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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadPaul Kretzmann Commentary - Jeremiah 48:36 - 48:47
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Lamentation over Moab
v. 36. Therefore mine heart shall sound for Moab like pipes, sighing with the wailing sound of the flute, and mine heart shall sound like pipes for the men of Kir-heres, the chief stronghold of Moab, because the riches that he hath gotten are perished, literally, "because the remnant that they had gained, perished. " Because the judgment of destruction had struck Moab, therefore his heart was wailing so bitterly, and therefore also the wealth of Moab was lost.
v. 37. For every head shall be bald, shaved as a sign of deep grief, and every beard clipped, another evidence of mourning; upon all the hands shall be cuttings, incisions such as the heathen made in deep sorrow, and upon the loins sackcloth, the whole nation lamenting on account of the great losses which had come upon the entire land.
v. 38. There shall be lamentation generally, nothing but wailing, upon all the housetops of Moab, and in the streets thereof, both at home and abroad; for I have broken Moab like a vessel wherein is no pleasure, saith the Lord, like a worthless vase which is cast aside without so much as a backward glance.
v. 39. They shall howl, literally, "How is it broken!" saying, How is it broken down! How hath Moab turned the back with shame! no longer proud and insolent, but utterly broken in spirit. So shall Moab be a derision and a dismaying to all them about him, an object of scorn, mockery, and horror.
v. 40. For thus saith the Lord, Behold, he, namely, Nebuzar-adan, the captain of Nebuchadnezzar, shall fly as an eagle and shall spread his wings over Moab, to pounce upon them as a welcome prey, to tear them to pieces.
v. 41. Kerioth, Cf v. 24, is taken, and the strongholds are surprised, and the mighty men's hearts in Moab at that day shall be as the heart of a woman in her pangs, full of fear and terror.
v. 42. And Moab shall be destroyed from being a people, losing its identity among the nations, because he hath magnified himself against the Lord, and Jehovah resisteth the proud.
v. 43. Fear and the pit, used by the hunter of big game, and the snare, used by the fowler, shall be upon thee, O inhabitant of Moab, saith the Lord, some sort of catastrophe being sure to strike the proud and defiant people.
v. 44. He that fleeth from the fear, trying to escape the general horror, shall fall into the pit, and he that getteth up out of the pit shall be taken in the snare, one or the other of the calamities will be sure to catch him; for I will bring upon it, even upon Moab, the year of their visitation, saith the Lord.
v. 45. They that fled, the fugitives who escaped the slaughter, stood under the shadow of Heshbon because of the force, powerless in the face of the danger confronting them; but a fire shall come forth out of Heshbon, the city in which they hoped to find refuge, and a flame from the midst of Sihon, the ancient king of the Amorites, and shall devour the corner of Moab, so that it would be totally destroyed, and the crown of the head of the tumultuous ones, of the sons of warlike confusion. The prophet here applies the ancient hymn. Num_21:27-28, to the circumstances before him; for as in ancient times Sihon, king of the Amorites, came forth from his city, Heshbon, like a devouring flame, which consumed Moab, so the Chaldeans, starting from Heshbon, would descend upon the country of the Moabites and destroy their power.
v. 46. Woe be unto thee, O Moab! The people of Chemosh perisheth, the idolaters with their false god; for thy sons are taken captives, led away into prison, and thy daughters captives, dragged into exile.
v. 47. Yet will I bring again the captivity of Moab in the latter days, saith the Lord, the Messianic idea becoming evident in this promise of restoration. Thus far is the judgment of Moab. The Lord has His children even in the midst of a people which has rejected Him, which, for this reason, He is bound to punish according to His holiness. The Gospel-message has reached many Gentiles, and the Gospel-blessings have descended upon many persons outside of Israel according to the flesh.