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Translation
King James Version
¶ How say ye, We are mighty and strong men for the war?
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KJV (with Strong's)
How say H559 ye, We are mighty H1368 and strong H2428 men H582 for the war H4421?
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Complete Jewish Bible
"How can you say, 'We are heroes, warriors valiant in battle'?
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Berean Standard Bible
How can you say, ‘We are warriors, mighty men ready for battle’?
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American Standard Version
How say ye, We are mighty men, and valiant men for the war?
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World English Bible Messianic
How do you say, We are mighty men, and valiant men for the war?
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Geneva Bible (1599)
Howe thinke you thus, We are mightie and strong men of warre?
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Young's Literal Translation
How do ye say, We are mighty, And men of strength for battle?
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Study This Verse

SUMMARY

Jeremiah 48:14 presents a scathing rhetorical challenge to the nation of Moab, directly confronting their arrogant self-proclamation of military might and invincibility. This verse encapsulates Moab's misplaced confidence in human strength and serves as a powerful prelude to the devastating divine judgment that will expose the utter futility of their boasts against the unstoppable will of the sovereign Lord.

CONTEXT

  • Literary Context: Jeremiah 48 is a comprehensive oracle of judgment specifically directed against Moab, forming part of a larger collection of prophecies against foreign nations found in Jeremiah 46-51. This particular chapter meticulously details the impending utter destruction, humiliation, and desolation that will befall Moab, sharply contrasting their historical pride and prosperity with their inevitable downfall. Jeremiah 48:14 is strategically positioned after initial pronouncements of widespread devastation across Moabite cities (e.g., Jeremiah 48:1-9) and before further lamentations and vivid descriptions of their shame. It functions as a direct confrontation of Moab's internal self-perception, highlighting the profound disconnect between their boastful words and the grim reality God is about to unleash upon them.
  • Historical & Cultural Context: Moab was an ancient nation situated to the east of the Dead Sea, frequently engaged in conflict with Israel, as documented in passages like 2 Kings 3. This nation was renowned for its agricultural wealth, its formidable fortified cities such as Kir-hareseth and Heshbon, and its deep-seated idolatry, particularly the worship of the fertility god Chemosh, explicitly mentioned in Numbers 21:29. Moab was characterized by significant national pride and an entrenched sense of self-reliance. Their sustained prosperity often fostered a dangerous sense of invulnerability, leading them to believe that their military strength and well-defended positions would provide ultimate protection. The phrase "men for the war" likely refers to their standing army or elite warriors, in whom the nation placed its ultimate trust. This prophecy would have been delivered during a period of significant geopolitical upheaval, with the rising power of Babylon serving as God's chosen instrument of judgment against nations like Moab, who had long defied His authority.
  • Key Themes: This verse powerfully contributes to several overarching themes prevalent within the book of Jeremiah and the broader prophetic literature. Firstly, it underscores the theme of Divine Judgment and Sovereignty, demonstrating unequivocally that God's eternal plan cannot be thwarted by human strength, boasts, or resistance. He is absolutely sovereign over all nations, revealing the inherent vulnerabilities of those who oppose Him or foolishly trust in their own power. Secondly, it highlights the theme of False Security and Pride. Moab's audacious declaration, "We are mighty and strong men for the war," exposes a dangerous and ultimately fatal reliance on their own perceived power rather than acknowledging the omnipotence of God. This national pride and self-sufficiency are recurring motifs in the prophecies against Moab, explicitly condemned as arrogance in passages such as Jeremiah 48:29. Lastly, the verse emphasizes the Futility of Human Might. The rhetorical question "How say ye?" implies the inherent absurdity and inevitable failure of Moab's boast. Against the backdrop of God's impending wrath, human military strength is shown to be utterly insufficient and ultimately meaningless, echoing sentiments found in Psalm 33:16, which declares that no king is saved by the multitude of an army.

EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS

Key Word Analysis

  • say (Hebrew, ʼâmar', H559): This primitive root is used with great latitude, encompassing meanings such as to speak, declare, command, or utter. In Jeremiah 48:14, it carries the strong force of a boast, a confident assertion, or a defiant declaration. The rhetorical "How say ye?" implies profound incredulity and a direct challenge from God, suggesting that Moab's declaration is not only presumptuous but also ultimately empty and will be decisively disproven by the unfolding events of divine judgment.
  • mighty (Hebrew, gibbôwr', H1368): This term denotes someone powerful, a formidable warrior, a hero, or a strong man. It speaks directly to Moab's self-appointed status as formidable fighters, emphasizing their perceived physical strength and military prowess. When Moab declares themselves "mighty," they are asserting their belief in their own invincible, heroic status on the battlefield, a claim rooted in their own estimation rather than divine truth.
  • strong (Hebrew, chayil', H2428): This word refers to a force, whether composed of men, material means, or other resources, encompassing concepts such as an army, wealth, virtue, valor, or strength. In this specific context, it refers primarily to military strength and valor, indicating their perceived capability and effectiveness in warfare. Coupled with "mighty," this term paints a comprehensive picture of a nation utterly confident in its comprehensive military power, resources, and overall capacity for war.

Verse Breakdown

  • "How say ye,": This opening phrase is a powerful rhetorical question posed by God through the prophet Jeremiah. It is not a genuine request for information but rather an emphatic expression of divine incredulity, challenge, and scorn. It serves as an emphatic declaration that Moab's boast is absurd, completely unfounded, and will soon be exposed as utterly false. This rhetorical query sets a tone of divine mockery directed toward human arrogance and self-deception.
  • "We [are] mighty and strong men for the war?": This clause represents the direct quote of Moab's arrogant self-assessment and boast. They confidently declare themselves to be powerful warriors, fully capable and highly effective in battle. The deliberate combination of "mighty" (gibbôwr) and "strong" (chayil) serves to emphasize their perceived physical prowess, military capability, and overall valor and readiness for conflict. This statement profoundly reveals their misplaced trust in their own human and military resources, rather than in the omnipotent God, thereby making their impending defeat all the more ironic and humiliating.

Literary Devices

The primary literary device at play in Jeremiah 48:14 is Rhetorical Question. The phrase "How say ye?" is not intended to elicit an answer from Moab, but rather to powerfully underscore the absurdity and ultimate futility of their boast. It serves as a potent divine challenge, implying that their self-perception of military might is profoundly misguided and will be definitively proven false by God's impending judgment. This rhetorical question also contributes significantly to the Irony of the situation: Moab boasts of formidable strength, yet they are about to be utterly devastated, highlighting the stark and tragic contrast between human arrogance and divine sovereignty. Furthermore, there is an element of Anticipation embedded in the question, as it effectively sets up the coming narrative of Moab's comprehensive destruction, which will serve as the ultimate and undeniable answer to their empty boast.

THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS

Jeremiah 48:14 serves as a profound theological statement on the intrinsic nature of divine sovereignty in contrast to the destructive force of human pride. It teaches an enduring truth: any strength, wisdom, or perceived security derived purely from human effort, resources, or self-reliance is ultimately fleeting, insufficient, and destined to fail when confronted with the unchangeable purposes of God. Moab's boast is a classic biblical example of hubris, a recurring theme in prophetic literature where nations and individuals face judgment for their arrogance and self-sufficiency, failing to acknowledge the one true source of all power. This verse implicitly but powerfully points to the truth that genuine might and lasting security are found exclusively in God, never in armies, fortified cities, or human capabilities. It foreshadows the universal principle articulated in Psalm 33:10, which states, "The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He frustrates the plans of the peoples."

REFLECTION AND APPLICATION

Jeremiah 48:14 stands as a timeless and urgent warning against placing our ultimate confidence in anything other than the living God. In a contemporary world that frequently values self-sufficiency, military might, economic prowess, intellectual superiority, or even personal achievements above all else, this verse calls us to a radical re-evaluation of where our true security and strength genuinely lie. Whether as individuals, communities, or nations, we are perpetually prone to boasting about our accomplishments, our abundant resources, or our perceived inherent strengths, much like the ancient Moabites. However, the divine challenge, "How say ye?" serves as a powerful and sobering reminder that all human endeavors, no matter how grand, are ultimately subject to God's sovereign will and His overarching purposes. True strength is found not in self-assertion or defiant independence but in humble, unwavering dependence on the Almighty. This posture of humility cultivates a spirit of profound gratitude, acknowledges our inherent limitations, and positions us to receive God's boundless grace, divine wisdom, and faithful guidance, rather than facing His righteous judgment. It compels us to deeply examine our hearts: are we truly trusting in our own "might and strength" or in the unfailing, eternal power of the one true God?

Questions for Reflection

  • In what specific areas of your life are you most tempted to boast or rely solely on your own strength, rather than on God's provision and power?
  • How does recognizing God's absolute sovereignty over all nations and human endeavors profoundly impact your sense of security, peace, and purpose?
  • What practical and intentional steps can you take this week to cultivate a deeper humility and a more consistent reliance on God in your daily life and decisions?

FAQ

What was Moab's primary sin that led to God's judgment?

Answer: While Moab committed various transgressions, their primary offense leading to God's severe judgment, as highlighted throughout Jeremiah 48, was their profound pride and arrogance. They placed their trust in their own wealth, their seemingly impregnable fortified cities, and their military might, rather than acknowledging the Lord God as the supreme authority. This pervasive self-sufficiency often manifested in deep-seated idolatry, particularly the worship of Chemosh, and a long history of hostility and opposition towards God's chosen people, Israel (e.g., Numbers 22-24). Their boast in Jeremiah 48:14 perfectly encapsulates this defiant and destructive national pride.

How does God's judgment on Moab relate to His character?

Answer: God's judgment on Moab, though undeniably severe, is entirely consistent with His character as a just, righteous, and holy God who holds all nations and individuals accountable for their actions and their defiance of His will. It powerfully demonstrates His absolute sovereignty over all creation, including those who do not acknowledge or worship Him. While He is merciful, patient, and slow to anger, He also cannot tolerate unrepentant pride, idolatry, and oppression. His judgment serves to vindicate His holiness, uphold His moral order, and to unequivocally demonstrate that He alone is God, and no human power, no matter how great, can thwart His divine purposes, as consistently seen throughout the prophetic books (e.g., Isaiah 45:5-7).

CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT

Jeremiah 48:14, with its divine challenge to Moab's boast of human might, finds its ultimate Christ-centered fulfillment in the profound and striking contrast between human weakness and God's perfect, redemptive strength revealed in Jesus Christ. While Moab trusted in "mighty and strong men for the war," God's ultimate and decisive victory over sin, death, and the powers of darkness was achieved not through conventional military power or earthly might, but through the humble, sacrificial act of the Lamb of God on the cross. The world's wisdom and perceived strength are utterly foolishness in the eyes of God (1 Corinthians 1:25), and Christ's crucifixion, though appearing as ultimate weakness to human eyes, was in fact the supreme demonstration of divine power and wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:18). In Christ, we witness the futility of human boasting utterly dismantled; our salvation comes not from our own strength, good works, or religious efforts, but solely from God's unmerited grace received through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). He is the true mighty warrior (Isaiah 9:6), who conquered not with earthly armies or violence but with perfect obedience and sacrificial love, ultimately triumphing over all principalities and powers, disarming them and making a public spectacle of them (Colossians 2:15). Therefore, our boast is not in ourselves, our achievements, or our strength, but solely in the Lord Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross (Galatians 6:14), for in Him alone is true, eternal, and unfailing strength.

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Commentary on Jeremiah 48 verses 14–47

I. II. Main points1. 2. Sub-points

The destruction is here further prophesied of very largely and with a great copiousness and variety of expression, and very pathetically and in moving language, designed not only to awaken them by a national repentance and reformation to prevent the trouble, or by a personal repentance and reformation to prepare for it, but to affect us with the calamitous state of human life, which is liable to such lamentable occurrences, and with the power of God's anger and the terror of his judgments, when he comes forth to contend with a provoking people. In reading this long roll of threatenings, and meditating on the terror of them, it will be of more use to us to keep this in our eye, and to get our hearts thereby possessed with a holy awe of God and of his wrath, than to enquire critically into all the lively figures and metaphors here used.

I. It is a surprising destruction, and very sudden, that is here threatened. They were very secure, thought themselves strong for war and able to deal with the most powerful enemy (Jer 48:14), and yet the calamity is near, and he is not able to keep it off, nor so much as to keep the enemy long in parley, for the affliction hastens fast (Jer 48:16) and will soon come to a crisis. The enemy shall fly as an eagle, so swiftly, so strongly shall he come (Jer 48:40), as an eagle flies upon his prey, and he shall spread his wings, the wings of his army, over Moab; he shall surround it, that none may escape. The strong-holds of Moab are taken by surprise (Jer 48:41), so that all their strength stood them in no stead; and this made the hearts even of their mighty men to fail, for they had not time to recollect the considerations that might have animated them. It requires a more than ordinary degree of courage not to be afraid of sudden fear.

II. It is an utter destruction, and such as lays Moab all in ruins: Moab is spoiled (Jer 48:15), quite spoiled, is confounded and broken down (Jer 48:20); their cities are laid in ashes, or seized by the enemy so that they are forced to quit them, Jer 48:15. Divers cities are here named, upon which judgment has come, and the list concludes with an et cetera - and such like. What occasion was there for him to mention more particulars when it comes upon all the cities of Moab in general, far and near? Jer 48:21-24. Note, When iniquity is universal we have reason to expect that calamity should be so too. The kingdom is deprived of its dignity and authority: The horn of Moab is cut off, the horn of its strength and power, both offensive and defensive; his arm is broken, that he can neither give a blow nor prevent a blow, Jer 48:25. Is the youth of the kingdom the strength and beauty of it? His chosen young men have gone down to the slaughter, Jer 48:15. They went down to the battle promising themselves that they should return victorious; but God told them that they went down to the slaughter; so sure are those to fall against whom God fights. In a word, Moab shall be destroyed from being a people, Jer 48:42. Those that are enemies to God's people will soon be made no people.

III. It is a lamentable destruction; it will be just matter of mourning and will turn joy into heaviness. 1. The prophet that foretels it does himself lament it, and mourns at the very foresight of it, from a principle of compassion to his fellow-creatures and concern for human nature. The prophet will himself howl for Moab; his very heart shall mourn for them (Jer 48:31); he will weep for the vine of Sibmah (Jer 48:32); his heart shall sound like pipes for Moab, Jer 48:36. Though the destruction of Moab would prove him a true prophet, yet he could not think of it without trouble. The ruin of sinners is no pleasure to God, and therefore should be a pain to us; even those that give warning of it should lay it to heart. These passages, and many others in this chapter, are much the same with what Isaiah had used in his prophecies against Moab (Isa 15:1-9, Isa 16:1-14); for, though there was a long distance of time between that prophecy and this, yet they were both dictated by one and the same Spirit, and it becomes God's prophets to speak the language of those that went before them. It is no plagiarism sometimes to make use of old expressions, provided it be with new affections and applications. 2. The Moabites themselves shall lament it; it will be the greatest mortification and grief imaginable to them. Those that sat in glory, in the midst of wealth, and mirth, and all manner of pleasure, shall sit in thirst, in a dry and thirsty land, where no water, no comfort is, Jer 48:18. It is time for them to sit in thirst, and inure themselves to hardship, when the spoiler has come, who will strip them of all, and empty them. The Moabites in the remote corners of the country, that are furthest from the danger, will be inquisitive to know how the matter goes, what news from the army, will ask every one that escapes, What is done? Jer 48:19. And when they are told that all is gone, that the invader is the conqueror, they will howl and cry, in bitterness and anguish of spirit (Jer 48:20); they will abandon themselves to solitude, to lament the desolations of their country; they will leave the cities that used to be full of mirth, and dwell in the rock where they may have their full of melancholy; they shall no more be singing birds, but mourning birds, like the dove (Jer 48:28); the doves of the valley, Eze 7:16. Let those that give themselves up to mirth know that God can soon change their note. Their sorrow shall be so very extreme that they shall make themselves bald and cut themselves (Jer 48:37), which were expressions of a desperate grief, such as tempted men to be even their own destroyers. Job indeed rent his mantle and shaved his head, but he did not cut himself. When the flood of passion rises ever so high wisdom and grace must set bounds to it, set banks to it, to restrain it from such barbarities. The sorrow shall be universal (Jer 48:38): There shall be a general lamentation upon all the house-tops of Moab, where they worshipped their idols, to whom they shall in vain bemoan themselves, and in all the streets, where they conversed with one another, for they shall be free in communicating their grief and fears and in propagating them; for they see all lost: "I have broken Moab like a vessel wherein is no pleasure, which shall not be regarded and cannot be pieced again." That which Moab used to rejoice in was their pleasant fruits and the abundance of their rich wines. The delights of sense were all the matter of their joy. Take away these, destroy their gardens and vineyards, and you make all their mirth to cease, Hos 2:11, Hos 2:12. There is great weeping when their plants are transplanted, have gone over the sea (Jer 48:32), are carried into other countries, to be planted there. The spoiler has fallen upon thy summer-fruits and upon thy vintage, and it is this that makes the cry of Heshbon to reach even to Elealeh, Jer 48:34. Take joy and gladness from the plentiful field, and you take it from the land of Moab, Jer 48:33. If the wine fail from the wine-presses, that used to be trodden with acclamations of joy, all their gladness is cut off. Take away that shouting, and there shall be no shouting. Note, Those who make the delights of sense their chief joy, their exceeding joy, since these are things they may easily be deprived of in a little time subject themselves to the tyranny of the greatest grief; whereas those who rejoice in God may do that even when the fig-tree does not blossom and there is no fruit in the vine. These Moabites lost not only their wine, but their water too: Even the waters of Nimrim shall be desolate (Jer 48:34), and therefore their grief grew extravagantly loud and noisy, and their lamentations were heard in all placed like the lowing of a heifer of three years old. The expressions here are borrowed from Isa 15:5, Isa 15:6. 3. All their neighbours are called to mourn with them, and to condole with them on their ruin (Jer 48:17): All you that are about him bemoan him, Let him have that allay to his grief, let him see himself pities by the adjoining countries. Nay, let those at a distance, who do but know his name and have heard of his reputation, take notice of his fall, and say, How is the strong staff broken, whose strength was the terror of its enemies, and the beautiful rod, whose beauty was the pride of its friends! Let the nations take notice of this and receive instruction. Let none be puffed up with or put confidence in their strength or beauty, for neither will be a security against the judgments of God.

IV. It is a shameful destruction and such as shall expose them to contempt: Moab is made drunk (Jer 48:26), and he that is made drunk is made vile; he shall wallow in his vomit, and become an odious spectacle, and shalljustly be in derision. Let the Moabites be intoxicated with the cup of God's wrath till they stagger and fall, and be brought to their wits' end, and make themselves ridiculous by the wildness not only of their passions but of their counsels. And again (Jer 48:39): Moab shall be a derision and a dismaying to all about him; they shall laugh at the fall of the pomp and power he was so proud of. Note, Those that are haughty are preparing reproach and ignominy for themselves.

V. It is the destruction of that which is dear to them, not only of their summer fruits and their vintage, but of their wealth (Jer 48:36): The riches that he has gotten have perished, though he thought he had laid them up very safely, and promised himself a long enjoyment of them, yet they are gone. Note, The money that is hoarded in the chest is as liable to perishing as the summer-fruits that lie exposed in the open field. Riches are shedding things, and, like dust as they are, slip through our fingers even when we are in most care to hold them fast and gripe them hard. Yet this is not the worst; even those whose religion was false and foolish were fond of it above any thing, and, such as it was, would not part with it; and therefore, though it was really a promise, yet to them it was a threatening (Jer 48:35), that God will cause to cease him that offers in the high places, for the high places shall be destroyed, and the fields of offerings shall be laid waste, and the priests themselves, who burnt incense to their gods, shall be slain or carried into captivity, Jer 48:7. Note, It is only the true religion, and the worship and service of the true God, that will stand us in stead in a day of trouble.

VI. It is a just and righteous destruction, and that which they have deserved and brought upon themselves by sin.

1.The sin which they had been most notoriously guilty of, and for which God now reckoned with them, was pride. It is mentioned six times, Jer 48:29. We have all heard of the pride of Moab; his neighbours took notice of it; it has testified to his face, as Israel's did; he is exceedingly proud, and grows worse and worse. Observe his loftiness, his arrogancy, his pride, his haughtiness; the multiplying of words to the same purport intimates in how many instances he discovered his pride, and how offensive it was both to God and man. It was charged upon them Isa, Jer 16:6, but here it is expressed more largely that there. Since then they had been under humbling providences, and yet were unhumbled; nay, they grew more arrogant and haughty, which plainly marked them for that utter destruction of which pride is the forerunner. Two instances are here given of the pride of Moab: - (1.) He had conducted himself insolently towards God. He must be brought down with shame (Jer 48:26), for he has magnified himself against the Lord; and again (Jer 48:42), he shall be destroyed from being a people, for this very reason. The Moabites preferred Chemosh before Jehovah, and thought themselves a match for the God of Israel, whom they set at defiance. (2.) He had conducted himself scornfully towards Israel, particularly in their late troubles; therefore Moab shall fall into the same troubles; into the same hands, and be a derision, for Israel was a derision to him, Jer 48:26, Jer 48:27. The generality of the Moabites, when they heard of the calamities and desolations of their neighbours the Jews, instead of lamenting them, rejoiced in them, they skipped for joy. Many, in such a case, entertain in their minds a secret pleasure at the fall of those they had a dislike to, who yet have so much discretion as to conceal it; it is so invidious a thing. But the Moabites industriously proclaimed their joy, and avowed the enmity they had to Israel, triumphing over every Israelite they met with in distress and laughing at him, which was as inhuman as it was impious and an impudent affront both to man, whose nature they were of, and to God, whose name they were called by. Note, Those that deride others in distress will justly and certainly, sooner or later, come into distress themselves, and be had in derision. Those that are glad at calamities, especially the calamities of God's church, shall not long go unpunished.

2.Besides this they had been guilty of malice against God's people, and treachery in their dealings with them, Jer 48:30. They made a jest of the desolations of Judah and Jerusalem, and pretended, when they laughed at them, that it was but in sport and to make themselves merry; but, says God, "I know his wrath; I know it comes from the old enmity he has to the seed of Abraham and the worshippers of the true God. I know he thinks these calamities of the Jewish nation will end in their utter extirpation. He now tells the Chaldeans what bad people the Jews are, and irritates them against them; but it shall not be so as he expects; his lies shall not so effect it. The nation, whose fall they triumph in, shall recover itself." Some read it, I know his rage. Is it not so? Is he not very furious against the people of God? And his lies I know also. Do they not do so? Do they not belie them? Note, All the fury and all the falsehood of the church's enemies are perfectly known to God, whatever the pretenses are with which they think to cover them, Isa 37:28.

VII. It is a complicated destruction, and by one instance after another will at length be completed; for those that make their escape from one judgment shall perish by another: Fear, and the pit, and the snare, shall be upon them, Jer 48:43. There shall be fear to drive them into the pit, and a snare to hold them fast in it when they are in it; so that they shall neither escape from the destruction nor escape out of it. What was said of sinners in general (Isa 24:17, Isa 24:18), that those who flee from the fear shall fall into the pit and those who come up out of the pit shall be taken in the snare, is here particularly foretold concerning the sinners of Moab (Jer 48:44); for it is the year of their visitation, when God comes to reckon with them, and will be known by the judgments which he executes, for he is the King whose name is the Lord of hosts (Jer 48:15); he is not only the King who has authority to give judgment, but he is the Lord of hosts, who is able to do what he has determined. The figurative expressions used Jer 48:44 are explained in one instance (Jer 48:45): Those that fled out of the villages for fear of the enemy's forces put themselves under the shadow of Heshbon, stood there, and supposed they stood safely, as now armies sometimes retire under the cannon of a fortified city, and it is their protection; but here they should be disappointed, for, when they flee out of the pit, they fall into the snare; Heshbon, which they thought would shelter them, devours them as Moses had foretold long since (Num 21:28): A fire has gone out of Heshbon, and a flame from the city of Sihon, and devours those that come from all the corners of Moab, and fastens upon the crown of the head of the tumultuous noisy ones, or of the revellers, or children of noise, not meant of the rude clamorous multitude, but of the great men, who bluster, and hector, and make a noise; the judgments of God shall light on them. Shall we hear the conclusion of this whole matter? We have it (Jer 48:46): "Woe be to thee, O Moab! thou art undone; the people that worship Chemosh perish, and are gone; farewell, Moab. Thy sons and daughters, the hopes of the next generation, have gone into captivity after the Jews, whose calamities they rejoiced in."

VIII. Yet it is not a perpetual destruction. The chapter concludes with a short promise of their return out of captivity in the latter days. God, who brings them into captivity, will bring again their captivity, Jer 48:47. Thus tenderly does God deal with Moabites, much more with his own people! Even with Moabites he will not contend for ever, nor be always wrath. When Israel returned, Moab did; and perhaps the prophecy was intended chiefly for the encouragement of God's people to hope for that salvation which even Moabites shall share in. Yet it looks further, to gospel times; the Jews themselves refer it to the days of the Messiah; then the captivity of the Gentiles, under the yoke of sin and Satan, shall be brought back by divine grace, which shall make them free, free indeed. This prophecy concerning Moab is long, but here it ends; it ends comfortably: Thus far is the judgment of Moab.

Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 14–47. Public domain.
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Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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