Jeremiah 48:45

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. THEY THAT FLED STOOD UNDER THE SHADOW OF HESHBON. They thought that they would be safe in Heshbon. BECAUSE OF THE FORCE - i:e., "they that fled because of the force" of the enemy; they that fled from it. Glassius translates, 'through want of strength.' So the Hebrew preposition [min] is translated (Psalms 109:24), "Faileth of fatness" - i:e., 'Faileth through want of fatness;' also, Lamentations 4:9. But Maurer translates 'powerless' ...

He confirms what is said in the last verse, that the Moabites would in vain resort to their strongest cities, even _Heshbon _and _Sihon_; because a flame would thence break forth, which would consume the whole land. We hence see that God took away from the Moabites all their vain confidences, and showed that no defences could stand against his power, when once he rose up for judgment. _The fleers_, he says, _shall stand under the shadow of Heshbon_, thinking that there would be a safe refuge in that city, and in others. (25) But the particle כי, _ki_, seems not to me to be here causal, but rather an affirmative, or even an adversative; _but_, or _surely a fire has gone forth from Heshbon, and a flame from Sihon _The Prophet, I doubt not, borrowed these words from Moses, for he says in Numbers 21:28, that a fire ha

14-47. The destruction of Moab is further prophesied, to awaken them by national repentance and reformation to prevent the trouble, or by a personal repentance and reformation to prepare for it. In reading this long roll of threatenings, and mediating on the terror, it will be of more use to us to keep in view the power of God's anger and the terror of his judgments, and to have our hearts possessed with a holy awe of God and of his wrath, than to search into all the figures and expressions here used. Yet it is not perpetual destruction. The chapter ends with a promise of their return out of captivity in the latter days. Even with Moabites God will not contend for ever, nor be always wroth. The Jews refer it to the days of the Messiah; then the captives of the Gentiles, under the yoke of sin and Satan, shall be brought back by Divine grace, which shall make them free indeed....

Verse Jeremiah 48:45. _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 Jeremiah 48:2, and the note there. Jeremiah 48:2. _BUT A FIRE SHALL COME FORTH OUT OF HESHBON_] Jeremiah has borrowed this part of his discourse from an ancient poet quoted by Moses, Numbers 21:28; where see the notes. _THE CROWN OF THE HEAD_] The choicest persons of the whole nation....

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). THE CORNER - i. e., of the beard ...”the crown of the head.” The fire of war consumes both far and near, both hair and beard, i. e., everything that it can singe and destroy. THE TUMULTUOUS ONES - literally, “sons of the battle-shout,” the brave Moabite warriors....

EXPOSITION This prophecy is so full of repetitions that the question has naturally arisen whether the most prominent of these may not be due to interpolation. For instance: 1.Jeremiah 48:29-24 recur in Isaiah 16:6; Isaiah 15:4, Isaiah 15:5, Isaiah 15:6; Isaiah 16:12, Isaiah 16:11;...

THEY THAT FLED STOOD UNDER THE SHADOW OF HESHBON, BECAUSE OF THE FORCE,.... Heshbon was a strong city in the land of Moab, to which many of the Moabites betook themselves in this time of their calamity; thinking they should be sheltered, under the protection of it, from the fury of the Chaldean army; hither they fled, and here they stood, imagining they were safe, "because of the force"; because of the strength of the city of Heshbon, as Kimchi; or because of the force of their enemies, for fear of them, as Kimchi's father; or for want of strength, because they had no more strength to flee, and therefore stopped there, so Jarchi and Abarbinel: but the words should rather be rendered, "they that stood under the shadow of Heshbon"; thinking themselves safe, but now perceiving danger, "fled with strength" r; or as swiftly as they could, and with all the strength they had, that they might, i...

CHAPTER 48 Concerning Moab _ 1. The overthrow of Moab (Jeremiah 48:1) _ 2. The humiliation of Moab (Jeremiah 48:11) 3. Reaping what they sowed (Jeremiah 48:20) 4. Destroyed on account of its pride (Jeremiah 48:29) With these divisions the chapter may be studied in detail. Moab was of incestuous off spring Genesis 19:37. Israel is now exhorted to flee and save itself because Moab is to be destroyed. Moab's national deity was Chemosh, who was also worshipped by the sister nation, the

JEREMIAH 40-47. The foe swoops down vulture-like (Jeremiah 4:13) on Moab, destroyed because of pride against Yahweh. One disaster succeeds another in this time of punishment (visitation, Jeremiah 11:23; Jeremiah 23:12), and there is no asylum to be found in Heshbon, for a destructive flame proceeds from the house of Sihon (so read; _cf._ Numbers 21:26; Numbers 21:28) to destroy the temples of Moab's head. Moab goes into exile, but Yahweh will ultimately change her fortunes. The closing sentence ...

STOOD... BECAUSE OF THE FORCE. stood strengthless; or, halted. A FIRE SHALL COME FORTH OUT OF HESHBON, &C. Reference to Pentateuch (Numbers 21:28). App-92. DEVOUR. Reference to Pentateuch (Numbers 24:17). App-92. CORNER: or, flank. TUMULTUOUS ONES. sons of tumult....