Jeremiah 48 Study Notes: The Downfall of Proud Moab
Jeremiah foretells the ruin of Moab’s towns because it relied on its own deeds and riches and grew complacent and arrogant against the LORD. God Himself grieves over Moab even as He judges its pride and mocking of Israel, yet the oracle ends with a promise to restore Moab in days to come.
General
In 48:13, Moab’s coming shame over its god Chemosh is likened to Israel’s shame over what?
Answer: Bethel, in which it had put its trust
Once the LORD has poured Moab out (48:12), Moab will feel shame over Chemosh, its god, in the same way the people of Israel were ashamed when the confidence they placed in Bethel failed them (48:13). Bethel was where King Jeroboam had set up a golden calf for the northern kingdom of Israel to worship (1 Kings 12:28-29). Hosea warned that the northern kingdom’s calf idol would be carried off to Assyria and that Israel would feel shame over its idols (Hosea 10:5-6). An idol lets its worshipers down at the very moment they need help, and those who make idols end in disgrace (Isaiah 45:16).
- Jeremiah 48:13 (BSB)“Then Moab will be ashamed of Chemosh, just as the house of Israel was ashamed when they trusted in Bethel.”Moab’s shame over Chemosh is compared to Israel’s shame over Bethel.
- 1 Kings 12:28-29 (BSB)“After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves and said to the people, “Going up to Jerusalem is too much for you. Here, O Israel, are your gods, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” One calf he set up in Bethel, and the other in Dan.”Jeroboam set up a golden calf at Bethel for the northern kingdom to worship.
- Hosea 10:5-6 (BSB)“The people of Samaria will fear for the calf of Beth-aven. Indeed, its people will mourn over it with its idolatrous priests—those who rejoiced in its glory—for it has been taken from them into exile. Yes, it will be carried to Assyria as tribute to the great king. Ephraim will be seized with shame; Israel will be ashamed of its wooden idols.”Hosea foretold that the northern kingdom’s calf idol would be taken to Assyria and its people would be put to shame over their idols.
- Isaiah 45:16 (BSB)“They will all be put to shame and humiliated; the makers of idols will depart together in disgrace.”Idol-makers end up humiliated together.
Theological
According to 48:13, Moab’s shame over Chemosh will match Israel’s shame over which object of its trust?
Answer: Bethel, in which it had put its trust
After the LORD empties Moab like a jar (48:12), Moab will feel shame over Chemosh just as Israel felt shame over Bethel, the object of its trust (48:13). The comparison points to the calf worship Jeroboam established at Bethel (1 Kings 12:28-29). Hosea foretold that the northern kingdom’s calf idol would be carried off to Assyria and that Israel would be disgraced by its idols (Hosea 10:5-6). Idolatry ends in shame because the idol cannot deliver in the day of judgment; only the living God saves. Isaiah states it as a general rule: those who craft idols go away together in disgrace (Isaiah 45:16).
- Jeremiah 48:13 (BSB)“Then Moab will be ashamed of Chemosh, just as the house of Israel was ashamed when they trusted in Bethel.”Moab’s shame over Chemosh is compared to Israel’s shame over Bethel.
- 1 Kings 12:28-29 (BSB)“After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves and said to the people, “Going up to Jerusalem is too much for you. Here, O Israel, are your gods, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” One calf he set up in Bethel, and the other in Dan.”Jeroboam set up a golden calf at Bethel for the northern kingdom to worship.
- Hosea 10:5-6 (BSB)“The people of Samaria will fear for the calf of Beth-aven. Indeed, its people will mourn over it with its idolatrous priests—those who rejoiced in its glory—for it has been taken from them into exile. Yes, it will be carried to Assyria as tribute to the great king. Ephraim will be seized with shame; Israel will be ashamed of its wooden idols.”Hosea foretold that the northern kingdom’s calf idol would be taken to Assyria and its people would be put to shame over their idols.
- Isaiah 45:16 (BSB)“They will all be put to shame and humiliated; the makers of idols will depart together in disgrace.”Idol-makers end up humiliated together.
General
What reason does 48:42 give for Moab ceasing to be a nation?
Answer: It lifted itself up in arrogance against the LORD
Moab boasts of its mighty fighters, yet its young men fall, its proud scepter is broken and its strength is cut off (48:14-17, 25). The chapter names Moab’s sin more than once. Moab made itself great against the LORD (48:26), and so it will cease to be a nation for lifting itself up against Him (48:42). Part of that arrogance was how Moab treated God’s people: it made Israel a joke and shook its head whenever Israel was mentioned, as though Israel had been caught among thieves (48:27). Zephaniah says the LORD heard Moab’s taunts against His people and would repay its pride (Zephaniah 2:8-10). Long before, God had promised Abraham that He would curse those who cursed him (Genesis 12:3).
- Jeremiah 48:27 (BSB)“Was not Israel your object of ridicule? Was he ever found among thieves? For whenever you speak of him you shake your head.”The LORD reminds Moab how it treated Israel as a joke, shaking its head whenever Israel was mentioned.
- Jeremiah 48:42 (BSB)“Moab will be destroyed as a nation because he vaunted himself against the LORD.”Moab’s destruction as a nation is grounded in its exalting itself against the LORD.
- Zephaniah 2:8-10 (BSB)““I have heard the reproach of Moab and the insults of the Ammonites, who have taunted My people and threatened their borders. Therefore, as surely as I live,” declares the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, “surely Moab will be like Sodom and the Ammonites like Gomorrah—a place of weeds and salt pits, a perpetual wasteland. The remnant of My people will plunder them; the remainder of My nation will dispossess them.” This they shall have in return for their pride, for taunting and mocking the people of the LORD of Hosts.”Zephaniah says the LORD heard Moab taunt His people and would repay it for its pride.
- Genesis 12:3 (BSB)“I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you; and all the families of the earth will be blessed through you.””At Abraham’s call, God pledged blessing on those who blessed him and a curse on any who treated him with contempt.
Theological
On what ground does 48:42 say Moab will cease to exist as a nation?
Answer: It lifted itself up in arrogance against the LORD
Moab’s boast in its warriors proves hollow: its young men fall, its scepter of power is broken and its strength is cut off (48:14-17, 25). The oracle grounds Moab’s ruin in its self-exaltation against the LORD, stated in 48:26 and again in 48:42. That pride showed itself in contempt for Israel, which Moab treated as a target of mockery, shaking its head at the very mention of Israel as though it were a thief (48:27). Zephaniah likewise records the LORD hearing Moab’s reproach against His people and repaying it for its pride (Zephaniah 2:8-10). The judgment recalls God’s promise at Abraham’s call that He would curse those who cursed him (Genesis 12:3).
- Jeremiah 48:27 (BSB)“Was not Israel your object of ridicule? Was he ever found among thieves? For whenever you speak of him you shake your head.”The LORD reminds Moab how it treated Israel as a joke, shaking its head whenever Israel was mentioned.
- Jeremiah 48:42 (BSB)“Moab will be destroyed as a nation because he vaunted himself against the LORD.”Moab’s destruction as a nation is grounded in its exalting itself against the LORD.
- Zephaniah 2:8-10 (BSB)““I have heard the reproach of Moab and the insults of the Ammonites, who have taunted My people and threatened their borders. Therefore, as surely as I live,” declares the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, “surely Moab will be like Sodom and the Ammonites like Gomorrah—a place of weeds and salt pits, a perpetual wasteland. The remnant of My people will plunder them; the remainder of My nation will dispossess them.” This they shall have in return for their pride, for taunting and mocking the people of the LORD of Hosts.”Zephaniah says the LORD heard Moab taunt His people and would repay it for its pride.
- Genesis 12:3 (BSB)“I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you; and all the families of the earth will be blessed through you.””At Abraham’s call, God pledged blessing on those who blessed him and a curse on any who treated him with contempt.
General
True or False: The oracle against Moab ends with the LORD’s promise that He will one day bring Moab back from captivity.
Answer: True
This is true. After a long announcement of judgment, the final word is a promise: in days to come the LORD will bring Moab back from captivity (48:47). He makes similar promises to Ammon (49:6) and Elam (49:39), and earlier He said Egypt would be inhabited again (46:26). God had already said He would have compassion again on nations He uprooted, and that those who learned to take their oaths in His name would be given a settled place among His people (12:15-16). A psalm looks ahead to families from every nation turning to the LORD (Psalm 22:27).
- Jeremiah 48:47 (BSB)“Yet in the latter days I will restore Moab from captivity,” declares the LORD. Here ends the judgment on Moab.”The oracle against Moab closes with the LORD’s promise to restore Moab.
- Jeremiah 49:6 (BSB)“Yet afterward I will restore the Ammonites from captivity,” declares the LORD.”The LORD makes a similar promise to restore Ammon.
- Jeremiah 49:39 (BSB)““Yet in the last days, I will restore Elam from captivity,” declares the LORD.”The same promise is given to Elam at the end of its oracle.
- Jeremiah 12:15-16 (BSB)“But after I have uprooted them, I will once again have compassion on them and return each one to his inheritance and to his land. And if they will diligently learn the ways of My people and swear by My name, saying, ‘As surely as the LORD lives’—just as they once taught My people to swear by Baal—then they will be established among My people.”God said He would again show compassion to nations He had uprooted, and those who learned to take oaths in His name would find a place among His people.
- Psalm 22:27 (BSB)“All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD. All the families of the nations will bow down before Him.”The psalm looks ahead to families from all the nations turning to the LORD.
Theological
True or False: Jeremiah 48 closes with a promise that the LORD will bring Moab back from captivity in days to come.
Answer: True
This is true. The oracle that has announced Moab’s ruin at length ends with the LORD’s declaration that in days to come He will bring Moab back from captivity (48:47). Parallel promises close the oracles against Ammon (49:6) and Elam (49:39), and Egypt too is promised renewed habitation (46:26). God’s sovereign mercy is not confined to Israel: He had pledged compassion on uprooted nations who would learn to swear by His name and be established among His people (12:15-16), and the psalmist foresees every clan of the nations bowing before Him (Psalm 22:27).
- Jeremiah 48:47 (BSB)“Yet in the latter days I will restore Moab from captivity,” declares the LORD. Here ends the judgment on Moab.”The oracle against Moab closes with the LORD’s promise to restore Moab.
- Jeremiah 49:6 (BSB)“Yet afterward I will restore the Ammonites from captivity,” declares the LORD.”The LORD makes a similar promise to restore Ammon.
- Jeremiah 49:39 (BSB)““Yet in the last days, I will restore Elam from captivity,” declares the LORD.”The same promise is given to Elam at the end of its oracle.
- Jeremiah 12:15-16 (BSB)“But after I have uprooted them, I will once again have compassion on them and return each one to his inheritance and to his land. And if they will diligently learn the ways of My people and swear by My name, saying, ‘As surely as the LORD lives’—just as they once taught My people to swear by Baal—then they will be established among My people.”God said He would again show compassion to nations He had uprooted, and those who learned to take oaths in His name would find a place among His people.
- Psalm 22:27 (BSB)“All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD. All the families of the nations will bow down before Him.”The psalm looks ahead to families from all the nations turning to the LORD.
General
According to 48:7, why will Moab be captured and its god Chemosh go into exile?
Answer: Because Moab relied on its own deeds and its wealth
Moab was a neighboring nation east of Judah, and Chemosh was the god the Moabites worshiped. The chapter opens with mourning over Moab’s towns as destruction sweeps through them (48:1-6). Then it gives the reason: Moab relied on its own achievements and its riches, so Moab will be taken, and Chemosh will be hauled off into exile together with the priests and officials who served him (48:7). The god Moab looked to could not even save himself. Scripture warns that whoever relies on riches will fall (Proverbs 11:28) and that a curse rests on anyone who depends on human strength instead of the LORD (Jeremiah 17:5). God’s people, by contrast, put their confidence in the LORD’s name (Psalm 20:7).
- Jeremiah 48:7 (BSB)“Because you trust in your works and treasures, you too will be captured, and Chemosh will go into exile with his priests and officials.”Moab’s confidence in its achievements and riches leads to captivity, and its god Chemosh goes into exile too.
- Proverbs 11:28 (BSB)“He who trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like foliage.”Relying on wealth leads to ruin.
- Jeremiah 17:5 (BSB)“This is what the LORD says: “Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind, who makes mere flesh his strength and turns his heart from the LORD.”A curse rests on anyone who relies on human strength instead of the LORD.
- Psalm 20:7 (BSB)“Some trust in chariots and others in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.”God’s people put their confidence in His name rather than in military power.
Theological
What reason does 48:7 give for Moab’s capture and the exile of Chemosh?
Answer: Because Moab relied on its own deeds and its wealth
After the opening lament over the cities of Moab (48:1-6), the oracle names the cause of judgment: Moab trusted in its works and treasures, and therefore it will be taken, with Chemosh, its national god, being carried away along with the priests and officials who served him (48:7). Self-reliance and idolatry belong together here, and both fail when God judges; the god cannot rescue even himself. The wisdom literature warns that confidence in riches leads to a fall (Proverbs 11:28), Jeremiah pronounces a curse on the one who makes flesh his strength (Jeremiah 17:5), and the psalmist sets the faith of God’s people in the LORD’s name against all trust in human might (Psalm 20:7).
- Jeremiah 48:7 (BSB)“Because you trust in your works and treasures, you too will be captured, and Chemosh will go into exile with his priests and officials.”Moab’s confidence in its achievements and riches leads to captivity, and its god Chemosh goes into exile too.
- Proverbs 11:28 (BSB)“He who trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like foliage.”Relying on wealth leads to ruin.
- Jeremiah 17:5 (BSB)“This is what the LORD says: “Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind, who makes mere flesh his strength and turns his heart from the LORD.”A curse rests on anyone who relies on human strength instead of the LORD.
- Psalm 20:7 (BSB)“Some trust in chariots and others in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.”God’s people put their confidence in His name rather than in military power.
General
True or False: In 48:29-30, the LORD says Moab’s boasting is backed up by real accomplishments.
Answer: False
This is false. Verse 29 piles up word after word for Moab’s pride: showiness, arrogance, conceit and a lofty heart (48:29). The LORD says He knows Moab’s insolence, but it comes to nothing, and its bragging is just as hollow as its deeds (48:30). There is nothing real behind it. Isaiah’s oracle against Moab describes its pride in almost the same terms (Isaiah 16:6). Scripture teaches that God resists the proud and shows favor to the humble (James 4:6), and that pride comes right before a fall (Proverbs 16:18).
- Jeremiah 48:29 (BSB)“We have heard of Moab’s pomposity, his exceeding pride and conceit, his proud arrogance and haughtiness of heart.”Moab’s pride is described with word after word for arrogance.
- Jeremiah 48:30 (BSB)“I know his insolence,” declares the LORD, “but it is futile. His boasting is as empty as his deeds.”The LORD knows Moab’s insolence and declares its boasting empty.
- Isaiah 16:6 (BSB)“We have heard of Moab’s pomposity, his exceeding pride and conceit, his overflowing arrogance. But his boasting is empty.”Isaiah’s oracle against Moab describes its pride in nearly the same terms.
- James 4:6 (BSB)“But He gives us more grace. This is why it says: “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.””God resists the proud and favors the humble.
- Proverbs 16:18 (BSB)“Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”Arrogance comes right before ruin.
Theological
True or False: The LORD affirms in 48:29-30 that Moab’s boasting rests on genuine achievements.
Answer: False
This is false. The LORD heaps up terms for Moab’s pride, arrogance and loftiness of heart (48:29), then declares that He knows its insolence and that it is futile, its boasting as empty as its deeds (48:30). Moab’s self-exaltation has no substance before God. Isaiah’s oracle against Moab uses nearly identical language (Isaiah 16:6). Pride is at root the creature’s claim to a glory that belongs to God alone, which is why God resists the proud while showing favor to the lowly (James 4:6) and why ruin follows arrogance (Proverbs 16:18).
- Jeremiah 48:29 (BSB)“We have heard of Moab’s pomposity, his exceeding pride and conceit, his proud arrogance and haughtiness of heart.”Moab’s pride is described with word after word for arrogance.
- Jeremiah 48:30 (BSB)“I know his insolence,” declares the LORD, “but it is futile. His boasting is as empty as his deeds.”The LORD knows Moab’s insolence and declares its boasting empty.
- Isaiah 16:6 (BSB)“We have heard of Moab’s pomposity, his exceeding pride and conceit, his overflowing arrogance. But his boasting is empty.”Isaiah’s oracle against Moab describes its pride in nearly the same terms.
- James 4:6 (BSB)“But He gives us more grace. This is why it says: “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.””God resists the proud and favors the humble.
- Proverbs 16:18 (BSB)“Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”Arrogance comes right before ruin.
General
What does the picture of terror, pit and snare in 48:43-44 teach about Moab’s coming judgment?
Answer: No one will get away, since escaping one danger leads to another
The LORD tells the people of Moab that terror, a pit and a trap are waiting for them. Anyone who runs from the terror drops into the pit; anyone who scrambles out of it is caught in the trap, because the LORD is bringing Moab’s year of punishment (48:43-44). Each escape only leads into the next danger. An eagle dives at Moab and its strongholds fall (48:40-41), and even those who run to Heshbon find no safety, as Moab’s sons and daughters are taken captive (48:45-46). Isaiah uses the same picture for God’s judgment on the whole earth (Isaiah 24:17-18), and Amos describes a man who escapes a lion and then meets a bear (Amos 5:19). When God has set the time of judgment, no one can outrun it.
- Jeremiah 48:43-44 (BSB)“Terror and pit and snare await you, O dweller of Moab,” declares the LORD. “Whoever flees the panic will fall into the pit, and whoever climbs from the pit will be caught in the snare. For I will bring upon Moab the year of their punishment,” declares the LORD.”Each escape from one danger only leads into the next, because the LORD has set Moab’s time of punishment.
- Isaiah 24:17-18 (BSB)“Terror and pit and snare await you, O dweller of the earth. Whoever flees the sound of panic will fall into the pit, and whoever climbs from the pit will be caught in the snare. For the windows of heaven are open, and the foundations of the earth are shaken.”Isaiah uses the same picture of inescapable judgment on the whole earth.
- Amos 5:19 (BSB)“It will be like a man who flees from a lion, only to encounter a bear, or who enters his house and rests his hand against the wall, only to be bitten by a snake.”Amos pictures the same kind of judgment as fleeing one danger only to meet another.
Theological
What is the force of the terror, pit and snare sequence in 48:43-44?
Answer: No one will get away, since escaping one danger leads to another
The triad of terror, pit and snare portrays judgment from which there is no escape: flight from one peril leads straight into the next, because the LORD Himself appoints Moab’s year of punishment (48:43-44). The certainty lies not in the enemy’s skill but in God’s decree. An eagle dives at Moab and its strongholds are taken (48:40-41); fugitives find no refuge at Heshbon, and Moab’s sons and daughters go into captivity (48:45-46). Isaiah applies the identical sequence to judgment on the whole earth (Isaiah 24:17-18), and Amos pictures the same inescapability as escaping a lion and then meeting a bear (Amos 5:19). No human strategy can evade what God has determined.
- Jeremiah 48:43-44 (BSB)“Terror and pit and snare await you, O dweller of Moab,” declares the LORD. “Whoever flees the panic will fall into the pit, and whoever climbs from the pit will be caught in the snare. For I will bring upon Moab the year of their punishment,” declares the LORD.”Each escape from one danger only leads into the next, because the LORD has set Moab’s time of punishment.
- Isaiah 24:17-18 (BSB)“Terror and pit and snare await you, O dweller of the earth. Whoever flees the sound of panic will fall into the pit, and whoever climbs from the pit will be caught in the snare. For the windows of heaven are open, and the foundations of the earth are shaken.”Isaiah uses the same picture of inescapable judgment on the whole earth.
- Amos 5:19 (BSB)“It will be like a man who flees from a lion, only to encounter a bear, or who enters his house and rests his hand against the wall, only to be bitten by a snake.”Amos pictures the same kind of judgment as fleeing one danger only to meet another.
General
In 48:31-36, how does the LORD describe His own response to Moab’s ruin?
Answer: He will wail and weep over Moab, His heart mourning for it
In the middle of the judgment, the LORD speaks with grief. He says He will wail over Moab, cry aloud for the whole land, and groan over the people of Kir-heres (48:31). He weeps over Moab’s vineyards (48:32), and joy is gone from its fields and winepresses (48:33). He will stop those who offer sacrifices at the high places, hilltop shrines where people worshiped other gods (48:35), yet His heart mourns over Moab like the sad music of a flute (48:36). Mourning fills every rooftop and public square, because the LORD has broken Moab like a jar no one wants (48:37-38). God’s judgment is just, but He takes no delight in it. He declares that the dying of wicked people gives Him no pleasure and that He wants them to turn and live (Ezekiel 33:11), and He does not gladly bring affliction or sorrow on people (Lamentations 3:32-33). In Isaiah’s oracle against Moab the prophet mourns in much the same way (Isaiah 16:9-11), and Jesus wept over Jerusalem, grieving that it had not known what would bring it peace (Luke 19:41-42).
- Jeremiah 48:31 (BSB)“Therefore I will wail for Moab; I will cry out for all of Moab; I will moan for the men of Kir-heres.”The LORD says He will mourn aloud for the whole land of Moab.
- Jeremiah 48:36 (BSB)“Therefore My heart laments like a flute for Moab; it laments like a flute for the men of Kir-heres, because the wealth they acquired has perished.”God’s heart mourns for Moab like a flute’s sad tune, because its riches are gone.
- Isaiah 16:9-11 (BSB)“So I weep with Jazer for the vines of Sibmah; I drench Heshbon and Elealeh with my tears. Triumphant shouts have fallen silent over your summer fruit and your harvest. Joy and gladness are removed from the orchard; no one sings or shouts in the vineyards. No one tramples the grapes in the winepresses; I have put an end to the cheering. Therefore my heart laments for Moab like a harp, my inmost being for Kir-heres.”In Isaiah’s oracle against Moab, the prophet weeps over its vineyards and his heart mourns for Moab and Kir-heres.
- Ezekiel 33:11 (BSB)“Say to them: ‘As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked should turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’”God swears that He finds no delight when the wicked die and urges them to turn and live.
- Lamentations 3:32-33 (BSB)“Even if He causes grief, He will show compassion according to His abundant loving devotion. For He does not willingly afflict or grieve the sons of men.”Even when He sends sorrow, He shows compassion; hurting people is not His heart’s desire.
- Luke 19:41-42 (BSB)“As Jesus approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it and said, “If only you had known on this day what would bring you peace! But now it is hidden from your eyes.”Jesus wept over Jerusalem, grieving that it had not known the way to its peace, now hidden from it.
Theological
How does the LORD speak of His own response to Moab’s fall in 48:31-36?
Answer: He will wail and weep over Moab, His heart mourning for it
The oracle sets divine lament within divine judgment. The LORD says He will wail and cry aloud over Moab and groan over the people of Kir-heres (48:31), weeps for its vineyards (48:32), and describes the silencing of joy in its harvest (48:33). Even as He ends the idolatrous offerings at Moab’s high places (48:35), His heart mourns over Moab with the sound of a flute (48:36), while mourning spreads over every rooftop and square because He has smashed Moab like a discarded vessel (48:37-38). God’s justice is not cold: He executes righteous judgment while taking no delight in the dying of the wicked and desiring that they turn and live (Ezekiel 33:11), and He does not afflict willingly (Lamentations 3:32-33). In Isaiah’s parallel oracle the prophet laments over Moab in much the same way (Isaiah 16:9-11), and the same heart is seen in Christ weeping over Jerusalem and grieving that it had not known what would bring it peace (Luke 19:41-42).
- Jeremiah 48:31 (BSB)“Therefore I will wail for Moab; I will cry out for all of Moab; I will moan for the men of Kir-heres.”The LORD says He will mourn aloud for the whole land of Moab.
- Jeremiah 48:36 (BSB)“Therefore My heart laments like a flute for Moab; it laments like a flute for the men of Kir-heres, because the wealth they acquired has perished.”God’s heart mourns for Moab like a flute’s sad tune, because its riches are gone.
- Isaiah 16:9-11 (BSB)“So I weep with Jazer for the vines of Sibmah; I drench Heshbon and Elealeh with my tears. Triumphant shouts have fallen silent over your summer fruit and your harvest. Joy and gladness are removed from the orchard; no one sings or shouts in the vineyards. No one tramples the grapes in the winepresses; I have put an end to the cheering. Therefore my heart laments for Moab like a harp, my inmost being for Kir-heres.”In Isaiah’s oracle against Moab, the prophet weeps over its vineyards and his heart mourns for Moab and Kir-heres.
- Ezekiel 33:11 (BSB)“Say to them: ‘As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked should turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’”God swears that He finds no delight when the wicked die and urges them to turn and live.
- Lamentations 3:32-33 (BSB)“Even if He causes grief, He will show compassion according to His abundant loving devotion. For He does not willingly afflict or grieve the sons of men.”Even when He sends sorrow, He shows compassion; hurting people is not His heart’s desire.
- Luke 19:41-42 (BSB)“As Jesus approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it and said, “If only you had known on this day what would bring you peace! But now it is hidden from your eyes.”Jesus wept over Jerusalem, grieving that it had not known the way to its peace, now hidden from it.
General
In 48:11, Moab is compared to wine that has been left undisturbed and never poured from jar to jar. What does the picture show?
Answer: Moab had known such long ease that it had never changed
When wine sits too long without being poured into a fresh jar, it stays on its sediment and keeps the same taste and smell. The LORD says Moab has been like that: at ease since its youth, never taken into exile, so it never changed (48:11). Its long, untroubled comfort left it the same as it had always been. So the LORD will send people who tip Moab over, pour it out, empty its vessels and smash its jars (48:12). Zephaniah describes God punishing complacent people who assume God will never act at all (Zephaniah 1:12). Amos likewise warns those who feel comfortable and secure (Amos 6:1).
- Jeremiah 48:11 (BSB)“Moab has been at ease from youth, settled like wine on its dregs; he has not been poured from vessel to vessel or gone into exile. So his flavor has remained the same, and his aroma is unchanged.”Moab is compared to wine never disturbed or poured off, so its taste and smell stay the same.
- Jeremiah 48:12 (BSB)“Therefore behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will send to him wanderers, who will pour him out. They will empty his vessels and shatter his jars.”The LORD will send those who tip Moab out and smash its containers.
- Zephaniah 1:12 (BSB)“And at that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish the men settled in complacency, who say to themselves, ‘The LORD will do nothing, either good or bad.’”Zephaniah also speaks of God punishing complacent people who assume God will never act.
- Amos 6:1 (BSB)“Woe to those at ease in Zion and those secure on Mount Samaria, the distinguished ones of the foremost nation, to whom the house of Israel comes.”Amos pronounces woe on the comfortable and self-assured.
Theological
What does the picture of Moab as undisturbed wine (48:11) convey?
Answer: Moab had known such long ease that it had never changed
Wine left on its lees and never decanted retains its original taste and aroma. Moab, at ease from its youth and never exiled, has likewise remained unchanged in character (48:11). Its long ease without upheaval left it settled in complacency. The LORD therefore sends those who will tip Moab out, empty its vessels and shatter its jars (48:12). Zephaniah uses comparable language for the complacent who assume the LORD will not act (Zephaniah 1:12), and Amos pronounces woe on those at ease and secure (Amos 6:1).
- Jeremiah 48:11 (BSB)“Moab has been at ease from youth, settled like wine on its dregs; he has not been poured from vessel to vessel or gone into exile. So his flavor has remained the same, and his aroma is unchanged.”Moab is compared to wine never disturbed or poured off, so its taste and smell stay the same.
- Jeremiah 48:12 (BSB)“Therefore behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will send to him wanderers, who will pour him out. They will empty his vessels and shatter his jars.”The LORD will send those who tip Moab out and smash its containers.
- Zephaniah 1:12 (BSB)“And at that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish the men settled in complacency, who say to themselves, ‘The LORD will do nothing, either good or bad.’”Zephaniah also speaks of God punishing complacent people who assume God will never act.
- Amos 6:1 (BSB)“Woe to those at ease in Zion and those secure on Mount Samaria, the distinguished ones of the foremost nation, to whom the house of Israel comes.”Amos pronounces woe on the comfortable and self-assured.