Jeremiah 49ASV
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Jeremiah49

American Standard Version · Public Domain

1Of the children of Ammon. Thus saith Jehovah: Hath Israel no sons? hath he no heir? why then doth Malcam possess Gad, and his people dwell in the cities thereof?

2Therefore, behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that I will cause an alarm of war to be heard against Rabbah of the children of Ammon; and it shall become a desolate heap, and her daughters shall be burned with fire: then shall Israel possess them that did possess him, saith Jehovah.

3Wail, O Heshbon, for Ai is laid waste; cry, ye daughters of Rabbah, gird you with sackcloth: lament, and run to and fro among the fences; for Malcam shall go into captivity, his priests and his princes together.

4Wherefore gloriest thou in the valleys, thy flowing valley, O backsliding daughter? that trusted in her treasures, saying, Who shall come unto me?

5Behold, I will bring a fear upon thee, saith the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, from all that are round about thee; and ye shall be driven out every man right forth, and there shall be none to gather together the fugitives.

6But afterward I will bring back the captivity of the children of Ammon, saith Jehovah.

7Of Edom. Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Is wisdom no more in Teman? is counsel perished from the prudent? is their wisdom vanished?

8Flee ye, turn back, dwell in the depths, O inhabitants of Dedan; for I will bring the calamity of Esau upon him, the time that I shall visit him.

9If grape-gatherers came to thee, would they not leave some gleaning grapes? if thieves by night, would they not destroy till they had enough?

10But I have made Esau bare, I have uncovered his secret places, and he shall not be able to hide himself: his seed is destroyed, and his brethren, and his neighbors; and he is not.

11Leave thy fatherless children, I will preserve them alive; and let thy widows trust in me.

12For thus saith Jehovah: Behold, they to whom it pertained not to drink of the cup shall assuredly drink; and art thou he that shall altogether go unpunished? thou shalt not go unpunished, but thou shalt surely drink.

13For I have sworn by myself, saith Jehovah, that Bozrah shall become an astonishment, a reproach, a waste, and a curse; and all the cities thereof shall be perpetual wastes.

14I have heard tidings from Jehovah, and an ambassador is sent among the nations, saying, Gather yourselves together, and come against her, and rise up to the battle.

15For, behold, I have made thee small among the nations, and despised among men.

16As for thy terribleness, the pride of thy heart hath deceived thee, O thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, that holdest the height of the hill: though thou shouldest make thy nest as high as the eagle, I will bring thee down from thence, saith Jehovah.

17And Edom shall become an astonishment: every one that passeth by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss at all the plagues thereof.

18As in the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbor cities thereof, saith Jehovah, no man shall dwell there, neither shall any son of man sojourn therein.

19Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the pride of the Jordan against the strong habitation: for I will suddenly make them run away from it; and whoso is chosen, him will I appoint over it: for who is like me? and who will appoint me a time? and who is the shepherd that will stand before me?

20Therefore hear ye the counsel of Jehovah, that he hath taken against Edom; and his purposes, that he hath purposed against the inhabitants of Teman: Surely they shall drag them away, even the little ones of the flock; surely he shall make their habitation desolate over them.

21The earth trembleth at the noise of their fall; there is a cry, the noise whereof is heard in the Red Sea.

22Behold, he shall come up and fly as the eagle, and spread out his wings against Bozrah: and the heart of the mighty men of Edom at that day shall be as the heart of a woman in her pangs.

23Of Damascus. Hamath is confounded, and Arpad; for they have heard evil tidings, they are melted away: there is sorrow on the sea; it cannot be quiet.

24Damascus is waxed feeble, she turneth herself to flee, and trembling hath seized on her: anguish and sorrows have taken hold of her, as of a woman in travail.

25How is the city of praise not forsaken, the city of my joy?

26Therefore her young men shall fall in her streets, and all the men of war shall be brought to silence in that day, saith Jehovah of hosts.

27And I will kindle a fire in the wall of Damascus, and it shall devour the palaces of Ben-hadad.

28Of Kedar, and of the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon smote. Thus saith Jehovah: Arise ye, go up to Kedar, and destroy the children of the east.

29Their tents and their flocks shall they take; they shall carry away for themselves their curtains, and all their vessels, and their camels; and they shall cry unto them, Terror on every side!

30Flee ye, wander far off, dwell in the depths, O ye inhabitants of Hazor, saith Jehovah; for Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon hath taken counsel against you, and hath conceived a purpose against you.

31Arise, get you up unto a nation that is at ease, that dwelleth without care, saith Jehovah; that have neither gates nor bars, that dwell alone.

32And their camels shall be a booty, and the multitude of their cattle a spoil: and I will scatter unto all winds them that have the corners of their hair cut off; and I will bring their calamity from every side of them, saith Jehovah.

33And Hazor shall be a dwelling-place of jackals, a desolation for ever: no man shall dwell there, neither shall any son of man sojourn therein.

34The word of Jehovah that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning Elam, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, saying,

35Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Behold, I will break the bow of Elam, the chief of their might.

36And upon Elam will I bring the four winds from the four quarters of heaven, and will scatter them toward all those winds; and there shall be no nation whither the outcasts of Elam shall not come.

37And I will cause Elam to be dismayed before their enemies, and before them that seek their life; and I will bring evil upon them, even my fierce anger, saith Jehovah; and I will send the sword after them, till I have consumed them:

38and I will set my throne in Elam, and will destroy from thence king and princes, saith Jehovah.

39But it shall come to pass in the latter days, that I will bring back the captivity of Elam, saith Jehovah.

Study Guide

Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Jeremiah 49.

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Chapter Summary

In this chapter: Prophecies relative to the Ammonites. (1-6). The Edomites. (7-22). The Syrians. (23-27). The Kedarenes. (28-33). The Elamites. (34-39).

vv1-6

Might often prevails against right among men, yet that might shall be controlled by the Almighty, who judges aright; and those will find themselves mistaken, who, like the Ammonites, think every thing their own on which they can lay their hands. The Lord will call men to account for every instance of dishonesty, especially to the destitute.

vv7-22

The Edomites were old enemies to the Israel of God. But their day is now at hand; it is foretold, not only to warn them, but for the sake of the Israel of God, whose afflictions were aggravated by them. Thus Divine judgments go round from nation to nation; the earth is full of commotion, and nothing can escape the ministers of Divine vengeance. The righteousness of God is to be observed amidst the violence of men.

vv23-27

How easily God can dispirit those nations that have been most celebrated for valour! Damascus waxes feeble. It was a city of joy, having all the delights of the sons of men. But those deceive themselves who place their happiness in carnal joys.

Cross References

Jeremiah 49
v7Obadiah 1:1-9thematic

Parallels Jeremiah's prophecy on Edom, highlighting the loss of Teman's famed wisdom and counsel.

Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB

v1Amos 1:13-15thematic

Condemns Ammon for seizing Gilead (Gad) and predicts their king (Melchom) going into captivity.

Supported by Matthew Poole, John Calvin, JFB

v9Obadiah 1:5thematic

Parallel imagery of grape-gatherers and thieves leaving gleanings, contrasted with Edom's utter desolation.

Supported by JFB

v10Obadiah 1:6thematic

Parallels the uncovering and searching out of Esau's hidden treasures.

Supported by JFB

v16Obadiah 1:3thematic

Verbatim verbal parallel regarding the pride of Edom dwelling in the clefts of the rock.

Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB

v16Obadiah 1:4thematic

Parallels the warning to Edom about making its nest high as the eagle.

Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB

v2Amos 1:14thematic

Specifically prophesies the fire and alarm of war against Rabbah, the metropolis of Ammon.

Supported by Matthew Poole

Ezekiel's parallel prophecy of vengeance on Edom, stretching from Teman to Dedan.

Supported by JFB

Nearly identical language describing the conqueror coming like a lion from Jordan's swelling.

Supported by JFB

v23Amos 1:3-5thematic

Amos's parallel judgment on Damascus, forecasting the burning of the palaces of Ben-hadad.

Supported by Matthew Henry

v1Jeremiah 25:21thematic

Groups Edom, Moab, and the Ammonites together under the cup of God's fury.

Supported by Matthew Poole

v1Ezekiel 25:2-10thematic

Ezekiel's prophecy against Ammon for exulting over the desolation of Israel's sanctuary and land.

Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB

v1Genesis 19:38thematic

The historical origin of the Ammonites from Lot's younger daughter, establishing their kinship.

Supported by Matthew Poole, John Calvin

v6Jeremiah 48:47thematic

Matches the promise of ultimate restoration of captivity given to Ammon and Moab.

Supported by JFB

v12Jeremiah 25:29thematic

Develops the cup of wrath metaphor: if Jerusalem drinks, the pagan nations cannot go unpunished.

Supported by Matthew Henry

v6Jeremiah 49:39thematic

Parallel structure promising the return of captivity in the latter days (Ammon and Elam).

Supported by Matthew Henry

v7Genesis 36:15thematic

Identifies Teman as a major chief/clan of Edom, descended from Esau.

Supported by JFB

v8Jeremiah 49:30thematic

The command to 'dwell deep' is repeated for both Dedan and Hazor.

Supported by JFB

v22Jeremiah 48:40thematic

Identical imagery of the conqueror flying like an eagle and spreading wings over Moab/Bozrah.

Supported by JFB

v34Daniel 8:2thematic

Locates the province of Elam, reinforcing its historical identity and role in subsequent empires.

Supported by Matthew Henry