Jeremiah 1:14

Out of the north. See on ch. 4:6; cf. Eze. 26:7. Although Babylon was east of Judea, military roads and invasion routes to Palestine approached Judah from the north. It was impracticable for armies to cross the desert directly east of Palestine. Hence the Hebrews frequently referred to Babylon in connection with the north. The direction has reference, not to the location of the home of the invader, but to the route he would follow in entering the land, for invaders from both east and north came from the north. The captives were spoken of as taken to the north country, and it was thence the Lord would cause them to return (see Jer. 3:18; 23:8; 31:8; Zech. 2:6).

An evil. Literally, “the evil,” that is, the evil that the prophets had long foretold (see Micah 3:12). The word for “evil,” ra‘ah, does not always refer to moral wrongdoing. The word is frequently employed to describe trouble, misfortune, or calamity.