Jeremiah 48:2

2 Moab will not be praised again. Men in the town of Heshbon plan Moab's defeat. They say, 'Come, let us put an end to that nation!' Town of Madmen, you will also be silenced. The sword will chase you.

Jeremiah 48:2 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 48:2

[There shall be] no more praise of Moab
It shall be no more commended for a rich, populous, and fruitful country, being now laid waste; though the next phrase, in Heshbon,
or "concerning Heshbon" ^F2, should be read in connection with this; and then the sense is, there shall be none any more in Heshbon to praise the country of Moab, what a fine and fertile country it is, since that city will be destroyed also; or there will be no more a Moabite to boast of his being an inhabitant in Heshbon, such an utter destruction will be made of it; or there will be no more boasting of Moab, or of any Moabite concerning Heshbon, what a famous, opulent, or strong city that is, since it is no more. Of this city (See Gill on Isaiah 15:4); they have devised evil against it;
that is, the Chaldeans devised evil against Heshbon, to besiege it, take and destroy it: there is in the expression a beautiful allusion to the name of the city of Heshbon, which has its name from a word that signifies to devise and consult {c}; come, and let us cut it off from [being] a nation:
this is what the Babylonians consulted together against Heshbon; and not only against that, a principal city; but against the whole country of Moab, to make such an entire desolation of it, that it should be no more a nation: that which the Moabites with others devised against the people of Israel is now devised against them; a just retaliation this; see ( Psalms 83:4-6 ) ; also thou shalt be cut down, O Madmen;
or utterly destroyed: it may be rendered, "shall become silent" ^F4; the voice of man shall not be heard in it, especially the voice of praise, of boasting, and rejoicing: there is in this clause also an elegant allusion to the name of the place, which comes from a root that signifies to "cut down", or "be silent" ^F5. This is thought by Grotius to be the Madiama of Ptolemy ^F6: the sword shall pursue thee;
after it has destroyed other cities, it should come in great haste and with great force to Madmen; or it should pursue after the inhabitants, of it, that should make their escape, or attempt to do so. The Targum is,

``after thee shall go out those that slay with the sword.''

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FOOTNOTES:

F2 (Nwbvxb bawm tlht dwe Nya) "nulla amplius gloriatio Moab in Chesbon", Calvin; "non ultra laus, Moab in Chesbon", Montanus; to the same purpose Vatablus.
F3 (Nwbvx) a (bvx) "cogitavit", "excogitavit".
F4 (ymdt) "silebis", Montanus; so R. Judah in Ben Melech; "ad silentium redigeris"; so some in Vatablus.
F5 (Nmdm wmdt) .
F6 Geograph. l. 6. c. 7.

Jeremiah 48:2 In-Context

1 This message is to the country of Moab. This is what the Lord All-Powerful, the God of Israel, says: "How terrible it will be for the city of Nebo, because it will be ruined. captured; the strong city will be disgraced and shattered.

2 Moab will not be praised again. Men in the town of Heshbon plan Moab's defeat. They say, 'Come, let us put an end to that nation!' Town of Madmen, you will also be silenced. The sword will chase you.

3 Listen to the cries from the town of Horonaim, cries of much confusion and destruction.

4 Moab will be broken up. Her little children will cry for help.

5 Moab's people go up the path to the town of Luhith, crying loudly as they go. On the road down to Horonaim, cries of pain and suffering can be heard.