The fatal news of invasion has come, and he sounds the alarm to his countrymen. _Why are we sitting still_ (in silent stupefaction)? _assemble yourselves, that we may go into the defenced cities, and be silent_ (or _amazed_, _stupefied_, with terror) _there! for Iahvah our God hath silenced us_ (with speechless terror) _and given us water of gall to drink; for we trespassed toward Iahvah. We looked for peace_ (or, _weal_, _prosperity_), _and there is no good; for a time of healing, and behold panic fear!_ So the prophet represents the effect of the evil tidings upon the rural population. At first they are taken by surprise; then they rouse themselves from their stupor to take refuge in the walled cities. They recognise in the trouble a sign of Iahvah's anger. Their fond hopes of returning prosperity are nipped in the bud; the wounds of the past are not to be healed; the country has hardly recovered from one shock, before another and more deadly blow falls upon it. The next verse describes more particularly the nature of the bad news; the enemy, it would seem, had actually entered the land, and given no uncertain indication of what the Judeans might expect, by his ravages on the northern frontier. _From Dan was heard the snorting of his horses; at the sound of the neighings of his chargers all the land did quake: and they came in_ (into the country) _and eat up the land and the fulness thereof, a city and them that dwelt_ _therein._ This was what the invaders did to city after city, once they had crossed the border; ravaging its domain, and sacking the place itself. Perhaps, however, it is better to take the perfects as prophetic, and to render: "From Dan shall be heard ... shall quake: and they shall come and eat up the land," etc. This makes the connexion easier with the next verse, which certainly has a future reference: _For behold I am about to send_ (or simply, _I send_) _against you serpents, basilisks_ (Isa. xi. 8, the _çif·oni_ was a small but very poisonous snake; Aquila βασιλίσκος, Vulg. regulus), _for whom there is no charm, and they will bite you! saith Iahvah_. If the tenses be supposed to describe what has already happened, then the connexion of thought may be expressed thus: all this evil that you have heard of has happened, not by mere ill fortune, but by the Divine will: Iahvah Himself has done it, and the evil will not stop there, _for_ He purposes to send these destroying serpents into your very midst (cf. Num. xxi. 6).