◄ Jeremiah 48:31 ►
Therefore I will wail for Moab; I will cry out for all of Moab; I will moan for the men of Kir-heres.
Study Bible
Therefore I will wail for Moab;
This phrase indicates a deep lamentation for Moab, a nation often in conflict with Israel. The wailing signifies God's sorrow over the impending judgment due to Moab's pride and idolatry. Historically, Moab was located east of the Dead Sea, and its people were descendants of Lot. The lamentation reflects God's compassion even in judgment, similar to Jesus weeping over Jerusalem in Luke 19:41.

I will cry out for all of Moab;
The repetition of lamentation emphasizes the totality of Moab's destruction. This cry is not just for a part but for the entire nation, indicating the comprehensive nature of the judgment. It parallels the cries of the prophets for Israel and Judah, showing that God's justice is impartial. The cry also reflects the prophetic tradition of mourning for nations, as seen in Isaiah 15-16.

I will moan for the men of Kir-heres.
Kir-heres, also known as Kir of Moab, was a significant city in Moab, often associated with its strength and fortifications. The moaning for its men highlights the personal and communal loss that will be experienced. This city is mentioned in Isaiah 16:7, where similar lamentations are expressed. The moaning signifies the depth of the calamity, akin to the mourning for the loss of a loved one, and points to the broader theme of divine judgment leading to repentance and restoration.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Moab
An ancient kingdom located east of the Dead Sea, often in conflict with Israel. Moab is frequently mentioned in the Bible as a nation that turned away from God and faced His judgment.

2. Kir-heres
A significant city in Moab, known for its strong fortifications. It is often associated with Moab's strength and pride.

3. Jeremiah
The prophet who conveyed God's messages of judgment and hope to the nations, including Moab. His lamentation reflects God's sorrow over Moab's impending destruction.
Teaching Points
God's Compassion in Judgment
Even in judgment, God expresses sorrow for the nations. This reflects His compassionate nature and desire for repentance rather than destruction.

The Consequences of Pride
Moab's downfall serves as a warning against pride and self-reliance. Trusting in one's own strength rather than God leads to ruin.

Intercessory Lament
Jeremiah's lament for Moab encourages believers to intercede for those who are far from God, praying for their repentance and restoration.

The Universality of God's Sovereignty
God's judgment on Moab demonstrates His sovereignty over all nations, not just Israel. His moral standards apply universally.

Hope Amidst Judgment
While the prophecy is one of destruction, it also implies the possibility of redemption for those who turn back to God.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does Jeremiah's lament for Moab reflect God's character, and what does this teach us about how we should view those who are under judgment today?

2. In what ways can pride lead to downfall in our personal lives, and how can we guard against it?

3. How can we practice intercessory prayer for those who are spiritually lost, following Jeremiah's example?

4. What does the judgment of Moab teach us about God's sovereignty over all nations, and how should this influence our worldview?

5. How can we find hope and assurance in God's character, even when facing His judgment or discipline in our own lives?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Isaiah 15-16
These chapters also contain prophecies against Moab, echoing the themes of lament and judgment found in Jeremiah 48.

Lamentations 1:1-2
The book of Lamentations, attributed to Jeremiah, shares a similar tone of mourning over Jerusalem, paralleling his lament for Moab.

Psalm 137:1
This psalm captures the sorrow of the Israelites in exile, akin to the lamentation for Moab's downfall.
Sermons
Concerning PrideS. Conway
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
Cause, Cries, Cry, Crying, Grief, Hareseth, Heart, Heres, Howl, Kir, Kirheres, Kir-heres, Kir-he'res, Moab, Moan, Moaning, Mourn, Sorrowing, Wail, Yea, Yes
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Jeremiah 48:31-36

     1135   God, suffering of

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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