Jeremiah 48:41
New International Version
Kerioth will be captured and the strongholds taken. In that day the hearts of Moab’s warriors will be like the heart of a woman in labor.

New Living Translation
Its cities will fall, and its strongholds will be seized. Even the mightiest warriors will be in anguish like a woman in labor.

English Standard Version
the cities shall be taken and the strongholds seized. The heart of the warriors of Moab shall be in that day like the heart of a woman in her birth pains;

Berean Standard Bible
Kirioth has been taken, and the strongholds seized. In that day the heart of Moab’s warriors will be like the heart of a woman in labor.

King James Bible
Kerioth is taken, and the strong holds are surprised, and the mighty men's hearts in Moab at that day shall be as the heart of a woman in her pangs.

New King James Version
Kerioth is taken, And the strongholds are surprised; The mighty men’s hearts in Moab on that day shall be Like the heart of a woman in birth pangs.

New American Standard Bible
“Kerioth has been captured And the strongholds have been seized, So the hearts of the warriors of Moab on that day Will be like the heart of a woman in labor.

NASB 1995
“Kerioth has been captured And the strongholds have been seized, So the hearts of the mighty men of Moab in that day Will be like the heart of a woman in labor.

NASB 1977
“Kerioth has been captured And the strongholds have been seized, So the hearts of the mighty men of Moab in that day Will be like the heart of a woman in labor.

Legacy Standard Bible
Kerioth has been captured, And the strongholds have been seized, So the hearts of the mighty men of Moab in that day Will be like the heart of a woman in labor.

Amplified Bible
“Kerioth [and the cities] has been taken And the strongholds seized; And the hearts of the warriors of Moab in that day Shall be like the heart of a woman in childbirth.

Christian Standard Bible
The towns have been captured, and the strongholds seized. In that day the heart of Moab’s warriors will be like the heart of a woman with contractions.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The towns have been captured, and the strongholds seized. In that day the heart of Moab’s warriors will be like the heart of a woman with contractions.

American Standard Version
Kerioth is taken, and the strongholds are seized, and the heart of the mighty men of Moab at that day shall be as the heart of a woman in her pangs.

Contemporary English Version
Your cities and fortresses will be captured, and your warriors as fearful as women giving birth.

English Revised Version
Kerioth is taken, and the strong holds are surprised, and the heart of the mighty men of Moab at that day shall be as the heart of a woman in her pangs.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The cities will be taken, and the fortified places will be captured. On that day Moab's soldiers will be like women in childbirth.

Good News Translation
and the towns and fortresses will be captured. On that day Moab's soldiers will be as frightened as a woman in labor.

International Standard Version
The towns will be captured and the strongholds seized. On that day the hearts of the warriors of Moab will be like the heart of a woman in labor.

Majority Standard Bible
Kirioth has been taken, and the strongholds seized. In that day the heart of Moab’s warriors will be like the heart of a woman in labor.

NET Bible
Her towns will be captured. Her fortresses will be taken. At that time the soldiers of Moab will be frightened like a woman in labor.

New Heart English Bible
Kerioth is taken, and the strongholds are seized, and the heart of the mighty men of Moab at that day shall be as the heart of a woman in her pangs.

Webster's Bible Translation
Kerioth is taken, and the strong holds are surprised, and the mighty men's hearts in Moab at that day shall be as the heart of a woman in her pangs.

World English Bible
Kerioth is taken, and the strongholds are seized. The heart of the mighty men of Moab at that day will be as the heart of a woman in her pangs.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
The cities have been captured, "" And the strongholds are caught, "" And the heart of the mighty of Moab "" Has been in that day as the heart of a distressed woman.

Young's Literal Translation
Captured have been the cities, And the strongholds are caught, And the heart of the mighty of Moab Hath been in that day as the heart of a distressed woman.

Smith's Literal Translation
Kerioth was taken, and the fastnesses were seized, and the heart of the strong ones of Moab in that day was as the heart of a woman being distressed.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Carioth is taken, and the strong holds are won: and the heart of the valiant men of Moab in that day shall be as the heart of a woman in labour.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Kerioth has been captured, and the fortifications have been taken. And in that day, the heart of the strong ones of Moab will be like the heart of a woman giving birth.

New American Bible
Cities are captured, strongholds seized: On that day the hearts of Moab’s warriors become like the heart of a woman in labor.

New Revised Standard Version
the towns shall be taken and the strongholds seized. The hearts of the warriors of Moab, on that day, shall be like the heart of a woman in labor.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Kerioth is taken and the stronghold has been captured; the heart of the mighty men of Moab shall be in that day as the heart of a woman in her pangs.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Qerioth has been seized and Metsruth has been subjugated, and the hearts of the mighty men of Moab will be in that day like the heart of a woman that is in labor to give birth
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
The cities are taken, And the strongholds are seized, And the heart of the mighty men of Moab at that day Shall be as the heart of a woman in her pangs.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Carioth is taken, and the strong-holds have been taken together.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Judgment on Moab
40For this is what the LORD says: “Behold, an eagle swoops down and spreads his wings against Moab. 41Kirioth has been taken, and the strongholds seized. In that day the heart of Moab’s warriors will be like the heart of a woman in labor. 42Moab will be destroyed as a nation because he vaunted himself against the LORD.…

Cross References
Isaiah 15:1-9
This is the burden against Moab: Ar in Moab is ruined, destroyed in a night! Kir in Moab is devastated, destroyed in a night! / Dibon goes up to its temple to weep at its high places. Moab wails over Nebo, as well as over Medeba. Every head is shaved, every beard is cut off. / In its streets they wear sackcloth; on the rooftops and in the public squares they all wail, falling down weeping. ...

Isaiah 16:1-14
Send the tribute lambs to the ruler of the land, from Sela in the desert to the mount of Daughter Zion. / Like fluttering birds pushed out of the nest, so are the daughters of Moab at the fords of the Arnon: / “Give us counsel; render a decision. Shelter us at noonday with shade as dark as night. Hide the refugees; do not betray the one who flees. ...

Amos 2:1-3
This is what the LORD says: “For three transgressions of Moab, even four, I will not revoke My judgment, because he burned to lime the bones of Edom’s king. / So I will send fire against Moab to consume the citadels of Kerioth. Moab will die in tumult, amid war cries and the sound of the ram’s horn. / I will cut off the ruler of Moab and kill all the officials with him,” says the LORD.

Zephaniah 2:8-11
“I have heard the reproach of Moab and the insults of the Ammonites, who have taunted My people and threatened their borders. / Therefore, as surely as I live,” declares the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, “surely Moab will be like Sodom and the Ammonites like Gomorrah—a place of weeds and salt pits, a perpetual wasteland. The remnant of My people will plunder them; the remainder of My nation will dispossess them.” / This they shall have in return for their pride, for taunting and mocking the people of the LORD of Hosts. ...

Numbers 21:28-30
For a fire went out from Heshbon, a blaze from the city of Sihon. It consumed Ar of Moab, the rulers of Arnon’s heights. / Woe to you, O Moab! You are destroyed, O people of Chemosh! He gave up his sons as refugees, and his daughters into captivity to Sihon king of the Amorites. / But we have overthrown them; Heshbon is destroyed as far as Dibon. We demolished them as far as Nophah, which reaches to Medeba.”

2 Kings 24:2
And the LORD sent Chaldean, Aramean, Moabite, and Ammonite raiders against Jehoiakim in order to destroy Judah, according to the word that the LORD had spoken through His servants the prophets.

Ezekiel 25:8-11
This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Because Moab and Seir said, “Look, the house of Judah is like all the other nations,” / therefore I will indeed expose the flank of Moab beginning with its frontier cities—Beth-jeshimoth, Baal-meon, and Kiriathaim—the glory of the land. / I will give it along with the Ammonites as a possession to the people of the East, so that the Ammonites will no longer be remembered among the nations. ...

Psalm 60:8
Moab is My washbasin; upon Edom I toss My sandal; over Philistia I shout in triumph.”

Psalm 108:9
Moab is My washbasin; upon Edom I toss My sandal; over Philistia I shout in triumph.”

Isaiah 25:10-12
For the hand of the LORD will rest on this mountain. But Moab will be trampled in his place as straw is trodden into the dung pile. / He will spread out his hands within it, as a swimmer spreads his arms to swim. His pride will be brought low, despite the skill of his hands. / The high-walled fortress will be brought down, cast to the ground, into the dust.

Isaiah 34:5-6
When My sword has drunk its fill in the heavens, then it will come down upon Edom, upon the people I have devoted to destruction. / The sword of the LORD is bathed in blood. It drips with fat—with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams. For the LORD has a sacrifice in Bozrah, a great slaughter in the land of Edom.

Isaiah 63:1-6
Who is this coming from Edom, from Bozrah with crimson-stained garments? Who is this robed in splendor, marching in the greatness of His strength? “It is I, proclaiming vindication, mighty to save.” / Why are Your clothes red, and Your garments like one who treads the winepress? / “I have trodden the winepress alone, and no one from the nations was with Me. I trampled them in My anger and trod them down in My fury; their blood spattered My garments, and all My clothes were stained. ...

Obadiah 1:1-4
This is the vision of Obadiah: This is what the Lord GOD says about Edom—We have heard a message from the LORD; an envoy has been sent among the nations to say, “Rise up, and let us go to battle against her!”— / “Behold, I will make you small among the nations; you will be deeply despised. / The pride of your heart has deceived you, O dwellers in the clefts of the rocks whose habitation is the heights, who say in your heart, ‘Who can bring me down to the ground?’ ...

Matthew 11:23-24
And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. / But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”

Luke 10:13-15
Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. / But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. / And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades!


Treasury of Scripture

Kerioth is taken, and the strong holds are surprised, and the mighty men's hearts in Moab at that day shall be as the heart of a woman in her pangs.

Kerioth.

Jeremiah 48:24
And upon Kerioth, and upon Bozrah, and upon all the cities of the land of Moab, far or near.

as the heart

Jeremiah 4:31
For I have heard a voice as of a woman in travail, and the anguish as of her that bringeth forth her first child, the voice of the daughter of Zion, that bewaileth herself, that spreadeth her hands, saying, Woe is me now! for my soul is wearied because of murderers.

Jeremiah 6:24
We have heard the fame thereof: our hands wax feeble: anguish hath taken hold of us, and pain, as of a woman in travail.

Jeremiah 30:6
Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness?

Jump to Previous
Birth-Pains Captured Caught Cities Distressed Heart Hearts Holds Kerioth Labor Mighty Moab Moab's Pangs Places Seized Strong Strongholds Surprised War Warriors
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Birth-Pains Captured Caught Cities Distressed Heart Hearts Holds Kerioth Labor Mighty Moab Moab's Pangs Places Seized Strong Strongholds Surprised War Warriors
Jeremiah 48
1. The judgment of Moab
7. for their pride
11. for their security
14. for their carnal confidence
26. and for their contempt of God and his people
47. The restoration of Moab














Kerioth has been captured
The name "Kerioth" refers to a city in Moab, a region east of the Dead Sea. The Hebrew root for Kerioth is "קְרִיּוֹת" (Qeriyyoth), which means "cities" or "towns." This indicates a place of significance, possibly a central hub or a fortified city within Moab. The capture of Kerioth symbolizes the fall of Moab's strength and security. Historically, Moab was often in conflict with Israel, and its cities were known for their fortifications. The capture signifies divine judgment and the futility of relying on earthly defenses against God's will.

and the strongholds seized
The term "strongholds" in Hebrew is "מִבְצָרִים" (mivtzarim), meaning fortified places or fortresses. These were structures designed to protect against invasions and were symbols of power and security. The seizing of these strongholds indicates a complete overthrow of Moab's defenses, emphasizing that no human fortification can withstand the judgment of God. This serves as a reminder of the ultimate sovereignty of God over nations and their defenses.

In that day
This phrase often refers to a specific time of divine intervention or judgment. In prophetic literature, "that day" is a marker of God's decisive action in history. It underscores the certainty and imminence of the prophesied events. For Moab, "that day" is a day of reckoning, when God's justice is executed. It serves as a warning to all nations that there is an appointed time for judgment.

the hearts of Moab’s mighty men
The "mighty men" of Moab, or "גִּבּוֹרֵי מוֹאָב" (gibborim Moab), were the warriors and heroes of the nation, known for their strength and valor. The heart, in Hebrew thought, represents the center of emotions, will, and intellect. The mention of their hearts highlights the internal collapse of courage and resolve. Despite their physical prowess, their hearts will fail them, illustrating that true strength comes from God, not human might.

will be like the heart of a woman in labor
This simile draws a vivid picture of fear and vulnerability. Labor, in ancient times, was a time of great pain and uncertainty, often associated with fear of the unknown. The comparison to a woman in labor suggests intense fear, helplessness, and an overwhelming sense of impending crisis. It conveys the idea that the mighty men, despite their strength, will experience a profound and humbling fear, unable to stand against the divine judgment. This imagery serves as a powerful reminder of human frailty in the face of God's power.

(41) Kerioth.--(See Note on Jeremiah 48:24.) Here the word is used with the article, and should probably be translated, as in the margin, the cities, as painting the wide-spread devastation that was to come on all the fortresses.

As the heart of a woman in her pangs.--See Notes on Jeremiah 30:6; Isaiah 13:8; Isaiah 21:3. The precise phrase, however, occurs only here and in Jeremiah 49:22. . . .

Verse 41. - Kerioth is taken. Kerioth has been already mentioned in ver. 24 (see note). Another possible rendering is, The cities are taken, and this certainly agrees better with the parallel line. But a plural of kiryah, a city, does not occur elsewhere. If the identification of Kerioth with Ar-moab, the capital of Moab, be accepted (see on ver. 24), the equalization of Kerioth and "the strongholds" seems to be a stumbling block. Strongholds; or, mountain fastnesses (Jeremiah 51:30).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Kirioth
הַקְּרִיּ֔וֹת (haq·qə·rî·yō·wṯ)
Article | Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 7152: Kerioth -- a city in Judah, also a city in Moab

has been taken,
נִלְכְּדָה֙ (nil·kə·ḏāh)
Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 3920: To catch, to capture, occupy, to choose, to cohere

and the strongholds
וְהַמְּצָד֖וֹת (wə·ham·mə·ṣā·ḏō·wṯ)
Conjunctive waw, Article | Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 4679: Fastness, a stronghold

seized.
נִתְפָּ֑שָׂה (niṯ·pā·śāh)
Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 8610: To manipulate, seize, chiefly to capture, wield, to overlay, to use unwarrantably

In that
הַה֔וּא (ha·hū)
Article | Pronoun - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1931: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are

day
בַּיּ֣וֹם (bay·yō·wm)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3117: A day

the heart
לֵ֞ב (lêḇ)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3820: The heart, the feelings, the will, the intellect, centre

of Moab’s
מוֹאָב֙ (mō·w·’āḇ)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 4124: Moab -- a son of Lot,also his descendants and the territory where they settled

warriors
גִּבּוֹרֵ֤י (gib·bō·w·rê)
Adjective - masculine plural construct
Strong's 1368: Powerful, warrior, tyrant

will be
וְֽ֠הָיָה (wə·hā·yāh)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

like the heart
כְּלֵ֖ב (kə·lêḇ)
Preposition-k | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3820: The heart, the feelings, the will, the intellect, centre

of a woman
אִשָּׁ֥ה (’iš·šāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 802: Woman, wife, female

in labor.
מְצֵרָֽה׃ (mə·ṣê·rāh)
Verb - Hifil - Participle - feminine singular
Strong's 6887: To bind, tie up, be restricted, narrow, scant, or cramped


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OT Prophets: Jeremiah 48:41 Kerioth is taken and the strongholds (Jer.)
Jeremiah 48:40
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