A Lion from the North (4:5-10):

4:5–6 The prophet announces future judgment by insisting that warnings of the impending attack be issued. Other prophets also utilized the call to battle to warn of impending judgment (see Nah. 2:1). He evokes a sense of urgency when he urges that the trumpet be sounded and a signal be raised. These were signs of an attack (see Amos 3:6). Warning of an attack from the north first appeared in 1:13-14 (see commentary and notes).

4:7–8 The threat is described as a lion coming out of his lair in order to destroy the land. The lion is a frequently used metaphor for an enemy, which we have already encountered in Jeremiah 2:15 (see commentary). Lions are ruthless and violent, and indeed this one is called a destroyer of nations, an apt description of an empire builde…