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Translation
King James Version
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.
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KJV (with Strong's)
They shall howl H3213, saying, How is it broken down H2865! how hath Moab H4124 turned H6437 the back H6203 with shame H954! so shall Moab H4124 be a derision H7814 and a dismaying H4288 to all them about H5439 him.
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Complete Jewish Bible
Wail, "How shattered is Mo'av! How shamefully in retreat!" Thus will Mo'av become an object of ridicule and distress to all its neighbors.
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Berean Standard Bible
“How shattered it is! How they wail! How Moab has turned his back in shame! Moab has become an object of ridicule and horror to all those around him.”
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American Standard Version
How is it broken down! how do they wail! how hath Moab turned the back with shame! so shall Moab become a derision and a terror to all that are round about him.
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World English Bible Messianic
How it is broken down! How they wail! How Moab has turned the back with shame! So shall Moab become a derision and a terror to all who are around him.
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Geneva Bible (1599)
They shall howle, saying, How is he destroyed? howe hath Moab turned the backe with shame? so shall Moab be a derision, and a feare to all them about him.
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Young's Literal Translation
How hath it been broken down! they have howled, How hath Moab turned the neck ashamed, And Moab hath been for a derision. And for a terror to all round about her.
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Study This Verse

SUMMARY

Jeremiah 48:39 delivers a profound and poignant depiction of Moab's climactic humiliation and utter devastation. This once-proud and self-sufficient nation is now brought low by divine judgment, its downfall marked by anguished lamentations from those witnessing its collapse. The verse captures the profound despair over Moab's ruin and the ignominious retreat of its people, portraying its fate as a source of derision and dismay for all surrounding nations. It serves as a stark testament to the inevitable consequences of national pride, idolatry, and defiance against the sovereign will of God.

CONTEXT

  • Literary Context: Jeremiah 48 forms a comprehensive and sustained oracle against Moab, one of a series of prophecies against foreign nations found within the broader book of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 46-51). This particular chapter meticulously details the complete destruction of Moab's cities, its land, and its people, emphasizing the widespread lamentation and profound shame that will accompany this divine judgment. The verses immediately preceding Jeremiah 48:39 describe the pervasive wailing and sorrow echoing throughout Moab, the destruction of its strongholds, and the panicked flight of its inhabitants (e.g., Jeremiah 48:3-6). Specifically, Jeremiah 48:34-38 detail the cries emanating from various Moabite cities and the cutting off of their produce, setting the grim stage for the ultimate expression of their shame and derision in verse 39. Despite the severity of this judgment, the chapter concludes with a glimmer of hope, promising Moab's restoration "in the latter days" (Jeremiah 48:47), providing a theological nuance to the otherwise bleak pronouncement.
  • Historical & Cultural Context: Moab was an ancient kingdom situated east of the Dead Sea, serving as a persistent neighbor and often an adversary of Israel. Its origins are traced back to Lot through an incestuous union (Genesis 19:37), a detail that often underscored Israel's negative perception of them. Moab was renowned for its pride, considerable wealth, and pervasive idolatry, particularly their devotion to Chemosh, their national god. Their historical animosity towards Israel, exemplified by their refusal to provide aid during the Exodus (Deuteronomy 23:3-4) and their later oppression of Israel during the period of the Judges (Judges 3:12-14), significantly contributed to the divine judgment pronounced against them. Culturally, the public lamentation and "howling" described in the verse were deeply ingrained expressions of grief and despair in the ancient Near East, frequently accompanied by ritualistic acts such as tearing clothes and shaving heads, as explicitly mentioned in Jeremiah 48:37. The concept of "turning the back with shame" powerfully conveys the profound dishonor and disgrace inextricably linked with military defeat and public exposure within a shame-honor cultural framework.
  • Key Themes: Jeremiah 48:39 contributes significantly to several overarching themes prevalent within the book of Jeremiah and the broader prophetic literature. Firstly, it serves as a powerful illustration of the theme of Divine Judgment against national pride and idolatry. Moab's comprehensive downfall is not an arbitrary act but a direct and just consequence of its deep-seated arrogance and its misplaced reliance on false gods, a point emphatically highlighted in Jeremiah 48:29-30. Secondly, the verse vividly underscores the theme of Humiliation and Shame, depicting the dramatic reversal of fortune for a once-proud nation that is now transformed into an object of scorn and derision. This serves as a potent warning against self-sufficiency and an enduring reminder that all earthly power and glory are ultimately subject to God's supreme sovereignty (Daniel 4:17). Finally, it subtly but powerfully points to the Sovereignty of God over all nations, unequivocally demonstrating His absolute power to execute justice and faithfully fulfill His prophetic word, even against those who appear impregnable and self-secure.

EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS

Key Word Analysis

  • howl (Hebrew, yâlal', H3213): This primitive root signifies a deep, mournful cry, often associated with expressions of great sorrow, lamentation, or despair. It implies a wailing, guttural tone, indicating profound grief over tragedy or loss, echoing the sounds of public mourning rituals. In this context, it conveys the intense anguish and public display of distress from those witnessing Moab's utter destruction and disgrace.
  • broken down (Hebrew, châthath', H2865): Properly, "to prostrate," this word implies not merely physical destruction by violence, but a comprehensive shattering of spirit, morale, and national identity. It suggests a complete collapse of a nation's strength, will, and infrastructure, leading to widespread confusion, fear, and dismay. It speaks to a ruin that is both material and psychological, leaving nothing intact.
  • shame (Hebrew, bûwsh', H954): This root means "to pale," and by implication, "to be ashamed." It also carries the significant sense of being disappointed or delayed, highlighting the futility of Moab's former confidence. In the context of "turned the back with shame," it powerfully conveys ignominious defeat, public disgrace, and a profound, irreparable loss of honor. It emphasizes the public exposure of Moab's weakness, cowardice, and ultimate failure.

Verse Breakdown

  • "They shall howl, [saying], How is it broken down!": This opening clause captures the immediate, visceral, and collective reaction of observers, whether surviving Moabites or neighboring nations. The "howling" signifies a deep, mournful cry, indicative of extreme distress and lamentation. The exclamation "How is it broken down!" expresses profound shock, disbelief, and despair over the unexpected and comprehensive ruin that has befallen Moab, highlighting the sudden and complete collapse of what was once perceived as strong, secure, and invincible.
  • "how hath Moab turned the back with shame!": This phrase vividly describes the ignominious flight and decisive defeat of Moab. "Turned the back" is a potent idiom for fleeing in battle, indicating a complete rout and abandonment of the field. The crucial addition of "with shame" intensifies the disgrace, emphasizing that their retreat is not merely a tactical withdrawal but a humiliating, public acknowledgment of their utter defeat, cowardice, and profound loss of national honor. Moab, once arrogant and proud, is now exposed in its weakness and ignominy.
  • "so shall Moab be a derision and a dismaying to all them about him.": This final clause pronounces the lasting and public consequence of Moab's catastrophic fall. "Derision" (Hebrew, sᵉchôwq') implies mockery, scorn, and ridicule from onlookers, while "dismaying" (Hebrew, mᵉchittâh') refers to consternation, ruin, or terror. Moab's fate will serve as a public spectacle, a dire warning, and an object of contempt for all the surrounding nations ("them about him," meaning its immediate neighbors). Its downfall will evoke both a sense of superiority and scorn, as well as a fearful realization of the power and inevitability of divine judgment.

Literary Devices

Jeremiah 48:39 employs several powerful literary devices to convey the depth and public nature of Moab's destruction. The prominent use of Exclamation ("How is it broken down!") conveys intense emotion—shock, despair, and grief—making the lament palpable and immediate. Personification is subtly yet effectively present as Moab is depicted as an entity that "turned the back with shame," attributing human-like actions of retreat and humiliation to the entire nation. The phrase "turned the back with shame" is also a potent Idiom, vividly illustrating ignominious defeat and public disgrace far more succinctly than a literal description. The verse utilizes Parallelism with the repeated "how" clauses, creating a rhythmic emphasis that underscores the profound sense of loss and the overwhelming extent of the catastrophe. Finally, the concluding declaration that Moab will be "a derision and a dismaying" for its neighbors serves as a form of Prophetic Judgment, delivering a definitive and public verdict on its fate and highlighting the humiliating and exemplary nature of its downfall.

THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS

Jeremiah 48:39 powerfully articulates the immutable theological principle that divine judgment inevitably follows national pride, idolatry, and direct defiance of God. Moab's catastrophic fall serves as a stark and enduring reminder that no nation, however strong, wealthy, or self-assured, is beyond the reach of God's sovereign justice. The profound shame and public derision experienced by Moab underscore the transient nature of all worldly power and the ultimate futility of trusting in anything other than the true and living God. This judgment is not merely punitive but also profoundly revelatory, demonstrating God's absolute holiness, His unwavering commitment to upholding righteousness, and His supreme authority among all the nations. It calls all peoples to cultivate a spirit of humility and a recognition of God's supreme authority, reminding us that true security, lasting honor, and genuine flourishing are found only in humble submission to Him.

REFLECTION AND APPLICATION

Jeremiah 48:39, though a prophecy of ancient judgment against a specific nation, holds profound and timeless contemporary relevance. It serves as an enduring warning against the insidious perils of national and individual pride, self-sufficiency, and any form of idolatry. When societies or individuals place their ultimate trust and confidence in economic prosperity, military might, technological advancement, political ideologies, or any other created thing rather than in the Creator Himself, they inevitably set themselves on a path toward potential humiliation and spiritual ruin. The "howling" and "shame" of Moab serve as a vivid reminder that defiance of God's moral order and His supreme authority ultimately leads to a profound loss of honor and public disgrace, not only in the eyes of others but, more significantly, in the ultimate judgment of God. This verse calls us to cultivate genuine humility, to diligently repent of any form of idolatry that may have crept into our lives, and to continually re-evaluate where our true security, confidence, and hope truly lie. It challenges us to align our values, pursuits, and allegiances with God's righteousness, recognizing that true flourishing, lasting peace, and eternal dignity come solely from humble dependence on Him, not from our own strength, achievements, or worldly accumulation.

Questions for Reflection

  • In what areas of my personal life or within my society might pride or self-sufficiency be subtly leading to a potential "fall" or "shame"?
  • What "idols" (whether material possessions, social status, professional achievements, or even personal reputation) might I be trusting in more than the living God?
  • How does the ultimate "dismaying" of Moab encourage me to seek true and lasting security and honor in God alone?
  • What profound insights does this passage offer me about God's unchanging character and His righteous dealings with both nations and individuals throughout history?

FAQ

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

Answer: Moab's primary sins that provoked this divine judgment were its excessive pride, deep-seated arrogance, and pervasive idolatry, particularly the worship of their national god, Chemosh. The prophet Jeremiah explicitly states, "We have heard of the pride of Moab (he is exceeding proud); his loftiness, and his arrogancy, and his pride, and the haughtiness of his heart" (Jeremiah 48:29). They placed their trust and security in their wealth, fortifications, and military strength rather than in the one true God, which ultimately led to their catastrophic downfall.

How does Moab's fate relate to other nations mentioned in Jeremiah's prophecies?

Answer: Jeremiah includes extensive prophecies against several foreign nations (chapters Jeremiah 46-51), which powerfully demonstrates God's universal sovereignty and His righteous judgment over all peoples, not exclusively over Israel. Like Moab, other nations such as Egypt (Jeremiah 46), Philistia (Jeremiah 47), Ammon (Jeremiah 49:1-6), Edom (Jeremiah 49:7-22), and Babylon (Jeremiah 50-51) also faced divine judgment for their pride, idolatry, and consistent opposition to God's redemptive purposes. Moab's specific and vivid judgment highlights a consistent divine principle: sin, especially the intertwined sins of pride and idolatry, inevitably leads to destruction, humiliation, and profound shame.

CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT

While Jeremiah 48:39 vividly portrays the judgment and profound shame of Moab, its Christ-centered fulfillment lies in the striking contrast between the world's inevitable downfall and the eternal security, honor, and redemption found exclusively in Christ. Moab's "howling" and "shame" represent the ultimate and universal consequence of human rebellion, self-reliance, and sin—a spiritual truth that finds its most profound expression in the pervasive shame of sin and the just judgment it incurs. However, in Christ, humanity finds a glorious reversal of this curse. He willingly bore the ultimate "shame" and "derision" on the cross, becoming a public spectacle for the world, precisely so that we, who were once alienated and shamed, might receive glory, honor, and eternal life (Hebrews 12:2). The "broken down" state of Moab powerfully foreshadows the brokenness of all humanity under the weight and power of sin, but Christ, through His own broken body and sacrificial death, offers complete healing, restoration, and the miraculous transformation into new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17). Furthermore, while Moab became a "dismaying" spectacle to its neighbors, Christ's triumphant victory over sin, death, and the grave offers profound hope, courage, and an unshakable peace, transforming fear into unwavering faith and despair into overflowing joy for all who believe in Him (Romans 5:1-5). Thus, the severe judgment on Moab serves as a stark and necessary backdrop against which the glorious, redemptive, and eternally victorious work of the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, shines even brighter, offering freedom from shame, a lasting inheritance, and an everlasting kingdom that will never be "broken down" or destroyed (Daniel 2:44).

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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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