and all its cities were annihilated by the sight of the Lord and the intensity of His wrath. The prophets perceive in the Spirit the calamities that are imminent, so that when the people hear, they may be filled with dread and turn to repentance, thereby escaping the impending doom. The land lies void when its inhabitants are lost. The skies lack radiance when the people are overwhelmed by the magnitude of their despair.

Similarly, those who face adversity often find that what is meant to be enlightening feels dark, the day appears to be night, and what should bring joy tastes bitter; for them, all things seem inverted.