לְמֹואָב כֹּה־אָמַר יְהוָה צְבָאֹות אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הֹוי אֶל־נְבֹו כִּי שֻׁדָּדָה הֹבִישָׁה נִלְכְּדָה קִרְיָתָיִם 48:1 הֹבִישָׁה הַמִּשְׂגָּב וָחָתָּה׃
Jere. 48:1 For Moab:
Thus says the Lord of hosts, God of Israel:
“Woe to Nebo!
For it is spoiled.
Kiriathaim is shamed, captured;
Misgab is shamed, and shattered.”
Nebo, Kiriathaim, and Misgab were cities and/or places in Moab.
אֵין עֹוד תְּהִלַּת מֹואָב בְּחֶשְׁבֹּון חָשְׁבוּ עָלֶיהָ רָעָה לְכוּ וְנַכְרִיתֶנָּה מִגֹּוי גַּם־מַדְמֵן תִּדֹּמִּי אַחֲרַיִךְ 48:2 תֵּלֶךְ חָרֶב׃
Jere. 48:2 “There is no more praise of Moab.
In Heshbon they devise evil against her,
‘Come and we shall eliminate her
from being a nation.’
Madmen, you also shall be struck dumb;
the sword shall come after you.”
Heshbon and Madmen were cities (or places) in Moab.
קֹול צְעָקָה מֵחֹרֹונָיִם שֹׁד וָשֶׁבֶר גָּדֹול׃ 48:3
Jere. 48:3 A noise, an outcry from Horonaim!
Violence and a loud crashing!
Horonaim was a town in Moab.
נִשְׁבְּרָה מֹואָב הִשְׁמִיעוּ זְּעָקָה (צְעֹורֶיהָ) [צְעִירֶיהָ]׃ 48:4
Jere. 48:4 Moab is crushed.
Her little ones
have caused a cry to be heard.
The word in parentheses is misspelled, having a vav in place of a yad. The correction is made in the brackets.
כִּי מַעֲלֵה (הַלֻּחֹות) [הַלּוּחִית] בִּבְכִי יַעֲלֶה־בֶּכִי כִּי בְּמֹורַד חֹורֹנַיִם צָרֵי צַעֲקַת־שֶׁבֶר שָׁמֵעוּ׃ 48:5
Jere. 48:5 For a weeping shall rise up
the ascent of Luhith
with a weeping,
for in the descent of Horonaim
the distresses of the outcry of ruin are heard.
The word in parentheses is the name of the town of Luhith and it is misspelled. The correction in the brackets inserts a vav and replaces the vav that’s there with a yad.
נֻסוּ מַלְּטוּ נַפְשְׁכֶם וְתִהְיֶינָה כַּעֲרֹועֵר בַּמִּדְבָּר׃ 48:6
Jere. 48:6 Flee, save your life,
or be like a stripped tree
in the wilderness.
כִּי יַעַן בִּטְחֵךְ בְּמַעֲשַׂיִךְ וּבְאֹוצְרֹותַיִךְ גַּם־אַתְּ תִּלָּכֵדִי וְיָצָא (כְמִישׁ) [כְמֹושׁ] בַּגֹּולָה כֹּהֲנָיו וְשָׂרָיו 48:7 יַחַד׃
Jere. 48:7 But because of your reliance
on your works
and on your possessions,
you also shall be taken,
and Chemosh shall depart into captivity,
his priests and his princes likewise.
Chemosh was the national god of Moab. His name is misspelled here in the parentheses. The yad should be a vav. The correct spelling is in the brackets.
וְיָבֹא שֹׁדֵד אֶל־כָּל־עִיר וְעִיר לֹא תִמָּלֵט וְאָבַד הָעֵמֶק וְנִשְׁמַד הַמִּישֹׁר אֲשֶׁר אָמַר יְהוָה׃ 48:8
Jere. 48:8 And the despoiler
to every city shall come,
so no city shall be saved.
And the valley shall be destroyed
and the plain annihilated.
That has the Lord spoken.
תְּנוּ־צִיץ לְמֹואָב כִּי נָצֹא תֵּצֵא וְעָרֶיהָ לְשַׁמָּה תִהְיֶינָה מֵאֵין יֹושֵׁב בָּהֵן׃ 48:9
Jere. 48:9 Give wing to Moab,
for she must go forth to fly,
though her cities shall become for a wasteland,
without an inhabitant in them.
אָרוּר עֹשֶׂה מְלֶאכֶת יְהוָה רְמִיָּה וְאָרוּר מֹנֵעַ חַרְבֹּו מִדָּם׃ 48:10
Jere. 48:10 Cursed is he who does
the work of the Lord half-heartedly,
and cursed is he
restraining his sword from blood.
שַׁאֲנַן מוֹאָב מִנְּעוּרָיו וְשֹׁקֵט הוּא אֶל־שְׁמָרָיו וְלֹא־הוּרַק מִכְּלִי אֶל־כֶּלִי וּבַגּוֹלָה לֹא הָלָךְ עַל־כֵּן 48:11
עָמַד טַעְמוֹ בּוֹ וְרֵיחוֹ לֹא נָמָר׃
Jere. 48:11 Moab has been at peace
from his early times,
and he has lain undisturbed
by his sediment,
as he has not been poured
from vessel to vessel,
as he has never gone into captivity.
Therefore his taste
endures with him
and his scent
has not been changed.
לָכֵן הִנֵּה־יָמִים בָּאִים נְאֻם־יְהוָה וְשִׁלַּחְתִּי־לֹו צֹעִים וְצֵעֻהוּ וְכֵלָיו יָרִיקוּ וְנִבְלֵיהֶם יְנַפֵּצוּ׃ 48:12
Jere. 48:12 “Therefore behold, the days are coming,”
declares the Lord,
“when I will send overturners to him,
and they shall overturn him,
and they shall empty his vessels
and shatter their pitchers.”
וּבֹשׁ מֹואָב מִכְּמֹושׁ כַּאֲשֶׁר־בֹּשׁוּ בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל מִבֵּית אֵל מִבְטֶחָם׃ 48:13
Jere. 48:13 Then Moab shall be more shamed
by Chemosh
than the house of Israel were shamed
by their trusted Beth-el.
The comparison of Chemosh to Beth-el is a bit of a stretch. As I mentioned before, Chemosh was the national god of Moab. Beth-el was the city in which Jeroboam set one of the two golden calves he had made (1Kin. 12:28).
אֵיךְ תֹּאמְרוּ גִּבֹּורִים אֲנָחְנוּ וְאַנְשֵׁי־חַיִל לַמִּלְחָמָה׃ 48:14
Jere. 48:14 How can you say,
“We are strong men
and men of might for battle?”
שֻׁדַּד מֹואָב וְעָרֶיהָ עָלָה וּמִבְחַר בַּחוּרָיו יָרְדוּ לַטָּבַח נְאֻם־הַמֶּלֶךְ יְהוָה צְבָאֹות שְׁמֹו׃ 48:15
Jere. 48:15 “Moab is spoiled,
and he has ascended her cities,
and the best of his young men
have descended to the slaughter,”
declares the King
(the Lord of hosts is His name).
קָרֹוב אֵיד־מֹואָב לָבֹוא וְרָעָתֹו מִהֲרָה מְאֹד׃ 48:16
Jere. 48:16 The calamity of Moab is soon to come,
and his misery will be very precipitous.
נֻדוּ לֹו כָּל־סְבִיבָיו וְכֹל יֹדְעֵי שְׁמֹו אִמְרוּ אֵיכָה נִשְׁבַּר מַטֵּה־עֹז מַקֵּל תִּפְאָרָה׃ 48:17
Jere. 48:17 Show grief for him,
all surrounding him
and all knowing his name!
Say, “How the strong staff has broken,
the beautiful rod!”
The name Moab has been treated as a feminine noun until this verse. Here it becomes temporarily masculine, returning to feminine in the next verse. But it is also masculine in some other verses below.
רְדִי מִכָּבֹוד (יֹשְׁבֶי) [וּשְׁבִי] בַצָּמָא יֹשֶׁבֶת בַּת־דִּיבֹון כִּי־שֹׁדֵד מֹואָב עָלָה בָךְ שִׁחֵת מִבְצָרָיִךְ׃ 48:18
Jere. 48:18 Sink from abundance
and dwell in thirst,
abiding daughter of Dibon!
For the despoiler of Moab
rises up against you
to destroy your strongholds.
The word in the parentheses is spelled with a yad, but it should be a vav prefix, to be appropriately translated as the imperative and dwell rather than the imperfect active verb will dwell. The correction is in the brackets.
אֶל־דֶּרֶךְ עִמְדִי וְצַפִּי יֹושֶׁבֶת עֲרֹועֵר שַׁאֲלִי־נָס וְנִמְלָטָה אִמְרִי מַה־נִּהְיָתָה׃ 48:19
Jere. 48:19 Stand and watch by the way,
dweller of Aroer!
Ask the departing and the escaping!
Say, “What has happened?”
הֹבִישׁ מֹואָב כִּי־חַתָּה (הֵילִילִי) [הֵילִילוּ) [וּזְעָקִי] [וּזְעָקוּ] הַגִּידוּ בְאַרְנֹון כִּי שֻׁדַּד מֹואָב׃ 48:20
Jere. 48:20 Moab is put to shame,
for it is dismayed.
Wail and cry!
Announce in Arnon
that Moab is spoiled.
In this verse Moab appears to be both genders. The word translated as is put to shame is masculine, but the word translated as it is dismayed is feminine. Moreover, the words for Wail and Cry are feminine in the original (in the pairs of parentheses), but the corrections in the pairs of brackets make them masculine, apparently to conform to the gender of the next word, translated as Announce, which is masculine. I don’t think the correction is necessary; I suspect that Jeremiah had two different subjects and two different audiences, or intended to be all inclusive, including the men and the women as he has before. Is it possible? I can see it is. Here’s how: The first two lines (in the English) treat Moab as both masculine and feminine, perhaps relating to the king of Moab (masculine) and the land of Moab (feminine). The third line is addressed to the women of Moab, and the fourth line is addressed to the men. [Return to Jere. 50:2]
וּמִשְׁפָּט בָּא אֶל־אֶרֶץ הַמִּישֹׁר אֶל־חֹלֹון וְאֶל־יַהְצָה וְעַל־(מֹופָעַת) [מֵיפָעַת]׃ 48:21
Jere. 48:21 And judgment comes to the country of the plain, to Holon, and to Jahzah, and upon Mephaath,
The last word in this verse, the name Mephaath, appearing in the parentheses, is misspelled. It should have a yad in place of the vav. The correction is in the Brackets.
וְעַל־דִּיבֹון וְעַל־נְבֹו וְעַל־בֵּית דִּבְלָתָיִם׃ 48:22
Jere. 48:22 and upon Dibon, and upon Nebo, and upon Beth-diblataim,
וְעַל קִרְיָתַיִם וְעַל־בֵּית גָּמוּל וְעַל־בֵּית מְעֹון׃ 48:23
Jere. 48:23 and upon Kiriathaim, and upon Beth-gamul, and upon Beth-meon,
וְעַל־קְרִיֹּות וְעַל־בָּצְרָה וְעַל כָּל־עָרֵי אֶרֶץ מֹואָב הָרְחֹקֹות וְהַקְּרֹבֹות׃ 48:24
Jere. 48:24 and upon Kirioth, and upon Bozrah, and upon all the cities of the land of Moab, far and near.
נִגְדְּעָה קֶרֶן מֹואָב וּזְרֹעֹו נִשְׁבָּרָה נְאֻם יְהוָה׃ 48:25
Jere. 48:25 “The horn of Moab is cut off,
and his arm is broken,”
declares the Lord.
הַשְׁכִּירֻהוּ כִּי עַל־יְהוָה הִגְדִּיל וְסָפַק מֹואָב בְּקִיאֹו וְהָיָה לִשְׂחֹק גַּם־הוּא׃ 48:26
Jere. 48:26 Assume he was drunk,
for he magnified himself
above the Lord.
Now Moab shall splash
in his own vomit,
and he also will be in derision.
וְאִם לֹוא הַשְּׂחֹק הָיָה לְךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל אִם־בְּגַנָּבִים (נִמְצָאָה) [נִמְצָא] כִּי־מִדֵּי דְבָרֶיךָ בֹּו תִּתְנֹודָד׃ 48:27
Jere. 48:27 But was not the derision of Israel
greater for You than
if he was found among thieves?
For as often as Your speeches about him,
You would disapprove?
The word in parentheses, translated as was found, is in its feminine form when it should be masculine, having for its subject the pronoun he. The correction in the brackets removes the heh.
עִזְבוּ עָרִים וְשִׁכְנוּ בַּסֶּלַע יֹשְׁבֵי מֹואָב וִהְיוּ כְיֹונָה תְּקַןֵּן בְּעֶבְרֵי פִי־פָחַת׃ 48:28
Jere. 48:28 Leave the cities and settle in the rocks,
dwellers of Moab,
and exist as a dove
would make a nest
on the sides of the opening of a hole.
שָׁמַעְנוּ גְאֹון־מֹואָב גֵּאֶה מְאֹד גָּבְהֹו וּגְאֹונֹו וְגַאֲוָתֹו וְרֻם לִבֹּו׃ 48:29
Jere. 48:29 We have heard of the arrogance of Moab,
abundantly proud,
his loftiness and his majesty
and his haughtiness,
and the elevation of his heart.
אֲנִי יָדַעְתִּי נְאֻם־יְהוָה עֶבְרָתֹו וְלֹא־כֵן בַּדָּיו לֹא־כֵן עָשׂוּ׃ 48:30
Jere. 48:30 “I know of his arrogance,”
declares the Lord,
“and it is not appropriate.
His pretensions
have produced nothing of value.”
עַל־כֵּן עַל־מֹואָב אֲיֵלִיל וּלְמֹואָב כֻּלֹּה אֶזְעָק אֶל־אַנְשֵׁי קִיר־חֶרֶשׂ יֶהְגֶּה׃ 48:31
Jere. 48:31 “Therefore I will wail over Moab,
and for Moab, all of him,
I will cry out.”
On account of the men of Kir-heres
He will moan.
מִבְּכִי יַעְזֵר אֶבְכֶּה־לָּךְ הַגֶּפֶן שִׂבְמָה נְטִישֹׁתַיִךְ עָבְרוּ יָם עַד יָם יַעְזֵר נָגָעוּ עַל־קֵיצֵךְ וְעַל־בְּצִירֵךְ 48:32 שֹׁדֵד נָפָל׃
Jere. 48:32 I will weep for you, the vine of Sibmah,
more than the weeping of Jazer.
Your tendrils have crossed over the sea;
they reached to the sea of Jazer.
The Spoiler falls upon your summer fruits
and upon your vintage.
The towns of Jazer and Sibmah were near each other in a region that was known for its vineyards.
וְנֶאֶסְפָה שִׂמְחָה וָגִיל מִכַּרְמֶל וּמֵאֶרֶץ מֹואָב וְיַיִן מִיקָבִים הִשְׁבַּתִּי לֹא־יִדְרֹךְ הֵידָד הֵידָד לֹא הֵידָד׃ 48:33
Jere. 48:33 “And gladness will be removed,
as well as rejoicing,
from the orchard and from the land of Moab;
and I have made cease
wine from the winepresses.
None shall tread shouting.
Shouting? No shouting!”
מִזַּעֲקַת חֶשְׁבֹּון עַד־אֶלְעָלֵה עַד־יַהַץ נָתְנוּ קֹולָם מִצֹּעַר עַד־חֹרֹנַיִם עֶגְלַת שְׁלִשִׁיָּה כִּי גַּם־מֵי 48:34 נִמְרִים לִמְשַׁמֹּות יִהְיוּ׃
Jere. 48:34 From the outcry of Heshbon
as far as Elealeh,
even to Jahaz,
they lend their voice;
from Zoar to Horonaim,
a heifer three years old.
Surely also the waters of Nimrim
will be devastated.
Here Jeremiah compares Moab to a full-grown heifer. Also apparently water will be dried up in a place not known today (Nimrim), presumably because its source was dammed up.
וְהִשְׁבַּתִּי לְמֹואָב נְאֻם־יְהוָה מַעֲלֶה בָמָה וּמַקְטִיר לֵאלֹהָיו׃ 48:35
Jere. 48:35 “And I will put an end in Moab,”
declares the Lord,
“to the ascender of the high places
and the offerer to his gods.”
עַל־כֵּן לִבִּי לְמֹואָב כַּחֲלִלִים יֶהֱמֶה וְלִבִּי אֶל־אַנְשֵׁי קִיר־חֶרֶשׂ כַּחֲלִילִים יֶהֱמֶה עַל־כֵּן יִתְרַת עָשָׂה 48:36
אָבָדוּ׃
Jere. 48:36 Therefore my heart shall moan
for Moab like flutes,
and my heart shall moan on account
of the men of Kir-heres like flutes.
Therefore the riches he produced perish.
כִּי כָל־רֹאשׁ קָרְחָה וְכָל־זָקָן גְּרֻעָה עַל כָּל־יָדַיִם גְּדֻדֹת וְעַל־מָתְנַיִם שָׂק׃ 48:37
Jere. 48:37 Then every head will be bald
and every beard clipped;
the cuttings will be
upon all the hands,
and sackcloth on the loins.
These were mainly some of the pagan rites of mourning. But many Jews had adopted them, so some were also Jewish (except for the cuttings), and Jeremiah was familiar with them.
עַל כָּל־גַּגֹּות מֹואָב וּבִרְחֹבֹתֶיהָ כֻּלֹּה מִסְפֵּד כִּי־שָׁבַרְתִּי אֶת־מֹואָב כִּכְלִי אֵין־חֵפֶץ בֹּו נְאֻם־יְהוָה׃ 48:38
Jere. 48:38 “Upon all the housetops of Moab
and in his plazas
everywhere shall be lamenting,
for I crush Moab like a vessel
without pleasure in it,”
declares the Lord.
אֵיךְ חַתָּה הֵילִילוּ אֵיךְ הִפְנָה־עֹרֶף מֹואָב בֹּושׁ וְהָיָה מֹואָב לִשְׂחֹק וְלִמְחִתָּה לְכָל־סְבִיבָיו׃ 48:39
Jere. 48:39 How shattered! Wail!
How Moab turns the back shamefully,
so Moab shall be for scorn
and for dismay.
כִּי־כֹה אָמַר יְהוָה הִנֵּה כַנֶּשֶׁר יִדְאֶה וּפָרַשׂ כְּנָפָיו אֶל־מֹואָב׃ 48:40
Jere. 48:40 For thus says the Lord:
“Behold, like a vulture
he shall swoop
and spread his wings
toward Moab,
Presumably, the “he” in this verse refers to Nebuchadrezzar.
נִלְכְּדָה הַקְּרִיֹּות וְהַמְּצָדֹות נִתְפָּשָׂה וְהָיָה לֵב גִּבֹּורֵי מֹואָב בַּיֹּום הַהוּא כְּלֵב אִשָּׁה מְצֵרָה׃ 48:41
Jere. 48:41 capturing the towns
and seizing the strongholds.
And the heart of the mighty men of Moab
shall be on that day
like the heart of a distressed woman.”
וְנִשְׁמַד מֹואָב מֵעָם כִּי עַל־יְהוָה הִגְדִּיל׃ 48:42
Jere. 48:42 Then Moab shall be annihilated as a people,
because he magnified himself
above the Lord.
פַּחַד וָפַחַת וָפָח עָלֶיךָ יֹושֵׁב מֹואָב נְאֻם־יְהוָה׃ 48:43
Jere. 48:43 “Terror and the pit and the trap
are upon you,
inhabitant of Moab,”
declares the Lord.
הַנִּיס מִפְּנֵי הַפַּחַד יִפֹּל אֶל־הַפַּחַת וְהָעֹלֶה מִן־הַפַּחַת יִלָּכֵד בַּפָּח כִּי־אָבִיא אֵלֶיה אֶל־מֹואָב שְׁנַת 48:44 פְּקֻדָּתָם נְאֻם־יְהוָה׃
Jere. 48:44 “The retreater from before the terror
shall fall into the pit and,
rising from the pit,
will be snared by the trap,
for I shall bring to her, to Moab,
the year of their visitation,”
declares the Lord.
בְּצֵל חֶשְׁבֹּון עָמְדוּ מִכֹּחַ נָסִים כִּי־אֵשׁ יָצָא מֵחֶשְׁבֹּון וְלֶהָבָה מִבֵּין סִיחֹון וַתֹּאכַל פְּאַת מֹואָב 48:45 וְקָדְקֹד בְּנֵי שָׁאֹון׃
Jere. 48:45 In the shadow of Heshbon
the retreaters stand,
out of strength,
for a fire goes forth
from Heshbon
and a flame from
the middle of Sihon
that devours
the corners of Moab
and the heads
of roaring children.
אֹוי־לְךָ מֹואָב אָבַד עַם־כְּמֹושׁ כִּי־לֻקְּחוּ בָנֶיךָ בַּשֶּׁבִי וּבְנֹתֶיךָ בַּשִּׁבְיָה׃ 48:46
Jere. 48:46 Woe to you, Moab!
Perish, people of Chemosh!
For your children
are being taken into captivity,
and your daughters into captivity.
וְשַׁבְתִּי שְׁבוּת־מֹואָב בְּאַחֲרִית הַיָּמִים נְאֻם־יְהוָה עַד־הֵנָּה מִשְׁפַּט מֹואָב׃ 48:47
Jere. 48:47 “Still, I will turn back
the captivitiy of Moab
at the end of days,”
declares the Lord.
The judgment of Moab
will be until then.
Well, this is an interesting twist. Instead of being judged harshly at the end, Moab will be saved.
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