Background
Moab lay east of the Dead Sea. Its people descended from Lot and were “akin to the Israelites,” speaking a language that “closely resembled Hebrew,” yet “there was constant warfare between the two nations.” The Lord had once told Israel not to fight them, because He had given their land to Lot's children (Deut. 2:9).
Why does a prophet of Judah speak to Moab at all? Because the Lord set Jeremiah “a prophet unto the nations” (Jer. 1:5), and because Moab was among the nations made to drink the cup of the Lord's wrath (Jer. 25:15–21). Moab's king also had messengers at Jerusalem with Zedekiah (Jer. 27:3). The chapter belongs to the book's “prophecies against foreign nations” (chapters 46–51), and its chapter heading gives the reason for this one: judgment comes on the Moabites “for their contempt of God.”
The oracle moves in waves: towns fall and the land weeps (verses 1–10); Moab's long ease is the wine left on its lees (verses 11–17); a roll call of cities (verses 18–28); pride, and the Lord's own lament (verses 29–39); flight, snare, and fire, and then a promise (verses 40–47). Much of it overlaps Isaiah's “burden of Moab” (Isa. 15:1–9; Isa. 16:1–14).
The thread through the chapter
Jeremiah 48 answers a question a reader may not expect from an oracle of doom: what is wrong with being comfortable?
The chapter's diagnosis is in verse 11. Moab “hath been at ease from his youth” and has never been “emptied from vessel to vessel,” never carried into exile, so “his taste remained in him.” Alongside that ease the chapter names three things, one by one: trust in “works” and “treasures” (verse 7), a god, Chemosh, who cannot save his own people (verses 7, 13, 46), and pride that “magnified himself against the LORD” and laughed at Israel (verses 26–29, 42). The judgment is aimed at exactly what Moab never had: Moab is poured out, emptied, and taken captive (verses 12, 46).
Yet the oracle is not cold. In the middle of verses the Lord speaks (“saith the LORD,” verses 30, 35, 38) comes “I will howl for Moab” (verse 31) and “mine heart shall sound for Moab like pipes” (verse 36), and the chapter closes, against what the rest of the oracle seems to allow, with “Yet will I bring again the captivity of Moab in the latter days” (verse 47).
Tap any highlighted phrase to open a note beneath its versein the margin.
The towns fall
Against Moab, says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Woe to Nebo, it is laid waste. Kiriathaim is shamed and taken; Misgab is shamed and dismayed. Moab will no longer be praised. In Heshbon they plot his end: “Come, let us cut him off from being a nation.” You too, Madmen, will be silenced; the sword will follow you. A cry rises from Horonaim, “Devastation and great destruction!” Moab is broken; her little ones cry out. Weeping goes up the slope of Luhith, and enemies hear the cry of ruin on the road down from Horonaim. Run for your lives, and be like the heath in the wilderness. Because you trusted in your works and your treasures, you too will be taken, and Chemosh will go into captivity with his priests and his princes. The spoiler will come against every town and none will escape; the valley will perish and the plain be destroyed, as the Lord has said. Give wings to Moab, for she will fly away, and her towns will be desolate with no one living in them. Cursed is the one who does the Lord's work carelessly, and cursed the one who keeps back his sword from blood.
1 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.
2 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.
3 A voice of crying shall be from Horonaim, spoiling and great destruction.
4 Moab is destroyed; her little ones have caused a cry to be heard.
5 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.
6 Flee, save your lives, and be like the heath in the wilderness.
7 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.
8 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.
9 Give wings unto Moab, that it may flee and get away: for the cities thereof shall be desolate, without any to dwell therein.
10 Cursed be he that doeth the work of the LORD deceitfully, and cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood.
Settled on his lees
Moab has been at ease from his youth, settled on his lees like wine never emptied from one vessel to another. He has never gone into exile, so his taste and scent are unchanged. But the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will send wanderers to make him wander; they will empty his vessels and break his bottles. Then Moab will be ashamed of Chemosh as Israel was ashamed of Beth-el, in which it trusted. How can you say, “We are warriors, brave men in battle”? Moab is laid waste and has gone up out of his towns; his best young men go down to the slaughter, says the King, whose name is the Lord of hosts. Moab's disaster is near, his calamity comes fast. All his neighbors, all who know his name, mourn for him: “How the mighty scepter is broken, the glorious staff!”
11 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.
12 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.
13 And Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Beth-el their confidence.
14 How say ye, We are mighty and strong men for the war?
15 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.
16 The calamity of Moab is near to come, and his affliction hasteth fast.
17 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!
Come down from your glory
Come down from your glory and sit in thirst, you who live in Dibon, for the destroyer of Moab will come against you and ruin your fortresses. You who live in Aroer, stand by the road and watch; ask the man running and the woman escaping, “What has happened?” Moab is shamed and broken: wail and cry out; tell it by the Arnon that Moab is laid waste. Judgment has come on the plain country, on Holon, Jahazah, and Mephaath, on Dibon, Nebo, and Beth-diblathaim, on Kiriathaim, Beth-gamul, and Beth-meon, on Kerioth and Bozrah, on all the towns of Moab, far and near. The horn of Moab is cut off and his arm is broken, says the Lord. Make him drunk, because he magnified himself against the Lord. Moab will wallow in his vomit and be laughed at. Was not Israel your laughingstock? Was he caught among thieves, that you leaped for joy whenever you spoke of him? Leave your towns and live among the rocks, you who live in Moab. Be like a dove that nests at the mouth of a cave.
18 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.
19 O inhabitant of Aroer, stand by the way, and espy; ask him that fleeth, and her that escapeth, and say, What is done?
20 Moab is confounded; for it is broken down: howl and cry; tell ye it in Arnon, that Moab is spoiled,
21 And judgment is come upon the plain country; upon Holon, and upon Jahazah, and upon Mephaath,
22 And upon Dibon, and upon Nebo, and upon Beth-diblathaim,
23 And upon Kiriathaim, and upon Beth-gamul, and upon Beth-meon,
24 And upon Kerioth, and upon Bozrah, and upon all the cities of the land of Moab, far or near.
25 The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken, saith the LORD.
26 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.
27 For was not Israel a derision unto thee? was he found among thieves? for since thou spakest of him, thou skippedst for joy.
28 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.
Pride, and the Lord's lament
We have heard of Moab's pride, his great pride: his loftiness, his arrogancy, and the haughtiness of his heart. I know his wrath, says the Lord, but it shall not be so; his lies shall not accomplish it. So I wail over Moab; I cry out for all Moab; I mourn for the men of Kir-heres. I weep for you, vine of Sibmah, with the weeping of Jazer. Your branches spread over the sea, as far as the sea of Jazer, but the destroyer has fallen on your summer fruit and your grape harvest. Joy and gladness are gone from the plentiful field and the land of Moab. I have stopped the wine from the presses; no one treads it with shouts of joy. Their shouting is not the shout of joy. From Heshbon to Elealeh and Jahaz their cry rises, from Zoar to Horonaim, for even the waters of Nimrim are dried up. I will put an end in Moab, says the Lord, to those who offer on the high places and burn incense to their gods. So my heart moans for Moab like a flute, and for the men of Kir-heres, because the wealth they gained is gone. Every head is shaved and every beard cut off; every hand is gashed and every waist covered with sackcloth. On all the roofs and in the streets of Moab there is nothing but mourning, for I have broken Moab like a vessel in which is no pleasure, says the Lord. How shattered he is! How they wail! How Moab turns his back in shame! Moab has become a laughingstock and a horror to all around him.
29 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.
30 I know his wrath, saith the LORD; but it shall not be so; his lies shall not so effect it.
31 Therefore will I howl for Moab, and I will cry out for all Moab; mine heart shall mourn for the men of Kir-heres.
32 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.
33 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.
34 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.
35 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.
36 Therefore mine heart shall sound for Moab like pipes, and mine heart shall sound like pipes for the men of Kir-heres: because the riches that he hath gotten are perished.
37 For every head shall be bald, and every beard clipped: upon all the hands shall be cuttings, and upon the loins sackcloth.
38 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.
39 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.
Eagle, snare, fire, and promise
This is what the Lord says: he shall fly as an eagle and spread his wings over Moab. Kerioth is captured and the strongholds seized; on that day the heart of Moab's warriors will be like the heart of a woman in labor. Moab will be destroyed as a people, because he magnified himself against the Lord. Terror, pit, and trap await you, people of Moab, says the Lord. Whoever flees the terror will fall into the pit; whoever climbs out of the pit will be caught in the trap, for I will bring on Moab the year of their visitation. The fugitives stood in the shadow of Heshbon because of the force against them, but a fire will go out from Heshbon, a flame from the midst of Sihon; it devours the corner of Moab and the crown of the head of the tumultuous ones. Woe to you, Moab! The people of Chemosh are destroyed; your sons are taken into captivity and your daughters too. Yet I will bring again the captivity of Moab in the latter days, says the Lord. Here ends the judgment on Moab.
40 For thus saith the LORD; Behold, he shall fly as an eagle, and shall spread his wings over Moab.
41 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.
42 And Moab shall be destroyed from being a people, because he hath magnified himself against the LORD.
43 Fear, and the pit, and the snare, shall be upon thee, O inhabitant of Moab, saith the LORD.
44 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.
45 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.
46 Woe be unto thee, O Moab! the people of Chemosh perisheth: for thy sons are taken captives, and thy daughters captives.
47 Yet will I bring again the captivity of Moab in the latter days, saith the LORD. Thus far is the judgment of Moab.
Seeing Christ in Jeremiah 48
The chapter points to Christ in two ways. The Church edition footnotes Balaam's oracle in Num. 24:17, “there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab,” to the “corner of Moab” in verse 45, and glosses it as speaking of One whose “coming was to be in the future, long after Moses' time,” indexed under “Jesus Christ, Prophecies about.” And Moab is not only an enemy of Israel's story: Ruth the Moabitess (Ruth 1:4) was the mother of Obed, “the father of Jesse, the father of David” (Ruth 4:13; Ruth 4:17), and so stands in the line that ends with Jesus (Matt. 1:5–6). The Lord who promises Moab's return in verse 47 is the God of Israel who opens the oracle (verse 1); if the voice that howls for Moab in verse 31 is His too, as the surrounding “saith the LORD” suggests, He is the God who, in Enoch's vision, “wept” over the people He judged (Moses 7:28).
Worth exploring next
- Isaiah's Moab. Read Isa. 15:1–9 and Isa. 16:1–14 next to this chapter and mark the lines they share.
- The cup of wrath. Read Jer. 25:15–29, where Moab is one of the nations that drinks.
- Balaam and Moab. Read Num. 22:1–6 and Num. 24:15–19.
- The next oracle. Read Jer. 49:1–22, on Ammon and Edom, which follows the same pattern.
- Ruth. Read Ruth 1:1–5 and Ruth 4:13–22.
Sources & further reading
- “Moab”, Bible Dictionary.
- “Jeremiah”, Bible Dictionary.
- The Holy Scriptures (Latter-day Saint editions), text and chapter headings, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
- Chapter 25: Prophecies of a Latter-day Gathering (Jeremiah 23; 30–31; 33; 46–51; Obadiah), Old Testament Student Manual: 1 Kings–Malachi (2003).
- Francis Brown, S. R. Driver, and Charles A. Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1906.
- Carl Friedrich Keil, Biblical Commentary on the Prophecies of Jeremiah, Trans. David Patrick and James Kennedy. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1874–1880; in Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament, online at Bible Hub.