Charles Ellicott Commentary Jeremiah 6:17

"And I set watchmen over you, [saying], Hearken to the sound of the trumpet; but they said, We will not hearken." — Jeremiah 6:17 (ASV)

Watchmen. —that is, the sentinels of the army, as in 1 Samuel 14:16, giving the signal in this case, not for advance but for retreat (compare to Jeremiah 6:1 and Amos 3:6). The watchmen are, of course (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 listen.