“I have long time holden my peace; I have been still, and refrained myself: now will I cry like a travailing woman; I will destroy and devour at once.”
The continuation—'He will cry out and shout aloud, and make his enemies tremble'—depicts God's powerful proclamation that achieves what mere words cannot. The contrast between God's silence in the past ('I have been quiet, I have held myself back') and imminent action ('now I will cry out') suggests an awakening of divine voice after restraint. The promise that enemies will 'tremble' indicates that God's proclamation carries cosmic weight. This verse's shift from restraint to action reassures Israel that apparent divine passivity masks readiness to act decisively.
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