Jeremiah 48:29

DIRGE OVER A DESOLATE LAND

"We have heard of the pride of Moab, that he is very proud; his loftiness, and his pride, and his arrogancy, and the haughtiness of his heart. I know his wrath, saith Jehovah, that it is naught; his boastings have wrought nothing. Therefore will I wail for Moab; yea, I will cry out for all Moab: for the men of Kirheres shall they mourn. With more than the weeping of Jazer will I weep for thee, O vine of Sibmah: thy branches passed over the sea, they reached even to the sea of Jazer: upon thy summer fruits and upon thy vintage the destroyer is fallen. And gladness and joy is taken away from the fruitful field and from the land of Moab."

Sometimes a new translation provides a deeper insight into the meaning of a passage; and here it is the New English Bible that does so.

"We have heard of Moab's pride, and proud indeed he is. Proud, presumptuous, overbearing, insolent. I know his insolence, says the Lord; His boasting is false, false are his deeds."[21]

"Kirheres ..." (Jeremiah 48:31). "The literal meaning of this word is `city of potsherds.' It is the same as Kirhareseth (2 Kings 3:25; Isaiah 16:7). Today, it is probably El-Kerak, 17 miles south of the river Arnon, and eleven miles east of the Dead Sea."

"Sibmah ... Jazer ... Elealeh ..." (Jeremiah 48:32,34). All three of these places were clustered around Heshbon; Sibmah was three miles northwest, Elealeh was 2 miles North and Jazer was 10 miles North of Heshbon.[22] Isaiah also mentioned the "vines of Sibmah" (Jeremiah 16:8,9) but a careful look at both passages will leave no doubt of the absolute originality of both. The critical nonsense that one sacred writer's mention of something that another sacred writer also mentioned is always and invariably a sign that one of them copied the other is ridiculous; and that stupid rule has been carried to its preposterous extreme in the alleged so-called "doublets" of the New Testament.

"That reached even to the sea of Jazer ..." (Jeremiah 48:32). Translators in some works, trying to guard what they feel is the integrity of the text, have changed the reading here, as in the New English Bible to "the fountains of Jazer," which is totally unnecessary. Sure, there is no "sea" (or `inland lake') at this place today; but this is no indication whatever that there was not a large lake there 2,600 years ago! Visitors to Yellowstone Park are shown the remains of a rather large lake that has disappeared there within the last century, as a natural change wrought by geographical developments. Keil noted this fact. "Since the valley of Jazer, lying among the mountains, is somewhat depressed, it was in ancient times probably filled with water."[23] In the light of what is written here in the Word of God, we can be sure that this is true.