◄ Jeremiah 48:41 ►
Kirioth has been taken, and the strongholds seized. In that day the heart of Moab's warriors will be like the heart of a woman in labor.
Study Bible
Kirioth has been taken
Kirioth was a significant city in Moab, a region east of the Dead Sea. The capture of Kirioth symbolizes the downfall of Moab's power and influence. Historically, Moab was often in conflict with Israel, and its cities were fortified against invasions. The taking of Kirioth indicates a decisive victory over Moab, fulfilling the prophecy of judgment against them. This event is part of a broader narrative where God uses foreign nations to execute His judgment, as seen in other prophetic books like Isaiah and Ezekiel.

and the strongholds seized.
The strongholds refer to the fortified places within Moab that were considered impenetrable. The seizing of these strongholds demonstrates the totality of Moab's defeat. In ancient warfare, capturing strongholds was crucial for ensuring control over a region. This phrase emphasizes the thoroughness of God's judgment, as even the most secure places are not immune to His will. It reflects the theme of divine sovereignty over nations, a recurring motif in the prophetic literature.

In that day the heart of Moab’s warriors
The phrase "in that day" often refers to a specific time of divine intervention or judgment. The warriors of Moab, known for their strength and valor, are depicted here in a state of fear and vulnerability. This imagery contrasts with their usual portrayal as fierce and formidable, highlighting the overwhelming nature of the calamity they face. The heart, in biblical terms, represents the center of emotion and courage, indicating a profound internal collapse.

will be like the heart of a woman in labor.
This simile conveys intense fear and distress, akin to the pain and anxiety experienced during childbirth. In the ancient Near Eastern context, labor was a time of great vulnerability and uncertainty, often used metaphorically to describe extreme anguish. The comparison underscores the complete reversal of Moab's fortunes, as their warriors, once symbols of strength, are reduced to a state of helplessness. This imagery is used elsewhere in scripture, such as in Isaiah and Jeremiah, to depict the terror of impending judgment.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Kerioth
A city in Moab, often associated with strength and fortification. Its capture signifies the downfall of Moab's defenses.

2. Moab
An ancient nation located east of the Dead Sea, often in conflict with Israel. Moab's judgment is a central theme in this chapter.

3. Moab’s Warriors
Represent the military strength of Moab, which is prophesied to falter and become vulnerable.

4. Jeremiah
The prophet who delivers God's message of judgment against Moab.

5. The Day of the Lord
A prophetic term indicating a time of divine intervention and judgment.
Teaching Points
The Inevitability of Divine Judgment
God's judgment is certain for those who persist in pride and rebellion. Moab's fall serves as a warning to all nations and individuals.

The Futility of Earthly Strength
Moab's strongholds and warriors could not save them. Trust in human strength and fortifications is ultimately futile without God.

The Heart in Times of Crisis
The comparison to a woman in labor highlights vulnerability and fear. In times of crisis, our true reliance is revealed.

God's Sovereignty Over Nations
God is sovereign over all nations, and His plans will prevail. This should encourage believers to trust in His ultimate justice.

Repentance and Humility
The downfall of Moab is a call to repentance and humility before God. Pride leads to destruction, but humility invites God's grace.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the capture of Kerioth illustrate the theme of divine judgment in Jeremiah 48?

2. In what ways does the prophecy against Moab challenge us to examine our own sources of security and strength?

3. How can the imagery of a woman in labor help us understand the emotional and spiritual state of Moab's warriors?

4. What lessons can we learn from Moab's downfall about the consequences of pride and self-reliance?

5. How do the prophecies against Moab in Jeremiah 48 connect with the broader biblical account of God's sovereignty over nations?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Isaiah 15-16
These chapters also pronounce judgment on Moab, providing a broader context for understanding God's dealings with this nation.

Zephaniah 2:8-11
Speaks of Moab's pride and the resulting judgment, echoing themes found in Jeremiah 48.

Psalm 60:8
Mentions Moab as a "washbasin," symbolizing subjugation and judgment.

Revelation 18
The fall of Babylon parallels the fall of Moab, illustrating the ultimate defeat of prideful nations.
Sermons
The Broken VesselD. Young
People
Chemosh, Gamul, Jeremiah, Sihon, Zoar
Places
Arnon, Aroer, Beth-diblathaim, Bethel, Beth-gamul, Beth-meon, Bozrah, Dibon, Elealeh, Heshbon, Holon, Horonaim, Jahaz, Jahzah, Jazer, Kerioth, Kir-hareseth, Kiriathaim, Luhith, Madmen, Mephaath, Moab, Nebo, Nimrim, Sea of Jazer, Sibmah, Zoar
Topics
Birth-pains, Captured, Caught, Cities, Distressed, Forced, Heart, Hearts, Holds, Kerijoth, Kerioth, Labor, Men's, Mighty, Moab, Moab's, Pangs, Places, Seized, Strong, Strongholds, Surprised, War, Warriors
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Jeremiah 48:40

     4690   wings

Library
August 8. "Be Like the Dove" (Jer. Xlviii. 28).
"Be like the dove" (Jer. xlviii. 28). Harmless as a dove, is Christ's interpretation of the beautiful emblem. And so the Spirit of God is purity itself. He cannot dwell in an unclean heart. He cannot abide in the natural mind. It was said of the anointing of old, "On man's flesh it shall not be poured." The purity which the Holy Spirit brings is like the white and spotless little plant which grows up out of the heap of manure, or the black soil, without one grain of impurity adhering to its crystalline …
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

How those are to be Admonished who Decline the Office of Preaching Out of Too Great Humility, and those who Seize on it with Precipitate Haste.
(Admonition 26.) Differently to be admonished are those who, though able to preach worthily, are afraid by reason of excessive humility, and those whom imperfection or age forbids to preach, and yet precipitancy impells. For those who, though able to preach with profit, still shrink back through excessive humility are to be admonished to gather from consideration of a lesser matter how faulty they are in a greater one. For, if they were to hide from their indigent neighbours money which they possessed …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

Balaam's Prophecy. (Numb. xxiv. 17-19. )
Carried by the Spirit into the far distant future, Balaam sees here how a star goeth out of Jacob and a sceptre riseth out of Israel, and how this sceptre smiteth Moab, by whose enmity the Seer had been brought from a distant region for the destruction of Israel. And not Moab only shall be smitten, but its southern neighbour, Edom, too shall be subdued, whose hatred against Israel had already been prefigured in its ancestor, and had now begun to display Itself; and In general, all the enemies of …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Meditations for the Sick.
Whilst thy sickness remains, use often, for thy comfort, these few meditations, taken from the ends wherefore God sendeth afflictions to his children. Those are ten. 1. That by afflictions God may not only correct our sins past, but also work in us a deeper loathing of our natural corruptions, and so prevent us from falling into many other sins, which otherwise we would commit; like a good father, who suffers his tender babe to scorch his finger in a candle, that he may the rather learn to beware …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

The Section Chap. I. -iii.
The question which here above all engages our attention, and requires to be answered, is this: Whether that which is reported in these chapters did, or did not, actually and outwardly take place. The history of the inquiries connected with this question is found most fully in Marckius's "Diatribe de uxore fornicationum," Leyden, 1696, reprinted in the Commentary on the Minor Prophets by the same author. The various views may be divided into three classes. 1. It is maintained by very many interpreters, …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

The Prophet Joel.
PRELIMINARY REMARKS. The position which has been assigned to Joel in the collection of the Minor Prophets, furnishes an external argument for the determination of the time at which Joel wrote. There cannot be any doubt that the Collectors were guided by a consideration of the chronology. The circumstance, that they placed the prophecies of Joel just between the two prophets who, according to the inscriptions and contents of their prophecies, belonged to the time of Jeroboam and Uzziah, is …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Jeremiah
The interest of the book of Jeremiah is unique. On the one hand, it is our most reliable and elaborate source for the long period of history which it covers; on the other, it presents us with prophecy in its most intensely human phase, manifesting itself through a strangely attractive personality that was subject to like doubts and passions with ourselves. At his call, in 626 B.C., he was young and inexperienced, i. 6, so that he cannot have been born earlier than 650. The political and religious …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

Links
Jeremiah 48:41 NIV
Jeremiah 48:41 NLT
Jeremiah 48:41 ESV
Jeremiah 48:41 NASB
Jeremiah 48:41 KJV

Jeremiah 48:41 Commentaries

Bible Hub
Jeremiah 48:40
Top of Page
Top of Page