Jeremiah 48:15 · Bible study
Jeremiah 48:15 Commentary: Judgment and the Sovereign King
Hebrew · 8 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
What does it mean that Moab is laid waste and its young men go to slaughter?
Research Summary
- Meaning: Moab’s ruin is so certain that the prophet speaks of it as already done; its best young men are cut down by the decree of the King of Armies.
- Key words: šuddad (devastated, Pual perfect), ʿalah (go up, ambiguous subject), mivḥar baḥurav (choicest young men), yəhuwah tzəva’ot (Yahweh of Armies).
- Main debate: The subject of ‘gone up’, is it the cities going up in smoke, the invaders attacking, or the inhabitants fleeing?
- Theological theme: God’s sovereign kingship over all nations; the certainty of judgment on pride and idolatry.
- Best use: A sobering sermon on divine judgment, contextualised in the New Testament by the call to repentance and the hope of mercy in Christ.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Moab has been destroyed and its towns have been invaded; the best of its young men have gone down in the slaughter, declares the King, whose name is the LORD of Hosts.
WEB World English Bible 2000
Moab is laid waste, and they have gone up into his cities, and his chosen young men have gone down to the slaughter,” says the King, whose name is Yahweh of Armies.
KJV King James Version 1769
Moab is spoiled, and gone up out of her cities, and his chosen young men are gone down to the slaughter, saith the King, whose name is the Lord of hosts.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Moab is laid waste, and they are gone up into his cities, and his chosen young men are gone down to the slaughter, saith the King, whose name is Jehovah of hosts.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
Spoiled is Moab, and her cities hath one gone up, And the choice of its young men Have gone down to slaughter, An affirmation of the King, Jehovah of Hosts is His name.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
Moab is laid waste, and his cities are gone up [in smoke], and his chosen young men are gone down to the slaughter, saith the King, whose name is Jehovah of hosts.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Moab is laid waste, and they have cast down her cities: and her choice young men are gone down to the slaughter: saith the king, whose name is the Lord of hosts.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Destruído fué Moab, y sus ciudades asoló, y sus escogidos mancebos descendieron al degolladero, ha dicho el Rey, cuyo nombre es Jehová de los ejércitos.
Moabe é destruído, e suas cidades invadidas, e seus melhores rapazes descem ao degoladouro, diz o rei, cujo nome é EU-SOU dos exércitos.
Moab est ravagé, ses villes montent en fumée,
so doch Moab muß verstört und ihre Städte erstiegen werden und ihre beste Mannschaft zur Schlachtbank herabgehen muß, spricht der König, welcher heißt der HERR Zebaoth.
Moab is verstoord, en uit zijn steden opgegaan, en de keur zijner jongelingen is ter slachting afgegaan, spreekt de Koning, Wiens Naam is HEERE der heirscharen.
Moab è devastato; le sue città salgono in fumo, il fiore de’ suoi giovani scende al macello, dice il Re, che ha nome l’Eterno degli eserciti.
Zburzony będzie Moab, i z miast swoich wynijdzie, a wyborni młodzieńcy jego pójdą na zabicie, mówi król, Pan zastępów imię jego.
Опустошен Моав, и города его горят, и отборные юноши его пошли на заклание, говорит Царь, - Господь Саваоф имя Его.
摩押 變為荒場，敵人上去 進了她的城邑。她所特選的 少年人 下去 遭了殺戮；這是君王─名 為萬軍 之耶和華 說的。
He who makes Moab waste has gone up against her; and the best of her young men have gone down to their death, says the King, whose name is the Lord of armies.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Jeremiah 48:15
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
The commentators agree that this verse is a prophetic oracle of judgment against Moab, spoken with unshakeable certainty. The verb šuddad (Pual perfect) describes a devastation so sure it is announced as already accomplished. There is disagreement, however, on the precise meaning of 'his cities have gone up.' Barnes and Keil-Delitzsch follow the reading that the cities go up in smoke (see Joshua 8:20), while others, Matthew Henry, Gill, understand it as the invaders going up to attack or the inhabitants fleeing. All agree that the 'chosen young men', the mivḥar baḥurav, the very best of Moab's warriors, go down to slaughter, a stark reversal of Moab's boastful claim in verse 14 to be 'mighty men, valiant for war.' The verse closes with the divine title 'the King, whose name is Yahweh of Armies,' which Gill highlights as the ultimate guarantee: the King of kings, Lord of hosts, has spoken, and his word cannot fail.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Cities go up in smoke: Barnes and Jamieson-Fausset-Brown compare to Joshua 8:20-21, where a city 'goes up' in fire. The verb can describe smoke ascending.
- The spoiler ascends to the cities: Gill and Keil-Delitzsch understand an unstated subject (the enemy) based on the pattern in Jeremiah 48:18 and similar oracles.
- Inhabitants flee from the cities: Some versions (KJV) read 'gone up out of her cities,' suggesting the people abandon their homes. This is supported by the context of flight in v. 19.
What is clear: The devastation of Moab and the slaughter of its choice young men are certain because the King, Yahweh of Armies, has declared it.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| The meaning of 'gone up into his cities' | All agree that Moab's cities are invaded or destroyed as a result of divine judgment. | Some (Barnes, Jamieson-Fausset-Brown) think the cities themselves 'go up' in smoke. Others (Gill, Keil-Delitzsch) believe a spoiler ascends against the cities. The Hebrew verb lacks an explicit subject. |
| The fate of the chosen young men | The choice young men of Moab are killed in battle (slaughter). | Whether they are taken down to a location of execution, or merely fall in battle, is not specified. All agree the point is the loss of Moab's best warriors. |
| The significance of 'the King, whose name is Yahweh of Armies' | This title underscores God's sovereign authority and the certainty of the prophecy. | Some emphasise his kingship over all nations (Matthew Henry, Gill), others his command over heavenly armies (Keil-Delitzsch). Both are complementary. |
| The timing of the prophecy | The judgment is future but spoken as present for certitude (prophetic perfect). | The exact historical fulfillment is debated among commentators: some tie it to Nebuchadnezzar's campaign, others to later events. Most see the Babylonian invasion as primary. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Moab, located east of the Dead Sea, had a long history of hostility with Israel. According to the Mosaic command (Deuteronomy 2:9), Israel was not to oppress Moab, yet Moab repeatedly acted against God's people, hiring Balaam, oppressing Israel during the time of the judges, and rejoicing over Israel's calamities. By Jeremiah's day, Moab was a vassal state that had rebelled against Babylon and trusted in its own strength and in its god Chemosh. Verse 11 pictures Moab as wine settled on its dregs, complacent, arrogant, undisturbed for generations. Now the Lord of hosts would send those who would 'pour him off' (Jeremiah 48:12). The oracle in chapter 48 is part of a larger section of judgment on the nations (Jeremiah 46, 51). Jeremiah 46:18 uses the same divine title: 'says the King, whose name is Yahweh of Armies.' The surrounding verses (48:14, 16, 18) emphasize that Moab's alleged might is hollow. The invasion likely occurred under Nebuchadnezzar in the fifth year after the destruction of Jerusalem, as Josephus records (Antiquities X.9.7). The region north of the Arnon had already changed hands multiple times. Now both north and south would fall. The Hebrew text of verse 15 is difficult, the verb ʿalah ('he will go up') has no clear subject, leading to different renderings among the versions. But the core message is not in doubt: the pride of Moab is about to be crushed by the King whose armies outnumber any earthly force.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note a textual difficulty in the first half of the verse. The Hebrew reads literally 'and her cities he/it goes up,' with a masculine singular verb lacking a clear subject. The Cambridge Bible states that some scholars (Driver and Peiser) emend the text on the model of Jeremiah 48:18 to read 'the spoiler of Moab is come up against him.' The Masoretic Text is retained by most English versions, but the ambiguity has led to varied translations. No other significant variants are noted in the supplied materials.
Reception History
The verse has been received as a solemn declaration of divine judgment. In the Reformed tradition, Matthew Henry used it to warn against pride and false security. Jewish commentators such as Kimchi interpreted the devastation as the Babylonian invasion. The title 'King, whose name is Yahweh of Armies' has been used in Christian hymnody to confess God's sovereignty over the nations. In the Eastern Orthodox tradition, the passage is read during the week of the Sunday of the Holy Fathers, emphasising God's righteous judgment. Across traditions, the verse is rarely cited in isolation but understood within the larger tapestry of the prophets' messages: God opposes the proud and brings low every haughty nation.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The Certainty of Judgment: The prophetic perfect verbs (šuddad, ʿalah, yarədu) depict the devastation as already accomplished. God’s word on national sin is not a maybe but a done deal.
- The Reversal of Pride: Moab boasted ‘We are mighty men’ (v. 14). Now its choicest young men go down to slaughter. Human confidence is no defense when the Lord of hosts takes the field.
- The Sovereignty of the King: The title ‘the King, whose name is Yahweh of Armies’ frames the whole oracle. This is not a mere human prophecy; it is the decree of the cosmic King, whose command all armies obey.
Five-point outline
- Devastation declared (the certainty of prophetic utterance)
- Invasion executed (the cities invaded or burned)
- The fall of the elite (the choice young men slaughtered)
- The divine speaker (the King whose name is Yahweh of Armies)
- The warning for all nations (no power stands against God)
Illustration hooks
- A company that is too big to fail suddenly goes bankrupt, leadership thought their resources made them untouchable. Pride in human strength is a prelude to collapse.
- A star athlete suffers a career-ending injury minutes before the big game. All the training, all the bravado, seconds undone.
- A criminal trial where the judge is not only the authority in the room but also the commander of every police force, no appeal possible. That is the weight of ‘Yahweh of Armies.’
Questions your congregation is asking
- Does God still judge nations today, or is that only an Old Testament thing?
- If God is sovereign, why does evil seem to flourish?
- How do we balance the severity of God’s judgment with His mercy in Christ?
Leading a Discussion
This verse confronts us with a God who is King over all nations and whose judgments are sure. Moab trusted in its own strength and its gods, but the Lord of hosts declares its destruction as if it has already happened. As you discuss, consider where you or your community might be trusting in human resources rather than in the sovereign King.
Discussion questions
- Read Jeremiah 48:14-15 aloud. What tone do you hear in these verses? Certainty? Grief? Anger?
- The verb ‘laid waste’ is in the perfect tense in Hebrew, an action described as completed even before it happens. What does this say about the reliability of God’s word?
- What did Moab boast about in verse 14? Why would that be offensive to God?
- Moab’s ‘chosen young men’, the best warriors, go down to slaughter. How does this challenge the idea that human strength or numbers can secure us?
- The title ‘King, whose name is Yahweh of Armies’ appears only here and in Jeremiah 46:18. Why do you think the prophet uses this title at this moment?
- In what ways does this passage point forward to the ultimate justice of God, and how does the cross of Christ both satisfy and transform that justice?
- How should Christians pray for nations today in light of God’s sovereign kingship? Should we pray for judgment, mercy, or both?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Psalms 24:8 | Who is the King of glory? Yahweh strong and mighty, Yahweh mighty in battle. |
| Psalms 24:10 | Who is this King of glory? Yahweh of Armies is the King of glory! Selah. |
| Psalms 47:2 | For Yahweh Most High is awesome. He is a great King over all the earth. |
| Isaiah 34:2 | For Yahweh is enraged against all the nations, and angry with all their armies. He has utterly destroyed them. He has given them over for slaughter. |
| Isaiah 34:8 | For Yahweh has a day of vengeance, a year of recompense for the cause of Zion. |
| Isaiah 40:30 | Even the youths faint and get weary, and the young men utterly fall; |
| Isaiah 40:31 | but those who wait for Yahweh will renew their strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run, and not be weary. They will walk, and not faint. |
| Jeremiah 46:18 | “As I live,” says the King, whose name is Yahweh of Armies, “surely like Tabor among the mountains, and like Carmel by the sea, so he will come. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
7 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes notes that the Hebrew text can be read two different ways: either Moab is already ruined with its cities burned, or a destroyer is advancing on Moab while its best young men fall in battle. He presents both as plausible translations.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
Moab … her cities ] The Hebrew is difficult. Dr., followed by Pe., alters the MT. on the model of Jer_48:18 , so as to read, “The spoiler of Moab is come up against him, and his, etc.”
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note draws attention to who speaks this judgment: the King whose name is the Lord of hosts. This identification underscores that Moab's destruction is not mere human warfare but a divine decree from the sovereign God who commands all armies.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill highlights two possible readings of the Hebrew phrasing: either the Moabites fled their cities or the enemy entered them. He notes the certainty of the prophecy, spoken by the King, the Lord of hosts, whose authority guarantees Moab’s ruin and the slaughter of its choicest young men.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB interprets the antithesis of "gone up" and "gone down" in light of Moab's destruction. The smoke of the burning cities goes up, while the young warriors go down from the citadels only to meet slaughter. He favors this reading over the alternative, finding it supported by the contrast between the two actions.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange shows that Jeremiah builds his prophecy against Moab by consciously weaving together older oracles from Isaiah, Amos, Zephaniah and Numbers. Rather than offering a new revelation, the prophet reuses and adapts these earlier words to create a powerful composite judgment, emphasizing that God's judgment on Moab reaffirms what He has already declared.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry highlights that Moab's mocking of Israel's suffering becomes the measure of their own judgment. The same pride that made them skip for joy over Israel's troubles now leaves them wallowing in shame, and God's justice ensures that those who deride others will themselves become a derision.