Behold, the noise of the bruit is come. — Better, A cry is heard, Behold, it cometh. The cry of terror is heard and it utters the tidings, terrible in their brevity, that the army of the invader is come, and with it the “great commotion,” the stir and rush of the army, coming from the north country of the Chaldeans. (Comp. Jeremiah 1:13.) In Matthew 25:6, “There was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh,” we have a striking parallel. The word “bruit” (here and in Nahum 3:19) may be noted as one of those which have become obsolete since the date of the Authorised Version.
A den of dragons. — i.e., jackals, as in Jeremiah 9:11.