Jeremiah 48:31

31 So now I wail for Moab; yes, I will mourn for Moab. My heart is broken for the men of Kir-hareseth.

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.''

FOOTNOTES:

F7 (hghy) "gemet", Montanus.

Jeremiah 48:31 In-Context

29 We have all heard of the pride of Moab, for his pride is very great. We know of his lofty pride, his arrogance, and his haughty heart.
30 I know about his insolence,” says the LORD, “but his boasts are empty— as empty as his deeds.
31 So now I wail for Moab; yes, I will mourn for Moab. My heart is broken for the men of Kir-hareseth.
32 “You people of Sibmah, rich in vineyards, I will weep for you even more than I did for Jazer. Your spreading vines once reached as far as the Dead Sea, but the destroyer has stripped you bare! He has harvested your grapes and summer fruits.
33 Joy and gladness are gone from fruitful Moab. The presses yield no wine. No one treads the grapes with shouts of joy. There is shouting, yes, but not of joy.

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. Hebrew Kir-heres, a variant spelling of Kir-hareseth; also in 48:36 .
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