Jeremiah 48

22. Beth-diblathaim--"the house of Diblathaim": Almon-diblathaim ( Numbers 33:46 ); "Diblath" ( Ezekiel 6:13 ); not far from Mount Nebo ( Numbers 33:46 Numbers 33:47 ).

23. Beth-gamul--meaning "the city of camels."
Beth-meon--"the house of habitation": Beth-baalmeon ( Joshua 13:17 ). Now its ruins are called Miun.

24. Kerioth--( Joshua 15:25 , Amos 2:2 ). of Edom, though belonging originally to Moab ( Genesis 36:33 , Isaiah 63:1 ). Others think the Bozrah in Edom distinct from that of Moab. "Bezer" ( Joshua 21:36 ).

25. horn--the emblem of strength and sovereignty: it is the horned animal's means of offense and defense ( Psalms 75:5 Psalms 75:10 , Lamentations 2:3 ).

27. ( Zephaniah 2:8 ).
a derision--The Hebrew has the article: referring to Jeremiah 48:26 , "Was not Israel (the whole nation) the object of derision to thee?" Therefore, Moab is to suffer as formerly for its exultation over the calamity ( 2 Kings 17:6 ) of the ten tribes under the Assyrian Shalmaneser (Isaiah 15:1-16:14'), so now for its exultation over the fall of Judah, under the Chaldean Nebuchadnezzar. God takes up His people's cause as His own ( Obadiah 1:13-18 ).
was he . . . among thieves--( Jeremiah 2:26 ). Proverbial. What did Israel do to deserve such derision? Was he detected in theft, that thou didst so exult over him in speaking of him? Though guilty before God, Israel was guiltless towards thee.
since--"since ever" thou didst begin speaking of him.
skippedst for joy--at Israel's calamity [CALVIN]; or, "thou didst shake thy head" in "derision" [MAURER].

28. Doves often have their nests in the "sides" of caverns. No longer shalt thou have cities to shelter thee: thou shalt have to flee for shelter to caves and deserts ( Psalms 55:6 Psalms 55:8 , Solomon 2:14 ).

29. pride--( Isaiah 16:6 Isaiah 16:7 ). Moab was the trumpeter of his own fame. Jeremiah adds "loftiness and arrogancy" to Isaiah's picture, so that Moab had not only not been bettered by the chastisement previously endured as foretold by Isaiah, but had even become worse; so that his guilt, and therefore his sentence of punishment, are increased now. Six times Moab's pride (or the synonyms) are mentioned, to show the exceeding hatefulness of his sin.

30. I know--Moab's "proud arrogancy" ( Jeremiah 48:29 ) or "wrath," against My people, is not unknown to Me.
it shall not be so--The result shall not be so as he thinks: his lies shall not so effect what he aims at by them. CALVIN translates, "his lies are not right (that is, his vauntings are vain because God will not give them effect); they shall not do so" as they project in their minds, for God will set at naught their plans.

31. I will cry . . . for . . . Moab--Not that it deserves pity, but the prophet's "crying" for it vividly represents the greatness of the calamity.
Kir-heres--Kir-hareseth, in Isaiah 16:7 ; city of the sun" [GROTIUS]. Here "the men of Kir-heres" are substituted for "the foundations of Kir-hareseth," in Isaiah 16:7 . The change answers probably to the different bearing of the disaster under Nebuchadnezzar, as compared with that former one under Shalmaneser.

32. with the weeping--with the same weeping as Jazer, now vanquished, wept with for the destruction of its vines. The same calamity shall befall thee, Sibmah, as befell Jazer. The Hebrew preposition here is different from that in Isaiah 16:9 , for which reason MAURER translates, "with more than the weeping of Jazer." English Version understands it of the continuation of the weeping; after they have wept for Jazer, fresh subject of lamentation will present itself for the wasting of the vine-abounding Sibmah.
plants . . . gone over . . . sea of Jazer--As the Septuagint reads "cities of Jazer," and as no traces of a lake near Jazer are found, the reading of English Version is doubtful. Retaining the present reading, we avoid the difficulty by translating [GROTIUS], "Thy plants (that is, citizens: alluding to the 'vine') are gone over the sea (that is, shall be transported beyond the sea to Cyprus, and such distant lands subject to Babylon; and this, too, in summertime), whereas Jazer (that is, the men of Jazer) reached the sea" (shore only, but are not transported beyond the sea); so that worse shall befall thee than befalls Jazer.
spoiler--Nebuzara-dan.

33. the plentiful field--rather, "Carmel": as the parallel "land of Moab" requires, though in Isaiah 16:10 , it is "the plentiful field." Joy is taken away as from the nearer regions (Canaan and Palestine), so from the farther "land of Moab"; what has happened to Judah shall befall Moab, too ( Jeremiah 48:26 Jeremiah 48:27 ) [MAURER]. However, Moab alone seems to be spoken of here; nor does the parallelism forbid "plentiful field" answering to "Moab." English Version is therefore better.
shouting--repeated; as at the conclusion of the vintage, men sing over and over again the same cry of joy. A shouting shall be heard, but not the joyous shouting of laborers treading the grapes, but the terrible battle cry of the foe.

34. From the cry of Heshbon, &c.--Those who fly from Heshbon on its capture shall continue the cry even as far as Elealeh . . . . There will be continued cries in all quarters, from one end to the other, everywhere slaughter and wasting.
as an heifer of three years old--Moab heretofore not having known foreign yoke, and in its full strength, is compared to an heifer of three years old, never yet yoked, nor as yet worn out with many birth-givings (compare Note,
waters . . . of Nimrim--that is, the well-watered and therefore luxuriant pastures of Nimrim.
desolate--The Hebrew is stronger: not merely shall be "desolate," but desolation itself multiplied: plural, "desolations." The most fertile tracts shall be dried up.

35. him that offereth--namely, whole burnt offerings as the Hebrew requires [GROTIUS]. Compare the awful burnt offering of the king of Moab ( 2 Kings 3:27 ).
high places--( Isaiah 16:12 ).

38. vessel . . . no pleasure--(See Jeremiah 22:28 ); a vessel cast aside by the potter as refuse, not answering his design.

39. it--Moab.
How . . . how--prodigious, yet sure to happen.
turned the back--not daring to show her face.
derision . . . dismaying to all--a derision to some; a dismaying to others in beholding such a judgment of God, fearing a like fate for themselves.

40. he--Nebuzara-dan, the captain of Nebuchadnezzar.
as . . . eagle--not to bear them "on eagles' wings" ( Exodus 19:4 , Deuteronomy 32:11 Deuteronomy 32:12 ), as God does His people, but to pounce on them as a prey ( Jeremiah 49:22 , Deuteronomy 28:49 , Habakkuk 1:8 ).

41. as . . . woman in . . . pangs--( Isaiah 13:8 ).

44. When thou thinkest thou hast escaped one kind of danger, a fresh one will start up.

45. under . . . shadow of Heshbon--They thought that they would be safe in Heshbon.
because of the force--that is, "they that fled because of the force" of the enemy: they that fled from it. GLASSIUS translates, "through want of strength." So the Hebrew particle is translated ( Psalms 109:24 ), "faileth of fatness," that is, "faileth through want of fatness"; also Lamentations 4:9 .
but a fire, &c.--copied in part from Sihon's hymn of victory ( Numbers 21:27 Numbers 21:28 ). The old "proverb" shall hold good again. As in ancient times Sihon, king of the Amorites, issued forth from his city, Heshbon, as a devouring "flame" and consumed Moab, so now the Chaldeans, making Heshbon their starting-point, shall advance to the destruction of Moab.
midst of Sihon--that is, the city of Sihon.
corner of Moab--that is, Moab from one corner to the other.
crown of . . . head--the most elevated points of Moab. Making some alterations, he here copies Balaam's prophecy ( Numbers 24:17 ). Margin there translates "princes" for corners; if so, "crown of . . . head" here refers to the nobles.
tumultuous ones--sons of tumult; those who have tumultuously revolted from Babylon. Heshbon passed from the Amorite to the Israelite sway. Moab had wrested it from Israel and helped the Chaldeans against the Jews; but revolting from Babylon, they brought ruin on themselves in turn.

46. Copied from Numbers 21:29 .

47. Restoration promised to Moab, for the sake of righteous Lot, their progenitor ( Genesis 19:37 , Exodus 20:6 , Psalms 89:30-33 ). Compare as to Egypt, Jeremiah 46:26 ; Ammon, Jeremiah 49:6 ; Elam, Jeremiah 49:39 . Gospel blessings, temporal and spiritual, to the Gentiles in the last days, are intended.