In this chapter the prophet focuses on the termination of Jerusalem. He uses three crisp phrases to express this: “the end has come” (7:3, 6); “the day . . . comes” (7:10); “the time has come” (7:12). The Hebrew word for “end” is related to ripe summer fruit that is ready to be harvested (see Amos 8:1–3). Harvesting involves cutting down and clearing the fields. That is what the Lord is about to do, but it will not be a thanksgiving harvest.

Verses 5–9 repeat verses 3–4. Each time, three themes are prominent: what God is going to do (“I will . . .”); why he is going to do it (“for all your . . .”); the result (“then you will know that I am the Lord”). The botanical metaphors of verse 10 are appropriate. What is growing, however, is not wheat but arrogance and violence (7:11). The phrase …