Jeremiah 48:40
in Jeremiah 48For this is what the LORD says: “Behold, an eagle swoops down and spreads his wings against Moab.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
For thus saith Jehovah: Behold, he shall fly as an eagle, and shall spread out his wings against Moab.
KJV
For thus saith the Lord; Behold, he shall fly as an eagle, and shall spread his wings over Moab.
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This verse in Jeremiah 48
Commentary
5 notes on this verseFor thus saith the Lord, behold, he shall fly as an eagle,.... The enemy, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, with his army; who is compared to an eagle for his strength, swiftness, and greediness after the prey: and shall spread his wings over Moab; as an eagle spreads its wings, which are very large, over the little birds it seizes upon as its prey; so the king of Babylon would bring a numerous army against Moab, and spread it over his country.
This site's exposition
he shall fly as an eagle
on Jeremiah 48:40-47
The end comes as an eagle spreading his wings over Moab, and the escape routes are closed in a chain the prophets share: fear, and the pit, and the snare, he that fleeth from the fear shall fall into the pit, the same triple net Isaiah 24:17-18 casts over the whole earth. The fire out of Heshbon and the flame from the midst of Sihon takes up the old taunt-song of Num 21:28 almost word for word, Moab's ancient ballad returned on it, which the bench marks as deliberate quotation. Then the last verse turns without warning: yet will I bring again the captivity of Moab in the latter days, saith the Lord, the restoration formula given even to Chemosh's people, and the oracle closes itself like a file, thus far is the judgment of Moab.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
), as an eagle flies upon his prey, and he shall spread his wings, the wings of his army, over Moab; he shall surround it, that none may escape. The strong-holds of Moab are taken by surprise (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
The rapid and irresistible attack of Nebuchadnezzar is compared to the impetuous dash of the eagle on its prey Deu 28:49.
He shall fly as an eagle - The enemy will pounce upon him, carry him off, and tear him to pieces.
The words behind it
11 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| כִּי־ | ki- | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| כֹה֙ | khoh | thus | H3541 → | 577 times |
| אָמַ֣ר | ʾamar | he says | H559 → | 5305 times |
| יְהוָ֔ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| הִנֵּ֥ה | hineh | there! | H2009 → | 843 times |
| כַנֶּ֖שֶׁר | khanesher | like <the> eagle | H5404 → | 26 times |
| יִדְאֶ֑ה | yideh | someone will swoop down | H1675 → | |
| וּפָרַ֥שׂ | ufaras | and he will spread out | H6566 → | 67 times |
| כְּנָפָ֖יו | kenafav | wings his | H3671 → | 109 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | against | H413 → | 5510 times |
| מוֹאָֽב׃ | moav | Moab | H4124 → | 181 times |
כִּי־for
ki-H3588 →4482 times
כֹה֙thus
khohH3541 →577 times
אָמַ֣רhe says
ʾamarH559 →5305 times
יְהוָ֔הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
הִנֵּ֥הthere!
hinehH2009 →843 times
כַנֶּ֖שֶׁרlike <the> eagle
khanesherH5404 →26 times
יִדְאֶ֑הsomeone will swoop down
yidehH1675 →
וּפָרַ֥שׂand he will spread out
ufarasH6566 →67 times
כְּנָפָ֖יוwings his
kenafavH3671 →109 times
אֶל־against
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
מוֹאָֽב׃Moab
moavH4124 →181 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Hosea 8:1Put the ram’s horn to your lips! An eagle looms over the house of the LORD, because the people have transgressed My covenant and rebelled against My law.
it leads to
- Jeremiah 4:13
Behold, he advances like the clouds, his chariots like the whirlwind. His horses are swifter than eagles. Woe to us, for we are ruined!
Reached by 3 separate paths from here.
- Hosea 6:7
But they, like Adam, have transgressed the covenant; there they were unfaithful to Me.
- Deuteronomy 28:49
The LORD will bring a nation from afar, from the ends of the earth, to swoop down upon you like an eagle—a nation whose language you will not understand,
- Jeremiah 4:13
Through
Ezekiel 17:3and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘A great eagle with great wings and long pinions, full of feathers of many colors, came to Lebanon and took away the top…
it leads to
- Hosea 8:1
Put the ram’s horn to your lips! An eagle looms over the house of the LORD, because the people have transgressed My covenant and rebelled against My law.
Reached by 3 separate paths from here.
- Hosea 8:1
Through
Isaiah 8:8It will pour into Judah, swirling and sweeping over it, reaching up to the neck; its spreading streams will cover your entire land, O Immanuel!
it leads to
- Isaiah 7:14
Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel.
- Isaiah 7:14
Through
Deuteronomy 28:49The LORD will bring a nation from afar, from the ends of the earth, to swoop down upon you like an eagle—a nation whose language you will not understand,
it leads to
- Lamentations 4:19
Those who chased us were swifter than the eagles in the sky; they pursued us over the mountains and ambushed us in the wilderness.
- Jeremiah 49:22
Look! An eagle will soar and swoop down, spreading its wings over Bozrah. In that day the hearts of Edom’s mighty men will be like the heart of a woman in labor.
- Lamentations 4:19
Through
Jeremiah 49:22Look! An eagle will soar and swoop down, spreading its wings over Bozrah. In that day the hearts of Edom’s mighty men will be like the heart of a woman in labor.
it leads to
- Jeremiah 48:40–41
For this is what the LORD says: “Behold, an eagle swoops down and spreads his wings against Moab.
- Jeremiah 48:40–41
About Jeremiah
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Carl Friedrich Keil, The Prophecies of Jeremiah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.