O LORD, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living waters.
All that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me - Yahweh-though thee precedes. This sudden transition is usual in the prophetic style, owing to the prophet's continual realization of Yahweh's presence.
All that forsake thee - (Psalms 73:27; Isaiah 1:28).
Shall be written in the earth - in the dust, i:e., shall be consigned to oblivion. So Jesus' significant writing "on the ground" - probably the accusers' names (John 8:6). Names written in the dust are obliterated by a very slight wind. Their hopes and celebrity are wholly in the earth, not in the heavenly book of life (Revelation 13:8; Revelation 20:12; Revelation 20:15). The Jews, though boasting that they were the people of God, had no portion in heaven, no status before God and His angels. Contrast "written in heaven," i:e., in the muster-roll of its blessed citizens (Luke 10:20). Also contrast the expression for perpetual remembrance, "written in a book," and "in the rock forever" (Job 19:23-24).
The fountain of living waters - (Jeremiah 2:13).