Jeremiah 48:1-25

The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 48:10

Deceitfully ; rather, slackly , negligently. read more

The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 48:10

Slack service. "Cursed be he that doeth the work of the Lord slackly." These words refer immediately to the terrible work of destruction. We shudder at hearing so fearful a curse; but we should remember that, if the slaughter were believed to be in accordance with God's will, and therefore also believed to be right and necessary, there could be no excuse for neglecting it. We may derive from this extreme instance most forcible argument against slack service. If such slackness could... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 48:10

Doing the work of the Lord deceitfully. We observe— I. THE WORK OF THE LORD IS OF VARIED KINDS . Here it has reference to the vengeance to be taken on Moab, and denounces a curse on that soldier who failed to do his duty in the most thorough and terrible manner. No pity, no motive of any kind, was to lead them to spare the doomed nation. But whilst such dread work may be at times the work of the Lord, the expression more commonly points to that which is spiritual, and... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 48:10

Doing the work of Jehovah deceitfully. I. THE ENTRUSTING OF JEHOVAH 'S WORK TO THE HANDS OF MEN . Here is a great work of judgment, and Jehovah effects such works either through operations of his own or through agents to whom he makes the awful duty evident. What he has done himself is sufficiently illustrated in many terrible visitations recorded in the Old Testament; nor is there entire absence of such a record in the New. But men have also been called to visit upon... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 48:11

Moab hath been at ease from his youth . The "youth" of Moab dates from its subjugation of the aboriginal Emim ( Deuteronomy 2:10 )' Since that event, though often at war, sometimes tributary and sometimes expelled from a part of the territory claimed by them (see the inscription on the Moabite Stone), yet they had never been disturbed in their ancestral homes to the south of the river Amen. He hath settled on his less. It was the custom to leave wine for a time on its lees or sediment,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 48:11

Wine on the lees. This is a figure of a people left for ages in a condition of ease. They are like wine settled on its lees, unchanged and unpurified. I. IT IS BAD FOE A PEOPLE TO REMAIN LONG IN A CONDITION OF EASE . 1 . Evil is not purged out. The wine is still on its lees. In times of quiet we settle down contented with ourselves as well as with our surrounding. We say—Why disturb the air with cries for change while all is still and calm and dreamy as a... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 48:11

Much ease, much peril. "There is a reference here to wine, or to the process by which it is prepared and finished. It is first expressed from the grape, when it is a thick discoloured fluid or juice. It is then fermented, passing through a process that separates the impurities and settles them as lees at the bottom. Standing thus upon its lees or dregs in some large tub or vat, it is not further improved. A gross and coarse flavour remains, and the scent of the feculent matter stays by and... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 48:11-12

Moab settled, on the lees. Here we find a not uncommon difficulty in the Old Testament, namely, that of an illustration which to us is by no means so clear as the thing to be illustrated. The words are spoken with regard to a wine country. This will be seen on looking at the references in Jeremiah 48:32 , Jeremiah 48:33 to the wine of Sibmah, the spoiled vintage, the wine that has failed from the wine presses, the silence where once was shouting of those who trod the grapes. An... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 48:11-13

The ease of Moab. A figure: wine casks long undisturbed, whose contents improve and mellow in their taste, at length tilted by the coopers so that the wine is spilled. I. WORLDLY PROSPERITY IS OFTEN VERY GREAT AND UNINTERRUPTED . 1 . Frequently remarked. Heathen nations, whose very backwardness and barbarism have isolated them from the disturbing stream of the world's life; and empires that seem to be based upon irreligion and wrong, and that are nevertheless in... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 48:12

Wanderers, that shall cause him to wander; rather, taters, and they shall tilt him. The earthen jars of which Thevenot speaks were doubtless similar to those of the Israelites. They would be tilted on one side, that the wine might run off clear from the dregs. Their bottles; rather, flagons or pitchers (of earthenware). The confusion of numbers and pronouns is remarkable. First, Moab collectively is spoken of as a wine jar; then the Moabites individually as Moab's jars; last of all,... read more

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