Jeremiah 48:3 kjv
A voice of crying shall be from Horonaim, spoiling and great destruction.
Jeremiah 48:3 nkjv
A voice of crying shall be from Horonaim: 'Plundering and great destruction!'
Jeremiah 48:3 niv
Cries of anguish arise from Horonaim, cries of great havoc and destruction.
Jeremiah 48:3 esv
"A voice! A cry from Horonaim, 'Desolation and great destruction!'
Jeremiah 48:3 nlt
Listen to the cries from Horonaim,
cries of devastation and great destruction.
Jeremiah 48 3 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Isa 15:5 | My heart cries out for Moab; her fugitives flee to Zoar... and on to Horonaim. | Lament for Moab's flight, referencing Horonaim. |
| Isa 16:7-8 | Therefore Moab will wail for Moab; everyone will wail... | Prophecy of widespread lamentation in Moab. |
| Jer 4:19-20 | My anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain!... My tents are destroyed. | Expresses profound internal distress over destruction. |
| Jer 6:23-24 | ...they come against you in battle array. We have heard the report of them... anguish has taken hold of us. | Fear and pain caused by invading forces. |
| Jer 48:4-5 | Moab is shattered... on the ascent of Luhith they go up weeping continually. | Specific detail of Moab's shattered state and constant weeping. |
| Jer 48:20 | Moab is disgraced, for it is shattered. Wail and cry aloud! | Command to lament due to Moab's ruin. |
| Jer 48:29-30 | We have heard of the pride of Moab—he is very proud—of his loftiness, his arrogance... | Highlights Moab's core sin leading to judgment. |
| Jer 49:2-3 | ...then a cry will be heard from Rabbah. | Similar prophetic cry of judgment from another nation (Ammon). |
| Eze 25:8 | "Thus says the Lord G_D: Because Moab said, ‘Behold, the house of Judah is like all the other nations.’" | Reason for judgment against Moab's scorn and pride. |
| Am 2:1-2 | Thus says the Lord: "For three transgressions of Moab... I will not revoke the punishment..." | Divine pronouncement of judgment against Moab. |
| Zep 2:8-10 | I have heard the taunts of Moab and the revilings of the Ammonites, by which they have taunted my people. | Judgment due to mocking God's people. |
| Psa 9:16 | The Lord has made himself known; he has executed judgment; by the work of his hands the wicked are ensnared. | God revealing His nature through judgment. |
| Pr 16:18 | Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. | Proverbial wisdom explaining the cause of downfall. |
| Isa 10:3 | What will you do on the day of punishment... to whom will you flee for help? | Questioning response to impending devastation. |
| Isa 13:6-8 | Wail, for the day of the Lord is near... like the pangs of a woman in labor. | Urges lamentation for the Day of the Lord, with agonizing pain. |
| Joel 1:5 | Awake, you drunkards, and weep, and wail, all you wine-drinkers, over the sweet wine. | Call to lament over lost abundance/judgment. |
| Zep 1:14-15 | The great day of the Lord is near... a day of wrath, a day of distress and anguish... | Describes the nature of the day of judgment. |
| Mat 24:7 | For nation will rise against nation... | Foreshadows widespread conflict and distress in the end times. |
| Rom 1:18 | For the wrath of G_D is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. | Divine wrath as a universal principle. |
| Heb 10:31 | It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living G_D. | Reinforces the dreadfulness of divine judgment. |
| Rev 18:9-10 | And the kings of the earth... will weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning. | Future lament over the fall of a mighty, prideful entity (Babylon). |
Jeremiah 48 verses
Jeremiah 48 3 Meaning
Jeremiah 48:3 declares an imminent, pervasive sound of anguish and desolation arising from Horonaim, a significant Moabite city. The verse portrays a stark image of total ruin and overwhelming destruction befalling Moab, expressed as a cry that conveys the depth and severity of the divine judgment unleashed upon the nation. It highlights the widespread and inescapable nature of their impending collapse.
Jeremiah 48 3 Context
Jeremiah 48 details G_D's prophetic oracle of judgment against Moab, a nation located east of the Dead Sea, traditionally a sworn enemy of Israel and Judah. Moab, descendant of Lot (Gen 19:37), had a history of antagonizing Israel, showing pride, relying on their false god Chemosh (Num 21:29), and boasting over Judah's downfall. This specific chapter is part of Jeremiah's larger section (chapters 46-51) containing prophecies against various foreign nations, demonstrating YHWH's sovereignty over all lands and peoples. Jeremiah 48:3 specifically emphasizes the sound of widespread sorrow and devastation that will sweep through Moab, contrasting sharply with their customary pride and sense of security, which will be shattered by the Babylonian conquest.
Jeremiah 48 3 Word analysis
- A voice (קול, qōl): Signifies an audible sound, a public declaration. Here, it denotes a loud outcry, typical of lamentation or a shocking announcement.
- of crying (צעקה, tsĕʿāqâ): Denotes a scream or shout, a loud, distressed call. It is intense, expressing anguish, alarm, or deep grief. Not merely crying, but an outcry of pain.
- comes from Horonaim (מֵחֹרֹנַיִם, mĕḥōwrǎnǎymâ): Identifies a specific Moabite city as the source of this anguish. Horonaim was a notable city, suggesting the widespread nature of the disaster affecting even well-established places. Its name possibly means "two caves" or "twin cities."
- Devastation (שׁוֹד, shōwd): A strong Hebrew term indicating violent plunder, ruin, or destruction. It conveys utter ruin resulting from violent acts.
- and great destruction (וְשֶׁבֶר גָּדוֹל, wəšeḇer gāḏôl): Wəšeḇer means a "breaking" or "shattering," implying something utterly broken into pieces. Gāḏôl means "great" or "mighty," intensifying the "breaking" to emphasize the vast scale and overwhelming nature of the disaster. This phrase indicates total collapse, an irreversible smashing of Moabite power and security.
- "A voice of crying comes from Horonaim": This phrase immediately establishes an auditory and geographical vividness, setting a scene of pervasive human distress originating from a known stronghold within Moab, signifying the scope of the calamity.
- "'Devastation and great destruction!'": The content of the cry reveals the severity of the situation. The pairing of 'devastation' and 'great destruction' creates a strong emphasis through a near-tautology, powerfully underscoring the absolute, all-encompassing nature of Moab's ruin and ensuring no ambiguity regarding the prophecy's grim message.
Jeremiah 48 3 Bonus section
The auditory emphasis in Jeremiah 48:3, beginning with "A voice of crying," is a powerful prophetic technique designed to make the coming judgment viscerally immediate for the audience. This isn't just a textual report; it's a sound-picture meant to evoke empathy and dread, characteristic of prophetic lamentation over nations. The fall of Horonaim, a historically significant city in Moab, signifies that no stronghold, no matter how renowned or secure, will be spared. The use of repetitive terms for destruction, "devastation and great destruction," ensures the comprehensiveness and inescapability of G_D's judgment are profoundly understood, portraying a thorough dismantling of Moab's national life and infrastructure. This serves as a warning not only to Moab but to all nations, and indeed individuals, against pride and opposition to the living G_D.
Jeremiah 48 3 Commentary
Jeremiah 48:3 graphically initiates the prophetic oracle against Moab by focusing on the piercing sounds of a nation in utter distress. The "voice of crying" emanating from Horonaim signifies that the judgment is not superficial but penetrates deep into the heartland of Moabite territory, reaching its key cities. The specific declaration, "Devastation and great destruction!", reveals the raw cause of this anguish: total ruin. This judgment is an expression of G_D's sovereign wrath against Moab's persistent pride, idolatry, and scorn towards His people. The verse is a powerful auditory image, compelling the audience to grasp the severe and unavoidable consequences of defying the Most High. It illustrates how nations, however strong or boastful, are utterly vulnerable before divine decree, leading from hubris to heartbreak and complete desolation.