Jeremiah 48
February 24, 2024 1:17 PM
Solitary Man
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Jer 48:1 Against Moab thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Woe unto Nebo! for it is spoiled: Kiriathaim (double city) is confounded and taken: Misgab (cliff) is confounded and dismayed.
We now begin the last 5 chapters of Jeremiah. These are noted for their excessive length, so we have a lot of material to cover. The judgment of Moab takes up the entire chapter, all 47 verses. Whereas the judgment on her sidekick, Ammon only takes up the first 6 verses of chapter 49. Why this is so is a mystery. Perhaps a full pronouncement was made on Moab, and instead of a general repetition on Ammon, they were mentioned to be included in the judgment, but great detail did not need to be repeated. Or, since Moab was the place where Ruth came from, and thus, David’s bloodline had a connection to the place (David took refuge there also), their judgment is more severe.
During Jehoiakim’s reign (608-597 BC), 2 Ki 24:2 stated that after Babylon had punished Judah for its rebellion in 605, God sent invaders to cross the border from several countries, including Moab and Ammon, to destroy it. Today this scripture is being fulfilled in our plain sight in North America. God has also sent bands of invaders to destroy our land, because of our rebellion. 2 Ki 24:3 says this invasion came at the commandment of the Lord, to remove Judah out of his sight. It is terrifying to think that all the invaders entering our land is at the command of the Lord, because he cannot stand to look at us anymore. With all our sexual depravity, endless wars, and mass murder, how can heaven stomach us?
Nebuchadnezzar fulfilled this prophecy around 581 BC, 5 years after the destruction of Jerusalem.
Nebo was the god that was worshipped in Moab. Nebo was a mountain, along with Pisgah, where Moses was led to view the promised land, but not allowed to enter (Dt 32:49, 34:1). Kiriathaim was given by Moses to the Reubenites (Josh 13:10), but Moab reconquered it later. Misgab means cliff or high fort, and could be the Kir-haraseth in 2 Ki 3:25.
Other prophecies against Moab may be found in Is 15:1-9, 16:6-14, 25:10-12, Ez 25:8-11.
Jer 48:2 There shall be no more praise of Moab: in Heshbon (khesh-bon) they have devised (khaw-shab) evil against it; come, and let us cut it off from being a nation. Also thou shalt be cut down (daw-mam), O Madmen (mad-man); the sword shall pursue thee.
Heshbon was an Ammonite city on the northern frontier of Moab. God chooses this city as in the Hebrew it sounds similar to the word ‘devise’, so it’s a play on words. God will use figures of speech to help us remember what he is saying. Apparently memory aids were in fashion even way back then. Madmen literally means dunghill. A similar sounding town was found in Judah (Josh 15:31). Again, there is an alliteration at work here, as ‘cut down’ has a similar sound to this town’s name. God is making puns and renaming these places to signify their fates. I wonder what he would rename some of our infamous places such as Hollywood or Las Vegas today?
Apparently Moab was known for its self glorifying boasts (Jer 48:29, Is 16:6). This is not a good testimony to have, as it will attract the wrong kind of attention from the most high. God says that kind of voice will be silenced.
Jer 48:3 A voice of crying (shrieking) shall be from Horonaim (double cave town), spoiling and great destruction.
Horonaim (Is 15:5) is next on God’s hit list. We are going to come across many different town names. Why would God take the time to fill his word with such seemingly trivial information? Perhaps like the genealogies, God wants us to know that he is into details. He is not a god far off, he is near, and takes a keen interest in the affairs of men. He knows where each of us lives. He knows the spiritual character of each of our dwelling places. He sets judgment accordingly. You may be in the most obscure backwater, but God has your address.
I think this verse continues on the theme of the previous one. Whereas Moab was known for proclaiming its glory, now that same voice shall shriek in misery, bewailing its losses.
Jer 48:4 Moab is destroyed; her little ones (little in number and/or age) have caused a cry to be heard.
The theme of grievous lament is continuing here, focusing on the children. As we began to perish due to the injected venom that we so easily gave in to as a nation, it did not take long for blinded parents to demand that their little ones also be given the kill shot. So we destroyed their immune systems and now, go on to social media and see the cries of the injured, the disabled, the soon to be dead.
Jer 48:5 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.
Most likely there was a sanctuary at Luhith that you ascended to, while you went down into a hollow to reach Horonaim. Whether you were coming or going, ascending somewhere, or descending somewhere else, the theme of continual weeping and wailing would be the norm. Will this be our theme as the deaths mount up, when more bio-weapons are released?
Jer 48:6 Flee, save your lives, and be like the heath (juniper, solitary shrub) in the wilderness.
You can attribute these words to God, or the prophet, or the Moabites themselves. They can be taken as a taunt, or as an exhortation of great urgency, or as a statement of panic and terror. In each and every way, the sense is that you are to escape just as fast and go as far as you can. There will not be many of you left, you will be like those solitary shrubs that pop up occasionally in the desert. Great judgment always leads to depopulation.
Jer 48:7 For because thou hast trusted in thy works and in thy treasures, thou shalt also be taken (captured): and Chemosh shall go forth into captivity with his priests and his princes together.
Moab’s judgment is included in the scripture for the object lesson to teach us that when we set our faith in our own efforts and in our own resources, God will not be there for us. In fact, he will most likely fight against us, as he will not share his glory with another.
Num 21:29 makes Chemosh appear as the national deity in Moab. Judges 11:24 shows it’s also worshipped by the Ammonites. Solomon introduced and Josiah abolished its worship in Judah (1 Ki 11:7, 2 Ki 23:13).
Your strength and your treasure will be absolutely worthless in the day of judgment. Your god and your leaders will not be victorious. The devil of your land will be bound by Yehovah.
Jer 48:8 And the spoiler (robber) 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.
The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. Whether God sends satan and his minions to do the job, or he takes care of it himself, Moab is going down. There is going to be no place of refuge for anyone anywhere. You can try each and every city, or hidden valleys, or depopulated plains, it matters not. In this instance, there is no place that you can go. Some local governments may seem more suited for patriots and freedom fighters. You can flee there, thinking you have a better chance at surviving but unless God has sent you there, and has pronounced it as a place of refuge, your location will not save you.
Jer 48:9 Give wings unto Moab, that it may flee and get away: for the cities thereof shall be desolate, without any to dwell therein.
God loves to use this hyperbole. Just as he promises to bless like the sand of the seashore, so he promises to curse to the very last man. Unless Moab is given wings like a bird, they cannot run away fast enough.
Jer 48:10 Cursed be he that doeth the work of the LORD deceitfully (slothfully), and cursed be he that keepeth back (refrains) his sword from blood.
Usually God pronounces curses on someone who has wilfully done a great evil. Here the curse seems very excessive. But that is because we do not understand the judgment of the Lord. To not execute judgment when ordered to do so is as great a sin as to omit helping someone in need. Indeed, even more so, in God’s eyes.
We are reminded of the story of king Saul, who held back the full fury of the sword when he was ordered to exterminate the Amalekites. He spared Agag, the king (1Sam 15:8-33). The result was the loss of his throne, and a curse from the Lord, as God then sent an evil spirit to regularly torment him until the day he died (1 Sam 16:14). We see that a very heavy price was paid because Saul refused to kill the wicked. He used his natural human reasoning and decided that his mishpat was of a higher quality than God’s. Forget about the fact that the command was about killing (not murder, but killing). The point was that Saul decided that his moral compass was superior to God’s. That is what we do when we decide to soften or contradict God’s mishpat (verdict, decree, sentence) on the wicked. As a result, God has allowed the wicked to run amok in our lands, and to completely rule over us.
If you are slack doing the work of God, in this case, executing justice, then God pronounces a curse upon you. Will we actively resist evil in our own lives without being lazy, or do we want to risk the same fate as Saul suffered? Yes, we are under the blood of the lamb, and that may buy us a little more grace, but let us never presume on the grace of God. The other side of the coin is that the more that is given, the more that is required. We know so much more, so doesn’t it stand to reason that God will hold us to greater account?
Jer 48:11 Moab hath been at ease (lolling about) from his youth, and he hath settled (rested) on his lees (dregs of wine), and hath not been emptied (poured back and forth) from vessel to vessel, neither hath he gone into captivity: therefore his taste (behavior, perception) remained (endured) in him, and his scent (odour) is not changed.
Now here is a very weird verse to modern ears! Let us try to unpack it and make sense of it.
From Ellicott’s commentary for English readers:
He hath settled on his lees.—The image, found also in Zeph 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. There is a wholesome discipline in defeat, even in exile. In Jer 48:47 we have the hope of the prophet that the discipline will do its work. The “vessels” and “bottles” of Jeremiah 48:12 are, of course, the cities and villages of Moab. (Comp. the imagery of Jer 19:10.).
Since Moab has not experienced judgment, his behavior has become stagnant, unchanging. We wish human nature would allow us to behave otherwise. Our sin nature inevitably corrupts us, should we experience nothing but peace and prosperity. How many church going, typically nice people wind up in hell, and are sorely shocked to discover it so? They thought that they were good people. That they had lived a good Christian life. Yet our prosperity deceived us. We lived a life of self, and not of God. God seemed to of approved. That is why you cannot look at one’s wealth, as Jesus said a man’s life does not consist of the abundance of his possessions. When you got that big raise at work, are you sure it was God? Maybe it was, maybe it wasn’t. Does anyone ever consider that perhaps the devil is rewarding you for neglecting your prayer life? That you now have even more responsibility at work, and even less time for the things of God? If you look only to the natural, you will be setting yourself up to be deceived every time.
If you have not been challenged through adversity from your youth up, have not been shaken and poured out and stretched in your faith and your service to God, if you’ve never experienced true bondage to circumstance or crisis, then God says the essence of who you are will remain the same. Unchanged. Bitter and of a foul odour. We all know of some old timers in the churches that we have attended. Never challenged, hearts hardened into stone. Unable to feel any conviction over anything. Their taste and scent remains the same. And it does not come up roses, that’s for sure!
Jer 48:12 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will send unto him wanderers (tsaw-aw – to tip over, depopulate, conquerors), that shall cause him to wander (tsaw-aw), and shall empty his vessels, and break (dash to pieces) their bottles.
Because these complacent fools gave no thought to anything but themselves, God was going to shake them up, and shake them up hard. If they refused to repent and change, then God would literally pour them out. How? By sending those that would depopulate them. Sound familiar? Our vessels could be referencing our bodies. The jabs are dashing our bodies to pieces by destroying our immune systems.
Someone succinctly described the sequence of shots as follows. 1st shot – 50% of your immune system gone. 2nd shot – exactly 8 weeks later, when immune system begins to recover, another 25% destroyed. 75% in total. 1st booster – 81 new pathogens released into your bloodstream that your body has never encountered before. You try to fight them with only 25% of your immune system. 2nd booster – 8 strains of HIV to apply the coup de grace.
It is only the marvel of God’s design of our bodies that everyone who took this sequence has not yet perished off the face of the earth.
God has sent the depopulators, and they have caused us to depopulate. All about us are the broken vessels of humanity, running on fumes.
Jer 48:13 And Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel their confidence (refuge, trust).
So the fallen one of Moab will suffer disgrace and a total loss of confidence by his worshippers. God uses the calf worship of the northern tribes as an apt comparison. Bethel and Dan were the places where Jeroboam set the course of Israel’s inevitable downfall (1 Ki 12:29, Am 7:10). Why any modern ministry would want to name themselves Bethel is beyond me. That’s like naming your twins Ahab and Jezebel!
Jer 48:14 How say ye, We are mighty (gibbor) and strong men for the war?
Pride shows up again and again as the main culprit in anyone’s downfall. I wonder if we have ever stopped and really considered why pride is such a big deal. If we truly believe in our own power and might, then what need is there for God? Isn’t that what satan keeps trying to sell mankind? Who needs God, you have free will, you choose your own destiny. So many movie heroes are lauded for brazenly cutting their own path, and accomplishing what they wanted to accomplish in their own strength. If you think you’re so hot, you’re automatically demeaning God as someone who is not as important and necessary as the bible makes him out to be. Anything that lessens your dependence on God is a sure ticket to hell.
God (or the prophet speaking on behalf of God) wonders how Moab thinks they can defeat Babylon?
Jer 48:15 Moab is spoiled (robbed), 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.
This is a statement of fact. Moab has had her wealth taken away. The population has left their cities. Whether from flight, or from battle, or from being overrun, we cannot say. The point is that her cities have been emptied, and she has lost the best of her generation in battle. Just like Ukraine has been emptied of all her men in the prime of their life. As of early 2024, the average age left in the Ukrainian military is 45 years of age. This is what happens when God empties your land in judgment.
Jer 48:16 The calamity (destruction) of Moab is near to come, and his affliction (rah) hasteth fast (comes with very sudden speed).
Even though up to 24 years would pass between prophecy and fulfillment (605 to 581), God calls the fulfillment near. It seems to accelerate exponentially as the appointed day draws near. We are fooled because from a human point of view, 24 years from pronouncement to destruction seems like a very long time. According to heaven’s clock, the time is near, and it approaches with sudden speed. Think about how we kept watching the slow, steady erosion of everything we held dear in our culture. Then 2020 came and it was like the brakes came off. Now with sudden speed total destruction is barrelling straight toward us.
Jer 48:17 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!
God calls for others to take up a lament for this fallen nation. Once so powerful, who rules others with the staff and the rod, now is broken and beyond remedy. I think this is an exhortation to us not to become too hard hearted when we see other people or other nations fall, even if they weren’t our favourites. Judgment is always God’s last resort, and he does not want us to usually take pleasure in it. You may find the odd scripture where the psalmist takes joy in the destruction of the purely wicked, but that would be the exception that proves the general rule.
Jer 48:18 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.
We now begin several verses where several specific cities are mentioned by name. I think this is to show that no clever prepper can escape the judgment of God just because he thinks he had found the perfectly obscure place to hole up.
Dibon was situated on the Arnon, the chief river of Moab. Thus it was a land for cattle (Num 21:30, 32:3). It was given by lot to Gad, who built it (Num32:34), but Josh 13:17 says Reuben then held it. They were adjacent to one another on the east side of the Jordan, so there might of been some swapping of territory. Moab had evidently reclaimed it at some point. This well watered city will now sit in thirst when Babylon comes and destroys them. All the natural resources in the world mean nothing if you can’t protect them.
Jer 48:19 O inhabitant of Aroer, stand by the way, and espy (peer into the distance); ask him that fleeth, and her that escapeth, and say, What is done?
Num 32:34 said Gad built Dibon, Aroer, and Ataroth. There may of been a second Aroer on the north side of the Arnon (Dt 2:36, 3:12, Josh 12:2), which would of been Reuben’s, as opposed to one in Ammonite territory belonging to Gad, according to some. Either way, we are speaking of the one in Moab in this verse.
In any case this sister city would of seen Moabites from other towns running away. They were watching and wondering what is going on. In times of war, information becomes muddled and more rumour than fact. In our day it has become more muddled than ever, given the increasing level of censorship that is taking place. Once AI is up and running freely, where will we be able to go and get real information anymore? You will ask those passing by on the net, and who knows if they are friend or foe, true or false? How will you be able to tell?
Jer 48:20 Moab is confounded (confused, ashamed); for it is broken down: howl and cry (shriek); tell ye it in Arnon, that Moab is spoiled,
The Arnon is the chief river of Moab, rising in the Arabian mountains and emptying in the Dead Sea. It had fortresses all along its banks. Go and tell the watchmen in those towers that Moab is confused and cast down, she is meeting her demise.
Jer 48:21 And judgment (mishpat) is come upon the plain country; upon Holon (sandy), and upon Jahazah (threshing floor), and upon Mephaath (illumination),
Holon does not appear elsewhere. Jahazah (Jahaz) is found in Num 21:23, Dt 2:32, Judg 11:20, Is 15:4. Mephaath was assigned to the Reubenites (Josh 13:18), and afterwards to the Levites (Josh 21:37; 1 Chr 6:79), but it had clearly fallen afterwards into the hands of the Moabites.
Mishpat, mishpat, and more mishpat is the order of the day. You may of fled to some no name town that no one has ever heard of, yet mishpat knows your address, even if the postal service doesn’t!
Jer 48:22 And upon Dibon, and upon Nebo, and upon Bethdiblathaim (house of the 2 fig cakes),
Jer 48:23 And upon Kiriathaim (double city), and upon Bethgamul (house of the weaned, or of the camel), and upon Bethmeon (house of habitation),
Jer 48:24 And upon Kerioth (buildings), and upon Bozrah (sheepfold), and upon all the cities of the land of Moab, far or near.
We get 3 more verses listing specific cities of import in Moab. Why such a list I leave to you. Dibon is mentioned for a second time, marking it for special judgment. Nebo was singled out as a mountain area in verse 1. The town names were very simple and practical. Most are the houses of something or other. Almon-diblathaim (Num 33:46-47) may of been Bethdiblathaim, or in the same area. Kiriathaim was another city already mentioned in verse 1. Bethgamul is nowhere else mentioned in scripture. Bethmeon may have its full name as Beth-baalmeon (Josh 13:17), a place noted for Baal worship. Kerioth (Josh 15:25, Am 2:2) and Bozrah (perhaps the same as Bezer in Josh 21:36) round out these city names.
The point is not to delve too deeply into the etymology of each city, but to reflect that they all were under judgment. You may be living in the most Republican of states, yet the prophecies of the destruction of America still apply to you. Whether or not we share in the moral depravity of the rest of our countrymen, we most certainly will share in the retributions thereof.
Jer 48:25 The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken, saith the LORD.
I suppose a modern day equivalent phrase would be the pomp and pride of America has been cast down. Moab’s symbols of strength have been shattered.
Jer 48:26 Make ye him drunken: for he magnified (boasted) himself against the LORD: Moab also shall wallow in his vomit, and he also shall be in derision (laughed at).
The sense of boasting against God will be found in the following verse, when he mocked Israel’s downfall. He who touches Israel touches the apple of God’s eye. I shudder to think at the spiritual danger these misguided Christians are exposing themselves to when they so universally and comprehensively condemn Israel fighting for its very existence today. All of a sudden all the Christians are so concerned for these ‘innocent’ Palestinians, when they’ve shown no sympathy whatsoever for the poor and needy in their own streets. Yet when it comes to taking a stab at the Jews, their ‘compassion’ meter rises off the scale!
God is going to cause Moab to lose their minds, like a blacked out drunken man who is so inebriated, he falls into his own vomit. Like the drunk who is an object of laughter and scorn, so Moab will be mocked and scorned as well. They were prideful and haughty, and thought they were something. In their day of doom, they will find that they have no friends.
This is what I have noticed since 2020. One by one, our countries are falling into tyranny. Someone from that country will plead for help, yet no help is forthcoming. I remember when Brazil’s election was stolen, how a journalist from there went online and pled for someone to come and help them. When the East Palestine residents pled for help, or the citizens of Lahaina. No one came. No one will come. That is also a part of judgment – the abandonment that you will experience.
Jer 48:27 For was not Israel a derision unto thee? was he found among thieves? for since thou spakest of him, thou skippedst for joy.
You gloated over Israel’s downfall. You’ve never been very friendly to him. You actually sent bands of raiders over the border to pillage them when they were weakened by Babylon (2 Ki 24:2). Was Israel a thief, that you treated him so? No, you simply treated him as such. Usually the wicked always accuse the hard working and the righteous of stealing their resources, like the natives accuse the white man of stealing their land. It doesn’t enter into the conversation that they did nothing to create value until the white man showed up. Then after wealth is being extracted, now they complain and accuse them of theft. The slothful and the wicked never change. These Moabites rejoiced to see Israel suffer. Now it was their turn.
Jer 48:28 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.
God mockingly tells them to go and flee to your bug out location. Go live in a cave, and live like a wild bird. See if that idea will work for you.
Jer 48:29 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.
Apparently Moab had quite a reputation for arrogance. Is that not the general characteristic that the rest of the world sees when they look at America? Do they see the humility that should mark a Christian nation? Or do they see leaders who boast that they can fight more than one war at once, because we are America! While their nation dissolves into dust right under their feet.
What sort of man (or woman) does the world see when they look at us?
Jer 48:30 I know his wrath, saith the LORD; but it shall not be so; his lies shall not so effect (accomplish) it.
Here is a verse we all need to start claiming in regards to the cabal. They have unleashed mass murder in their wrath. They are able to do so and to maintain their diabolical plans by lies, lies, and more lies. Moab thought they could thwart the judgment of God by stirring up anger and rage at the enemy. They may lie and say that he is not as strong as he seems. They think if they can just stir up enough opposition, that they can defeat this force sent by God as his servant to execute his tsed-aw-kaw mishpat – his righteous judgment. Just like some freedom fighters out there today, who think if enough people march, we shall topple the WHO and the WEF. As it was for Moab, so it shall be for us. It shall not be so.
Jer 48:31 Therefore will I howl for Moab, and I will cry out for all Moab; mine heart shall mourn for the men of Kirheres.
Kirheres may be Kirhareseth (Is 16:7), perhaps the same as Kir of Moab in Is 15:1. it was most likely an important stronghold. As to who is howling for Moab, you can take this to mean that the prophet mourns for their suffering as a fellow human being, though in normal times they were an enemy. Or you can take it to mean the common citizen of Moab. I like to take it as more of an impersonal statement. A general statement of mourning for a set of human beings that will now face the consequences of their folly. Even as we will mourn at a future time when we will see so many be cast away for all eternity at the great white throne judgment, so these intermittent previews of that final day of wrath should cause our natural human emotions to be properly affected at the wretched fate of sinful men.
Jer 48:32 O vine of Sibmah, I will weep for thee with the weeping of Jazer: thy plants (tendrils) are gone over the sea, they reach even to the sea of Jazer: the spoiler (robber) is fallen upon (naphal) thy summer fruits (harvest) and upon thy vintage (grape crop).
Sibma is given to Reuben (jsh 13:19). Jazer (Jaazer in Num 21:32 as belonging to the Amorites) passed to Gad (Num 13:25, 2 Sam 24:5). Sibma must of been known for its vineyards. Jazer has some relation to a sea, though no body of water has been found near the place where scholars think the town was located.
This is one of those verses whose references to places and the characteristics thereof has been lost in antiquity. Rather than making stuff up like some academics do, or flatly say the text is wrong like other morons postulate, let’s just leave the text to speak for itself. While I am trying to give as much historical background as I possibly can, you do not need to know where Sibma was located to appreciate the spiritual import of this verse.
The idea is that judgment day is a time for weeping, not rejoicing. Your tender vines can represent your children. They are sent far away, even over the sea. Your goods, your food and your drink, is being stolen by thieves. Even as today the elite are stealing our food, our water, our energy, our money, our health, our freedom, our thoughts (or so they are trying), and our very lives.
Does that sound like a time for skipping for joy, or for weeping in such quantity that it resembles the cascading of multitudinous grape vines?
Jer 48:33 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 (hay-dawd – acclamation); their shouting (hay-dawd) shall be no shouting (hay-dawd).
Normally the time of harvest is a time of singing and rejoicing. The labourers would be singing with a shout as they tread the grapes. See how the harvest will not occur. No new wine. No treading the grape. No increase. No sustenance. No joy. No gladness.
Does anyone else see the pattern that God intends us to see in the appointed time of judgment?
Jer 48:34 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 (waste, astonishment).
Heshbon to Elealeh was about 2 miles. Jahaz was to the southwest of Heshbon. The wailing would be so loud that they could hear it in the next town. Then to the town after that, all throughout the land. Zoar and Horonaim were in the south. Nimrin was a well watered pasture.
Most commentators speak of a heifer of 3 years old as a previously unyoked beast, indicating cities that were never subject to foreign rule. I don’t see that in the text, nor in history, as David had subdued these lands in his day, and others had as well. Let us simply read the text, and associate the cry of these people being slaughtered with the strong bellow of a healthy cow in its prime. Maybe its bellowing because the water has dried up and it cannot slake its thirst (thus the reference to the desolate waters of Nimrim). The wailing shall be loud, and heard a long ways away.
Jer 48:35 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.
Idol worship fuels the power of the fallen ones. At some point God will step in and cause that practice to cease.
Jer 48:36 Therefore mine heart shall sound for Moab like pipes (flutes), and mine heart shall sound like pipes (flutes) for the men of Kirheres (fortress): because the riches (wealth) that he hath gotten are perished (wandered away).
This word closely resembles what is found in Isaiah 16:11
Isa 16:11 Wherefore my bowels shall sound like an harp for Moab, and mine inward parts for Kirharesh.
It makes you wonder if Jeremiah had been studying and meditating on the book of Isaiah when he received this prophecy, and God used his thoughts to bring forth a similar word, with slightly different nuances. Sometimes I find that I may of read a passage or a devotional, or listened to a sermon, and something said therein becomes the springboard for a fresh word that God gives me to write.
Like a funeral dirge, one’s heart is moved for these soon to be destroyed people. Whether we look at Moab in general, or its main city Kirharesh, their fate is to be associated with the imagery of a funeral.
Jer 48:37 For every head shall be bald, and every beard clipped: upon all the hands shall be cuttings (incisions), and upon the loins sackcloth.
These are universal signs of mourning amongst the Gentile nations of their day. The main idea is that this mourning will be universal. It will not be hit and miss. It will not affect one household and skip another. Sort of like the covid injections. Is there any person out there who does not know of someone who has been adversely affected by these bio-weapons? Not since the black death of 1348 has there been anything on the planet that has been so universal in scope. While the death count is still only a fraction of the bubonic plague, I think we all know that the body count is just getting started.
Jer 48:38 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 (it no longer has any useful purpose), saith the LORD.
The theme of universal lamentation continues. All will experience loss and the accompanying sorrow. What we are experiencing is nothing new. What is new is the global aspect to it.
How would you like your country to be known to be worthless, to have no useful purpose? Think Canada and America fit this description?
Jer 48:39 They shall howl, saying, How is it broken down! how hath Moab turned the back with shame! so shall Moab be a derision (laughing stock) and a dismaying (terror) to all them about him.
Sorrow and grief is usually protracted and seemingly unending. So seems this lamentation of Moab. The nation that once was so boastful, is now nothing. We do laugh at them, yet we are also sore afraid at the level of judgment that can befall a land. So we too should be afraid when we read of these things, as they can, and are, happening to us even as we speak, and there seems to be no way to stop it.
Jer 48:40 For thus saith the LORD; Behold, he shall fly as an eagle, and shall spread his wings over Moab.
The most likely explanation is that God now switches to speak of Nebuchadnezzar, his servant. Just like today, when calamity after calamity is falling on us in rapid succession, so the king of Babylon would swoop down on Moab, like a bird of prey. Not only would be appear suddenly, but he would cover the land.
Jer 48:41 Kerioth (buildings, cities) is taken, and the strong holds are surprised, and the mighty men’s (gibbor) hearts in Moab at that day shall be as the heart of a woman in her pangs.
Kerioth was the name of a significant city, but it also means cities or buildings. The generic may be meant here, as it could read that the cities and strongholds shall be conquered. All the champions of the land will be as women in labor, who cringe with fear at the coming pains they must endure. So shall the mighty ones know and understand just what sort of suffering they are about to be subjected to. These men are realists, not immersed in fantasy.
Jer 48:42 And Moab shall be destroyed (overthrown, perish) from being a people, because he hath magnified himself against the LORD.
Here is the end of all pride. Destruction. Disappearance. Utter ruin. When you oppose Yehovah, you are signing your own death warrant. Take heed, cabal. And all those who have thrown in their lot with them. You too have magnified yourself against the almighty. So too you shall suffer the same fate.
Jer 48:43 Fear (alarm, terror), and the pit, and the snare, shall be upon thee, O inhabitant of Moab, saith the LORD.
Jeremiah was definitely a big Isaiah fan, as look at this verse:
Isa 24:17 Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth.
This phrase may of passed into proverbial use. It would mean something like: ‘Boy are you in big trouble’! In Isaiah’s case, he was speaking of end time judgment on the planet. Here, Jeremiah applies it to Moab.
It is interesting that Jeremiah was spending his time in what was the judgment book of the bible that he had thus far. He wasn’t caught up in 1st Chronicles, trying to trace his genealogy, proving to everyone that he was the purest Jew. He wasn’t in Genesis, setting up a creation ministry (though there’s certainly nothing wrong with that!). He wasn’t in Proverbs, trying to figure out how to obtain practical wisdom to succeed in business. He didn’t hang out all day in Psalms, looking for ideas for a new tune that he could belt out in the temple. No, he knew what season it was. What the appointed time was saying. It was saying judgment day. And so he gravitated to the book that would hold the keys to that season. Even as I believe that Jeremiah holds the keys to our generation.
See the progression. First, a spirit of fear takes hold. Then you are bound like a prisoner in a pit. Then, as you are bound, snares tie you up good and keep you in that pit. It just goes from bad to worse. Even as our planet is following the same trajectory.
Jer 48:44 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.
God here expands and confirms on what I just stated in the previous verse. The idea is that there is no escape. You may escape once, you may escape twice. But sooner or later, you too will be caught up in this universal judgment that has been decreed upon your land.
People are fleeing from the fear by ignoring reality, and immersing themselves in the trivial and the mundane. Notice how no one wants to talk about the elephant in the room? Except that it is not just one elephant, but a herd of them. Covid and the accompanying censorship has closed the door on speaking about anything controversial with the ‘normies’ out there (aka the sheeple).
Just pretending reality is not reality will only lead to further entrapment. Snares, and the pit await those who won’t even acknowledge what can be seen with the eyes, never mind what is still being hidden from us.
Jer 48:45 They that fled stood under the shadow (defence) of Heshbon because of the force (strength, power, substance, wealth): but a fire shall come forth out of Heshbon, and a flame from the midst of Sihon (tempestuousness), and shall devour the corner (mouth) of Moab, and the crown of the head of the tumultuous (destructive) ones (sons of tumult).
Heshbon at the time of the Exodus was the capital of the Amorites, with Sihon as their king. The first part of the verse may be alternately translated as ‘They that fled stood under the defence of Heshbon, as those without strength’. These fugitives of Moab ran to this defenced city. However, Heshbon was actually the capital of the Ammonites (Jer 49:3). They tried to run to an old ally, but found no help there.
The fire coming out of Heshbon is referring to an old proverb found in Num 21:27-28:
Num 21:27 Wherefore they that speak in proverbs say, Come into Heshbon, let the city of Sihon be built and prepared:
Num 21:28 For there is a fire gone out of Heshbon, a flame from the city of Sihon: it hath consumed Ar of Moab, and the lords of the high places of Arnon.
Moses recited this portion that speaks of Sihon’s conquests of Moab. The fire that comes out of this city will be so intense as to devour the corner of the face, or one’s beard, and the hair on the crown of one’s head. Awkward language for sure, but I hope you get the picture. The sons of tumult most likely refer to the fleeing Moabites, in total panic as they are being pursued and destroyed by the enemy.
Jer 48:46 Woe be unto thee, O Moab! the people of Chemosh perisheth: for thy sons are taken captives, and thy daughters captives.
The most awful of judgments that one could pronounce on cultures of bible times was the destruction of their seed. Whether by death or captivity, children were considered the greatest treasure the Lord could bestow. We have fallen so far in cherishing what is really valuable, haven’t we? We send our offspring to propaganda centers to fill them with sexual deviancy. We inject them with snake venom. We allow them to be raised by nannies, and sitters, and demon possessed sodomite educators. We allow them to spend every waking moment on their social media. We abort them. We poison them. We let sodomites raise them. We allow them to castrate themselves. All the while we are enslaved to our office jobs, or to our social media, or to our pensions, or to our vacation planning. Is it any wonder that God is sterilizing the west? What we consider of little value God is permanently taking away.
May God have mercy on our souls.
Jer 48:47 Yet will I bring again (shoob) the captivity (exile) of Moab in the latter days (end of days), saith the LORD. Thus far is the judgment (mishpat) of Moab.
How the proper bloodline is always remembered by God! As in Jer 49:6, when he says the same thing about Ammon, Moab is promised that they shall not disappear entirely from history. And it all has to do with Lot being Abraham’s nephew. Regardless of their ignominious beginning, God still chooses to remember their offspring. Regardless of how severe the judgment will be at this juncture, they will still have some sort of future in the end time. How that translates into our modern day history is anyone’s guess.
Thank God that we are of the blood of the lamb, and that whatever temporary captivity is assigned unto us, God will eventually turn it unto life eternal.
Thus far are the judgments of Jeremiah.
Solitary Man
https://solitaryman.substack.com/
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