◄ Jeremiah 48:9 ►
Put salt on Moab, for she will be laid waste; her cities will become desolate, with no one to dwell in them.
Study Bible
Put salt on Moab
In ancient times, salting a land was a symbolic act of cursing or rendering it barren. This phrase indicates a divine judgment against Moab, a nation often in conflict with Israel. The act of salting land is mentioned in Judges 9:45, where Abimelech destroys Shechem and salts it to ensure its desolation. This imagery underscores the severity of the judgment God is pronouncing through Jeremiah.

for she will be laid waste
The prophecy foretells the complete devastation of Moab. Historically, Moab was a powerful kingdom located east of the Dead Sea, often at odds with Israel (2 Kings 3). The phrase "laid waste" suggests not only military defeat but also economic and social ruin. This aligns with the broader context of Jeremiah 48, where Moab's pride and idolatry are condemned, leading to its downfall.

her cities will become desolate
The desolation of Moab's cities indicates a total collapse of its urban centers, which were crucial for trade and governance. Archaeological evidence shows that Moab had several fortified cities, such as Dibon and Heshbon. The desolation signifies the end of Moab's influence and prosperity, fulfilling the prophetic word against nations that opposed God's people.

with no one to dwell in them
This phrase emphasizes the complete abandonment of Moab's cities, highlighting the thoroughness of God's judgment. The absence of inhabitants signifies not just physical destruction but also the removal of Moab's cultural and societal structures. This echoes other biblical prophecies of desolation, such as those against Babylon (Isaiah 13:19-20) and Edom (Isaiah 34:10), where divine judgment results in uninhabitable lands.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Moab
An ancient kingdom located east of the Dead Sea, often in conflict with Israel. Moab is the subject of God's judgment in this passage.

2. Jeremiah
A prophet of God who delivered messages of judgment and hope to the nations, including Moab, during the late 7th and early 6th centuries BC.

3. Desolation
The event of Moab's destruction and depopulation as a result of divine judgment, symbolized by the command to "put salt" on the land.
Teaching Points
The Consequences of Pride
Moab's downfall serves as a warning against pride and self-reliance. Just as Moab was judged for its arrogance, individuals and nations today must remain humble before God.

The Certainty of God's Judgment
The imagery of "putting salt" on Moab underscores the certainty and completeness of God's judgment. Believers are reminded of the seriousness of sin and the inevitability of divine justice.

The Call to Repentance
While judgment is pronounced, the broader biblical account always leaves room for repentance. This passage encourages self-examination and turning back to God.

The Sovereignty of God
God's control over nations and history is evident in His dealings with Moab. Trust in God's sovereignty provides comfort and assurance in uncertain times.
Bible Study Questions
1. What historical and spiritual factors led to God's judgment on Moab, and how can we apply these lessons to our personal lives today?

2. How does the imagery of "putting salt" on Moab enhance our understanding of the severity of God's judgment?

3. In what ways does the account of Moab's judgment parallel the warnings given to other nations in the Bible, and what can we learn from these parallels?

4. How can we guard against the pride and arrogance that led to Moab's downfall in our own lives and communities?

5. Reflecting on God's sovereignty as demonstrated in Jeremiah 48:9, how can we find peace and assurance in God's control over world events today?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Genesis 19
The origin of the Moabites, tracing back to Lot and his daughters, provides context for the longstanding tension between Moab and Israel.

Isaiah 15-16
These chapters also pronounce judgment on Moab, echoing the themes of desolation and divine retribution found in Jeremiah 48.

Zephaniah 2:8-11
This passage speaks of God's judgment on Moab and Ammon, highlighting their pride and arrogance against God's people.
Sermons
The Consequence of a Wrong ConfidenceD. Young
People
Chemosh, Gamul, Jeremiah, Sihon, Zoar
Places
Arnon, Aroer, Beth-diblathaim, Bethel, Beth-gamul, Beth-meon, Bozrah, Dibon, Elealeh, Heshbon, Holon, Horonaim, Jahaz, Jahzah, Jazer, Kerioth, Kir-hareseth, Kiriathaim, Luhith, Madmen, Mephaath, Moab, Nebo, Nimrim, Sea of Jazer, Sibmah, Zoar
Topics
Anyone, Cities, Complete, Desolate, Desolation, Dwell, Flee, Fly, Inhabitant, Inhabitants, Laid, Moab, Pillar, Therein, Thereof, Towns, Utterly, Waste, Wings
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Jeremiah 48:8-9

     4357   salt

Library
August 8. "Be Like the Dove" (Jer. Xlviii. 28).
"Be like the dove" (Jer. xlviii. 28). Harmless as a dove, is Christ's interpretation of the beautiful emblem. And so the Spirit of God is purity itself. He cannot dwell in an unclean heart. He cannot abide in the natural mind. It was said of the anointing of old, "On man's flesh it shall not be poured." The purity which the Holy Spirit brings is like the white and spotless little plant which grows up out of the heap of manure, or the black soil, without one grain of impurity adhering to its crystalline …
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

How those are to be Admonished who Decline the Office of Preaching Out of Too Great Humility, and those who Seize on it with Precipitate Haste.
(Admonition 26.) Differently to be admonished are those who, though able to preach worthily, are afraid by reason of excessive humility, and those whom imperfection or age forbids to preach, and yet precipitancy impells. For those who, though able to preach with profit, still shrink back through excessive humility are to be admonished to gather from consideration of a lesser matter how faulty they are in a greater one. For, if they were to hide from their indigent neighbours money which they possessed …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

Balaam's Prophecy. (Numb. xxiv. 17-19. )
Carried by the Spirit into the far distant future, Balaam sees here how a star goeth out of Jacob and a sceptre riseth out of Israel, and how this sceptre smiteth Moab, by whose enmity the Seer had been brought from a distant region for the destruction of Israel. And not Moab only shall be smitten, but its southern neighbour, Edom, too shall be subdued, whose hatred against Israel had already been prefigured in its ancestor, and had now begun to display Itself; and In general, all the enemies of …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Meditations for the Sick.
Whilst thy sickness remains, use often, for thy comfort, these few meditations, taken from the ends wherefore God sendeth afflictions to his children. Those are ten. 1. That by afflictions God may not only correct our sins past, but also work in us a deeper loathing of our natural corruptions, and so prevent us from falling into many other sins, which otherwise we would commit; like a good father, who suffers his tender babe to scorch his finger in a candle, that he may the rather learn to beware …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

The Section Chap. I. -iii.
The question which here above all engages our attention, and requires to be answered, is this: Whether that which is reported in these chapters did, or did not, actually and outwardly take place. The history of the inquiries connected with this question is found most fully in Marckius's "Diatribe de uxore fornicationum," Leyden, 1696, reprinted in the Commentary on the Minor Prophets by the same author. The various views may be divided into three classes. 1. It is maintained by very many interpreters, …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

The Prophet Joel.
PRELIMINARY REMARKS. The position which has been assigned to Joel in the collection of the Minor Prophets, furnishes an external argument for the determination of the time at which Joel wrote. There cannot be any doubt that the Collectors were guided by a consideration of the chronology. The circumstance, that they placed the prophecies of Joel just between the two prophets who, according to the inscriptions and contents of their prophecies, belonged to the time of Jeroboam and Uzziah, is …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Jeremiah
The interest of the book of Jeremiah is unique. On the one hand, it is our most reliable and elaborate source for the long period of history which it covers; on the other, it presents us with prophecy in its most intensely human phase, manifesting itself through a strangely attractive personality that was subject to like doubts and passions with ourselves. At his call, in 626 B.C., he was young and inexperienced, i. 6, so that he cannot have been born earlier than 650. The political and religious …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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