The people ask this question to jolt themselves and their community out of paralyzing inaction, recognizing that passivity in the face of God’s judgment is futile and that even retreat to fortified cities offers only death, not deliverance.

The text records no external response to this question. The people answer themselves by deciding to gather and retreat to the fortified cities, acknowledging their doom and recognizing that God has given them poisoned water because of their sins against Him.

This question reveals the people’s dawning recognition that passive waiting is meaningless when divine judgment approaches. The Hebrew construction uses a rhetorical question to express urgency and self-rebuke. Rather than asking why they remain inactive, they’re really declaring that inactivity is senseless. The shift from question to command shows they’re answering themselves. By choosing a question rather than direct statement, the speaker emphasizes the absurdity of their prior complacency. The theological weight is sobering: even defensive measures cannot protect against God’s judgment when a nation has violated covenant. The people understand their fortified cities will become tombs, not sanctuaries, because the LORD Himself has pronounced their doom.