Watchmen. — i.e., the sentinels of the army, as in 1 Samuel 14:16, giving the signal in this case, not for advance but for retreat (comp. Jeremiah 6:1, and Amos 3:6). The watchmen are, of course (as in Isaiah 52:8; Isaiah 56:10; Ezekiel 3:17; Habakkuk 2:1), the prophets blowing the trumpet of alarm, proclaiming, as in Jeremiah 6:1, the nearness of the invader, and calling on them to flee from the wrath of Jehovah. They call, however, in vain. The people refuse to hearken.
Related Commentaries of Jeremiah 6:17
Jeremiah 6:17
17 Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken.