Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 48:9
Give wings unto Moab, that it may flee and get away: for the cities thereof shall be desolate, without any to dwell therein.
9. wings ] The sense is that nothing short of wings would enable the Moabites to escape before their enemies.
that she may fly and get her away ] or as mg. for she must fly; but better (so Dr.) for she would fain fly away.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 9. Give wings unto Moab] There is no hope in resistance, and to escape requires the speediest flight. I cannot conceive how Dahler came to translate thus: Tirez Moab par les chevaux, “Drag Moab away by the hair of the head.”
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
That is, the Moabites had need of wings like a bird to escape that ruin which is coming upon them. Yea, if they had wings, they should not escape, for the Lord is resolved that the cities of Moab shall be all brought to desolation, so as no inhabitants shall be left in them.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
9. Give wings, c. (Ps55:6). Unless it get wings, it cannot escape the foe. “Wings,”the Hebrew root meaning is a “flower” (Job14:2) so the flower-like plumage of a bird.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Give wings unto Moab that it may flee and get away,…. That is, give wings to the inhabitants of Moab; signifying that they were in great danger, and there was no probability of escaping it, unless they had the wings of a swift bird, or were as swift as such, and even that would not do; though perhaps their fleeing, and passing away with wings, may signify not their fleeing from danger, and their attempt to escape; but their swift and sudden destruction, compared to the swift flight of a bird; for the last clause may be rendered, “for in flying it shall fly away” o. Some render the first clause, “give a flower to Moab”, as the Vulgate Latin version; and so the word sometimes signifies, Isa 40:7; and the sense may be, hold up a flower to Moab, or a feather, such as is light, as the down of a thistle, as an emblem of its destruction; which shall pass away as easily and swiftly as so light a thing before the wind; but Jarchi and Kimchi interpret the word as we do, a wing. The Targum is,
“take away the crown from Moab, for going it shall go away into captivity.”
The word is used of the plate of gold on the high priest’s mitre,
Ex 28:36;
for the cities thereof shall be desolate, without any to dwell therein; which expresses the utter destruction of them.
o “quia volando volabit”, Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus; “quia avolando avolabit”, Schmidt; “nam avolabit”, Piscator.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Moab is laid waste, and its inhabitants carried captive. – Jer 48:9 . “Give pinions to Moab, for he will flee and get away, and his cities shall become a waste, with no one dwelling in them. Jer 48:10. Cursed is he that doeth the work of Jahveh negligently, and cursed is he that restraineth his sword from blood. Jer 48:11. Moab hath been at ease from his youth, and lay still upon his lees; he was not poured out from vessel to vessel, neither hath he gone into captivity, therefore his taste hath remained in him, and his smell hath not changed. Jer 48:12. Therefore, behold, days come, saith Jahveh, when I will send to him those who pour out, and they shall pour him out; and they shall empty his vessels, and break their bottles. Jer 48:13. And Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel their confidence. Jer 48:14. How can ye say, We are mighty, and men of valour for the war? Jer 48:15. Moab is laid waste, and people ascend into his cities, and the choice of his young men go down to the slaughter, saith the King, whose name is Jahveh of hosts.”
The devastation will come so suddenly, that Moab, in order to escape it, uses wings for enabling him to flee from it. The request “give” is not ironical, but a mere rhetorical employment of the idea that wings would be necessary in order to escape. , which elsewhere means a flower, here signifies wings or waving plumes, as in the Targum on Psa 139:9, and in the Rabbinical writings. , written with for the sake of obtaining similarity of sound, stands for = , to flee.
Jer 48:10-12 The devastation is a work of the Lord, and those who execute it must carry out the divine decree, so that they may not bring the curse upon themselves. The first clause is taken quite generally: the more exact specification of the work of the Lord follows in the second clause; it is the employment of the sword against Moab. “His sword” does not mean Jahveh’s, but the sword carried by the devastator. is used adverbially, but not in the sense of “deceitfully,” rather “carelessly, negligently;” cf. , Pro 10:4; Pro 12:24. In Jer 48:11 follows the reason why the judgment has necessarily come on Moab. Moab is compared to old wine that has lain long on its lees, and thereby preserved its flavour and smell unchanged. The taste and odour of Moab signify his disposition towards other nations, particularly towards Israel, the people of God. Good wine becomes stronger and more juicy by lying pretty long on its lees (see on Isa 25:6); inferior wine, however, becomes thereby more harsh and thick. The figure is used here in the latter sense, after Zep 1:12. Moab’s disposition towards Israel was harsh and bitter; the people were arrogant and proud (Jer 48:29.; Isa 16:6), and so hostile towards Israel, that they sought every opportunity of injuring them (see above, p. 385f., and the comments on 2Sa 8:2). From his youth, i.e., from the time when Moab, after subduing the Emims (Deu 2:10), had established himself in his own land, or had become enrolled among the nations of history, – from that time forward had he remained undisturbed in his own land, i.e., without being driven out of it, had not gone into captivity (as is shown by the figure of the wine poured from one vessel into another). In this way there is a qualification made of the general statement that he remains at rest on his lees, and undisturbed. For Moab has often carried on wars, and even suffered many defeats, but has never yet been driven from his own land; nor had the temporary dependence on Israel exercised any transforming influence on the ordinary life of the people, for they were simply made tributary. This quiet continuance in the country is to cease. The God of Israel “will send to them cellarmen (Germ. Schrter ), who shall bring them out of the cellar” (Germ. ausschroten ), as Luther translates Jer 48:12. “ Schrter ” are men who bring the wine-casks out of the cellar; for “ schroten ” means to bring out heavy burdens, especially full casks on a strong kind of hand-barrow (Germ. Hebewerkzeug ), like a ladder in appearance. (from , to bend, incline) are those who incline a barrel or vessel for the purpose or pouring out its contents. These will not merely empty the vessels, but also break the pitchers; i.e., not merely carry away the Moabites, but also break down their political organization, and destroy their social arrangements.
Jer 48:13-15 In this way Moab will come to dishonour through his god Chemosh, i.e., experience his powerlessness and nothingness, and perish with him, just as Israel (the ten tribes) came to dishonour through Bethel, i.e., through their golden calf at Bethel. As to the form , with Segol in the pretone, cf. Ewald, 70, a; Olshausen, Gram. S. 377. Moab will then be no longer able to boast of his valour; this is the meaning of the question in Jer 48:14: on this term in the address, cf. Jer 2:23; Jer 8:8. In Jer 48:15 it is further stated that the result will show this: “Moab is laid waste.” is variously interpreted. An explanation which has met with much acceptance, but which nevertheless is really untenable, is founded on Jdg 20:40 (“The whole city went up towards heaven” i.e., in smoke and fire): “As for his cities, fire or smoke ascends;” but there is no mention here either of smoke or fire. Kimchi long ago came near the truth when he sought to find the subject in shudad : “and the devastator comes against his cities.” However, the contrast between and is not fully brought out in this way: it is better to leave the subject indeterminate: “and his cities they climb” (Kueper), or: “they go up to his cities” (Bttcher, Neue Aehrenlese, ii. 163). The enemy who mounts the cities is evidently intended. The change into is both unnecessary and unsuitable; but J. D. Michaelis, Ewald, Dahler, Graf, after making the alteration, translate, “The destroyer of Moab and of his cities draws near.” Hitzig justly remarks, in opposition to this conjecture: “There is nothing to justify the mere placing of the subject at the head of the sentence (contrast Jer 48:8, Jer 48:18); besides, one does not see why the cities of Moab are distinguished from Moab itself; and cf. 20 b.” , “to sink down to the slaughter,” cf. Jer 50:27; and on this use of , Isa 34:7. The enemy ascends into the cities, the young soldiers of Moab descend to the shambles. This threatening is enforced by the addition, “saith the King,” etc. Jahveh is called the King, in contrast with the belief of the Moabites, that their god Chemosh was the king of his people (see on Jer 48:7). The true King of the Moabites also is Jahveh, the God of hosts, i.e., the Ruler of the whole world.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
Here is a bitter derision; for it was necessary not only to goad the Moabites, but also to pierce them through, because they were inflated with so much pride, and also because they cruelly raged against God’s people, as we shall more fully see hereafter. When the Israelites were conquered, these ungodly men cast forth their taunts, and also betrayed them to their enemies. Hence the Prophet now says, Give wings to Moab Though the word ציף, tsits, properly means a flower, yet it means here a wing, put for wings; as though he had said, that the Moabites could not escape destruction except by flying. In short, as they had not only so proudly despised, but had also persecuted their miserable brethren, the Prophet says, “Come shall the time when feet for running or for flight shall not be sufficient for you, your enemies being so eager in pursuit; but you will desire to have wings.” But, as we shall see, he will presently tell us, that Moab had been quiet and settling on its dregs.
He then adds, that its cities would be a waste, so as to have no inhabitant He mentions the reason why Moab would need wings, even because there would be no refuge for them, for wherever it would betake itself, it would be thence driven away; for the enemy would take all the cities, so that the whole people would be under the necessity of removing elsewhere; he intimates, in short, that there would be no hope for life to the Moabites, except by flight, and that the swiftest. At length he adds, —
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(9) Give wings unto Moab . . .No other prayer, the prophet seems to say, in grave, stern irony, is left but this. Resistance is hopeless. There is nothing left but to wish for the wings of a bird that safety may be found in flight. (Comp. Ps. Iv. 6.)
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
DEVASTATION OF MOAB, Jer 48:9-15.
9. Give wings unto Moab, etc. The expression suggests the suddenness of the devastation. The word for “wings” elsewhere means a flower, as in Job 14:2.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Jer 48:9 Give wings unto Moab, that it may flee and get away: for the cities thereof shall be desolate, without any to dwell therein.
Ver. 9. Give wings unto Moab. ] Let him flea his utmost – addat timor alas: but the Chaldean eagle will easily overcatch him.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
wings: Jer 48:28, Psa 11:1, Psa 55:6, Isa 16:2, Rev 12:14
the cities: Jer 46:19, Zep 2:9
Reciprocal: 2Ki 7:7 – they arose Mic 1:11 – Pass
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 48:9. There would be no use to try fleeing from the punishment, that God designed against Moab. The language intends to picture the people in a state of panic and desire to escape the chastisement confronting them.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Moab needed wings, since her people were bound to fly away into captivity, and her cities would remain desolate. Another translation sees Moab sown with salt, a symbol of destruction in the ancient Near East (cf. Jdg 9:45), either to destroy Moab or to prepare it for the conqueror’s occupation. Salt was an abundant material in Moab, which lay just east of the Salt (Dead) Sea.