The Meaning of Jeremiah 48:1 Explained

Jeremiah 48:1

KJV: Against Moab thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Woe unto Nebo! for it is spoiled: Kiriathaim is confounded and taken: Misgab is confounded and dismayed.

YLT: Concerning Moab: 'Thus said Jehovah of Hosts, God of Israel: Woe unto Nebo, for it is spoiled, Put to shame, captured hath been Kiriathaim, Put to shame hath been the high tower, Yea, it hath been broken down.

Darby: Concerning Moab. Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel: Woe unto Nebo! for it is spoiled; Kirjathaim is put to shame, it is taken; Misgab is put to shame and dismayed.

ASV: Of Moab. Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel: Woe unto Nebo! for it is laid waste; Kiriathaim is put to shame, it is taken; Misgab is put to shame and broken down.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Against Moab  thus saith  the LORD  of hosts,  the God  of Israel;  Woe  unto Nebo!  for it is spoiled:  Kiriathaim  is confounded  [and] taken:  Misgab  is confounded  and dismayed. 

What does Jeremiah 48:1 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The Lord announced the destruction of two key cities in Moab, which was Judah"s neighbor to the southeast: Nebo ( Numbers 32:3; Numbers 32:38) and Kiriathaim ( Joshua 13:19). Moab"s boundaries were the Arnon River on the north, the Arabian Desert on the east, the Zered River on the south, and the Dead Sea on the west. At various times Moab also occupied territory to its north, in the old Amorite kingdom of Sihon ( Numbers 21:21-31). The Moabite (or Mesha) Stone, erected about840 B.C, but now in the British Museum, refers to many of the numerous Moabite towns mentioned in this chapter. [1]

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 48

1  The judgment of Moab
7  for their pride
11  for their security
14  for their carnal confidence
26  and for their contempt of God and his people
47  The restoration of Moab

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 48:1 mean?

Against Moab thus says Yahweh of hosts the God of Israel Woe to Nebo for it is plundered is shamed [and] taken Kiriathaim the high stronghold and dismayed
לְמוֹאָ֡ב כֹּֽה־ אָמַר֩ יְהוָ֨ה צְבָא֜וֹת אֱלֹהֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל ה֤וֹי אֶל־ ! נְבוֹ֙ כִּ֣י שֻׁדָּ֔דָה הֹבִ֥ישָׁה נִלְכְּדָ֖ה קִרְיָתָ֑יִם הַמִּשְׂגָּ֖ב וָחָֽתָּה

לְמוֹאָ֡ב  Against  Moab 
Parse: Preposition-l, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: מֹואָב 
Sense: a son of Lot by his eldest daughter.
כֹּֽה־  thus 
Parse: Adverb
Root: כֹּה  
Sense: thus, here, in this manner.
אָמַר֩  says 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
יְהוָ֨ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
צְבָא֜וֹת  of  hosts 
Parse: Noun, common plural
Root: צָבָא 
Sense: that which goes forth, army, war, warfare, host.
אֱלֹהֵ֣י  the  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל  of  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
ה֤וֹי  Woe 
Parse: Interjection
Root: הֹוי  
Sense: ah!, alas!, ha!, ho!, O!, woe!.
! נְבוֹ֙  Nebo 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: נְבֹו 
Sense: a Babylonian deity who presided over learning and letters; corresponds to Greek Hermes, Latin Mercury, and Egyptian Thoth.
שֻׁדָּ֔דָה  it  is  plundered 
Parse: Verb, Pual, Perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: שָׁדַד  
Sense: to deal violently with, despoil, devastate, ruin, destroy, spoil.
הֹבִ֥ישָׁה  is  shamed 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: יָבֵשׁ  
Sense: to make dry, wither, be dry, become dry, be dried up, be withered.
נִלְכְּדָ֖ה  [and]  taken 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: לָכַד  
Sense: to capture, take, seize.
קִרְיָתָ֑יִם  Kiriathaim 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: קִרְיָתַיִם  
Sense: a city east of the Jordan in Moab.
הַמִּשְׂגָּ֖ב  the  high  stronghold 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִשְׂגָּב 
Sense: high place, refuge, secure height, retreat.
וָחָֽתָּה  and  dismayed 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: חָתַת  
Sense: to be shattered, be dismayed, be broken, be abolished, be afraid.