The Book of the Prophet Jeremiah
Jeremiah 48
Chapter XLVIII · Vol. III, pp. 1290–1293
1 The judgment of Moab, 7 for their pride, 11 for their security, 14 for their carnal confidence, 26 and for their contempt of God and his people. 47 The restoration of Moab.
1 Against Moaba thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, bWoe unto Nebo! for it is spoiled; Kiriathaim is confounded and taken; Misgab1 is confounded and dismayed.2
B.C. cir. 605.
1 Or, the high place.
2 The reader will observe a close resemblance in both structure and language between this prophecy and that in Isaiah xv. and xvi. There is no reason to believe that Jeremiah copied from the older prophet. The fact seems to be, that as the Moabites now joined the Chaldeans in their invasion of Judæa, Jeremiah was divinely commissioned to repeat the prophetic judgment previously pronounced by Isaiah. Recent researches have shown that the prophecy has in every particular been fulfilled to the letter.—P.
a Is.xv.xvi.; 25.10. ch.25.9,21; 27.3. Eze.25.8-11. Am.2.1-3. Zep.2.8-11.
b Nu.32.37,38; 33.47. Is.15.2; 16.8,9. ver.21-24.
2 There shall be no more praise of Moab:3 in cHeshbon they have devised evil against it; come, and let us cut it off from being a nation: also thou shalt be cut down,4 O Madmen; the sword shall pursue5 thee.
3 Ad voice of crying shall be from Horonaim, spoiling and great destruction.
d Is.15.2-5,8; 16.7-11; 22.4. ch.4.20,21.
4 Moab is destroyed; her little ones6 have caused a cry to be heard.
6 Or, great ones, ch.25.34-36. All ranks and places shall terribly mourn and howl.
5 For in the going up of Luhith continual weeping7 shall go up; for in the going down of Horonaim the enemies have heard a cry of destruction.
A.M. cir. 3399. B.C. cir. 605.
7 Heb. weeping with weeping, Re.18.9.
6 Flee, save your lives,8 and be like the heath9 in the wilderness.1
8 Escape for your life, regardless of wealth.
9 Or, a naked tree, or destitute, ch.17.6; 51.6. Re.6.15. Job 30.3-7. Mar.13.14-16.
1 See note * below.
* The idea of utter isolation is here expressed. Nothing but entire separation from the home and haunts of man could save any of the inhabitants of Moab from death. This remarkable statement is illustrated by the situation of Moab, and the habits of all the dwellers in Syrian border-land. Moab was bounded on the east by the great desert of Arabia; and to this day when any invading force enters the territory of a transjordanic people, if unable to meet them in the field, they pack up their goods, collect their flocks and herds, and retire into the desert. This is the counsel given to the Moabites by the prophet.—P.
7 For because ethou hast trusted in thy works, and in thy treasures, thou shalt also be taken;2 and 3Chemosh4 shall go forth into captivity, with his gpriests and his princes together.
2 'Thy works,' i.e. probably fortifications and strongholds, which abounded in the country, and which it was supposed would be sufficient to resist the assaults of an enemy. 'Thy treasures,' by which the enemy might be bought off.—P.
3 Their god, Ju.11.24. Nu.21.29. Is.46.1,2. ch.43.12,13; 49.3.
4 See note ver. 46.
g ch.49.3.
8 And the spoiler5 shall come upon every city, hand no city shall escape; the valley also shall perish, and the plain6 shall be destroyed, as the LORD hath spoken.
5 ch.25.9; 6.26; 4.7,20, i.e. Chaldeans.
h Is.xv. xvi. ver.20-25. Eze.25.9. Zec.2.9.
6 'The plain,' in Hebrew Mishor, the proper name of the great plateau of Moab, which extends from the summit of the mountain range on the eastern shore of the Dead Sea to the Arabian desert. It is an undulating table-land, having an average elevation above the sea of nearly 3000 ft., and clothed with rich pastures. 'The valley' seems here to signify that section of the valley of the Jordan, on the east bank of the river, which was included in the territory of Moab.—P.
9 Givei wings unto Moab, that it may flee and get away: for jthe cities thereof shall be desolate, without any to dwell therein.7
10 Cursedk be he that doeth the work of the LORD deceitfully,8 and cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood.
k Ju.5.23. ch.50.25. 1 Ki.20.42. 1 Sa.15.3-9.
8 Or, negligently.
11 Moab hath been at ease9 from his youth, and he hath settled on his lees,1 and hath not been emptied from vessel to vessel, neither hath he gone into captivity:2 therefore his taste3 remained4 in him, and his scent is not changed.
12 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will send unto him 5wanderers,6 that shall cause him to wander, and shall empty his vessels, and break their bottles.
5 Chaldeans, ch.25.9,21; 27.3; 13.14; ver.8,15,18. They shall enslave them, and ruin their wealth and cities.
6 Wanderers. 'Tilters who shall tilt him down;' alluding to the practice of tilting vessels to draw off their contents.—C.
13 Andl Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Beth-el7 their confidence.
15 Moab is spoiled,8 and gone up out of her cities, and his chosen9 young men are gone down to the slaughter, saith othe King, pwhose name is the LORD of hosts.
16 The calamity of Moab qis near1 to come, and his affliction hasteth fast.
1 It is most probable that the invasion of Nebuchadnezzar, the ruin of the cities, and the captivity of the inhabitants of Moab, took place in the days of Zedekiah.—C.
q Is.13.22. 2 Pe.2.3. Eze.12.22-28. De.32.35. 1 Th.5.3.
17 Allr ye that are about him, bemoan him; and all ye that know his name, say, sHow is the strong staff broken, and the beautiful rod!
r Is.15.8. Re.18.9,18.
s Is.14.4,5,12; 9.4; 10.5. ver.39. Eze.19.12-14.
18 Thou tdaughter that dost inhabit Dibon, come down from thy glory, and sit in thirst; for the spoiler of Moab shall come upon thee, and he shall destroy thy strong holds.
19 O inhabitant2 of uAroer, stand by the way, and espy; vask him that fleeth, and her that escapeth, and say, What is done?
20 Moabx is confounded; for it is broken down: howl and cry; tell ye it in yArnon, that Moab is spoiled,
21 And judgment is come upon the zplain country;3 upon aHolon, and upon bJahazah, and upon Mephaath,
23 And upon dKiriathaim, and upon Beth-gamul, and upon Beth-meon,
d ver.1. Nu.32.37,38. Is.15.2.
24 And upon eKerioth, and upon gBozrah, and upon all the cities of the land of Moab, far or near.4
e ver.41. Am.2.2.
g Not that ch.49.13. Is.63.1, but De.4.43. Jos.21.36.
4 The whole of the extensive region which, at one time or another, was under the dominion of Moab, is here included in the sweeping denunciation of the prophet. The proper territory of Moab lay immediately upon the eastern border of the Dead Sea, bounded on the north by Ammon, and on the south by Edom; but in prosperous times, during the internal conflicts of Israel, the Moabites conquered the extensive plain extending east of Gilead as far as the southern border of Bashan. Some of the cities here named lay in that plain, such as Beth-gamul, Kerioth, and Bozrah.—P.
25 Theh horn of Moab is cut off, and his iarm is broken, saith the LORD.
h Ps.75.4,5,10. Job 22.9. Ps.10.15; 37.17.
i Eze.30.21.
26 Makej ye him drunken: for he kmagnified himself against the LORD: Moab also lshall wallow in his vomit, and he also nshall be in derision.
27 For owas not Israel a derision unto thee? was he found among thieves?5 for since thou spakest of him, thou skippedst6 for joy.
28 O ye that dwell in Moab, leave the 7cities, and dwell in the rock, and be like the dove that maketh her nest in the sides of the hole's mouth.
29 We have heard the pride of Moab, (he is exceeding proud,)8 his loftiness, and his arrogancy, and his pride, and the haughtiness of his heart.
31 Thereforeq will I howl for Moab, and I will cry out for all Moab; mine heart shall mourn for the men of Kir-heres.
q Is.15.2-5,8; 16.7-11.
32 Or vine of Sibmah, I will weep for thee with the weeping of Jazer: thy plants are gone over the sea, they reach even to the ssea of Jazer: tthe spoiler is fallen upon thy summer fruits, and upon thy vintage.
33 And ujoy and gladness is taken from the plentiful field, and from the land of Moab; and I have caused wine to fail from the wine-presses: none shall tread with shouting; their shouting vshall be no shouting.2
v ch.51.14. Re.18.9,10. ch.4.20,21.
2 Their shouting shall not be of plenty and joy, but of ruin and woe.—C.
34 From the cry of Heshbon even unto 3Elealeh, and even unto Jahaz, have they uttered their voice, from Zoar even unto Horonaim, as an heifer of three years old; for the waters also of Nimrim shall be desolate.4
3 ver.2,15. Is.15.4-6. ch.46.20. The whole country is filled with outcries and howling.
4 Heb. desolations.
35 Moreover, I will cause to cease in Moab, saith the LORD, xhim that offereth in the high places, and him that burneth incense to his gods.
36 Thereforey mine heart shall sound for Moab like pipes, and mine heart shall sound like pipes for the men of Kir-heres: because zthe riches that he hath gotten are perished.
37 For aevery head shall be bald, and every beard clipped:5 upon all the hands shall be cuttings; and upon the loins sackcloth.
a Is.15.2,3. ch.41.5; 47.5; 16.6. Eze.5.1,11. Ge.37.29,34.
5 Heb. diminished.
38 There shall be lamentation generally bupon all the house-tops of Moab, and in the streets thereof: for I have broken Moab like ca vessel wherein is no pleasure, saith the LORD.
39 They shall howl, saying, dHow is it broken down! how hath Moab turned the back6 with shame! so eshall Moab be a derision and a dismaying to all them about him.
40 For thus saith the LORD, Behold, he7 shall fly as an eagle,8 and shall spread his wings over Moab.
41 Kerioth is9 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.1
42 And Moab shall be destroyed gfrom being a people, because hhe hath magnified himself against the LORD.
44 Hej that fleeth from the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that getteth up out of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for I will bring upon it, even upon Moab, kthe year of their visitation, saith the LORD.
45 They that fled stood under the shadow of Heshbon, because of the force: but la fire shall come forth out of Heshbon, and a flame from the midst of Sihon, and shall devour the corner of Moab, and the crown of the head of the tumultuous ones.2
46 Woen be unto thee, O Moab! the people of Chemosh3 perisheth: for thy sons are taken captives,4 and thy daughters captives.
n Nu.21.29. ver.1,7.
3 Chemosh was the national deity of the Moabites. The idol was the representative of one of the heavenly bodies—some say the planet Saturn, others Mars. The idea set forth in this prophecy, is that instead of being able to defend the people and country, the very idol in which they trusted would have to be carried away with them into captivity.—P.
4 Heb. in captivity.
Notes
Ver. 1. Moab. So called from Moab the son of Lot. It is bounded on the west by the Dead Sea, on the south by Midian, on the north by the river Arnon, and on the east by the deserts of Arabia. The Israelites were expressly forbidden to injure the Moabites, De. 2. 9; but this forbearance was repaid not only with inhospitality, but malice; for the Moabites hired Balaam to curse Israel, and joined with the Midianites in enticing them to sin, Nu. xxi. xxiv.; De. 23. 2. During the period of the judges, Moab held Israel in bondage for eighteen years, from which they were delivered by Ehud, Ju. iii. Moab was completely subdued by David; but, during the decline of the kingdom of Israel, they regained their independence, and seized on the greater part of the possessions of the tribe of Reuben, 2 Ki. 13. 20. After an invasion by Shalmanezer, Is. xv. xvi.; Am. 2. 1, Moab soon regained its strength, and became one of the most flourishing kingdoms of Asia. It was sadly devastated by Nebuchadnezzar, who carried into captivity the greater number of its inhabitants, 2 Ki. 24. 2; Eze. xxv. After various recoveries and disasters, it fell under the power of the Romans, and the whole country is studded with relics of that extinct empire. The natural fertility of the soil is nearly unparalleled, yet the whole country is a desert—a national monument of God's judgments upon national sins. See ver. 9. C.
Ver. 21. Holon, &c. These are the names of cities of Moab, some of them not elsewhere mentioned. It is stated by travellers that in no country of Europe are the towns and villages so numerous as the ruins that are scattered over Moab. C.
Ver. 26. Make ye him drunken—not 'with wine, wherein is excess;' for that is forbidden of God—but judicially condemn him to drink of the intoxicating draught of his own pride and vanity, ver. 29, and the cup of God's judgment against these rebellions of the heart. C.
Ver. 27. The people of one nation often take pleasure in deriding the people of another; and seem to think that by lowering their neighbours they are elevating themselves. The subject of this derision may be religion, government, poverty, dress, language, history, national peculiarities and habits, however inoffensive; nay, industry, riches, and comforts, can be turned into ridicule by those who envy what they are too ignorant or too idle to attain. The Moabites, by perverting history, seem to have ridiculed the Israelites as 'thieves,' and to have expressed that malignant joy at their disasters which is the surest evidence of a weak understanding and a bad heart; and the certain forerunner of that divine judgment against private or public malice which prophecy occasionally reveals as a warning, but which providence always inflicts as a part of God's uniform and unalterable government. C.
Ver. 30. His lies shall not so effect his evil purposes, nor enable him to gratify his malignant and causeless wrath. The probability is, that the Moabites had been active in misrepresenting the Jews to the Chaldeans. C.
Ver. 32. Thy plants are gone over the sea. Thy people are carried captive beyond the sea, but to what place is unknown; the word translated 'sea' being applicable to the ocean, the Mediterranean, the Red Sea, the Dead Sea, or to any considerable lake of fresh water. C.
Ver. 34. Three years old, as the date of maturity, and the consequent emblem of perfection, was the age required by Jehovah for every animal of the covenant-sacrifice with Abraham, Ge. 15. 9; of which sacrifice the 'heifer' was the first. It is therefore not probable that the allusion is, as Blayney supposes, to a heifer 'lowing after her lost calf'—for such instinctive language of maternal affection is not peculiar to any age; but to an animal devoted to sacrifice, as Moab was to divine judgment. C.
Ver. 36. There are two views of every national calamity. (1) As it is the effect of God's judgment. (2) As it is the work of Satan's malice. Viewed in the first aspect, the believer always acquiesces, frequently rejoices; viewed in the second, he always acquiesces, but often weeps. Thus our Lord wept over Jerusalem at the very moment he announced her doom. Thus the prophet condemns Moab for her sins, but weeps over the ruin her sins are about to accomplish. C.
Ver. 38. House-tops of Moab. The roofs of eastern houses being generally flat, the 'house-top' served as a principal apartment for the assembling of families. C.
Ver. 42. Magnified himself. Set up his own opinion—calling it 'reason'—in opposition to God's revelation; his idols, made by his own hands, in opposition to God's worship; and his own appetites and passions, in opposition to God's law. C.
Ver. 47. Whether this prophecy has yet received any accomplishment is uncertain; but, most probably, the humane policy of Cyrus would extend beyond the Jews to other captives. Its full accomplishment, however, is still future, and waits for the time when 'the kingdoms of this world shall (all) become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ,' Re. 11. 15. C.
Reflections.—God is the author and manager of all the awful judgments executed upon nations or persons. And with tremendous exactness, activity, and fury, his agents perform their work. Such as could not be ashamed out of their idolatry by his word must be made ashamed of it by his rod, and be convinced by experience that their idols cannot help them. Long outward prosperity is a snare to men's souls; and by it wicked men encourage themselves to more ungodliness. When men enjoy their good things here, they have none to expect in eternity. When God has borne long with sinful nations, they may expect calamities, surprising, terrible, lamentable, shameful, and complicated, but all of them righteous. And it is of infinite mercy if they issue not in everlasting destruction. Nor need presumptuous mockers of God and his people to wonder if their bands be made strong, or if their presumption become the prelude of their ruin.