King James Version
Jeremiah 48
47 verses with commentary
Prophecy Against Moab
Against Moab thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Woe unto Nebo! for it is spoiled: Kiriathaim is confounded and taken: Misgab is confounded and dismayed. Misgab: or, the high place
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Against Moab</strong> (אֶל־מוֹאָב)—this oracle targets Israel's eastern neighbor, descendants of Lot's incestuous relationship (Genesis 19:37). The threefold judgment on <strong>Nebo, Kiriathaim,</strong> and <strong>Misgab</strong> demonstrates Yahweh's sovereignty over pagan high places. Nebo (נְבוֹ), ironically named after a Babylonian deity, <strong>is spoiled</strong> (שֻׁדָּדָה shuda...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
XLVIII.
(1) **Against Moab thus saith the Lord of hosts . . .**—Better, with a different punctuation, *Concerning Moab *(this being the title of the section), *Thus saith the Lord of hosts. *In the long prophecy that follows Jeremiah in part follows in the wake of “the burden of Moab” in Isaiah 15, 16, entering even more fully into geographical details. (See Notes there.) The relations between Moa...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**3. little ones--**rather, "their inferiors," that is, domestics.
**pits--**cisterns for collecting rain water, often met with in the East where there are no springs.
**covered ... heads--**(2Sa 15:30). A sign of humiliation and mourning.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 48
The Jews reproved for their idolatry. (Is. 48:1-8) Yet deliverance is promised them. (Is. 48:9-15) Solemn warnings of judgment upon those who persisted in evil. (Is. 48:16-22)
**Verses 1-8** The Jews valued themselves on descent from Jacob, and used the name of Jehovah as their God. They prided themselves respecting Jerusalem and the temple, yet there was no holiness in their live...
Read full commentary →There shall be no more praise of Moab: in Heshbon they have devised evil against it; come, and let us cut it off from being a nation. Also thou shalt be cut down, O Madmen; the sword shall pursue thee. be cut: or, be brought to silence pursue: Heb. go after thee
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>There shall be no more praise of Moab</strong> (אֵין־עוֹד תְּהִלַּת מוֹאָב)—the Hebrew <em>tehillat</em> (praise/glory) is the same root used in Psalms. Moab's renown will cease entirely. In <strong>Heshbon</strong> (חֶשְׁבּוֹן), ironically meaning 'stronghold' or 'device,' enemies <strong>devise evil</strong> (חָשְׁבוּ רָעָה)—a wordplay showing that the city of 'devising' becomes the plac...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(2) **There shall be no more praise of Moab.—**The self-glorifying boasts of Moab (of which the Moabite Inscription discovered at Dibân in 1868 is a conspicuous instance, see Ginsburg’s *Moabite Stone *and *Records of the Past, xi.* p. 163) seem to have been almost proverbial (Jeremiah 48:29; Isaiah 16:6). Heshbon (the city is perhaps chosen on account of the similarity of sound with the word for ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 48
The Jews reproved for their idolatry. (Is. 48:1-8) Yet deliverance is promised them. (Is. 48:9-15) Solemn warnings of judgment upon those who persisted in evil. (Is. 48:16-22)
**Verses 1-8** The Jews valued themselves on descent from Jacob, and used the name of Jehovah as their God. They prided themselves respecting Jerusalem and the temple, yet there was no holiness in their live...
Read full commentary →A voice of crying shall be from Horonaim, spoiling and great destruction.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>A voice of crying</strong> (קוֹל צְעָקָה qol tze'aqah)—not mere weeping but the anguished shriek of catastrophe, the same Hebrew word used for Israel's cry in Egyptian bondage (Exodus 3:7). From <strong>Horonaim</strong> (חֹרֹנַיִם, 'two hollows'), a city in Moab's southern ravines, comes a lament of <strong>spoiling and great destruction</strong> (שֹׁד וָשֶׁבֶר גָּדוֹל shod vashever gadol...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(3) **Horonaim**—literally, *the two caverns, *or the two Horons—may imply, like other dual names of towns, that there was an upper and a lower city. It is mentioned in Isaiah 15:5, but has not been identified.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
5. The brute creation is reduced to the utmost extremity for the want of food. The "hind," famed for her affection to her young, abandons them.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 48
The Jews reproved for their idolatry. (Is. 48:1-8) Yet deliverance is promised them. (Is. 48:9-15) Solemn warnings of judgment upon those who persisted in evil. (Is. 48:16-22)
**Verses 1-8** The Jews valued themselves on descent from Jacob, and used the name of Jehovah as their God. They prided themselves respecting Jerusalem and the temple, yet there was no holiness in their live...
Read full commentary →Moab is destroyed; her little ones have caused a cry to be heard.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Moab is destroyed</strong> (נִשְׁבְּרָה מוֹאָב nishberah Moav)—the verb <em>shabar</em> means broken, shattered like pottery. This is irreparable destruction, not mere defeat. The pathos intensifies with <strong>her little ones have caused a cry to be heard</strong> (הִשְׁמִיעוּ צְעָקָה צְעִירֶיהָ hishmi'u tze'aqah tze'eireiha). The word <em>tze'irim</em> refers to small children or young ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(4) **Her little ones.**—The Hebrew adjective is the same as the Zoar, the little one, of Genesis 19:20, and that city may probably have been, as in Isaiah 15:5, in the prophet’s mind. In any case the “little ones” are cities, and not children.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**6. wild asses--**They repair to "the high places" most exposed to the winds, which they "snuff in" to relieve their thirst.
**dragons--**jackals [Henderson].
**eyes--**which are usually most keen in detecting grass or water from the "heights," so much so that the traveller guesses from their presence that there must be herbage and water near; but now "their eyes fail." Rather the reference i...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 48
The Jews reproved for their idolatry. (Is. 48:1-8) Yet deliverance is promised them. (Is. 48:9-15) Solemn warnings of judgment upon those who persisted in evil. (Is. 48:16-22)
**Verses 1-8** The Jews valued themselves on descent from Jacob, and used the name of Jehovah as their God. They prided themselves respecting Jerusalem and the temple, yet there was no holiness in their live...
Read full commentary →For in the going up of Luhith continual weeping shall go up; for in the going down of Horonaim the enemies have heard a cry of destruction. continual: Heb. weeping with weeping
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>In the going up of Luhith</strong> (בְּמַעֲלֵה הַלּוּחִית bema'aleh haLuhit)—<em>ma'aleh</em> refers to an ascending path or stairway, while Luhith (possibly meaning 'tablet-place') was a mountain ascent south of Horonaim. <strong>Continual weeping shall go up</strong> (בְּבֶכִי יַעֲלֶה־בֶּכִי bevki ya'aleh-veki)—the Hebrew literally repeats 'weeping' for emphasis: 'with weeping, weeping g...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(5) **In the going up of Luhith.**—Here again we have an echo from Isaiah 15:5. Jerome (*Onomast. s.v. Luith*) describes it as between Zoar and Areopolis (= Rabbath-Moab). The ascent was probably to a local sanctuary. A various reading, *Laboth, *followed by the LXX., gives the meaning “the ascent of planks,” as though it were a wooden staircase. Alike in that and in the descent from Horonaim (pos...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**7. do thou it--**what we beg of Thee; interpose to remove the drought. Jeremiah pleads in the name of his nation (Psa 109:21). So "work for us," absolutely used (1Sa 14:6).
**for thy name's sake--**"for our backslidings are so many" that we cannot urge Thee for the sake of our doings, but for the glory of Thy name; lest, if Thou give us not aid, it should be said it was owing to Thy want of po...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 48
The Jews reproved for their idolatry. (Is. 48:1-8) Yet deliverance is promised them. (Is. 48:9-15) Solemn warnings of judgment upon those who persisted in evil. (Is. 48:16-22)
**Verses 1-8** The Jews valued themselves on descent from Jacob, and used the name of Jehovah as their God. They prided themselves respecting Jerusalem and the temple, yet there was no holiness in their live...
Read full commentary →Flee, save your lives, and be like the heath in the wilderness. the heath: or, a naked tree
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Flee, save your lives</strong> (נֻסוּ מַלְּטוּ נַפְשְׁכֶם nusu maletu nafshechem)—two imperative verbs: <em>nus</em> (flee, escape) and <em>malet</em> (deliver, save). The urgency is unmistakable: abandon everything and run. <strong>Be like the heath in the wilderness</strong> (וִהְיֶינָה כַּעֲרוֹעֵר בַּמִּדְבָּר vihyeynah ka'aro'er bamidbar)—the Hebrew <em>aro'er</em> refers to a scraggly...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(6) **Be like the heath in the wilderness.**—Here, as in Jeremiah 17:6, the stunted solitary shrub in the desert is taken as the type of desolation. The LXX., which adopts the meaning in Jeremiah 17:6, here strangely enough gives “as a wild ass in the wilderness.” Psalm 11:1 gives us an example of a like comparison. Here probably there is, as before, a paronomasia on the name of the Moabite city A...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
8. The reference is, not to the faith of Israel which had almost ceased, but to the promise and everlasting covenant of God. None but the true Israel make God their "hope." (Jr 17:13).
**turneth aside to tarry--**The traveller cares little for the land he tarries but a night in; but Thou hast promised to dwell always in the midst of Thy people (2Ch 33:7, 8). Maurer translates, "spreadeth," namel...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 48
The Jews reproved for their idolatry. (Is. 48:1-8) Yet deliverance is promised them. (Is. 48:9-15) Solemn warnings of judgment upon those who persisted in evil. (Is. 48:16-22)
**Verses 1-8** The Jews valued themselves on descent from Jacob, and used the name of Jehovah as their God. They prided themselves respecting Jerusalem and the temple, yet there was no holiness in their live...
Read full commentary →For because thou hast trusted in thy works and in thy treasures, thou shalt also be taken: and Chemosh shall go forth into captivity with his priests and his princes together.
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KJV Study Commentary
Moab's trust in works and treasures led to downfall. The Hebrew 'ma'asim' (works) and 'otzerot' (treasures) represent human achievement and accumulated wealth - the twin pillars of self-reliance. God declares these insufficient - Chemosh (Moab's god) will go into captivity with his people. This echoes biblical warnings against trusting riches (Ps 49:6-7, 1 Tim 6:17) and works-righteousness (Eph 2:...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(7) **Chemosh shall go forth into captivity.**—The name appears as that of the national deity of Moab in Numbers 21:29, as worshipped also by the Ammonites in Judges 11:24. Solomon introduced and Josiah abolished his worship at Jerusalem (1Kings 11:7; 2Kings 23:13). He is identified by Jerome (*Comm. *on Isaiah 15:2) with the Baal-peor of Numbers 25:3. The name is prominent in the Moabite Inscript...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**9. astonied--**like a "mighty man," at other times able to help (Is 59:1), but now stunned by a sudden calamity so as to disappoint the hopes drawn from him.
**art in the midst of us--**(Ex 29:45, 46; Le 26:11, 12).
**called by thy name--**(Da 9:18, 19) as Thine own peculiar people (De 9:29).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 48
The Jews reproved for their idolatry. (Is. 48:1-8) Yet deliverance is promised them. (Is. 48:9-15) Solemn warnings of judgment upon those who persisted in evil. (Is. 48:16-22)
**Verses 1-8** The Jews valued themselves on descent from Jacob, and used the name of Jehovah as their God. They prided themselves respecting Jerusalem and the temple, yet there was no holiness in their live...
Read full commentary →And the spoiler shall come upon every city, and no city shall escape: the valley also shall perish, and the plain shall be destroyed, as the LORD hath spoken.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>The spoiler shall come upon every city</strong> (וַיָּבֹא שׁוֹדֵד אֶל־כָּל־עִיר vayavo shoded el-kol-ir)—the <em>shoded</em> (destroyer, plunderer) is likely Nebuchadnezzar's army, but functions as Yahweh's agent of judgment. <strong>No city shall escape</strong> (וְעִיר לֹא תִמָּלֵט ve'ir lo timmalet)—total, comprehensive devastation. The threefold target follows: <strong>the valley</stro...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(8) **The valley also shall perish . . .**—The cities of “the plain” are enumerated in Jeremiah 48:21-24. They belonged to the Arabah, the sunken valley of the Jordan, the “plains of Moab” of Numbers 22:1; Deuteronomy 3:10; Deuteronomy 4:43. The “valley” here is not connected with anything that helps us to identify it, but it may have been that of the Arnon, or the words may be used generically fo...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
10. Jehovah's reply to the prayer (Jr 14:7-9; Jr 2:23-25).
**Thus--**So greatly.
**loved--**(Jr 5:31).
**not refrained ... feet--**They did not obey God's command; "withhold thy foot" (Jr 2:25), namely, from following after idols.
**remember ... iniquity--**(Ho 8:13; 9:9). Their sin is so great, God must punish them.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 48
The Jews reproved for their idolatry. (Is. 48:1-8) Yet deliverance is promised them. (Is. 48:9-15) Solemn warnings of judgment upon those who persisted in evil. (Is. 48:16-22)
**Verses 1-8** The Jews valued themselves on descent from Jacob, and used the name of Jehovah as their God. They prided themselves respecting Jerusalem and the temple, yet there was no holiness in their live...
Read full commentary →Give wings unto Moab, that it may flee and get away: for the cities thereof shall be desolate, without any to dwell therein.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Give wings unto Moab</strong> (תְּנוּ־צִיץ לְמוֹאָב tenu-tzitz leMoav)—the Hebrew <em>tzitz</em> can mean 'flower' or 'wing,' here used metaphorically for swift flight. The irony is palpable: Moab needs supernatural aid to escape the coming disaster. <strong>That it may flee and get away</strong> (כִּי תֵצֵא תֵּצֵא ki tetze tetze)—another Hebrew repetition for emphasis: 'surely it will go ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(9) **Give wings unto Moab . . .**—“No other prayer,” the prophet seems to say, in grave, stern irony, “is left but this. Resistance is hopeless. There is nothing left but to wish for the wings of a bird that safety may be found in flight.” (Comp. Ps. Iv. 6.)
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
11. (Jr 7:16; Ex 32:10).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 9-15** We have nothing ourselves to plead with God, why he should have mercy upon us. It is for his praise, to the honour of his mercy, to spare. His bringing men into trouble was to do them good. It was to refine them, but not as silver; not so thoroughly as men refine silver. If God should take that course, they are all dross, and, as such, might justly be put away. He takes them as ref...
Read full commentary →Cursed be he that doeth the work of the LORD deceitfully, and cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood. deceitfully: or, negligently
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KJV Study Commentary
'Cursed be he that doeth the work of the LORD deceitfully' warns against half-hearted obedience in executing God's purposes. The Hebrew 'remiyah' (deceitfully/negligently) suggests doing God's work carelessly or with mixed motives. Those called to implement God's judgment must do so thoroughly, not hesitantly. This applies broadly to all ministry - doing God's work requires wholehearted commitment...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(10) **Cursed be he . . .**—To the prophet the destruction of the tyrannous haughtiness was a righteous retribution in which he saw the work of Jehovah, and he could not wish that it should be done otherwise than effectually. The thought rests on the belief in the Divine government that works through war as well as through pestilence and famine (Jeremiah 25:31; Jeremiah 46:10). (Comp. like utteran...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**12. not hear--**because their prayers are hypocritical: their hearts are still idolatrous. God never refuses to hear real prayer (Jr 7:21, 22; Pr 1:28; Is 1:15; 58:3).
**sword ... famine ... pestilence--**the three sorest judgments at once; any one of which would be enough for their ruin (2Sa 24:12, 13).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 9-15** We have nothing ourselves to plead with God, why he should have mercy upon us. It is for his praise, to the honour of his mercy, to spare. His bringing men into trouble was to do them good. It was to refine them, but not as silver; not so thoroughly as men refine silver. If God should take that course, they are all dross, and, as such, might justly be put away. He takes them as ref...
Read full commentary →Moab hath been at ease from his youth, and he hath settled on his lees, and hath not been emptied from vessel to vessel, neither hath he gone into captivity: therefore his taste remained in him, and his scent is not changed. remained: Heb. stood
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KJV Study Commentary
Moab's problem was ease and complacency - 'settled on his lees' (like wine undisturbed, keeping sediment). Never having experienced exile or defeat, Moab grew stagnant and proud. God's people benefit from trials that disturb complacency and refine character (Rom 5:3-5, James 1:2-4). Constant prosperity often produces spiritual stagnation rather than growth.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(11) **He hath settled on his lees.**—The image, found also in Zephaniah 1:12, is drawn from the practice of pouring wine from one vessel into another to clarify it and improve its flavour. Wine not so treated retained its first crude bitterness. So, the prophet says, it is with nations. It is not good for them to remain too long in a prosperity which does but strengthen their natural arrogance. T...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
13. Jeremiah urges that much of the guilt of the people is due to the false prophets' influence.
**assured peace--**solid and lasting peace. Literally, "peace of truth" (Is 39:8).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 9-15** We have nothing ourselves to plead with God, why he should have mercy upon us. It is for his praise, to the honour of his mercy, to spare. His bringing men into trouble was to do them good. It was to refine them, but not as silver; not so thoroughly as men refine silver. If God should take that course, they are all dross, and, as such, might justly be put away. He takes them as ref...
Read full commentary →Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will send unto him wanderers, that shall cause him to wander, and shall empty his vessels, and break their bottles.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>I will send unto him wanderers, that shall cause him to wander</strong> (שָׁלַחְתִּי־לוֹ צֹעִים וְצֵעֻהוּ)—The Hebrew <em>tso'im</em> (wanderers/tilters) uses wine-making imagery: invaders will 'tilt' Moab like workers pouring wine from jar to jar, <strong>empty his vessels, and break their bottles</strong> (נִבְלֵיהֶם יְנַפֵּצוּ). Moab had been undisturbed like wine left on its sediment (...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
14. (Jr 23:21).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 9-15** We have nothing ourselves to plead with God, why he should have mercy upon us. It is for his praise, to the honour of his mercy, to spare. His bringing men into trouble was to do them good. It was to refine them, but not as silver; not so thoroughly as men refine silver. If God should take that course, they are all dross, and, as such, might justly be put away. He takes them as ref...
Read full commentary →And Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel their confidence.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh</strong> (וּבֹשׁ מוֹאָב מִכְּמוֹשׁ)—<em>Kemosh</em> was Moab's national deity (Numbers 21:29; 1 Kings 11:7), to whom children were sacrificed. <strong>As the house of Israel was ashamed of Beth-el their confidence</strong> (כַּאֲשֶׁר־בֹּשׁוּ בֵית־יִשְׂרָאֵל מִבֵּית אֵל מִבְטַחָם)—Jeremiah compares Chemosh's failure to defend Moab with Bethel's golden calf f...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(13) **Beth-el their confidence.**—The name of the sanctuary stands for the golden calf that was worshipped there as the symbol of Jehovah (1Kings 12:29; Amos 7:10). That worship had been put to shame in the captivity of the Ten Tribes. So also should it be with the Chemosh-worship of Moab.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
15. (Jr 5:12, 13).
**By sword and famine ... consumed--**retribution in kind both to the false prophets and to their hearers (Jr 14:16).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 9-15** We have nothing ourselves to plead with God, why he should have mercy upon us. It is for his praise, to the honour of his mercy, to spare. His bringing men into trouble was to do them good. It was to refine them, but not as silver; not so thoroughly as men refine silver. If God should take that course, they are all dross, and, as such, might justly be put away. He takes them as ref...
Read full commentary →How say ye, We are mighty and strong men for the war?
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>How say ye, We are mighty and strong men for the war?</strong> (אֵיךְ תֹּאמְרוּ גִּבּוֹרִים אֲנַחְנוּ וְאַנְשֵׁי־חַיִל לַמִּלְחָמָה)—Jeremiah's rhetorical question mocks Moabite military boasting. The Hebrew <em>gibborim</em> (mighty warriors) and <em>anshei-chayil</em> (men of valor) echo the self-confidence that preceded disaster. This recalls Goliath's taunts before David (1 Samuel 17) ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(14-17) **How say ye . . .**—In the boast that follows we trace the characteristic pride of Moab. The prophet points to the fact that the pride is brought low. She, too, is subject, like other nations, to invasion and defeat. He summons her people to wail for her overthrow. The “staff” is the sceptre of the ruler, as in Psalm 110:2. The “rod” is the stick with which a man walks (Genesis 32:10; Exo...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**16. none to bury--**(Psa 79:3).
**pour their wickedness--**that is, the punishment incurred by their wickedness (Jr 2:19).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 9-15** We have nothing ourselves to plead with God, why he should have mercy upon us. It is for his praise, to the honour of his mercy, to spare. His bringing men into trouble was to do them good. It was to refine them, but not as silver; not so thoroughly as men refine silver. If God should take that course, they are all dross, and, as such, might justly be put away. He takes them as ref...
Read full commentary →Moab is spoiled, and gone up out of her cities, and his chosen young men are gone down to the slaughter, saith the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts. his: Heb. the choice of
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Moab is spoiled, and gone up out of her cities</strong> (שָׁדַד מוֹאָב וְעָרֶיהָ עָלָה)—The verb <em>shadad</em> (devastated/plundered) announces total military defeat. <strong>His chosen young men are gone down to the slaughter</strong> (וּמִבְחַר בַּחוּרָיו יָרְדוּ לַטָּבַח)—Moab's elite warriors (<em>mivchar bachurav</em>, choice of young men) descend to <em>tabach</em> (slaughter), the...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
17. (Jr 9:1; La 1:16). Jeremiah is desired to weep ceaselessly for the calamities coming on his nation (called a "virgin," as being heretofore never under foreign yoke), (Is 23:4).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 9-15** We have nothing ourselves to plead with God, why he should have mercy upon us. It is for his praise, to the honour of his mercy, to spare. His bringing men into trouble was to do them good. It was to refine them, but not as silver; not so thoroughly as men refine silver. If God should take that course, they are all dross, and, as such, might justly be put away. He takes them as ref...
Read full commentary →The calamity of Moab is near to come, and his affliction hasteth fast.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>The calamity of Moab is near to come</strong> (קָרוֹב אֵיד־מוֹאָב לָבוֹא)—The Hebrew <em>eyd</em> (calamity/disaster) is imminent (<em>qarov</em>, near). <strong>And his affliction hasteth fast</strong> (וְאֵידוֹ מִהַר מְאֹד)—The verb <em>mahar</em> (hastens/hurries) emphasizes the urgency and inevitability of coming judgment. This echoes prophetic urgency throughout Scripture: 'The end ha...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**18. go about--**that is, shall have to migrate into a land of exile. Horsley translates, "go trafficking about the land (see Jr 5:31, Margin; 2Co 4:2; 2Pe 2:3), and take no knowledge" (that is, pay no regard to the miseries before their eyes) (Is 1:3; 58:3). If the literal sense of the Hebrew verb be retained, I would with English Version understand the words as referring to the exile to Babylon...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 16-22** The Holy Spirit qualifies for service; and those may speak boldly, whom God and his Spirit send. This is to be applied to Christ. He was sent, and he had the Spirit without measure. Whom God redeems, he teaches; he teaches to profit by affliction, and then makes them partakers of his holiness. Also, by his grace he leads them in the way of duty; and by his providence he leads in t...
Read full commentary →All ye that are about him, bemoan him; and all ye that know his name, say, How is the strong staff broken, and the beautiful rod!
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>All ye that are about him, bemoan him</strong> (נֹדוּ לוֹ כָּל־סְבִיבָיו)—Jeremiah calls neighboring nations to lament Moab's fall. <strong>How is the strong staff broken, and the beautiful rod!</strong> (אֵיכָה נִשְׁבַּר מַטֵּה־עֹז מַקֵּל תִּפְאָרָה)—The <em>matteh oz</em> (staff of strength) and <em>maqel tifʾarah</em> (rod of beauty/glory) symbolize royal authority and national splendor...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
19. The people plead with God, Jeremiah being forbidden to do so.
**no healing--**(Jr 15:18).
**peace ... no good--**(Jr 8:15).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 16-22** The Holy Spirit qualifies for service; and those may speak boldly, whom God and his Spirit send. This is to be applied to Christ. He was sent, and he had the Spirit without measure. Whom God redeems, he teaches; he teaches to profit by affliction, and then makes them partakers of his holiness. Also, by his grace he leads them in the way of duty; and by his providence he leads in t...
Read full commentary →Thou daughter 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.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Thou daughter that dost inhabit Dibon, come down from thy glory</strong> (יֹשֶׁבֶת בַּת־דִּיבוֹן רְדִי מִכָּבוֹד)—Dibon, Moab's capital where the Mesha Stele was discovered, must descend (<em>redi</em>) from <em>kavod</em> (glory/honor). <strong>And sit in thirst</strong> (וּשְׁבִי בַּצָּמָא)—The besieged city will lack water, a devastating reversal for the well-watered plateau. <strong>Fo...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(18) **Thou daughter that dost inhabit Dibon.—**Dibon is mentioned among the cities of Moab in Numbers 21:30; Isaiah 15:2, and as rebuilt by the Gadites in Numbers 33:45. It is prominent in the Moabite Stone inscription as a royal city. In the distribution of the conquered territory it fell to the lot of Reuben (Joshua 13:7; Joshua 13:9), but must afterwards have been retaken by Moab. The “strongh...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
20. (Da 9:8).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 16-22** The Holy Spirit qualifies for service; and those may speak boldly, whom God and his Spirit send. This is to be applied to Christ. He was sent, and he had the Spirit without measure. Whom God redeems, he teaches; he teaches to profit by affliction, and then makes them partakers of his holiness. Also, by his grace he leads them in the way of duty; and by his providence he leads in t...
Read full commentary →O inhabitant of Aroer, stand by the way, and espy; ask him that fleeth, and her that escapeth, and say, What is done? inhabitant: Heb. inhabitress
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>O inhabitant of Aroer, stand by the way, and espy</strong> (יֹשֶׁבֶת עֲרוֹעֵר עִמְדִי־דֶרֶךְ וְצַפִּי)—Aroer, on the Arnon River gorge, commanded the main southern route into Moab. Jeremiah tells residents to stand (<em>imdi</em>) and watch (<em>tsapi</em>, keep vigil). <strong>Ask him that fleeth, and her that escapeth, and say, What is done?</strong> (שַׁאֲלִי נָס וְנִמְלָטָה אִמְרִי מַה...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(19) **O inhabitant of Aroer.**—There seems to have been two cities of this name: one which had belonged first to the territory of Sihon, then to Reuben, then to Moab, on the north side of the Arnon (Deuteronomy 2:36; Deuteronomy 3:12; Deuteronomy 4:48; Joshua 12:2); another in the Ammonite territory belonging to Gad, near Rabbath-Ammon, in the valley of the Jabbok (Numbers 32:34; Joshua 13:25; Ju...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**21. us--**"the throne of Thy glory" may be the object of "abhor not" ("reject not"); or "Zion" (Jr 14:19).
**throne of thy glory--**Jerusalem, or, the temple, called God's "footstool" and "habitation" (1Ch 28:2; Psa 132:5).
**thy covenant--**(Psa 106:45; Da 9:19).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 16-22** The Holy Spirit qualifies for service; and those may speak boldly, whom God and his Spirit send. This is to be applied to Christ. He was sent, and he had the Spirit without measure. Whom God redeems, he teaches; he teaches to profit by affliction, and then makes them partakers of his holiness. Also, by his grace he leads them in the way of duty; and by his providence he leads in t...
Read full commentary →Moab is confounded; for it is broken down: howl and cry; tell ye it in Arnon, that Moab is spoiled,
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Moab is confounded; for it is broken down</strong> (הֹבִישׁ מוֹאָב כִּי־חַתָּה)—The verb <em>hovish</em> (put to shame/confounded) pairs with <em>chattah</em> (shattered/dismayed). <strong>Howl and cry; tell ye it in Arnon, that Moab is spoiled</strong> (הֵילִילוּ וְזַעֲקוּ הַגִּידוּ בְאַרְנוֹן כִּי שֻׁדַּד מוֹאָב)—The imperative verbs <em>heylilu</em> (wail/howl) and <em>zaʿaqu</em> (cry ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(20) **Tell ye it in Arnon.**—The name, which means a rushing stream, belonged to the chief river of Moab, now the *Mugab, *which rises in the Arabian mountains and flows into the Dead Sea. It appears in the war-song quoted, in Numbers 21:14, from the “Book of the Wars of the Lord,” and the “high places” on either side its course were crowned with the castles of the lords of Moab (Numbers 21:28). ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**22. vanities--**idols (De 32:21).
**rain--**(Zec 10:1, 2).
**heavens--**namely, of themselves without God (Mt 5:45; Ac 14:17); they are not the First Cause, and ought not to be deified, as they were by the heathen. The disjunctive "or" favors Calvin's explanation: "Not even the heavens themselves can give rain, much less can the idol vanities."
**art not thou he--**namely, who canst give r...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 16-22** The Holy Spirit qualifies for service; and those may speak boldly, whom God and his Spirit send. This is to be applied to Christ. He was sent, and he had the Spirit without measure. Whom God redeems, he teaches; he teaches to profit by affliction, and then makes them partakers of his holiness. Also, by his grace he leads them in the way of duty; and by his providence he leads in t...
Read full commentary →And judgment is come upon the plain country; upon Holon, and upon Jahazah, and upon Mephaath,
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And judgment is come upon the plain country</strong> (וּמִשְׁפָּט בָּא אֶל־אֶרֶץ הַמִּישֹׁר)—<em>Mishpat</em> (judgment/justice) arrives on <em>eretz hamishor</em> (the tableland/plateau), Moab's agricultural heartland. The catalog of cities (vv. 21-24) demonstrates judgment's comprehensiveness—no town escapes. <strong>Upon Holon, and upon Jahazah, and upon Mephaath</strong>—These three ci...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(21) **And judgment is come upon the plain country . . .**—We enter here upon a list of less known names, of which Jahaz, Beth-diblathaim, Beth-Baal-meon are found on the Moabite Stone inscription (*Records of the Past, xi.* 165-168). Holon does not appear elsewhere. Jahazah (under the form Jahaz) appears in Numbers 21:23; Deuteronomy 2:32; Judges 11:20, as the scene of a famous battle between Sih...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 16-22** The Holy Spirit qualifies for service; and those may speak boldly, whom God and his Spirit send. This is to be applied to Christ. He was sent, and he had the Spirit without measure. Whom God redeems, he teaches; he teaches to profit by affliction, and then makes them partakers of his holiness. Also, by his grace he leads them in the way of duty; and by his providence he leads in t...
Read full commentary →And upon Dibon, and upon Nebo, and upon Bethdiblathaim,
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And upon Dibon, and upon Nebo, and upon Beth-diblathaim</strong>—Dibon (v. 18) reappears in this catalog. <em>Nebo</em> (Mount Nebo, where Moses viewed Canaan, Deuteronomy 34:1) held religious significance as a high place for Moabite worship. The Mesha Stele records Moab's capture of Nebo from Israel. <em>Beth-diblathaim</em> (house of the double fig-cake) suggests agricultural prosperity ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(22) **Beth-diblathaim.**—The name signifies “the house of the double cake of figs,” and was, probably, applied to one of the more fertile districts of the Moabite country. In Numbers 33:46-47, the name Almon-diblathaim appears as one of the stations of the Israelites between Dibon and “the mountains of Abarim before Nebo,” and the conjunction of the names implies its identity with the place here ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 15 Jr 15:1-21. God's Reply to Jeremiah's Intercessory Prayer.
**1. Moses ... Samuel--**eminent in intercessions (Ex 32:11, 12; 1Sa 7:9; Psa 99:6).
**be toward--**could not be favorably inclined toward them.
**out of my sight--**God speaks as if the people were present before Him, along with Jeremiah.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 16-22** The Holy Spirit qualifies for service; and those may speak boldly, whom God and his Spirit send. This is to be applied to Christ. He was sent, and he had the Spirit without measure. Whom God redeems, he teaches; he teaches to profit by affliction, and then makes them partakers of his holiness. Also, by his grace he leads them in the way of duty; and by his providence he leads in t...
Read full commentary →And upon Kiriathaim, and upon Bethgamul, and upon Bethmeon,
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And upon Kiriathaim, and upon Beth-gamul, and upon Beth-meon</strong>—<em>Kiriathaim</em> (double city) was an ancient settlement conquered by Israel (Numbers 32:37). <em>Beth-gamul</em> (house of recompense) appears only here in Scripture. <em>Beth-meon</em> (house of habitation) is identified with Baal-meon (Numbers 32:38), showing the persistence of Baal worship in Moabite culture.<br><...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(23) **Kiriathaim.**—See Jeremiah 48:1.**
Beth-gamul.**—The place is not named in the earlier lists of Numbers 32:34-38 and Joshua 13:16-20. The name (=house of the camel) has a parallel in Gamala, and appears in the modern *Um-el-Jemal, *south of Buzrah, in the Haûran. This, however, lies out of the range of the *Mishor, *or “plain country,” to which the cities here enumerated belonged.
**Beth-me...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**2. death--**deadly plague (Jr 18:21; 43:11; Eze 5:2, 12; Zec 11:9).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 48
The Jews reproved for their idolatry. (Is. 48:1-8) Yet deliverance is promised them. (Is. 48:9-15) Solemn warnings of judgment upon those who persisted in evil. (Is. 48:16-22)
**Verses 1-8** The Jews valued themselves on descent from Jacob, and used the name of Jehovah as their God. They prided themselves respecting Jerusalem and the temple, yet there was no holiness in their live...
Read full commentary →And upon Kerioth, and upon Bozrah, and upon all the cities of the land of Moab, far or near.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And upon Kerioth, and upon Bozrah, and upon all the cities of the land of Moab, far or near</strong> (וְעַל־קְרִיּוֹת וְעַל־בָּצְרָה וְעַל כָּל־עָרֵי אֶרֶץ־מוֹאָב הָרְחֹקוֹת וְהַקְּרֹבוֹת)—<em>Qeriyot</em> (cities/Kerioth) was a major Moabite center, possibly the capital (Amos 2:2). <em>Botsrah</em> (fortress/sheepfold) represents southern Moab. The summary phrase 'far or near' (<em>harech...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(24) **Kerioth.**—The name, plural in form (= cities), has been identified by Mr. Porter (*Five Years, *&c, ii. 191-198) with *Kureiyeh, *a ruined town lying not far from *Buzrah, *identified with the Bozrah that is coupled with it here, in the Haûran. These are, however, some sixty miles north of Heshbon, and this has been thought adverse to the identification. On the other hand, the expression “...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**3. appoint--**(Le 26:16).
**kinds--**of punishments.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 48
The Jews reproved for their idolatry. (Is. 48:1-8) Yet deliverance is promised them. (Is. 48:9-15) Solemn warnings of judgment upon those who persisted in evil. (Is. 48:16-22)
**Verses 1-8** The Jews valued themselves on descent from Jacob, and used the name of Jehovah as their God. They prided themselves respecting Jerusalem and the temple, yet there was no holiness in their live...
Read full commentary →The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken, saith the LORD.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken</strong> (נִגְדְּעָה קֶרֶן מוֹאָב וּזְרֹעוֹ נִשְׁבָּרָה)—The <em>qeren</em> (horn) symbolizes power and authority (1 Samuel 2:10; Psalm 75:10), while <em>zero'a</em> (arm) represents military strength. Both are <em>nigde'ah</em> (cut off) and <em>nishbarah</em> (broken)—violent, permanent removal of capacity to resist or defend.<br><br>Han...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(25) **The horn of Moab.**—The horn of animals was naturally the symbol of their strength, and it was as natural that the symbolism should be extended to men and nations. (Comp. 1Samuel 2:1; Psalm 92:10; Lamentations 2:3; Daniel 7:7-8; Luke 1:69.) The figure of the broken arm, powerless to grasp sword or sceptre, meets us again in Ezekiel 30:21.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**4. cause ... to be removed--**(De 28:25; Eze 23:46). Rather, "I will give them up to vexation," I will cause them to wander so as nowhere to have repose [Calvin]; (2Ch 29:8, "trouble;" Margin, "commotion").
**because of Manasseh--**He was now dead, but the effects of his sins still remained. How much evil one bad man can cause! The evil fruits remain even after he himself has received repentan...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 48
The Jews reproved for their idolatry. (Is. 48:1-8) Yet deliverance is promised them. (Is. 48:9-15) Solemn warnings of judgment upon those who persisted in evil. (Is. 48:16-22)
**Verses 1-8** The Jews valued themselves on descent from Jacob, and used the name of Jehovah as their God. They prided themselves respecting Jerusalem and the temple, yet there was no holiness in their live...
Read full commentary →Make ye him drunken: for he magnified himself against the LORD: Moab also shall wallow in his vomit, and he also shall be in derision.
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KJV Study Commentary
Make Moab 'drunken' for he 'magnified himself against the LORD.' Drunkenness symbolizes confusion, helplessness, and shame. Moab's pride against God brings humiliating judgment. The image of Moab wallowing in vomit emphasizes the degradation of those who exalt themselves against God. Pride always precedes fall (Prov 16:18).
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**5. go aside ... how thou doest--**Who will turn aside (in passing by) to salute thee (to wish thee "peace")?
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 48
The Jews reproved for their idolatry. (Is. 48:1-8) Yet deliverance is promised them. (Is. 48:9-15) Solemn warnings of judgment upon those who persisted in evil. (Is. 48:16-22)
**Verses 1-8** The Jews valued themselves on descent from Jacob, and used the name of Jehovah as their God. They prided themselves respecting Jerusalem and the temple, yet there was no holiness in their live...
Read full commentary →For was not Israel a derision unto thee? was he found among thieves? for since thou spakest of him, thou skippedst for joy. skippedst: or, movedst thyself
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>For was not Israel a derision unto thee?</strong> (הֲלוֹא הַשְּׂחֹק הָיָה לְךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל)—God charges Moab with mocking Israel. The word <em>sechoq</em> (שְׂחֹק) means laughter, scorn, derision—the contemptuous mockery one enemy levels at another's downfall. <strong>Was he found among thieves?</strong> This rhetorical question implies Israel did nothing to deserve Moab's scorn—they weren'...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(27) **Was not Israel a derision unto thee?**—The “derision” had been shown at an earlier stage in the history of Judah (Zephaniah 2:8; comp. Ezekiel 25:6), but was, we may well believe, reproduced when the Moabites heard of the disasters that fell on Israel in the days of Josiah and his successors. The question that follows “Was he found among thieves?” implies an answer in the negative. Israel h...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**6. weary with repenting--**(Ho 13:14; 11:8). I have so often repented of the evil that I threatened (Jr 26:19; Ex 32:14; 1Ch 21:15), and have spared them, without My forbearance moving them to repentance, that I will not again change My purpose (God speaking in condescension to human modes of thought), but will take vengeance on them now.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 48
The Jews reproved for their idolatry. (Is. 48:1-8) Yet deliverance is promised them. (Is. 48:9-15) Solemn warnings of judgment upon those who persisted in evil. (Is. 48:16-22)
**Verses 1-8** The Jews valued themselves on descent from Jacob, and used the name of Jehovah as their God. They prided themselves respecting Jerusalem and the temple, yet there was no holiness in their live...
Read full commentary →O ye that dwell in Moab, leave the cities, and dwell in the rock, and be like the dove that maketh her nest in the sides of the hole's mouth.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>O ye that dwell in Moab, leave the cities, and dwell in the rock</strong> (עִזְבוּ עָרִים וְשִׁכְנוּ בַּסָּלַע)—God commands Moab to abandon their fortified cities and flee to caves in the rocky cliffs. The Hebrew <em>sela</em> (סֶלַע) means cliff, crag, or rocky stronghold—natural defensive positions but primitive compared to urban fortifications. This reverses their security: cities, sym...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(28) **O ye that dwell in Moab . . .**—The general thought is the same as in Jeremiah 48:6; Jeremiah 48:9, but is more vivid as being more specific. The Moabites are to leave their cities and take refuge in the caves, always in Palestine the asylum of fugitives (1Samuel 13:6; 2Samuel 17:9), as the wild dove flies to “the clefts of the rock” (Song Song of Solomon 2:14).
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**7. fan--**tribulation--from tribulum, a threshing instrument, which separates the chaff from the wheat (Mt 3:12).
**gates of the land--**that is, the extreme bounds of the land through which the entrance to and exit from it lie. Maurer translates, "I will fan," that is, cast them forth "to the gates of the land" (Na 3:13). "In the gates"; English Version draws the image from a man cleaning cor...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 48
The Jews reproved for their idolatry. (Is. 48:1-8) Yet deliverance is promised them. (Is. 48:9-15) Solemn warnings of judgment upon those who persisted in evil. (Is. 48:16-22)
**Verses 1-8** The Jews valued themselves on descent from Jacob, and used the name of Jehovah as their God. They prided themselves respecting Jerusalem and the temple, yet there was no holiness in their live...
Read full commentary →We have heard the pride of Moab, (he is exceeding proud) his loftiness, and his arrogancy, and his pride, and the haughtiness of his heart.
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KJV Study Commentary
Moab's pride is described with escalating terms: 'We have heard the pride of Moab, (he is exceeding proud) his loftiness, and his arrogancy, and his pride, and the haughtiness of his heart.' This repetitive emphasis underscores pride as Moab's defining sin. The multiplication of synonyms hammers home the point - pride in all its forms provokes God's judgment.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(29) **We have heard the pride of Moab . . .**—It will be seen that here and in the next verse the very words of Isaiah (Isaiah 16:6) are reproduced. The prophet seems to find a pleasure in going back to the old words as showing that the fault of which he spoke was inveterate, and had shown itself incurable. It is, *however, *a free reproduction, and Jeremiah, instead of making the whole utterance...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**8. Their widows--**My people's (Jr 15:7).
**have brought--**prophetical past: I will bring.
**mother of the young men--**"mother" is collective; after the "widows," He naturally mentions bereavement of their sons ("young men"), brought on the "mothers" by "the spoiler"; it was owing to the number of men slain that the "widows" were so many [Calvin]. Others take "mother," as in 2Sa 20:19, of ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 48
The Jews reproved for their idolatry. (Is. 48:1-8) Yet deliverance is promised them. (Is. 48:9-15) Solemn warnings of judgment upon those who persisted in evil. (Is. 48:16-22)
**Verses 1-8** The Jews valued themselves on descent from Jacob, and used the name of Jehovah as their God. They prided themselves respecting Jerusalem and the temple, yet there was no holiness in their live...
Read full commentary →I know his wrath, saith the LORD; but it shall not be so; his lies shall not so effect it. his lies: or, those on whom he stayeth (Heb. his bars) do not right
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>I know his wrath, saith the LORD</strong> (יָדַעְתִּי עֶבְרָתוֹ נְאֻם־יְהוָה)—God declares intimate knowledge of Moab's fury and arrogance. The Hebrew <em>evrah</em> (עֶבְרָה) means outburst, overflow, fury—violent anger expressed in hostile actions and boastful words. <strong>But it shall not be so; his lies shall not so effect it</strong> (וְלֹא־כֵן בַּדָּיו לֹא־כֵן עָשׂוּ). The word <em...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(30) **His lies shall not so effect it.**—The Hebrew for “lies” has also, as in the margin, the meaning of “bars” or “staves” or “branches” as the symbol of defence (Hosea 11:6), but the version in the text is preferable. The emphasis of the original lies in the iteration. “Not so,” the sentence of frustration, is written alike on the wrath which leads to passionate outrage, and on the lies in whi...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**9. borne seven--**(1Sa 2:5). Seven being the perfect number indicates full fruitfulness.
**languisheth--**because not even one is left of all her sons (Jr 15:8).
**sun is gone down while ... yet day--**Fortune deserts her at the very height of her prosperity (Am 8:9).
**she ... ashamed--**The mothers (she being collective) are put to the shame of disappointed hopes through the loss of all ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 48
The Jews reproved for their idolatry. (Is. 48:1-8) Yet deliverance is promised them. (Is. 48:9-15) Solemn warnings of judgment upon those who persisted in evil. (Is. 48:16-22)
**Verses 1-8** The Jews valued themselves on descent from Jacob, and used the name of Jehovah as their God. They prided themselves respecting Jerusalem and the temple, yet there was no holiness in their live...
Read full commentary →Therefore will I howl for Moab, and I will cry out for all Moab; mine heart shall mourn for the men of Kirheres.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Therefore will I howl for Moab, and I will cry out for all Moab</strong> (עַל־כֵּן עַל־מוֹאָב אֶזְעָק וּלְכָל־מוֹאָב אֶזְעָק)—Despite pronouncing judgment, God (or His prophet) expresses grief. The Hebrew <em>za'aq</em> (זָעַק) means to cry out, call for help, lament loudly—intense emotional outcry. This reveals God's character: He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 33:1...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(31) **Therefore will I howl for Moab.**—The changes of person are remarkable. The “I” that speaks is neither Jehovah nor the prophet, but the unnamed mourner, who in the next clause appears in the third person (“she shall mourn,” the English “mine heart” having no equivalent in the Hebrew) as the representative of those who mourn for Moab. In Jeremiah 48:33, “I have caused wine to fail” appears a...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
10. (Jr 20:14; Job 3:1, &c.). Jeremiah seems to have been of a peculiarly sensitive temperament; yet the Holy Spirit enabled him to deliver his message at the certain cost of having his sensitiveness wounded by the enmities of those whom his words offended.
**man of strife--**exposed to strifes on the part of "the whole earth" (Psa 80:6).
**I have neither lent, &c.--**proverbial for, "...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 48
The Jews reproved for their idolatry. (Is. 48:1-8) Yet deliverance is promised them. (Is. 48:9-15) Solemn warnings of judgment upon those who persisted in evil. (Is. 48:16-22)
**Verses 1-8** The Jews valued themselves on descent from Jacob, and used the name of Jehovah as their God. They prided themselves respecting Jerusalem and the temple, yet there was no holiness in their live...
Read full commentary →O 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 sea of Jazer: the spoiler is fallen upon thy summer fruits and upon thy vintage.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>O vine of Sibmah, I will weep for thee with the weeping of Jazer</strong> (מִבְּכִי יַעְזֵר אֶבְכֶּה־לָּךְ הַגֶּפֶן שִׂבְמָה)—Sibmah was renowned for vineyards producing excellent wine. God promises to weep with the intensity of Jazer's weeping—Jazer (a Moabite city) will mourn its own destruction, and God joins that lament. This intensifies verse 31's theme: divine grief over necessary ju...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(32) **O vine of Sibmah.**—Here again we have an echo of Isaiah 16:9. Sibmah appears in Joshua 13:19 as assigned to the Reubenites, in the region east of Jordan. After that date it does not appear again till we find it in these prophetic notices. Jerome (*Comm. in Isa. *Jeremiah 5) names it as a strong city about half a mile from Heshbon, but its site has not been identified by modern travellers. ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**11. Verily--**literally, "Shall it not be?" that is, "Surely it shall be."
**thy remnant--**the final issue of thy life; thy life, which now seems to thee so sad, shall eventuate in prosperity [Calvin]. They who think that they shall be the surviving remnant, whereas thou shalt perish, shall themselves fall, whereas thou shalt remain and be favored by the conquerors [Junius], (Jr 40:4, 5; 39:1...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 48
The Jews reproved for their idolatry. (Is. 48:1-8) Yet deliverance is promised them. (Is. 48:9-15) Solemn warnings of judgment upon those who persisted in evil. (Is. 48:16-22)
**Verses 1-8** The Jews valued themselves on descent from Jacob, and used the name of Jehovah as their God. They prided themselves respecting Jerusalem and the temple, yet there was no holiness in their live...
Read full commentary →And joy and gladness is taken from the plentiful field, and from the land of Moab; and I have caused wine to fail from the winepresses: none shall tread with shouting; their shouting shall be no shouting.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And joy and gladness is taken from the plentiful field, and from the land of Moab</strong> (וְנֶאֶסְפָה שִׂמְחָה וָגִיל מִכַּרְמֶל וּמֵאֶרֶץ מוֹאָב)—The Hebrew <em>simchah</em> (שִׂמְחָה) and <em>gil</em> (גִּיל) both mean joy, gladness, rejoicing. These are harvest terms—the celebration accompanying grape gathering and wine production. This joy is 'taken' (<em>asaph</em>, אָסַף—gathered a...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(33) **None shall tread with shouting.**—The words bring before us the vintage-song of those who trod out the grapes (Jeremiah 25:30; Isaiah 16:10). Of this the prophet says, in a form which reminds us of the δωρα αδωρα (“gifts that are no gifts”) of Soph. Aias. 674, that it shall be “no shouting,” *i.e.,* that it shall be turned to wailing and lamentation, or the shout and tumult of battle shall ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**12. steel--**rather, brass or copper, which mixed with "iron" (by the Chalybes near the Euxine Pontus, far north of Palestine), formed the hardest metal, like our steel. Can the Jews, hardy like common iron though they be, break the still hardier Chaldees of the north (Jr 1:14), who resemble the Chalybian iron hardened with copper? Certainly not [Calvin]. Henderson translates. "Can one break iro...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 48
The Jews reproved for their idolatry. (Is. 48:1-8) Yet deliverance is promised them. (Is. 48:9-15) Solemn warnings of judgment upon those who persisted in evil. (Is. 48:16-22)
**Verses 1-8** The Jews valued themselves on descent from Jacob, and used the name of Jehovah as their God. They prided themselves respecting Jerusalem and the temple, yet there was no holiness in their live...
Read full commentary →From the cry of Heshbon even unto Elealeh, 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. desolate: Heb. desolations
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>From the cry of Heshbon even unto Elealeh, and even unto Jahaz, have they uttered their voice</strong>—Three Moabite cities (Heshbon, Elealeh, Jahaz) form a geographical span across Moab's territory, indicating that lamentation will be nationwide. The Hebrew <em>nathan qol</em> (נָתַן קוֹל) means to give voice, to cry out—loud, public mourning heard across the land.<br><br><strong>From Zoa...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(34) **From the cry of Heshbon . . .**—Elealeh (now *El-Al*) and Heshbon (now *Hesbân*) were about two miles apart. The panic-cry of the one city was echoed in the other; it reached even to Jahaz (see Note on Jeremiah 48:21), to the south-west of Heshbon.
**From Zoar even unto Horonaim . . .**—Both names represent the south district of Moab. In the “heifer of three years old” (see Isaiah 15:5) man...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**13. Thy substance ... sins--**Judea's, not Jeremiah's.
**without price--**God casts His people away as a thing worth naught (Psa 44:12). So, on the contrary, Jehovah, when about to restore His people, says, He will give Egypt, &c., for their "ransom" (Is 43:3).
**even in all thy borders--**joined with "Thy substance ... treasures, as also with "all thy sins," their sin and punishment bei...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 48
The Jews reproved for their idolatry. (Is. 48:1-8) Yet deliverance is promised them. (Is. 48:9-15) Solemn warnings of judgment upon those who persisted in evil. (Is. 48:16-22)
**Verses 1-8** The Jews valued themselves on descent from Jacob, and used the name of Jehovah as their God. They prided themselves respecting Jerusalem and the temple, yet there was no holiness in their live...
Read full commentary →Moreover I will cause to cease in Moab, saith the LORD, him that offereth in the high places, and him that burneth incense to his gods.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Moreover I will cause to cease in Moab, saith the LORD, him that offereth in the high places</strong> (וְהִשְׁבַּתִּי לְמוֹאָב נְאֻם־יְהוָה מַעֲלֶה בָּמָה)—God will stop (<em>shavat</em>, שָׁבַת) Moab's worship at <em>bamot</em> (בָּמוֹת, high places)—elevated shrines for pagan worship, often to Chemosh (Moab's national deity, 1 Kings 11:7). <strong>And him that burneth incense to his gods...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(35) **I **w**ill cause to cease in Moab . . .**—The words indicate that the pilgrimages to the sanctuary of Chemosh, on the mountains of Moab, were a prominent feature in the nation’s life. One result of the Chaldæan conquest would be that they should be brought to an end.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**14. thee--**Maurer supplies "them," namely, "thy treasures." Eichorn, needlessly, from Syriac and the Septuagint, reads, "I will make thee to serve thine enemies"; a reading doubtless interpolated from Jr 17:4.
**fire--**(De 32:22).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 48
The Jews reproved for their idolatry. (Is. 48:1-8) Yet deliverance is promised them. (Is. 48:9-15) Solemn warnings of judgment upon those who persisted in evil. (Is. 48:16-22)
**Verses 1-8** The Jews valued themselves on descent from Jacob, and used the name of Jehovah as their God. They prided themselves respecting Jerusalem and the temple, yet there was no holiness in their live...
Read full commentary →Therefore mine heart shall sound for Moab like pipes, and mine heart shall sound like pipes for the men of Kirheres: because the riches that he hath gotten are perished.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Therefore mine heart shall sound for Moab like pipes</strong> (עַל־כֵּן לִבִּי לְמוֹאָב כַּחֲלִלִים יֶהֱמֶה)—The word <em>chalilim</em> (חֲלִילִים) refers to flutes or pipes used in mourning rituals. The heart 'sounds' (<em>hamah</em>, הָמָה—to murmur, roar, moan) like these mournful instruments. God's (or the prophet's) heart resonates with grief like a funeral dirge. This repeats the lam...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(36) **Mine heart shall sound for Moab like pipes . . .**—The words reproduce Isaiah 16:11. His heart becomes, as it were, musical in its groans and sighs. He cannot look on the panic-stricken and mourning city without sharing in its misery. In the baldness (Jeremiah 7:29; Jeremiah 16:6), the clipped beard, the cuttings (Jeremiah 16:6; Jeremiah 41:5), the sackcloth (Jeremiah 4:8; Jeremiah 6:26; Jo...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**15. thou knowest--**namely, my case; what wrongs my adversaries have done me (Jr 12:3).
**revenge me--**(See on Jr 11:20). The prophet in this had regard to, not his own personal feelings of revenge, but the cause of God; he speaks by inspiration God's will against the ungodly. Contrast in this the law with the gospel (Lu 23:34; Ac 7:60).
**take me not away in thy long-suffering--**By Thy lo...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 48
The Jews reproved for their idolatry. (Is. 48:1-8) Yet deliverance is promised them. (Is. 48:9-15) Solemn warnings of judgment upon those who persisted in evil. (Is. 48:16-22)
**Verses 1-8** The Jews valued themselves on descent from Jacob, and used the name of Jehovah as their God. They prided themselves respecting Jerusalem and the temple, yet there was no holiness in their live...
Read full commentary →For every head shall be bald, and every beard clipped: upon all the hands shall be cuttings, and upon the loins sackcloth. clipped: Heb. diminished
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>For every head shall be bald, and every beard clipped</strong> (כִּי כָל־רֹאשׁ קָרְחָה וְכָל־זָקָן גְּרוּעָה)—Shaving the head (<em>qorchah</em>, קָרְחָה) and cutting the beard (<em>geru'ah</em>, גְּרוּעָה) were ancient mourning practices, signs of extreme grief and humiliation (Job 1:20, Isaiah 15:2). These practices were forbidden to Israel (Leviticus 19:27-28, Deuteronomy 14:1) but comm...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**16. eat--**(Eze 2:8; 3:1, 3; Re 10:9, 10). As soon as Thy words were found by me, I eagerly laid hold of and appropriated them. The Keri reads, "Thy word."
**thy word ... joy--**(Job 23:12; Psa 119:72, 111; compare Mt 13:44).
**called by thy name--**I am Thine, Thy minister. So the antitype, Jesus Christ (Ex 23:21).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 48
The Jews reproved for their idolatry. (Is. 48:1-8) Yet deliverance is promised them. (Is. 48:9-15) Solemn warnings of judgment upon those who persisted in evil. (Is. 48:16-22)
**Verses 1-8** The Jews valued themselves on descent from Jacob, and used the name of Jehovah as their God. They prided themselves respecting Jerusalem and the temple, yet there was no holiness in their live...
Read full commentary →There shall be lamentation generally upon all the housetops of Moab, and in the streets thereof: for I have broken Moab like a vessel wherein is no pleasure, saith the LORD.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>There shall be lamentation generally upon all the housetops of Moab, and in the streets thereof</strong> (עַל כָּל־גַּגּוֹת מוֹאָב וּבִרְחֹבֹתֶיהָ כֻּלֹּה מִסְפֵּד)—Housetops were public spaces in ancient cities, used for various activities including announcements and mourning. The streets (<em>rechovot</em>, רְחֹבוֹת) were gathering places. The word <em>misped</em> (מִסְפֵּד) means lament...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(38) **Upon all the housetops of Moab.**—The flat roof of Eastern houses was the natural gathering place of men in a time of panic and distress, as it was, in a time of peace, for prayer or meditation, or even for festive meetings. So in Isaiah 22:1, the city described as “the valley of vision” (Samaria or Jerusalem) is represented as “gone up to the house tops.”
**I have broken Moab like a vessel...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
17. My "rejoicing" (Jr 15:16) was not that of the profane mockers (Psa 1:1; 26:4, 5) at feasts. So far from having fellowship with these, he was expelled from society, and made to sit "alone," because of his faithful prophecies.
**because of thy hand--**that is, Thine inspiration (Is 8:11; Eze 1:3; 3:14).
**filled me with indignation--**So Jr 6:11, "full of the fury of the Lord"; so full was h...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 48
The Jews reproved for their idolatry. (Is. 48:1-8) Yet deliverance is promised them. (Is. 48:9-15) Solemn warnings of judgment upon those who persisted in evil. (Is. 48:16-22)
**Verses 1-8** The Jews valued themselves on descent from Jacob, and used the name of Jehovah as their God. They prided themselves respecting Jerusalem and the temple, yet there was no holiness in their live...
Read full commentary →They shall howl, saying, How is it broken down! how hath Moab turned the back with shame! so shall Moab be a derision and a dismaying to all them about him. back: Heb. neck
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>They shall howl, saying, How is it broken down!</strong> (הֵילִילוּ אֵיךְ חַתָּה)—The command/prediction to 'howl' (<em>yalal</em>, יָלַל—wail, lament loudly) introduces a funeral dirge. The question 'How is it broken down?' (<em>ek chattah</em>, אֵיךְ חַתָּה) expresses shock and dismay—the word <em>chatah</em> (חָתָה) means to be shattered, dismayed, broken. This rhetorical question of st...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(39) **They shall howl, saying, How is it broken down!**—Better, taking the words in the Hebrew order, *How is she broken down! How do they howl! *In the word “derision” we have the emphatic iteration of the term that had been pointedly used in Jeremiah 48:26; Jeremiah 48:2. At this stage the parallelism with Isaiah 15, 16 ceases, and the prediction has a more independent character.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
18. (Jr 30:15). "Pain," namely, the perpetual persecution to which he was exposed, and his being left by God without consolation and "alone." Contrast his feeling here with that in Jr 15:16, when he enjoyed the full presence of God, and was inspired by His words. Therefore he utters words of his natural "infirmity" (so David, Psa 77:10) here; as before he spoke under the higher spiritual nature gi...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 48
The Jews reproved for their idolatry. (Is. 48:1-8) Yet deliverance is promised them. (Is. 48:9-15) Solemn warnings of judgment upon those who persisted in evil. (Is. 48:16-22)
**Verses 1-8** The Jews valued themselves on descent from Jacob, and used the name of Jehovah as their God. They prided themselves respecting Jerusalem and the temple, yet there was no holiness in their live...
Read full commentary →For thus saith the LORD; Behold, he shall fly as an eagle, and shall spread his wings over Moab.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>He shall fly as an eagle, and shall spread his wings over Moab</strong>—God employs the imagery of a raptor (<em>nesher</em>, נֶשֶׁר, eagle or vulture) to depict Babylon's swift, unstoppable attack on Moab. The verb <em>da'ah</em> (דָּאָה), 'fly,' conveys swooping speed and predatory intent. <strong>Spread his wings</strong> (<em>paras kenaphayv</em>, פָּרַשׂ כְּנָפָיו) suggests both the e...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(40) **He shall fly as an eagle . . .**—The image, as in Deuteronomy 28:49; Isaiah 46:11; Ezekiel 17:3, was the natural symbol of a fierce invader, probably, in this case, of Nebuchadnezzar. Here it receives a fresh vividness from the previous comparison of Moab to the dove that had its nest in the clefts of the rock. The verse is reproduced in Jeremiah 49:22, in reference to Edom.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
19. God's reply to Jeremiah.
**return ... bring ... again--**Jeremiah, by his impatient language, had left his proper posture towards God; God saith, "If thou wilt return (to thy former patient discharge of thy prophetic function) I will bring thee back" to thy former position: in the Hebrew there is a play of words, "return ... turn again" (Jr 8:4; 4:1).
**stand before me--**minister acceptab...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 48
The Jews reproved for their idolatry. (Is. 48:1-8) Yet deliverance is promised them. (Is. 48:9-15) Solemn warnings of judgment upon those who persisted in evil. (Is. 48:16-22)
**Verses 1-8** The Jews valued themselves on descent from Jacob, and used the name of Jehovah as their God. They prided themselves respecting Jerusalem and the temple, yet there was no holiness in their live...
Read full commentary →Kerioth is taken, and the strong holds are surprised, and the mighty men's hearts in Moab at that day shall be as the heart of a woman in her pangs. Kerioth: or, The cities
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Kerioth is taken, and the strong holds are surprised</strong>—Kerioth (קְרִיּוֹת, possibly plural 'the cities' or a specific fortress-city) represents Moab's defensive strength, now captured (<em>lakad</em>, לָכַד, seized, conquered). The strongholds (<em>metsadot</em>, מְצָדוֹת) are 'surprised' (<em>nitpasah</em>, נִתְפָּשָׂה, seized suddenly, caught unawares), indicating Moab's defenses ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(41) **Kerioth.**—(See Note on Jeremiah 48:24.) Here the word is used with the article, and should probably be translated, as in the margin, *the cities, *as painting the wide-spread devastation that was to come on all the fortresses.
**As the heart of a woman in her pangs.**—See Notes on Jeremiah 30:6; Isaiah 13:8; Isaiah 21:3. The precise phrase, however, occurs only here and in Jeremiah 49:22.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
20-21. The promise of Jr 1:18, 19, in almost the same words, but with the addition, adapted to the present attacks of Jeremiah's formidable enemies, "I will deliver thee out of ... wicked ... redeem ... terrible"; the repetition is in order to assure Jeremiah that God is the same now as when He first made the promise, in opposition to the prophet's irreverent accusation of unfaithfulness (Jr 15:18...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 48
The Jews reproved for their idolatry. (Is. 48:1-8) Yet deliverance is promised them. (Is. 48:9-15) Solemn warnings of judgment upon those who persisted in evil. (Is. 48:16-22)
**Verses 1-8** The Jews valued themselves on descent from Jacob, and used the name of Jehovah as their God. They prided themselves respecting Jerusalem and the temple, yet there was no holiness in their live...
Read full commentary →And Moab shall be destroyed from being a people, because he hath magnified himself against the LORD.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Moab shall be destroyed from being a people</strong>—the Hebrew <em>shamad</em> (שָׁמַד, destroyed, exterminated) and <em>me'am</em> (מֵעָם, from being a people/nation) indicate total political annihilation. Moab would cease to exist as an independent nation. This is not ethnic genocide but the end of Moabite national sovereignty—their identity as a distinct political entity would be oblit...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(42) **Moab shall be destroyed . . .**—What is predicted is not annihilation (see Jeremiah 48:47), but the loss of national independence. And the cause of this punishment is once more asserted. With Moab, as with other nations, it was her self-exalting pride that called for chastisement.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
20-21. The promise of Jr 1:18, 19, in almost the same words, but with the addition, adapted to the present attacks of Jeremiah's formidable enemies, "I will deliver thee out of ... wicked ... redeem ... terrible"; the repetition is in order to assure Jeremiah that God is the same now as when He first made the promise, in opposition to the prophet's irreverent accusation of unfaithfulness (Jr 15:18...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 48
The Jews reproved for their idolatry. (Is. 48:1-8) Yet deliverance is promised them. (Is. 48:9-15) Solemn warnings of judgment upon those who persisted in evil. (Is. 48:16-22)
**Verses 1-8** The Jews valued themselves on descent from Jacob, and used the name of Jehovah as their God. They prided themselves respecting Jerusalem and the temple, yet there was no holiness in their live...
Read full commentary →Fear, and the pit, and the snare, shall be upon thee, O inhabitant of Moab, saith the LORD.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Fear, and the pit, and the snare</strong> (<em>pachad vapachat vapach</em>, פַּחַד וָפַחַת וָפָח)—this threefold alliteration in Hebrew creates an inescapable sequence of terror. <em>Pachad</em> (dread, terror) drives the victim toward <em>pachat</em> (pit, trap), where escape seems possible, only to encounter <em>pach</em> (snare, net). Isaiah uses identical language for universal judgmen...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(43)**Fear, and the pit, and the snare.**—The words are a reproduction of Isaiah 24:17, which had probably passed into something like proverbial use. The sequence in each case shows that each word plays a distinct part in the imagery. First there is the terror of the animal pursued by huntsmen, then the pit dug in the earth that it may fall into it (Psalm 7:15; Proverbs 26:27; Ecclesiastes 10:8); ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 48
The Jews reproved for their idolatry. (Is. 48:1-8) Yet deliverance is promised them. (Is. 48:9-15) Solemn warnings of judgment upon those who persisted in evil. (Is. 48:16-22)
**Verses 1-8** The Jews valued themselves on descent from Jacob, and used the name of Jehovah as their God. They prided themselves respecting Jerusalem and the temple, yet there was no holiness in their live...
Read full commentary →He 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, the year of their visitation, saith the LORD.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>He 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</strong>—this verse expands the threefold trap of verse 43, emphasizing the futility of escape attempts. The verbs describe desperate motion: fleeing (<em>nas</em>, נָס, running away), falling (<em>naphal</em>, נָפַל, stumbling into), getting up (<em>'alah</em>, עָלָה, cl...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 48
The Jews reproved for their idolatry. (Is. 48:1-8) Yet deliverance is promised them. (Is. 48:9-15) Solemn warnings of judgment upon those who persisted in evil. (Is. 48:16-22)
**Verses 1-8** The Jews valued themselves on descent from Jacob, and used the name of Jehovah as their God. They prided themselves respecting Jerusalem and the temple, yet there was no holiness in their live...
Read full commentary →They that fled stood under the shadow of Heshbon because of the force: but a 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. tumultuous: Heb. children of noise
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>They that fled stood under the shadow of Heshbon because of the force</strong>—refugees sought shelter in Heshbon, formerly a Moabite stronghold captured from Sihon the Amorite (Numbers 21:26-30). The Hebrew <em>koach</em> (כֹּחַ, force, strength) suggests they fled there expecting protection, exhausted and powerless (<em>mi-koach</em>, lacking strength).<br><br><strong>But a fire shall co...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(45) **Because of the force.—**Better, *without strength. *What is meant is that the fugitives of Moab seek shelter in Heshbon, the capital of the Ammonites (Jeremiah 49:3), and find no protection there.
**A fire shall come forth out of Heshbon . . .**—The words are interesting as being a quotation from a fragment of an old poem, probably from the “Book of the Wars of the Lord,” which is also to b...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 16 Jr 16:1-21. Continuation of the Previous Prophecy.
**2. in this place--**in Judea. The direction to remain single was (whether literally obeyed, or only in prophetic vision) to symbolize the coming calamities of the Jews (Eze 24:15-27) as so severe that the single state would be then (contrary to the ordinary course of things) preferable to the married (compare 1Co 7:8, 26, 29; Mt 24:1...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 48
The Jews reproved for their idolatry. (Is. 48:1-8) Yet deliverance is promised them. (Is. 48:9-15) Solemn warnings of judgment upon those who persisted in evil. (Is. 48:16-22)
**Verses 1-8** The Jews valued themselves on descent from Jacob, and used the name of Jehovah as their God. They prided themselves respecting Jerusalem and the temple, yet there was no holiness in their live...
Read full commentary →Woe be unto thee, O Moab! the people of Chemosh perisheth: for thy sons are taken captives, and thy daughters captives. captives, and: Heb. in captivity, etc
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Woe be unto thee, O Moab! the people of Chemosh perisheth</strong>—the Hebrew <em>hoy</em> (הוֹי, woe) introduces a funeral lament. Moab is identified as 'people of Chemosh,' their national deity (1 Kings 11:7, 33). The verb <em>'avad</em> (אָבַד, perisheth, is destroyed) indicates total ruin. This phrase echoes Numbers 21:29, turning Israel's ancient victory song into Moab's epitaph. The ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 48
The Jews reproved for their idolatry. (Is. 48:1-8) Yet deliverance is promised them. (Is. 48:9-15) Solemn warnings of judgment upon those who persisted in evil. (Is. 48:16-22)
**Verses 1-8** The Jews valued themselves on descent from Jacob, and used the name of Jehovah as their God. They prided themselves respecting Jerusalem and the temple, yet there was no holiness in their live...
Read full commentary →Yet will I bring again the captivity of Moab in the latter days, saith the LORD. Thus far is the judgment of Moab.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
Despite comprehensive judgment, God promises to 'bring again the captivity of Moab in the latter days.' This surprising grace mirrors His treatment of other nations (49:6, 39). God's judgments on nations aren't His final word - restoration is possible. This anticipates the gospel's reach to all nations through Christ. No people are beyond redemption's scope.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(47) **Yet will I bring again . . .**—This intermingling of the hope of a far-off return is specially characteristic of these later chapters, as in the case of the Ammonites (Jeremiah 49:6) and Elam (Jeremiah 49:39).
**Thus far is the judgment of Moab.**—This is very probably originally a note made by editor or transcriber to indicate the close of one section and the beginning of another. A like c...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**4. grievous deaths--**rather, "deadly diseases" (Jr 15:2).
**not ... lamented--**so many shall be the slain (Jr 22:18).
**dung--**(Psa 83:10).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 48
The Jews reproved for their idolatry. (Is. 48:1-8) Yet deliverance is promised them. (Is. 48:9-15) Solemn warnings of judgment upon those who persisted in evil. (Is. 48:16-22)
**Verses 1-8** The Jews valued themselves on descent from Jacob, and used the name of Jehovah as their God. They prided themselves respecting Jerusalem and the temple, yet there was no holiness in their live...
Read full commentary →