Jeremiah 48:16

14 How say ye, "We are valiant, and men strong for war:" 15 Wasted is Moab, and from his cities they have vanished, And his young men have descended to the slaughter, Saith the King, Jehovah of hosts is his name. 16 Nigh is the destruction of Moab to come, And her calamity greatly hastens. Be ye moved for him all who are around him, And all ye who know his name, say, — "How has the strong staff been broken, the beautiful rod!" 17 Come down from glory, and dwell in thirst, Thou inhabitant, the daughter of Dibon! 18 For the waster of Moab comes up against thee, The destroyer of thy fortresses. 19 On the way stand and look, Thou inhabitant of Aroer. Ask the fugitive, and her who has escaped, "Say, what hath happened?" 20 Ashamed is Moab, for he is broken. Howl ye, and cry out, And proclaim in Arnon that Moab is laid waste. 21 Judgment also shall come on the plain country, On Holon, and on Jahazah, and on Mephaath, 22 And on Dibon, and on Nebo, and on Beth-diblathaim, 23 And on Kiriathaim, and on Beth-gamul, and on Beth-meon, 24 And on Kerioth, and on Bozrah, And on all the cities of the land of Moab, far and near 25 Cut, off is the horn of Moab, And his strength is broken, saith Jehovah. 26 Make him drunk, for against Jehovah hath he magnified him- self; And roll himself shall Moab in his own vomit; And he also shall be a derision; 27 For has not Israel been a derision to thee? Has he been found among thieves? For since thou hast spoken of him, thou hast been excited.

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! 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?

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. 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

48:14-47. The destruction of Moab is further prophesied, to awaken them by national repentance and reformation to prevent the trouble, or by a personal repentance and reformation to prepare for it. In reading this long roll of threatenings, and mediating on the terror, it will be of more use to us to keep in view the power of God's anger and the terror of his judgments, and to have our hearts possessed with a holy awe of God and of his wrath, than to search into all the figures and expressions here used. Yet it is not perpetual destruction. The chapter ends with a promise of their return out of captivity in the latter days. Even with Moabites God will not contend for ever, nor be always wroth. The Jews refer it to the days of the Messiah; then the captives of the Gentiles, under the yoke of sin and Satan, shall be brought back by Divine grace, which shall make them free indeed.

The calamity of Moab is near to come,.... As it did come within live years after the destruction of Jerusalem, as observed on Jeremiah 48:12 ; out of Josephus: and his affliction hasteth fast: or, "his evil" (z) the evil of punishment for his sin; his utter destruction. (z) "malum ejus", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus, Calvin, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Cocceius, Schmidt.

Moab's glory is departed. - Jeremiah 48:16 . "The destruction of Moab is near to come, and his trouble hastens rapidly. Jeremiah 48:17 . Bewail him, all [ye who are] round about him, and all who know his name! Say, How the rod of strength is broken, the staff of majesty! Jeremiah 48:18 . Come down from [thy] glory, and sit in the drought, [thou] inhabitants, daughter of Dibon; for the destroyer of Moab hath come up against thee, he hath destroyed thy strongholds. Jeremiah 48:19 . Stand by the way, and watch, O inhabitants of Aroer! ask him who flees, and her that has escaped; say, What has happened? Jeremiah 48:20 . Moab is ashamed, for it is broken down: howl and cry out; tell it in Arnon, that Moab is laid waste. Jeremiah 48:21 . And judgment hath come upon the country of the plain, upon Holon, and upon Jahzah, and upon Mephaath, Jeremiah 48:22 . And upon Dibon, and upon Nebo, and upon Beth-diblathaim, Jeremiah 48:23 . And upon Kirjathaim, and upon Beth-gamul, and upon Beth-meon, Jeremiah 48:24 . And upon Kerioth, and upon Bozrah, and upon all the cities of the land of Moab, those that are far off and those that are near. Jeremiah 48:25 . The horn of Moab is cut off, ad his arm is broken, saith Jahveh." The downfall of Moab will soon begin. Jeremiah 48:16 is an imitation of Deuteronomy 32:35; cf. Isaiah 13:22; Isaiah 56:1. The fall of the Moabite power and glory will be so terrible, that all the nations, near ad distant, will have pity on him.

The summons to lament, Jeremiah 48:17, is not a mockery, but is seriously meant, for the purpose of expressing the idea that the downfall of so mighty and glorious a power will rouse compassion. The environs of Moab are the neighbouring nations, and "those who know his name" are those who live far off, and have only heard about him. The staff, the sceptre, is the emblem of authority; cf. Ezekiel 19:11-12, Ezekiel 19:14, and Psalm 110:2.