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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadPaul Kretzmann Commentary - Jeremiah 48:1 - 48:15
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The Coming Devastation of Moab Described
v. 1. Against Moab. Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Woe unto Nebo! an important city in Southwestern Moabitis. For it is spoiled, laid waste by the enemies; Kiriathaim, another ancient city of the country, is confounded and taken; Misgab, literally, "the citadel," probably Kir-Moab, the strongest fort of the Moabites, or a general expression denoting the overthrow of Moab's power, is confounded and dismayed.
v. 2. There shall be no more praise of Moab, literally, "Not is there any more boasting of Moab," that is, Moab no longer has cause for praising herself; in Heshbon they have devised evil against it, this ancient capital of the Amorites, almost directly opposite Jericho, being in the hands of the invaders, who were there making plans for further humiliating Moab, Come and let us cut it off from being a nation! Moab, although repeatedly tributary to the kingdom of Israel, especially under David and Solomon, nevertheless retained its national organization and finally regained its independence, even to the extent of joining in an attack on Judah. But this glory would now be definitely ended. Also thou shalt be cut down, O Madmen, another city of Moab; the sword shall pursue thee, to bring slaughter and destruction to its inhabitants.
v. 3. A voice of crying shall be from Horonaim, a village east of the Dead Sea, spoiling and great destruction, the town sinking into ruins.
v. 4. Moab, that is, Ar-Moab, the ancient capital of the land, is destroyed; her little ones have caused a cry to be heard, her citizens giving voice to the distress which they felt.
v. 5. For in the going up of Luhith, a town in the hilly section south of the Arnon, continual weeping shall go up; for in the going down of Horonaim, which lay in the plain, the enemies have heard a cry of destruction. As the enemy advances from the north, the inhabitants of Moab, weeping bitterly over the devastation of their cities, flee over the heights of Luhith and down the long incline toward Horonaim to save their lives if possible.
v. 6. Flee! so the cry goes forth to them, save your lives and be like the heath in the wilderness, like forsaken ones, like those stripped of everything out in the desert, that being Moab's eventual lot.
v. 7. For because thou hast trusted in thy works and in thy treasures, in her successful undertakings and the wealth which she had thereby amassed, thou shalt also be taken, the land subdued and its inhabitants led away into captivity; and Chemosh, the chief idol of the Moabites, worshiped chiefly as the god of war, shall go forth into captivity with his priests and his princes together, both the spiritual and the temporal rulers of the country included in the judgment of Jehovah.
v. 8. And the spoiler shall come upon every city, and no city shall escape, all of them being doomed to ruin and their inhabitants to slaughter and captivity; the valley also shall perish, that is, the inhabitants of the lowlands near the Jordan, and the plain shall be destroyed, the plateau which extended from the Arnon toward the north and northeast beyond what had been Rabbath-Ammon, as the Lord hath spoken.
v. 9. Give wings unto Moab that it may flee and get away, on account of the suddenness of the calamity which was threatening; for the cities thereof shall be desolate, without any to dwell therein.
v. 10. Cursed be he that doeth the work of the Lord deceitfully, being negligent in carrying out the judgment of God upon Moab, and cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood, the invader charged with the slaughter of Moab.
v. 11. Moab hath been at ease from his youth, never really having suffered the reverses which fell to the lot of some other nations, and he hath settled on his lees, like poor wine which turns to vinegar after long standing, and hath not been emptied from vessel to vessel, neither hath he gone into captivity. Because the people of Moab had not suffered the calamities which befell some other nations because they had not been tried out by repeated exiles, their character had become harsh and supercilious. Therefore his taste remained in him, and his scent is not changed, his bearing toward other nations, and particularly against the children of Israel, had remained the same throughout the centuries.
v. 12. Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will send unto him wanderers, literally, "pourers-out," the Hebrew word being used of men who handled wine-kegs and skins, especially in transferring or transfusing wine from one vessel to another and thereby separating it from the lees, that shall cause him to wander, tilting him up and pouring him out, and shall empty his vessels and break their bottles, dash his dishes in pieces. The conquerors would not only lead the Moabites away into exile, but would also destroy their national organization.
v. 13. And Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, getting evidence of the powerlessness and utter vanity of their chief idol, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel, their confidence, finding out to their sorrow that the golden calf was a vain idol.
v. 14. How say ye, We are mighty and strong men for the war? Moab would no longer boast of its courage and strength, because terror would possess every heart.
v. 15. Moab, as a result of this attitude, is spoiled and gone up out of her cities, or, "men go up," that is, they take her cities, and his chosen young men, the soldiers of the country, are gone down to the slaughter, saith the King, whose name is the Lord of hosts, the one supreme Ruler of the whole world. Before Him all nations must finally bow, either in meek submission, which accepts His rule, or in the subjection of terror, which fawns before the Victor.