Jeremiah 48:38
There shall be lamentation generally upon all the housetops of Moab, and in the streets thereof: for I have broken Moab like a vessel wherein is no pleasure, saith the LORD.
Original Language Analysis
Cross References
Historical Context
Flat housetops in ancient Near Eastern cities served as living spaces, especially for evening coolness and social interaction. They were natural gathering places for public mourning, visible and audible across neighborhoods. The broken vessel imagery was common in ancient cultures—pottery was ubiquitous, and broken pots were worthless, discarded in trash heaps. Archaeological sites contain massive pottery dumps from broken vessels. God's statement that He finds no pleasure in Moab indicates they have become worthless through pride and sin, fit only for destruction. Babylon served as God's instrument to 'break' Moab circa 582 BC.
Questions for Reflection
- How does the public nature of Moab's mourning (housetops and streets) illustrate that national sin brings corporate shame?
- What does the broken vessel metaphor teach about how sin makes us 'worthless' in terms of our created purpose?
- In what ways does this imagery point to the need for re-creation through Christ, who makes us 'vessels of mercy' (Romans 9:23)?
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Analysis & Commentary
There shall be lamentation generally upon all the housetops of Moab, and in the streets thereof (עַל כָּל־גַּגּוֹת מוֹאָב וּבִרְחֹבֹתֶיהָ כֻּלֹּה מִסְפֵּד)—Housetops were public spaces in ancient cities, used for various activities including announcements and mourning. The streets (rechovot, רְחֹבוֹת) were gathering places. The word misped (מִסְפֵּד) means lamentation, wailing, funeral dirge. Mourning will be public, loud, and universal—from private homes to public squares.
For I have broken Moab like a vessel wherein is no pleasure, saith the LORD (כִּי שָׁבַרְתִּי אֶת־מוֹאָב כִּכְלִי אֵין־חֵפֶץ בּוֹ נְאֻם־יְהוָה). God takes direct responsibility—'I have broken' (shavar, שָׁבַר—shattered, broken to pieces). The metaphor compares Moab to a keli (כְּלִי, vessel/pottery) in which there is no chefetz (חֵפֶץ, delight/pleasure)—a useless pot fit only for discarding and breaking (compare Jeremiah 22:28, Romans 9:21-22). This harsh imagery indicates complete rejection—God finds no value in preserving Moab and destroys them as one would discard broken pottery.