Jeremiah 48:2
Read Jeremiah 48:2 Using Other Translations
What does Jeremiah 48:2 mean?
[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.''
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.
