Jeremiah 48:45
in Jeremiah 48“Those who flee will stand helpless in Heshbon’s shadow, because fire has gone forth from Heshbon and a flame from within Sihon. It devours the foreheads of Moab and the skulls of the sons of tumult.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
They that fled stand without strength under the shadow of Heshbon; for a fire is gone forth out of Heshbon, and a flame from the midst of Sihon, and hath devoured the corner of Moab, and the crown of the head of the tumultuous ones.
KJV
They that fled stood under the shadow of Heshbon because of the force: but a fire shall come forth out of Heshbon, and a flame from the midst of Sihon, and shall devour the corner of Moab, and the crown of the head of the tumultuous ones.
⋯
This verse in Jeremiah 48
Commentary
6 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Because of the force - Rather, without force. Translate it: “The fugitives have stood, (i. e., halted) powerless in the shadow of Heshbon.” As Heshbon was the capital of the Ammonites, the sense is that the defeated Moabites looked to Ammon for protection. But afire ... - Not only will Ammon refuse aid to Moab, but her ruin is to come forth from Heshbon. To show this Jeremiah has recourse to the old triumphal poetry of the Mosaic age (marginal reference).
This site's exposition
an eagle swoops down and spreads his wings against Moab
on Jeremiah 48:40-47
Escape is closed: “Terror and pit and snare,” the same chain Isaiah 24:17-18 uses of the whole earth. The “fire” from Heshbon and “flame from within Sihon” take up the old song of Numbers 21:28. The last verse turns: “Yet in the latter days I will restore Moab from captivity.”
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
): Those that fled out of the villages for fear of the enemy's forces put themselves under the shadow of Heshbon, stood there, and supposed they stood safely, as now armies sometimes retire under the cannon of a fortified city, and it is their protection; but here they should be disappointed, for, when they flee out of the pit, they fall into the snare;
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
They that fled stood under the shadow of Heshbon, because of the force,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
GLASSIUS translates, "through want of strength." So the Hebrew particle is translated (Ps 109:24), "faileth of fatness," that is, "faileth through want of fatness"; also La 4:9. but a fire, &c.--copied in part from Sihon's hymn of victory (Nu 21:27, 28).
They that fled stood under the shadow of Heshbon - Heshbon being a fortified place, they who were worsted in the fight fled to it, and rallied under its walls; but, instead of safety, they found themselves disappointed, betrayed, and ruined. See Jer 48:2 (note), and the note there. But a fire shall come forth out of Heshbon - Jeremiah has borrowed this part of his discourse from an ancient poet quoted by Moses, Num 21:28 (note); where see the notes. The crown of the head - The choicest persons of the whole nation.
The words behind it
18 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| בְּצֵ֥ל | betzel | in [the] shadow of | H6738 → | |
| חֶשְׁבּ֛וֹן | cheshbon | Heshbon | H2809 → | 38 times |
| עָמְד֖וּ | ʾamedu | they will stand | H5975 → | 521 times |
| מִכֹּ֣חַ | mikoach | from strength | H3581 → | 126 times |
| נָסִ֑ים | nasim | [those who] flee | H5127 → | 159 times |
| כִּֽי־ | ki- | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| אֵ֞שׁ | ʾesh | a fire | H784 → | 378 times |
| יָצָ֣א | yatza' | it will go forth | H3318 → | 1067 times |
| מֵחֶשְׁבּ֗וֹן | mecheshbon | from Heshbon | H2809 → | 38 times |
| וְלֶֽהָבָה֙ | velehavah | and a flame | H3852 → | |
| מִבֵּ֣ין | mibein | from between | H996 → | 407 times |
| סִיח֔וֹן | sichon | Sihon | H5511 → | |
| וַתֹּ֙אכַל֙ | vatokhal | and it consumed | H398 → | 810 times |
| פְּאַ֣ת | peat | [the] forehead of | H6285 → | 86 times |
| מוֹאָ֔ב | moav | Moab | H4124 → | 181 times |
| וְקָדְקֹ֖ד | vekadekod | and [the] scalp of | H6936 → | |
| בְּנֵ֥י | benei | [the] sons of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| שָׁאֽוֹן׃ | shaon | uproar | H7588 → | 18 times |
בְּצֵ֥לin [the] shadow of
betzelH6738 →
חֶשְׁבּ֛וֹןHeshbon
cheshbonH2809 →38 times
עָמְד֖וּthey will stand
ʾameduH5975 →521 times
מִכֹּ֣חַfrom strength
mikoachH3581 →126 times
נָסִ֑ים[those who] flee
nasimH5127 →159 times
כִּֽי־for
ki-H3588 →4482 times
אֵ֞שׁa fire
ʾeshH784 →378 times
יָצָ֣אit will go forth
yatza'H3318 →1067 times
מֵחֶשְׁבּ֗וֹןfrom Heshbon
mecheshbonH2809 →38 times
וְלֶֽהָבָה֙and a flame
velehavahH3852 →
מִבֵּ֣יןfrom between
mibeinH996 →407 times
סִיח֔וֹןSihon
sichonH5511 →
וַתֹּ֙אכַל֙and it consumed
vatokhalH398 →810 times
פְּאַ֣ת[the] forehead of
peatH6285 →86 times
מוֹאָ֔בMoab
moavH4124 →181 times
וְקָדְקֹ֖דand [the] scalp of
vekadekodH6936 →
בְּנֵ֥י[the] sons of
beneiH1121 →4930 times
שָׁאֽוֹן׃uproar
shaonH7588 →18 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
Numbers 24:17I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come forth from Jacob, and a scepter will arise from Israel. He will crush the skulls of Moab and…
it leads to
- Revelation 22:16
“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the bright Morning Star.”
- Luke 1:32–33
He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David,
- Genesis 49:10
The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes and the allegiance of the nations is his.
- Revelation 1:7
Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him—even those who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. So shall it be! Amen.
- Revelation 11:15
Then the seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and loud voices called out in heaven: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign…
- Revelation 22:16
Through
Zechariah 10:4The cornerstone will come from Judah, the tent peg from him, as well as the battle bow and every ruler together.
it leads to
- Zechariah 9:10
And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem, and the bow of war will be broken. Then He will proclaim peace to the nations. His dominion will extend…
- Zechariah 9:10
Through
Numbers 21:28For a fire went out from Heshbon, a blaze from the city of Sihon. It consumed Ar of Moab, the rulers of Arnon’s heights.
it leads to
- Numbers 21:15
even the slopes of the wadis that extend to the site of Ar and lie along the border of Moab.”
- Numbers 21:15
Through
Amos 2:2So I will send fire against Moab to consume the citadels of Kerioth. Moab will die in tumult, amid war cries and the sound of the ram’s horn.
it leads to
- Jeremiah 48:24
upon Kerioth, Bozrah, and all the towns of Moab, those far and near.
- Jeremiah 48:24
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 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; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.