◄ Jeremiah 48:33 ►
Joy and gladness are removed from the orchard and from the fields of Moab. I have stopped the flow of wine from the presses; no one treads them with shouts of joy; their shouts are not for joy.
Study Bible
Joy and gladness are removed from the orchard and from the fields of Moab.
This phrase indicates a divine judgment upon Moab, a nation east of Israel, known for its fertile land and agriculture. The removal of joy and gladness signifies a cessation of prosperity and celebration, often associated with harvest times. In biblical context, joy in the fields is a sign of God's blessing (Deuteronomy 16:15). The absence of joy suggests a reversal of fortune, aligning with the prophetic theme of judgment against nations that oppose God's people (Isaiah 16:10). Moab's historical enmity with Israel, as seen in Numbers 22-24, provides a backdrop for this judgment.

I have stopped the flow of wine from the presses;
Wine production was a significant part of ancient Near Eastern economies, symbolizing abundance and festivity. The cessation of wine flow indicates economic collapse and divine intervention. In biblical symbolism, wine often represents joy and divine blessing (Psalm 104:15). The stopping of wine production is a metaphor for the end of Moab's prosperity and joy, reflecting God's control over nature and nations. This aligns with other prophetic judgments where God disrupts agricultural cycles as a form of punishment (Joel 1:10).

no one treads them with shouts of joy;
The treading of grapes was a communal activity marked by joy and celebration, as seen in Isaiah 16:10. The absence of joyful shouts during grape treading underscores the severity of Moab's judgment. This imagery highlights the loss of communal and cultural practices due to divine retribution. The silence in the vineyards contrasts with the expected sounds of harvest, emphasizing the completeness of Moab's desolation.

their shouts are not for joy.
This final phrase reinforces the theme of judgment and sorrow. The shouts, typically associated with joy, are now expressions of lament or distress. This inversion of expected emotions serves as a powerful illustration of God's judgment. It echoes the broader biblical narrative where disobedience and opposition to God lead to mourning instead of celebration (Amos 5:16-17). The prophetic message is clear: without God's blessing, even the most joyous occasions turn to sorrow.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Jeremiah
A major prophet in the Old Testament, known for his prophecies concerning the judgment and restoration of Israel and the surrounding nations.

2. Moab
An ancient kingdom located east of the Dead Sea, often in conflict with Israel. Moab is the focus of this prophecy, facing divine judgment for its pride and idolatry.

3. Winepresses
Symbolic of abundance and joy in ancient agricultural societies. The cessation of wine production signifies a loss of prosperity and celebration.
Teaching Points
The Consequences of Pride and Idolatry
Moab's downfall serves as a warning against pride and idolatry. Just as Moab's joy and prosperity were removed, so too can our blessings be withdrawn if we turn away from God.

The Sovereignty of God in Judgment
God's control over the nations is evident. He can bring prosperity or judgment according to His will. We must recognize His sovereignty and align our lives with His purposes.

The Loss of Joy Without God
True joy and gladness are found in a relationship with God. When we distance ourselves from Him, we risk losing the deeper joy that sustains us through life's challenges.

The Importance of Repentance
The prophecy against Moab underscores the need for repentance. Turning back to God can restore what has been lost and bring renewal.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the judgment of Moab in Jeremiah 48:33 reflect the broader theme of divine justice in the Bible?

2. In what ways can pride lead to a loss of joy and prosperity in our own lives, as seen in the example of Moab?

3. How does the imagery of the winepress in Jeremiah 48:33 connect to other biblical passages that discuss joy and abundance?

4. What steps can we take to ensure that our joy is rooted in our relationship with God rather than in material prosperity?

5. How can the message of repentance in Jeremiah 48:33 inspire us to seek God's forgiveness and restoration in our personal lives?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Isaiah 16
This chapter also contains prophecies against Moab, highlighting the nation's pride and the resulting judgment.

Joel 1:10-12
Describes a similar scene of agricultural devastation and the removal of joy, emphasizing the consequences of turning away from God.

Lamentations 1:15
Reflects on the loss of joy and the trampling of the winepress, symbolizing God's judgment on Jerusalem, which parallels Moab's fate.
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
Although, Caused, Cease, Crushed, Crushing, Fail, Fertile, Field, Fields, Flow, Fruitful, Glad, Gladness, Grapes, Joy, Longer, Moab, None, Orchards, Plentiful, Presses, Proceed, Removed, Shout, Shouting, Shouts, Stopped, Tread, Treads, Vessels, Voices, Wine, Winepresses, Wine-presses
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Jeremiah 48:33

     4544   wine
     4546   winepress

Jeremiah 48:31-36

     1135   God, suffering of

Jeremiah 48:32-33

     4435   drinking

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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