Jeremiah 48:46
Woe be unto thee, O Moab! the people of Chemosh perisheth: for thy sons are taken captives, and thy daughters captives.
Original Language Analysis
Cross References
Historical Context
Chemosh (Kemosh) was the Moabite national deity, mentioned in the Mesha Stele (c. 840 BC), where King Mesha credits Chemosh with victories over Israel. Solomon built a high place for Chemosh (1 Kings 11:7), which stood until Josiah's reforms (2 Kings 23:13). Moabites practiced child sacrifice to Chemosh (2 Kings 3:27). Jeremiah's pronouncement that 'the people of Chemosh perish' declares the absolute failure of this deity. When Babylon conquered Moab, Chemosh worship ceased. The captivity of sons and daughters meant not just immediate suffering but the end of Moabite continuity—no next generation to maintain language, culture, or religion. Unlike Israel's exiles who maintained identity and returned, Moab's deportation was permanent assimilation into other peoples.
Questions for Reflection
- What does the total failure of Chemosh to protect Moab teach about the impotence of false gods?
- How does the captivity of 'sons and daughters' illustrate judgment's comprehensive impact across generations?
- Why does God allow the innocent (children) to suffer in national judgments, and how does this challenge simplistic understandings of justice?
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Analysis & Commentary
Woe be unto thee, O Moab! the people of Chemosh perisheth—the Hebrew hoy (הוֹי, woe) introduces a funeral lament. Moab is identified as 'people of Chemosh,' their national deity (1 Kings 11:7, 33). The verb 'avad (אָבַד, perisheth, is destroyed) indicates total ruin. This phrase echoes Numbers 21:29, turning Israel's ancient victory song into Moab's epitaph. The theological point is devastating: Chemosh could not protect his own people, proving his impotence against Yahweh.
For thy sons are taken captives, and thy daughters captives—the double mention of 'captives' (shevi, שְׁבִי, captivity) emphasizes complete population deportation. Sons (banim, בָּנִים) and daughters (benot, בְּנוֹת) represent the totality of Moab's future—both male and female lines are cut off through exile. This fulfills the covenant curse of Deuteronomy 28:41: 'Thou shalt beget sons and daughters, but thou shalt not enjoy them; for they shall go into captivity.' What God threatened against disobedient Israel now falls on Moab for their arrogance.