Jeremiah 48:21

"And judgment is upon the plain country, upon Holon, and upon Jahzah, and upon Mephaath, and upon Dibon, and upon Nebo, and upon Beth-diblathaim. and upon Kiriathaim, and upon Beth-gamal, and upon Beth-meon, and upon Kerioth, and upon Bozrah, and upon all the cities of the land of Moab, far or near. The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken, saith Jehovah."

"The horn of Moab is cut off ..." (Jeremiah 48:25). Like a bull with his horns cut off and no longer able to fight, or like a boxer with a broken arm, the helplessness of Moab before her enemies is thus metaphorically represented.

"All the cities of Moab, far or near ..." (Jeremiah 48:24). Eleven of these cities are mentioned in this paragraph.

"Holon ... Mephaath ..." Neither of these cities has ever been identified.

"Dibon ... Nebo ..." See above comments on these.

"Jahaz ..." This name occurs in several forms. It was the scene of Israel's triumph over Sihon (Numbers 21:23; Deuteronomy 2:32). The Moabite Stone reports that Israel possessed the town for awhile; but the city was in the hands of Moab in the times of Jeremiah.[18]

"Beth-diblathaim ... Beth-gamul ... Beth-meon ..." Peloubet's Bible Dictionary lists all of these (pp. 87,91). The first of these means, "The house of two fig cakes," very probably a reference to some pagan shrine where the price of admission to their sacred licentiousness was "two fig cakes." The place is identified as Almon-diblathaim.

The second was a Moabite town east of the Jordan river; and the meaning of the name, according to Jamieson was, "The city of camels."[19]

The third name is the contraction of a longer term, Beth-Baal-Meon. It was a Moabite town evidently connected with the worship of Baal.

"Kerioth ..." (Jeremiah 48:24). This was, apparently, at one time the capital city of Moab, for the king evidently lived there when Amos gave his prophecy (Amos 2:2). It should not be confused with the city having the same name in southern Judah. Some identify it with Ar, the ancient capital of Moab. It was the location of a principal sanctuary of Chemosh.[20]

"Bozrah ..." (Jeremiah 48:24). This Moabite city has not been certainly identified. Some equate it with Bezer, one of the cities of refuge, located fifteen miles east of the place where the Jordan enters the Dead Sea. It is not the same as the Edomite city of Bozrah.