Jeremiah 48:39
in Jeremiah 48“How shattered it is! How they wail! How Moab has turned his back in shame! Moab has become an object of ridicule and horror to all those around him.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
How is it broken down! how do they wail! how hath Moab turned the back with shame! so shall Moab become a derision and a terror to all that are round about him.
KJV
They shall howl, saying, How is it broken down! how hath Moab turned the back with shame! so shall Moab be a derision and a dismaying to all them about him.
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This verse in Jeremiah 48
Commentary
5 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Literally, “How is it broken down! they wail! How hath Moab tutored the back in shame! Yea, Moab is become a laughter and a terror Jer 17:17 to all who are round about him.”
This site's exposition
We have heard of Moab’s pomposity
on Jeremiah 48:29-39
Moab’s pride is named in a string of words: “his exceeding pride and conceit, his proud arrogance and haughtiness of heart.” Much of this section follows Isaiah 15 and 16. The LORD mourns in His sentence, “I will wail for Moab,” and “My heart laments like a flute for Moab.”
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
): Moab shall be a derision and a dismaying to all about him; they shall laugh at the fall of the pomp and power he was so proud of. Note, Those that are haughty are preparing reproach and ignominy for themselves.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
They shall howl, saying, how is it broken down?.... Or, "how is it broken" or "thrown into consternation (p)? they howl"; that is, they howl out these words, or, while they are howling, say, how is Kirheres or Moab broken all to pieces; their strength, power, and glory; their cities, and their mighty men; and are in the utmost fright and confusion?
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
How . . . how--prodigious, yet sure to happen. turned the back--not daring to show her face. derision . . . dismaying to all--a derision to some; a dismaying to others in beholding such a judgment of God, fearing a like fate for themselves.
The words behind it
14 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| אֵ֥יךְ | ʾeikh | how! | H349 → | 82 times |
| חַ֙תָּה֙ | chatah | it has been shattered | H2865 → | 52 times |
| הֵילִ֔ילוּ | heililu | they will wail | H3213 → | 30 times |
| אֵ֛יךְ | ʾeikh | how! | H349 → | 82 times |
| הִפְנָה־ | hifnah- | it has turned | H6437 → | 135 times |
| עֹ֥רֶף | ʾoref | a neck | H6203 → | 33 times |
| מוֹאָ֖ב | moav | Moab | H4124 → | 181 times |
| בּ֑וֹשׁ | boosh | it will be ashamed | H954 → | 127 times |
| וְהָיָ֥ה | vehayah | and it will become | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| מוֹאָ֛ב | moav | Moab | H4124 → | 181 times |
| לִשְׂחֹ֥ק | lischok | <into> a laughing stock | H7814 → | 15 times |
| וְלִמְחִתָּ֖ה | velimchitah | and <into> an object of terror | H4288 → | |
| לְכָל־ | lekhol | to all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| סְבִיבָֽיו׃ ס | sevivav | around it | H5439 → | 336 times |
אֵ֥יךְhow!
ʾeikhH349 →82 times
חַ֙תָּה֙it has been shattered
chatahH2865 →52 times
הֵילִ֔ילוּthey will wail
heililuH3213 →30 times
אֵ֛יךְhow!
ʾeikhH349 →82 times
הִפְנָה־it has turned
hifnah-H6437 →135 times
עֹ֥רֶףa neck
ʾorefH6203 →33 times
מוֹאָ֖בMoab
moavH4124 →181 times
בּ֑וֹשׁit will be ashamed
booshH954 →127 times
וְהָיָ֥הand it will become
vehayahH1961 →3559 times
מוֹאָ֛בMoab
moavH4124 →181 times
לִשְׂחֹ֥ק<into> a laughing stock
lischokH7814 →15 times
וְלִמְחִתָּ֖הand <into> an object of terror
velimchitahH4288 →
לְכָל־to all
lekholH3605 →5413 times
סְבִיבָֽיו׃ סaround it
sevivavH5439 →336 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
Lamentations 1:1How lonely lies the city, once so full of people! She who was great among the nations has become a widow. The princess of the provinces has become a slave.
it leads to
- Isaiah 3:26
And the gates of Zion will lament and mourn; destitute, she will sit on the ground.
- 1 Kings 4:21
And Solomon reigned over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. These kingdoms offered tribute and served Solomon all the days of…
- Ezra 4:20
And mighty kings have ruled over Jerusalem and exercised authority over the whole region west of the Euphrates; and tribute, duty, and toll were paid to them.
- Revelation 18:16–17
saying: “Woe, woe to the great city, clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls!
- Isaiah 3:26
Through
Lamentations 2:1How the Lord has covered the Daughter of Zion with the cloud of His anger! He has cast the glory of Israel from heaven to earth. He has abandoned His footstool in the day…
it leads to
- Psalms 132:7
Let us go to His dwelling place; let us worship at His footstool.
- 1 Chronicles 28:2
Then King David rose to his feet and said, “Listen to me, my brothers and my people. It was in my heart to build a house as a resting place for the ark of…
- Ezekiel 28:14–16
You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for I had ordained you. You were on the holy mountain of God; you walked among the fiery stones.
- Psalms 132:7
Through
Lamentations 4:1How the gold has become tarnished, the pure gold has become dull! The gems of the temple lie scattered on every street corner.
it leads to
- Ezekiel 7:19–22
They will throw their silver into the streets, and their gold will seem unclean. Their silver and gold cannot save them in the day of the wrath of the LORD. They cannot satisfy their…
- Ezekiel 7:19–22
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Jeremiah
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Carl Friedrich Keil, The Prophecies of Jeremiah; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.