Who was Chemosh?
The chief god of Moab, according to the Bible. Solomon built a high place for him in Jerusalem (1 Kings 11:7), and Jeremiah announces that, like his worshipers, he will go into exile, which shows he has no power to save.
Jeremiah · chapter 48 of 52
Jeremiah 48: Summary, Key Verses and Study Questions
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What happens in Jeremiah 48?
Jeremiah 48 is a long oracle against Moab, the people east of the Dead Sea. The Lord announces the fall of cities such as Nebo, Heshbon and Horonaim, because Moab trusted in its works and riches, and its god Chemosh will go into exile. Moab is judged above all for its pride and for mocking Israel, but the chapter ends with a promise: in the latter days the Lord will restore its fortunes.
Moab was a neighbor of Israel from the days of Ruth and the judges, in a relationship that alternated between alliance and war. The longest of the oracles against the nations is for Moab, with laments, wordplay on city names and a recurring image: the cup of wrath. Like other oracles, it combines judgment with a final promise of restoration.
Jeremiah 48 summary
The Lord announces: woe to Nebo, for it is laid waste! Kiriathaim is put to shame, and in Heshbon plans are made for Moab's ruin. A cry is heard from Horonaim, devastation and great destruction. The children of Moab flee weeping up the ascent of Luhith.
The Lord gives the cause: because you trusted in your works and your treasures, you too shall be taken, and Chemosh shall go into exile with his priests and officials. A destroyer will come upon every city and none will escape. Moab has been at ease from his youth, settled on his lees, never poured from vessel to vessel nor gone into exile, but days are coming when the Lord will send those who will pour him out. Moab will be ashamed of Chemosh, as Israel was ashamed of Bethel, their confidence, and those who called themselves mighty fall.
The main reason is pride: Moab magnified himself against the Lord and mocked Israel as if Israel had been found among thieves. Its vines of Sibmah and Jazer are mourned, and joy and gladness have been taken from the land of Moab. Moab is broken like a vessel no one wants, and the enemy flies over it like an eagle. From Heshbon a fire and a flame come out and devour the forehead of Moab, and the people of Chemosh perish.
But the chapter ends with hope: I will restore the fortunes of Moab in the latter days, declares the Lord.
Chapter outline
- vv. 1-10: Moab's cities fall; Chemosh goes into exile because they trusted in their works.
- vv. 11-17: Moab, at ease like wine on its lees, will be poured out; the mighty fall.
- vv. 18-30: Moab's pride, its mockery of Israel and its destruction.
- vv. 31-39: Lament for the land, the vines and the joy that disappears.
- vv. 40-47: The enemy like an eagle, terror and the pit; promise of restoration in the latter days.
Key verses in Jeremiah 48
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
Jeremiah 48:7
Moab trusted in its works and its treasures, and so will be taken, and its god Chemosh will go into exile. The text points to the root of the judgment: placing security in what one builds and in a god unable to save.
Jeremiah 48:11
Moab has been at ease from its youth, like wine that rests without being poured from vessel to vessel. The image describes a prosperity without trials, and so without change: the day comes when it will be poured out.
Jeremiah 48:26
The Lord orders Moab made drunk, because he magnified himself against the Lord and will wallow in his vomit. Pride is the central accusation: Moab has not only sinned but risen up against God.
Jeremiah 48:47
In spite of everything, the Lord promises to restore the fortunes of Moab in the latter days. Even a people judged severely is not left outside God's mercy, and judgment is not his last word.
Main themes
- Pride and self-reliance
- Idols that cannot save
- The Lord judges the nations
- Restoration even for enemies
People and places
- Moab
- Chemosh (god of Moab)
- Nebo, Heshbon and Horonaim
- Israel
- The Lord
- The destroyer
Jeremiah 48 study questions and answers
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
1. In what had Moab trusted, according to the Lord?
Answer: In its works and its treasures. — Jeremiah 48:7
2. What will happen to Chemosh, the god of Moab?
Answer: He will go into exile with his priests and his officials. — Jeremiah 48:7
3. To what does the Lord compare Moab's ease?
Answer: To wine resting on its lees, never poured from vessel to vessel. — Jeremiah 48:11
4. Of what will Moab be ashamed?
Answer: Of Chemosh, as Israel was ashamed of Bethel, in which they trusted. — Jeremiah 48:13
5. Why will Moab be destroyed, according to verse 26?
Answer: Because he magnified himself against the Lord. — Jeremiah 48:26
6. What does the Lord promise Moab at the end of the chapter?
Answer: To restore its fortunes in the latter days. — Jeremiah 48:47
Application for today
Jeremiah 48 points to the danger of untroubled prosperity. Moab was at ease and so trusted in itself and its god. In a small group you can talk about how comfort can lull us spiritually, and whether there are areas of life where we trust in what we have and not in God.
It also reminds us that God's judgment does not close the door of his mercy. That even Moab, a proud people and enemy of Israel, receives a promise of restoration invites us not to despair of anyone. Pray for people who seem far from God, and ask for humility to trust him and not your own resources.
Moab falls for its pride and for trusting in its works and in Chemosh, but the Lord promises to restore it in the latter days. The next oracle, in chapter 49, addresses a group of neighbors: Ammon, Edom, Damascus, Kedar and Elam.
Frequently asked questions about Jeremiah 48
Why does Jeremiah mention that Moab mocked Israel?
Because Moab celebrated Israel's misfortune and treated its fall as punishment for ordinary wickedness. God takes that mockery seriously, and both Moab's pride and its contempt for God's people are part of the accusation.