Jeremiah 48:15

15 Moab is destroyed, and they have burnt the cities thereof, and the chosen young men thereof went down into slaying, saith the king, the Lord of hosts is his name. (Moab is destroyed, and they have burned down its cities, and its chosen young men were killed, saith the King, whose name is the Lord of hosts.)

Jeremiah 48:15 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 48:15

Moab is spoiled
The whole country is ruined; which is spoken of as present, though future, after the manner of prophecy, because of the certainty of it: and gone up [out of] her cities;
the inhabitants of Moab were gone up out of their cities, either through fear and flight; or through force, being made to go out of them, and were carried captive. The Targum is,

``the Moabites are spoiled, and their cities are desolate;''

and so Kimchi interprets it,

``the multitude of her cities is made to cease;''

the people of them. It might be as well rendered, "and he is gone up to her cities" ^F21; that is, the spoiler ^F23, as Kimchi's father rightly interprets it; see ( Jeremiah 48:8 ) ; or it may be rendered, "and his cities, into which he went up" ^F24; that is, those are spoiled and destroyed, into which the Moabites used to go up, being built on high places; or whither they went for safety, the enemy being in their country, but in vain: and his chosen young men are gone down to the slaughter;
or, "the choice of his chosen ones" ^F25; the select of them, for comeliness, strength, and valour; these being taken, when the enemy entered the cities, were had down to some place of slaughter, and there put to death; or were brought down to the grave, the pit of corruption; unless this can be understood of the choice young men of the enemy, the Chaldean army; who, mounting and scaling the walls of the cities of Moab, went down into them to slay the inhabitants of them; but this is submitted to consideration. All this was not barely said by the prophet, who was but a man, though sent of God; but by the Lord himself, as it follows: saith the King, whose name [is] the Lord of hosts;
who is "the King" by way of eminency; the King of kings, and Lord of lords; mightier than the king of Moab, or even than the king of Babylon; and the Lord of greater armies than either; and therefore what he said should certainly be accomplished.

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FOOTNOTES:

F21 (hle hyrew) "et civitates ejus conscendit", Montanus; "ascendit super urbes ejus", Gataker.
F23 "Sub. hostis", Vatablus, Calvin; "vastator", Gataker.
F24 "Et urbes ejus in quas ascendit", Schmidt.
F25 (wyrwxb rxbm) "electio electorum ejus", Gataker.

Jeremiah 48:15 In-Context

13 And Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel, in which it had trust. (And Moab shall be shamed by Chemosh, like the house of Israel was shamed by Bethel, in which it had trust.)

14 How say ye, We be strong, and stalworthy men to fight? (How say ye, We be strong, and stalwart men for the fight?)

15 Moab is destroyed, and they have burnt the cities thereof, and the chosen young men thereof went down into slaying, saith the king, the Lord of hosts is his name. (Moab is destroyed, and they have burned down its cities, and its chosen young men were killed, saith the King, whose name is the Lord of hosts.)

16 The perishing of Moab is nigh, that it come, and the evil thereof runneth full swiftly. (The perishing of Moab is near at hand, and its evil runneth very quickly.)

17 All ye that be in the compass thereof, comfort it; and all ye that know the name thereof, say, How is the strong rod broken, the glorious staff? (All ye who be around it, comfort it; and all ye who know its name, say, How the strong rod is broken, yea, the glorious staff!)