Jeremiah 48:31

31 Therefore, I will wail over Moab. I will cry out for Moab, all of it; he will moan for the men of Kir-heres.

Jeremiah 48:31 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 48:31

Therefore will I howl for Moab
The prophet, being as a man affected with the miseries of a people very wicked, and so deserving of them; though indeed by this he does not so much design to express the affections of his own heart, as to show what reason the Moabites would have to howl for the calamities of their country; for, as Kimchi observes, the prophet here speaks in the person of the people of Moab; see ( Isaiah 16:7 ) ; and I will cry out for all Moab;
the whole country of Moab, which should become desolate: [mine heart] shall mourn for the men of Kirheres;
the same with Kirhareseth, a city of Moab, ( Isaiah 16:7 ) ; whose foundations should be sapped, the city taken, and the men of it put to the sword, or caused to flee; and their case being deplorable, the prophet says his heart should mourn for them like a dove, as Kimchi and Jarchi observe; though it may be rendered, "he shall mourn" ^F7; that is, Moab; for the destruction of such a principal city, and the men of it. The Targum renders it,

``for the men of the city of their strength.''

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FOOTNOTES:

F7 (hghy) "gemet", Montanus.

Jeremiah 48:31 In-Context

29 We have heard of Moab's pride, great pride, indeed- his insolence, arrogance, pride, and haughty heart.

30 I know his outburst. [This is]*The bracketed text has been added for clarity. the Lord's declaration. It is empty. His boast is empty.

31 Therefore, I will wail over Moab. I will cry out for Moab, all of it; he will moan for the men of Kir-heres.

32 I will weep for you, vine of Sibmah, with more than the weeping for Jazer. Your tendrils have extended to the sea; they have reached to the sea [and to] Jazer. The destroyer has fallen on your summer fruit and grape harvest.

33 Joy and celebration are taken from the fertile field and from the land of Moab. I have stopped the flow of wine from the winepresses; no one will tread with shouts of joy. The shouting is not a shout of joy.