Commentaire sur Jérémie 48:49

Misgab A place name.

in Heshbon...Madmen These are place names, and according to their names he mentions their retribution.

you shall be a waste Heb. תִּדֹּמִי.

her youths Jonathan [renders]: Her governors, younger than the kings.

the ascent of Luhith It is a place name, the ascent of a mountain.

like Aro’er The tower of Aro’er that is made in the desert, and there is no civilization around it except tent dwellers, and a tower standing without an inhabited region appears as ruins. So did Jonathan render it. (See Isaiah 17:2, Commentary Digest.) But Menahem (Machbereth Menahem p. 137) explained כּערוער as the name of a tree of the forest trees.

Give wings to Moab Heb. ציץ. Give wings to Moab. Every appendage that hangs or protrudes from man or beast is called ציץ. Cf. “And it shall be to you for fringes (לציצית)” (Num. 15:39); “And He took me by the locks (בציצית) of my head” (Ezek. 8:3).

for she shall fly away Heb. נצא תצא. For with flight and haste you shall go forth into exile, and נָצֹא will be of the conjugation of נוֹצָה, a feather. So did Menahem (Machbereth Menahem p. 151) classify it, and so “Yea, they fled away (נָצוּ) and wandered” (Lam. 4:15). Jonathan renders: Remove the crown from Moab. Give others the crown of Moab.

the Lord’s work The work of the destruction of Moab, which is the mission of the Omnipresent.

did not change Heb. נָמָר.

men to pour Heb. ציעים, those who pour. Cf. “What must be poured out (צֹעֶה) hastened to be opened” (Isa. 51:14). That is the moving of the bowels by pouring.

his jars Heb. נבליהם [lit. their jars], the Moabites’ flasks.

smash Heb. ינפצו, they shall break. Cf. “How were they regarded as earthen jars (לְנִבְלֵי) (Lam. 4:2). Also, “Every bottle (נֵבֶל) will be filled with wine” (supra 13.12).

of Chemosh in whom they trusted.

of Beth-el The golden calf.

Lament for them Heb. נדו, an expression of lamentation. Cf. “and do not lament (תָּנוּד) for him.”

ask those who have fled and escaped Ask those who flee and escape from Moab, what transpired, if anyone escaped from being destroyed

and judgment has come Retribution has come.

Make him drunk Give him to drink [the cup of] weakness until he is drunk.

he too Just as Israel was derided by him [i.e., Moab].

you shake your head Heb. תתנודד. You would shake your head and scoff at their destruction. Another interpretation: For because of your words about him, that you would sing about his destruction, you are going to wander (מתנודד) to go out into exile. And so did Jonathan render: Because you spoke many words about them, therefore you shall wander.

in the sides of the mouth of a pit The place where the water passes under the high embankments of the bank of a wadi, and when the wadi is diminished, the pit is found to be empty, and the dove nests in one of the sides of the pit. And when the wadi increases, it inundates the nest and she wanders from there. So I heard, but Jonathan did not render in that manner, [but:] Be like a dove, that leaves the opening of the dovecote and goes down and rests at the bottom of a pit.

his wrath, and it is not so His hatred of Israel is not in truth or in justice.

his mighty men Heb. בדיו [lit.] his branches.

have not dealt properly They did not recompense justly the seed of Abraham, who fought with the kings and saved Lot, their ancestor.

Kir-heres A city of the land of Moab.

they shall moan Moaning like moaning doves.

From the weeping of Jazar I will weep for you When this prophecy was said, Jazer had already been destroyed, and that was near Moab.

I will weep for you I will weep for you, similar to that other weeping [i.e., for Jazer], for you will be destroyed just like [Jazer].

O grape vine of Sibmah It was a land of vineyards.

your tendrils Since he compared them to a grape vine, he compared their mighty men to the tendrils of the vine.

crossed the sea i.e., they went into exile.

your dried figs Heb. קיצך, an expression of dried figs, but קִצֵךְ (51:13), an expression of (קץ), an end, has no ‘yud’ and its ‘tzaddi’ has a ‘dagesh.’

shall be taken away Heb. ונאספה, shall be ended that it shall not be seen.

one shall not tread grapes with a voice of shouting, “Hedad!” with joy as they were wont to do.

The shouting shall be no shouting The shouting that they will cry will not be the first shouting, but the shouting of fleeing the sword.

O third born heifer Heb. עגלתשלישיה, mighty province.

because they dealt haughtily יתרתעשה. Because they dealt haughtily, they perished.

scratches Heb. גדדת.

Wail, “How was she dismayed?” Wail about her and say, “How was she dismayed?”

like an eagle he shall soar [i.e.,] the enemy [shall swoop] upon Moab.

shall soar Heb. ידאה, shall fly.

Kerioth Heb. הקריות, the name of the city.

Fright and a pit These are two hard things, one next to the other, for fright causes him to flee, and the pit is ready to fall into.

פַּחַת is (fosse in French) a pit.

In the shadow of Heshbon which is high and has a shadow.

stood Those who were fleeing [stood] to rest in the shadow since they had no more strength to flee.

from the city of Sihon Heb. מבין, from the city of Sihon. Cf. “the city of (בֶּן) Reuben” in Joshua (15:6).

and the crown of the head Heb. וקדקד, (estrit in Provencal or estrif in O.F. [to fight]) and Menahem (Machbereth Menahem p. 158) classified it as an expression of a spring (מָקוֹר) and Jonathan rendered: יַקִּירֵי the esteemed ones, an expression of יְקָר, esteem.

the tumultuous ones Heb. בני שאון, those who would raise their voice with boasting.