ירמיהו, פרק ה׳, פסוק י״ד

Prophecy is originally meant to serve as a guiding light for a nation, but when met with mockery, it transforms into a tangible force of destruction. The people face severe consequences because they denied God's active role in the world, rejected the truth of His messages, and showed deep disrespect toward Him and His messengers [מצודת דוד, רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. While the nation as a whole is held responsible for treating divine warnings as empty speeches, an alternative perspective suggests this blame is directed specifically at the false prophets who operated during that time [רד״ק].

Because true prophecies were reduced to meaningless words, God changes the very nature of the message. The warnings will no longer remain mere speech; instead, God turns the prophet's words into a burning fire, and the people become the wood [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. This powerful imagery illustrates the speed of the coming disaster. Just as dry wood catches fire the moment it touches a flame, the punishment will strike immediately upon the prophet speaking. The absolute denial of the people has left them with no chance to correct their ways [מלבי״ם].

Ultimately, the fire of these prophetic words will completely consume and destroy the nation [רש״י, מצודת דוד, מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Tragically, it is only through the actual arrival of this disaster that the people will finally realize a true message from God had reached them all along [רד״ק].