◄ Jeremiah 48:12 ►
Therefore behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will send to him wanderers, who will pour him out. They will empty his vessels and shatter his jars.
Study Bible
Therefore behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD
This phrase introduces a prophetic declaration, a common formula in the prophetic books indicating the certainty of God's future actions. It emphasizes God's sovereignty and the inevitability of His plans. The phrase "the days are coming" is often used in the prophetic literature to signal impending judgment or fulfillment of God's promises, as seen in other passages like Jeremiah 31:31, which speaks of a new covenant.

when I will send to him wanderers
"Wanderers" here likely refers to invaders or marauders, possibly the Babylonians, who were known for their military campaigns and conquests. This reflects the historical context of the Babylonian Empire's expansion under Nebuchadnezzar II. The term suggests a sense of instability and disruption, as wanderers are not settled but move from place to place, bringing chaos.

who will pour him out
This imagery of pouring out suggests a complete emptying or desolation. It is symbolic of judgment and destruction, akin to the pouring out of wrath seen in other prophetic texts like Isaiah 51:17. The act of pouring out can also be seen as a metaphor for God's judgment being thorough and exhaustive.

They will empty his vessels
The vessels likely symbolize the wealth, resources, or people of Moab. In ancient times, vessels were used to store valuable commodities, so emptying them signifies a stripping away of prosperity and security. This can be connected to the broader theme of divine retribution against nations that oppose God's will, as seen in the judgment against Babylon in Jeremiah 51:34.

and shatter his jars
Shattering jars indicates total destruction and irreparability. In the cultural context, jars were essential for daily life, used for storing water, oil, and grain. The shattering signifies not just loss but a complete breakdown of societal and economic structures. This imagery is reminiscent of the potter's vessel in Jeremiah 19:11, symbolizing how God can break nations as easily as a potter breaks a flawed pot.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Jeremiah
A major prophet in the Old Testament, Jeremiah was called by God to deliver messages of judgment and hope to the people of Judah and surrounding nations, including Moab.

2. Moab
A nation east of the Jordan River, often in conflict with Israel. Moab is the subject of God's judgment in this chapter.

3. The LORD
The covenant name of God, Yahweh, who is the ultimate authority and judge over all nations.

4. Those who tip vessels
Symbolic agents of God's judgment, possibly referring to invading armies or divine forces that will bring about Moab's downfall.

5. Vessels and jars
Metaphors for Moab's wealth, stability, and pride, which will be overturned and shattered as a result of God's judgment.
Teaching Points
God's Sovereignty Over Nations
God is in control of all nations and their destinies. No nation, regardless of its power or pride, is beyond His reach or judgment.

The Consequences of Pride
Moab's downfall serves as a warning against pride and self-reliance. Nations and individuals alike must recognize their dependence on God.

Divine Judgment is Inevitable
God's judgment may be delayed, but it is certain. This should lead to repentance and humility before God.

Symbolism of Vessels
The imagery of vessels being tipped and shattered can be applied to our lives. We must ensure our "vessels" are filled with righteousness and not pride or sin.

Hope in God's Justice
While judgment is severe, it is also just. Believers can find hope in the fact that God will ultimately set things right.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the imagery of "tipping vessels" in Jeremiah 48:12 help us understand the nature of God's judgment on Moab?

2. In what ways can the pride of Moab be seen in today's world, and how should Christians respond to such pride?

3. How does the prophecy against Moab in Jeremiah 48 relate to the broader biblical theme of God's sovereignty over nations?

4. What personal "vessels" in your life might need to be examined and possibly "tipped" to align more closely with God's will?

5. How can the certainty of God's judgment, as seen in Jeremiah 48:12, encourage believers to live lives of repentance and humility?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Isaiah 16
This chapter also contains a prophecy against Moab, highlighting the nation's pride and eventual downfall, similar to Jeremiah 48.

2 Kings 24:2
Describes how God sent raiders against Judah, illustrating how God uses nations as instruments of His judgment, akin to the "tippers" in Jeremiah 48:12.

Revelation 18
The fall of Babylon in Revelation parallels the judgment on Moab, emphasizing the theme of divine retribution against prideful nations.
Sermons
Alternations in Religious ExperienceC. E. Tisdall, D. D.Jeremiah 48:11-12
Divine Plan in ChangesF. B. Meyer, B. A.Jeremiah 48:11-12
Ease Injurious to Christian CharacterW. M. Taylor, D. D.Jeremiah 48:11-12
Moab Settled, on the LeesD. Young Jeremiah 48:11, 12
Spiritual DislodgmentsH. Bushnell, D. D.Jeremiah 48:11-12
The Blessing of DisturbanceW. M. Taylor, D. D.Jeremiah 48:11-12
The Discipline of SorrowA. K. H. Boyd, D. D.Jeremiah 48:11-12
The Shrill Trumpet of AdmonitionJeremiah 48:11-12
The Ease of MoabA.F. Muir Jeremiah 48:11-13
People
Chemosh, Gamul, Jeremiah, Sihon, Zoar
Places
Arnon, Aroer, Beth-diblathaim, Bethel, Beth-gamul, Beth-meon, Bozrah, Dibon, Elealeh, Heshbon, Holon, Horonaim, Jahaz, Jahzah, Jazer, Kerioth, Kir-hareseth, Kiriathaim, Luhith, Madmen, Mephaath, Moab, Nebo, Nimrim, Sea of Jazer, Sibmah, Zoar
Topics
Affirmation, Behold, Bottles, Break, Broken, Cause, Caused, Completely, Dash, Declares, Empty, Flagons, Jars, Jugs, Pieces, Pour, Pourers, Says, Shatter, Smash, Till, Tilt, Tilters, Tip, Truly, Vessels, Wander, Wanderers, Wine, Wine-skins
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Jeremiah 48:12

     5445   potters and pottery

Library
August 8. "Be Like the Dove" (Jer. Xlviii. 28).
"Be like the dove" (Jer. xlviii. 28). Harmless as a dove, is Christ's interpretation of the beautiful emblem. And so the Spirit of God is purity itself. He cannot dwell in an unclean heart. He cannot abide in the natural mind. It was said of the anointing of old, "On man's flesh it shall not be poured." The purity which the Holy Spirit brings is like the white and spotless little plant which grows up out of the heap of manure, or the black soil, without one grain of impurity adhering to its crystalline …
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

How those are to be Admonished who Decline the Office of Preaching Out of Too Great Humility, and those who Seize on it with Precipitate Haste.
(Admonition 26.) Differently to be admonished are those who, though able to preach worthily, are afraid by reason of excessive humility, and those whom imperfection or age forbids to preach, and yet precipitancy impells. For those who, though able to preach with profit, still shrink back through excessive humility are to be admonished to gather from consideration of a lesser matter how faulty they are in a greater one. For, if they were to hide from their indigent neighbours money which they possessed …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

Balaam's Prophecy. (Numb. xxiv. 17-19. )
Carried by the Spirit into the far distant future, Balaam sees here how a star goeth out of Jacob and a sceptre riseth out of Israel, and how this sceptre smiteth Moab, by whose enmity the Seer had been brought from a distant region for the destruction of Israel. And not Moab only shall be smitten, but its southern neighbour, Edom, too shall be subdued, whose hatred against Israel had already been prefigured in its ancestor, and had now begun to display Itself; and In general, all the enemies of …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Meditations for the Sick.
Whilst thy sickness remains, use often, for thy comfort, these few meditations, taken from the ends wherefore God sendeth afflictions to his children. Those are ten. 1. That by afflictions God may not only correct our sins past, but also work in us a deeper loathing of our natural corruptions, and so prevent us from falling into many other sins, which otherwise we would commit; like a good father, who suffers his tender babe to scorch his finger in a candle, that he may the rather learn to beware …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

The Section Chap. I. -iii.
The question which here above all engages our attention, and requires to be answered, is this: Whether that which is reported in these chapters did, or did not, actually and outwardly take place. The history of the inquiries connected with this question is found most fully in Marckius's "Diatribe de uxore fornicationum," Leyden, 1696, reprinted in the Commentary on the Minor Prophets by the same author. The various views may be divided into three classes. 1. It is maintained by very many interpreters, …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

The Prophet Joel.
PRELIMINARY REMARKS. The position which has been assigned to Joel in the collection of the Minor Prophets, furnishes an external argument for the determination of the time at which Joel wrote. There cannot be any doubt that the Collectors were guided by a consideration of the chronology. The circumstance, that they placed the prophecies of Joel just between the two prophets who, according to the inscriptions and contents of their prophecies, belonged to the time of Jeroboam and Uzziah, is …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Jeremiah
The interest of the book of Jeremiah is unique. On the one hand, it is our most reliable and elaborate source for the long period of history which it covers; on the other, it presents us with prophecy in its most intensely human phase, manifesting itself through a strangely attractive personality that was subject to like doubts and passions with ourselves. At his call, in 626 B.C., he was young and inexperienced, i. 6, so that he cannot have been born earlier than 650. The political and religious …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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