In these verses it can be sensed that the enemies are approaching and that the Lord is using them to punish his people. The farmers of the countryside want to flee to the cities where they think they are safe. They hope to find peace and safety there. And indeed, they do find rest there, but it is the rest of death and the grave! For the fortified cities do not offer a real safe shelter when God will punish. And then they will have to admit that all this has happened because of their sins. Soon the enemy from Babylon will be on their way; the sniffing and neighing of the horses can already be heard. God himself is behind it. He makes the enemy come like poisonous snakes. Their bite will be fatal.
14 Why do we sit still? Gather together; let us go into the fortified cities and perish there, for the LORD our God has doomed us to perish and has given us poisoned water to drink, because we have sinned against the LORD.