What is the meaning of Jeremiah 48:5? For on the ascent to Luhith • The Lord’s sentence against Moab in this chapter becomes visible: refugees are forcing their way up the steep grade toward the town of Luhith. • “Ascent” underscores exhaustion and urgency; the people must climb to escape the invader. • Similar imagery is used in Isaiah 15:5, where Moab’s fugitives “go up the ascent of Luhith weeping,” confirming the historic route and God’s consistent warning. • God is literally showing that no corner of Moab, not even its higher ground, will offer safety (Jeremiah 48:8). they weep bitterly as they go • The grief is immediate and intense—no time for silent resolve, only open sobbing. • Their tears fulfill the pattern God spelled out for nations that oppose Him (Jeremiah 9:17-18; Revelation 18:9-10). • Weeping “as they go” tells us the sorrow is not confined to one spot; it travels with them, revealing complete hopelessness. • This public grief stands in contrast to the false security Moab once boasted (Jeremiah 48:29). and on the descent to Horonaim • After climbing, the people now plunge downward toward Horonaim, showing that every direction—uphill or downhill—only leads to more calamity. • Horonaim sat in a valley region, so the “descent” paints a vivid picture of fleeing downhill into deeper danger (Isaiah 15:5 again mirrors the scene). • God’s judgment follows them relentlessly, illustrating Proverbs 28:1, “The wicked flee when no one pursues,” yet here the pursuit is very real. cries of distress resound over the destruction • The soundscape is loud wailing, not whispered regret. This amplifies the completeness of the ruin: sight (destruction) matched by sound (cries). • Jeremiah had already heard “a cry of devastation” out of Horonaim (Jeremiah 48:3), proving the prophecy unfolds exactly as spoken. • The word “resound” suggests echoing through valleys, letting neighboring towns know that what has befallen Horonaim will soon reach them (Jeremiah 48:34; Zephaniah 1:10). • Every cry underscores God’s absolute accuracy in judgment; none can say they were not warned (Deuteronomy 32:39). summary Jeremiah 48:5 gives a snapshot of Moab’s downfall in motion: uphill flight to Luhith drenched in tears, downhill scramble to Horonaim drowned in wails. The verse shows literal, geographic movement paired with emotional collapse, proving that when God declares judgment, it overtakes a people everywhere they turn. Cross-scripture echoes confirm the certainty of the prophecy, and the loud, bitter outcry highlights both the completeness of Moab’s ruin and the unchanging reliability of God’s Word. |
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