Jeremiah 48:37

37 "For every head shall be bald, and every beard clipped; On all the hands shall be cuts, and on the loins sackcloth--

Jeremiah 48:37 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 48:37

For every head [shall be] bald, and every beard clipped
Men, in times of mourning, used to pluck off the hairs of their head till they made them bald, and shaved their beards; which, as Kimchi says, were the glory of their faces; see ( Isaiah 15:2 ) ; upon all the hands shall be cuttings:
it was usual with the Heathens to make incisions in the several parts of their bodies, particularly in their hands and arms, with their nails, or with knives, in token of mourning; which are forbidden the Israelites, ( Deuteronomy 14:1 ) ; and upon the loins sackcloth;
this is a well known custom for mourners, to put off their clothes, and put on sackcloth; all these things are mentioned, to show how great was the mourning of Moab for the calamities of it.

Jeremiah 48:37 In-Context

35 "Moreover," says the Lord, "I will cause to cease in Moab The one who offers sacrifices in the high places And burns incense to his gods.

36 Therefore My heart shall wail like flutes for Moab, And like flutes My heart shall wail For the men of Kir Heres. Therefore the riches they have acquired have perished.

37 "For every head shall be bald, and every beard clipped; On all the hands shall be cuts, and on the loins sackcloth--

38 A general lamentation On all the housetops of Moab, And in its streets; For I have broken Moab like a vessel in which is no pleasure," says the Lord.

39 "They shall wail: 'How she is broken down! How Moab has turned her back with shame!' So Moab shall be a derision And a dismay to all those about her."