ירמיהו, פרק מ״ד, פסוק כ׳

Facing a defiant crowd, Jeremiah prepares to answer their bold claims. At this stage, he does not deliver a new prophecy in the name of God. Instead, he begins by speaking his own words as a direct response to the arguments they just presented [מלבי״ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

He directs his attention first and foremost to the men. These were the individuals who knew perfectly well that their wives were burning incense to foreign gods [מצודת דוד, מלבי״ם]. They were also the ones who had initiated the confrontation and spoken first to challenge the prophet [מצודת דוד].

Jeremiah then broadens his address to include the entire Jewish public living in Pathros [מלבי״ם]. This wider audience consists of the rest of the people who had been drawn in and swept along by the arguments of the men [מצודת דוד]. Ultimately, the prophet's response is aimed squarely at everyone who had just participated in voicing those defiant claims against him [מצודת דוד].