John Calvin Commentary Jeremiah 8:16

"The snorting of his horses is heard from Dan: at the sound of the neighing of his strong ones the whole land trembleth; for they are come, and have devoured the land and all that is in it; the city and those that dwell therein." — Jeremiah 8:16 (ASV)

He says, Heard has been the snorting of horses from Dan. Dan was on the farthest parts, as it is well known, of the land of Canaan. Some think that the loudness of the noise is intended, as it was heard from such a distance in the holy city itself; but I do not know whether this can be gathered from the words of the Prophet.

The simpler and more correct meaning then is, that though Jerusalem rested securely, they were not yet in a quiet state on the borders of the land, for they were disturbed by the snorting of the enemies’ horses. From Dan then has been heard a snorting. When the inhabitants of a city indulge in pleasures, while the borders of the land are assailed by enemies, it might be pertinently said to them, “Why do you live here at your ease? Your neighbors and your brothers are exposed to the assaults of enemies. War, therefore, ought to be waged in your land, though it has not yet reached your gates and your walls.”

So the Prophet speaks here: From Dan has been heard the snorting of his horses. The relative “his” may be applied to the Assyrians, for the Hebrews often use relatives without antecedents.

But it is more probable that Jeremiah refers to the first mover of the war, namely God, as though he had said— “God will send forth hostile armies, which will disturb the borders of your land.” He then calls them the horses of God, for the Chaldeans did not wage that war except under the authority of God, as we have often seen and will often notice again.

Then he says, At the noise of the neighings of his strong ones, etc. He calls the horses “strong,” אבירים (abirim); and as he had not described them, he now does so. Trembled, he says, has the land at the noise of the neighings of his strong ones. As he mentions the neighings of horses, we must understand “strong” as referring to the horses themselves.

Come, he says, shall they, and shall devour the land and its fullness, the city and its inhabitants. Here is an irregularity regarding the number, for he puts city for cities, as he threatens not only Jerusalem but also the neighboring cities. Whatever abundance, then, was in the land, the enemies would devour it; and he also says that they would devour the cities and their inhabitants.