Jeremiah 48BSB

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Judgment on Moab

(Isaiah 15:1–9)

Moab, one of two nations descended from Abraham’s...

Moab, one of two nations descended from Abraham’s nephew Lot (Genesis 19:36–38), was the next nation judged in the Lord’s courtroom (compare Isaiah 15–16). Moab’s land was between the Arnon River and the Zered Brook, east of the Dead Sea. At that time, the Moabites felt confident because they were mostly safe from Babylonian military power. However, the Lord found the Moabites to be greedy and cruel, and their worship was violent and indulgent.

The Lord ordered the destruction and future rebuilding...

The Lord ordered the destruction and future rebuilding of Moab and Ammon. These two nations came from Lot, who was Abraham's nephew (Genesis 19:36–38).

1Concerning Moab, this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says:

Woe to Nebo,for it will be devastated.Kiriathaim will be captured and disgraced;the fortress will be shattered and dismantled.2There is no longer praise for Moab;in Heshbon they devise evil against her:‘Come, let us cut her off from nationhood.’
You too, O people of Madmen, will be silenced;the sword will pursue you.
We know little about the village of Horonaim...

We know little about the village of Horonaim (see Isaiah 15:5). It was likely near the southeastern shore of the Dead Sea.

3A voice cries out from Horonaim:‘Devastation and great destruction!’4Moab will be shattered;her little ones will cry out.
Luhith was another small village near Horonaim. The...

Luhith was another small village near Horonaim. The sadness from oppression would touch even the smallest places.

5For on the ascent to Luhiththey weep bitterly as they go,and on the descent to Horonaimcries of distress resoundover the destruction:6‘Flee! Run for your lives!Become like a juniper in the desert.’
7Because you trust in your works and treasures,you too will be captured,and Chemosh will go into exilewith his priests and officials.
The Lord ordered the destruction of all the...

The Lord ordered the destruction of all the towns in Moab. He instructed his agents to carry out his command faithfully.

8The destroyer will move against every city,and not one town will escape.The valley will also be ruined,and the high plain will be destroyed,as the LORD has said.
9Put salt on Moab,for she will be laid waste;her cities will become desolate,with no one to dwell in them.10Cursed is the one who is remissin doing the work of the LORD,and cursed is he who withholdshis sword from bloodshed.
Moab enjoyed a long history of peace and...

Moab enjoyed a long history of peace and a culture its people valued greatly. Moab had many vineyards. After squeezing the grape juice, they stored the wine in clay flasks until it became fragrant and smooth.

11Moab has been at ease from youth,settled like wine on its dregs;he has not been poured from vessel to vesselor gone into exile.So his flavor has remained the same,and his aroma is unchanged.12Therefore behold, the days are coming,declares the LORD,when I will send to him wanderers,who will pour him out.They will empty his vesselsand shatter his jars.13Then Moab will be ashamed of Chemosh,just as the house of Israel was ashamedwhen they trusted in Bethel.
14How can you say, ‘We are warriors,mighty men ready for battle’?15Moab has been destroyedand its towns have been invaded;the best of its young menhave gone down in the slaughter,declares the King,whose name is the LORD of Hosts.16Moab’s calamity is at hand,and his affliction is rushing swiftly.17Mourn for him, all you who surround him,everyone who knows his name;tell how the mighty scepter is shattered—the glorious staff!
Dibon and nearby Aroer were important cities in...

Dibon and nearby Aroer were important cities in Moab.

18Come down from your glory; sit on parched ground,O daughter dwelling in Dibon,for the destroyer of Moab has come against you;he has destroyed your fortresses.19Stand by the road and watch,O dweller of Aroer!Ask the man fleeing or the woman escaping,‘What has happened?’20Moab is put to shame, for it has been shattered.Wail and cry out!Declare by the Arnonthat Moab is destroyed.
Eleven Moabite villages would soon learn that Moab's...

Eleven Moabite villages would soon learn that Moab's military strength was broken. This meant the villages had no defense against the advancing enemy.

21Judgment has come upon the high plain—upon Holon, Jahzah, and Mephaath,22upon Dibon, Nebo, and Beth-diblathaim,23upon Kiriathaim, Beth-gamul, and Beth-meon,24upon Kerioth, Bozrah, and all the towns of Moab,those far and near.
25The horn of Moab has been cut off,and his arm is broken,”declares the LORD.
Moab hated Israel because they opposed the Lord.

Moab hated Israel because they opposed the Lord.

26“Make him drunk,because he has magnified himself against the LORD;so Moab will wallow in his own vomit,and he will also become a laughingstock.27Was not Israel your object of ridicule?Was he ever found among thieves?For whenever you speak of himyou shake your head.
28Abandon the towns and settle among the rocks,O dwellers of Moab!Be like a dovethat nests at the mouth of a cave.29We have heard of Moab’s pomposity,his exceeding pride and conceit,his proud arrogance and haughtiness of heart.30I know his insolence,”declares the LORD,“but it is futile.His boasting is as empty as his deeds.
31Therefore I will wail for Moab;I will cry out for all of Moab;I will moan for the men of Kir-heres.32I will weep for you, O vine of Sibmah,more than I weep for Jazer.Your tendrils have extended to the sea;they reach even to Jazer.The destroyer has descendedon your summer fruit and grape harvest.33Joy and gladness are removed from the orchardand from the fields of Moab.I have stopped the flow of wine from the presses;no one treads them with shouts of joy;their shouts are not for joy.
These verses describe the impact of the Lord's...
  • These verses describe the impact of the Lord's judgment on the Moabite people.

  • The Moabite towns mentioned were along small rivers flowing east into the Dead Sea.

34There is a cry from Heshbon to Elealeh;they raise their voices to Jahaz,from Zoar to Horonaim and Eglath-shelishiyah;for even the waters of Nimrim have dried up.
The Moabites showed their sorrow and grief through...

The Moabites showed their sorrow and grief through traditional actions. They shaved their heads and beards, cut their hands, and wore burlap clothing (Jeremiah 41:5; Job 1:20).

35In Moab, declares the LORD,I will bring an endto those who make offerings on the high placesand burn incense to their gods.36Therefore My heart laments like a flute for Moab;it laments like a flute for the men of Kir-heres,because the wealth they acquired has perished.
37For every head is shavedand every beard is clipped;on every hand is a gash,and around every waist is sackcloth.38On all the rooftops of Moaband in the public squares,everyone is mourning;for I have shattered Moab like an unwanted jar,”declares the LORD.39“How shattered it is! How they wail!How Moab has turned his back in shame!Moab has become an object of ridicule and horrorto all those around him.”

40For this is what the LORD says:

“Behold, an eagle swoops downand spreads his wings against Moab.41Kirioth has been taken,and the strongholds seized.In that day the heart of Moab’s warriorswill be like the heart of a woman in labor.42Moab will be destroyed as a nationbecause he vaunted himself against the LORD.
The people of Moab could not escape the...

The people of Moab could not escape the terror (Hebrew pakhad), traps (Hebrew pakhath), and snares (Hebrew pakh).

43Terror and pit and snare await you, O dweller of Moab,”declares the LORD.44“Whoever flees the panicwill fall into the pit,and whoever climbs from the pitwill be caught in the snare.For I will bring upon Moabthe year of their punishment,”declares the LORD.45“Those who flee will stand helpless in Heshbon’s shadow,because fire has gone forth from Heshbonand a flame from within Sihon.It devours the foreheads of Moaband the skulls of the sons of tumult.46Woe to you, O Moab!The people of Chemosh have perished;for your sons have been taken into exileand your daughters have gone into captivity.47Yet in the latter days I will restore Moab from captivity,”declares the LORD.

Here ends the judgment on Moab.