Jeremiah 48:46 meaning summary explained with word-by-word analysis enriched with context, commentary and Cross References from KJV, NIV, ESV and NLT.
Jeremiah 48:46 kjv
Woe be unto thee, O Moab! the people of Chemosh perisheth: for thy sons are taken captives, and thy daughters captives.
Jeremiah 48:46 nkjv
Woe to you, O Moab! The people of Chemosh perish; For your sons have been taken captive, And your daughters captive.
Jeremiah 48:46 niv
Woe to you, Moab! The people of Chemosh are destroyed; your sons are taken into exile and your daughters into captivity.
Jeremiah 48:46 esv
Woe to you, O Moab! The people of Chemosh are undone, for your sons have been taken captive, and your daughters into captivity.
Jeremiah 48:46 nlt
"What sorrow awaits you, O people of Moab!
The people of the god Chemosh are destroyed!
Your sons and your daughters
have been taken away as captives.
Jeremiah 48 46 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Num 21:29 | "Woe to you, O Moab! You are undone, O people of Chemosh!" | A direct echo of this verse, showing a longstanding divine decree. |
| Isa 15:1 | "An oracle concerning Moab... devastated and destroyed in a night." | General judgment and swift destruction on Moab. |
| Isa 16:6 | "We have heard of Moab’s pride—how great it is..." | Identifies Moab's characteristic sin: pride, which brings ruin. |
| Ezek 25:8 | "Thus says the Lord G OD: ‘Because Moab... says..." | Moab's disdain for Israel draws divine punishment. |
| Amos 2:1 | "For three transgressions of Moab... I will not revoke the punishment." | Specific divine wrath against Moab's transgressions. |
| Zeph 2:8-9 | "I have heard the taunts of Moab... they shall become like Sodom." | Prophecy of utter destruction and desolation comparable to Sodom. |
| 1 Kgs 11:7 | "Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable god of Moab." | Identifies Chemosh as Moab's national, detestable idol. |
| Jer 10:5 | "Their idols are like scarecrows... they cannot do evil, neither can they do good." | Highlights the impotence and futility of false gods like Chemosh. |
| Isa 46:1-2 | "Bel bows down... their idols are on animals... they cannot rescue the burden." | Shows pagan gods being unable to save their people or themselves. |
| Pss 115:4-7 | "Their idols are silver and gold... they have mouths, but do not speak..." | Describes the lifeless and powerless nature of man-made idols. |
| Deut 4:28 | "There you will serve gods of wood and stone... that neither see nor hear..." | Consequence of abandoning the true God for inert idols. |
| Deut 28:41 | "You shall father sons and daughters, but they shall not be yours, for they shall go into captivity." | Prophetic curse of children being lost to captivity, matching Jer 48:46. |
| 2 Kgs 17:6 | "the king of Assyria carried Israel away to Assyria..." | Historical example of national captivity as a form of divine judgment. |
| Jer 25:11 | "This whole land shall become a ruin... these nations shall serve the king of Babylon." | General prophecy of nations going into Babylonian captivity. |
| Lk 21:24 | "They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations." | New Testament example of national captivity and destruction (for Jerusalem). |
| Rev 13:10 | "If anyone is to be taken captive, to captivity he goes." | Principle of inescapable judgment and the certainty of suffering consequences. |
| Isa 5:8 | "Woe to those who join house to house..." | Example of a prophetic 'woe' proclaiming judgment upon wicked behavior. |
| Hab 2:6 | "Woe to him who heaps up what is not his..." | Another prophetic 'woe' condemning unjust actions and their consequences. |
| Mt 23:13 | "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!" | Jesus' 'woe' pronunciations against spiritual leaders, showing divine indignation. |
| Zep 2:5 | "Woe to the inhabitants of the seacoast, the nation of the Cherethites!" | Example of a 'woe' against a foreign nation, similar to Moab's fate. |
| Jer 48:7 | "For because you have trusted in your works and your treasures..." | Reveals Moab's misplaced trust in their own strength, leading to their downfall. |
| Ps 146:3-4 | "Put not your trust in princes... In that very day their thoughts perish." | Teaches against reliance on human power or false gods, echoing Moab's error. |
Jeremiah 48 verses
Jeremiah 48 46 meaning
Jeremiah 48:46 pronounces a dire judgment and lament upon Moab. It declares Moab's complete ruin and destruction, directly linking their undoing to the perishing of the people associated with their national god, Chemosh. The verse further details this devastating judgment by stating that the sons and daughters of Moab will be led away into captivity, signifying the complete obliteration of their national existence and the loss of future generations.
Jeremiah 48 46 Context
Jeremiah chapter 48 presents a lengthy and comprehensive oracle against Moab, a neighboring nation to Israel. The entire chapter details the utter devastation and desolation that will befall Moab, fulfilling earlier prophecies of its judgment. The judgment is rooted in Moab's pride (Jer 48:29), their trust in wealth and power (Jer 48:7), and particularly their idolatrous worship of Chemosh (Jer 48:13). Jeremiah describes a reversal of fortunes, from Moab's historic prosperity and self-confidence to complete ruin. The prophecy anticipates a time when their cities will be laid waste, their vineyards destroyed, and their people will wail in lament. Verse 46 serves as a climactic summation of this divine judgment, explicitly connecting Moab's fate to the impotence of their god and the horrific reality of universal captivity. This prophecy aligns with the broader historical context of the Babylonian Empire's rise, when many nations in the region faced conquest and exile as part of God's sovereign plan.
Jeremiah 48 46 Word analysis
- Woe (Hebrew: הוֹי, hoy): This interjection signifies a lament, sorrow, or a prophetic judgment and impending doom. It is often a pronouncement of severe consequences for sin.
- to you, O Moab (Hebrew: מוֹאָב, Mo'av): Moab was an ancient Transjordanian kingdom, southeast of Israel. Descendants of Lot (Gen 19:37), they were frequent adversaries of Israel and known for their pride, idolatry, and sometimes cruel practices.
- you are undone! (Hebrew: נִדְמֵיתָ, nidmeytah): From the root דָּמָה (damah), meaning to be silenced, cut off, cease to exist, perish. It conveys a strong sense of utter annihilation and ruin.
- The people of Chemosh (Hebrew: עַם־כְּמוֹשׁ, am-K’mosh): Chemosh was the national god of Moab, a significant deity in their pantheon, associated with war and fertility. Their worship sometimes involved human, including child, sacrifice (2 Kgs 3:27). "The people of Chemosh" highlights their identity being intertwined with this false deity.
- have perished; (Hebrew: נִסְפָּה, nis'pah): From the root סָפָה (safah), meaning to be swept away, consumed, brought to an end, exterminated. It echoes and reinforces the idea of "undone," emphasizing eradication.
- for your sons are taken captive (Hebrew: בָנֶיךָ בַּשְּׁבִי נִשְׁבּוּ, baneycha ba'shvi nishbu): This phrase details a key consequence. "Taken captive" (שָׁבָה, shavah) refers to enslavement and deportation, a common punishment for conquered peoples. The specific mention of sons implies the loss of the male line, inheritors, and defenders.
- and your daughters into captivity. (Hebrew: בְּנוֹתֶיךָ בַּשְּׁבִי, b'noteycha ba'shvi): Parallel to sons, this highlights the comprehensiveness of the captivity, affecting the entire population, the female line, and thus the nation's capacity to continue itself.
- "Woe to you, O Moab, you are undone!": This opening phrase is a powerful, concise declaration of complete and unavoidable divine judgment. It functions as a funeral dirge for a nation condemned by God.
- "The people of Chemosh have perished;": This phrase highlights the critical theological point. Moab's national and religious identity was intrinsically tied to Chemosh. The perishing of "the people of Chemosh" signifies the failure of their god to protect them, validating Yahweh's absolute supremacy over false deities.
- "for your sons are taken captive and your daughters into captivity.": This segment describes the grim and tangible outcome of the divine judgment. It emphasizes the total collapse of the Moabite society—the loss of future generations, national continuity, and freedom. The repetitive nature underscores the inescapable nature of their fate.
Jeremiah 48 46 Bonus section
The strong parallelism between Jeremiah 48:46 and Numbers 21:29 suggests that Jeremiah’s prophecy might be a deliberate echo or a direct fulfillment of that ancient curse pronounced hundreds of years prior. This shows the long-memory of divine justice and that God's word, though delayed, is always brought to pass. The cult of Chemosh involved not just standard idol worship but also highly ritualized human sacrifice, particularly in times of national crisis, as seen when the king of Moab sacrificed his firstborn son (2 Kgs 3:27) in a desperate attempt to avert military defeat. This desperate act underscores the intensity of their false devotion and their gods' ultimate powerlessness against the will of the Most High God. The captivity of Moab's sons and daughters symbolizes the utter stripping away of its future, echoing how the "seeds" of a nation could be uprooted and replanted elsewhere by conquering empires, ultimately leading to their assimilation and disappearance as a distinct entity.
Jeremiah 48 46 Commentary
Jeremiah 48:46 acts as a poignant lament and ultimate pronouncement of judgment against Moab, serving as a climax to the comprehensive oracle of doom in the chapter. The "woe" sets the tone, declaring God's severe indignation over Moab's pride, self-reliance, and persistent idolatry. The core message underscores the futility of trusting in anything other than the true God. Moab's identity, heavily invested in their national god Chemosh, utterly fails when confronted by Yahweh's sovereign power. The double pronouncement of ruin – "undone" and "perished" – emphasizes the completeness and finality of their destruction. The specific detail of sons and daughters being taken captive illustrates the profound, national-level calamity. It speaks to the dismantling of their social fabric, the loss of lineage, and the extinction of their independent national existence, signaling a complete reversal of their long-held, arrogant prosperity.