Judgment on Moab
Jeremiah turns his prophetic words across the Jordan River towards Moab, situated on the east side of the Dead Sea with Ammon to the north and Edom to the south. This chapter shares parallels with Isaiah 15-16, which is also a prophecy against Moab. According to the Jewish historian Josephus, the Babylonians attacked Moab five years after Jerusalem’s fall (Antiquities, 10.9.7).
There is a number of place names (cities, routes, etc) throughout the chapter. The Lord’s judgement would not be isolated, but would affect the entire nation.
Besides the geographic details, one word play stuck out at me:
Terror, pit, and snare
Jeremiah 48:43-44
are before you, O inhabitant of Moab!
declares the LORD.
He who flees from the terror
shall fall into the pit,
and he who climbs out of the pit
shall be caught in the snare.
For I will bring these things upon Moab,
the year of their punishment,
declares the LORD.
The words terror (פַּ֥חַד, paḥad), pit (פַּ֫חַת, paḥat), and snare (פַּח, paḥ) sound similar. The same imagery is used in Isaiah 24:17-18. This feels a little like the English phrase “Out of the frying pan and into the fire”. There will be no escape.
One final connection near the end of the chapter: “it has destroyed the forehead of Moab / the crown of the sons of tumult” (Jeremiah 48:45). The word “forehead” is more often translated as “edge” or “side”. About half of its uses is in Ezekiel’s description of the new temple (Ezekiel 40-48). However, there’s another place with an interesting connection: “it shall crush the forehead of Moab” (Numbers 24:17). This is part of Balaam’s prophecies. Balaam was hired by the king of Moab to pronounce a curse over Israel but was unable. After speaking multiple blessings, he gave a few short oracles about the nations around Israel, of which this is a part.
I’m not sure what to make of the last verse, where the Lord promises to restore Moab in the latter days. They were still around during Ezra and Nehemiah’s time, but soon lost their national identity. Perhaps they are still waiting the promised restoration in “the latter days” which are to come.
To Ponder…
- Do you believe that God will do what he has promised/threatened?