Jeremiah 48:40

THE MESSAGE

God 's verdict on Moab. Indeed! "Look! An eagle is about to swoop down and spread its wings over Moab. The towns will be captured, the fortresses taken. Brave warriors will double up in pain, helpless to fight, like a woman giving birth to a baby. There'll be nothing left of Moab, nothing at all, because of his defiant arrogance against me.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
For this is what the Lord says:

Hebrew Names Version
For thus says the LORD: Behold, he shall fly as an eagle, and shall spread out his wings against Mo'av.

King James Version
For thus saith the Lord ; Behold, he shall fly as an eagle, and shall spread his wings over Moab.

English Standard Version
For thus says the Lord : "Behold, one shall fly swiftly like an eagle and spread his wings against Moab;

New American Standard Bible
For this is what the LORD says: "Behold, one will fly swiftly like an eagle And spread out his wings against Moab.

New Century Version
This is what the Lord says: "Look! Someone is coming, like an eagle diving down from the sky and spreading its wings over Moab.

Amplified Bible
For thus says the LORD: "Behold, one (Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon) will fly swiftly like an eagle And spread out his wings against Moab.

World English Bible
For thus says Yahweh: Behold, he shall fly as an eagle, and shall spread out his wings against Moab.

Geneva Bible (1587)
For thus saith the Lord, Beholde, he shall flee as an egle, & shal spread his wings ouer Moab.

Legacy Standard Bible
For thus says Yahweh:"Behold, one will swoop like an eagleAnd spread out his wings against Moab.

Berean Standard Bible
For this is what the LORD says: "Behold, an eagle swoops down and spreads his wings against Moab.

Contemporary English Version
Moab, an enemy swoops down like an eagle spreading its wings over your land.

Complete Jewish Bible
For here is what Adonai says: "Look! Down he swoops like a vulture, spreading his wings against Mo'av —

Darby Translation
For thus saith Jehovah: Behold, he shall fly as an eagle, and shall spread forth his wings over Moab.

Easy-to-Read Version
The Lord says, "Look! An eagle is diving down from the sky. It is spreading its wings over Moab.

George Lamsa Translation
For thus says the LORD: Behold, he shall fly mightily as an eagle, and shall spread his wings over Moab.

Good News Translation
The Lord has promised that a nation will swoop down on Moab like an eagle with its outspread wings,

Lexham English Bible
For thus says Yahweh, "Look, like an eagle he will swoop down, and he will spread out his wings against Moab.

Literal Translation
For so says Jehovah: Behold, he shall fly like an eagle, and shall spread his wings toward Moab.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
For thus saieth the LORDE: Beholde, the enemie shal come flyenge as an Aegle, and sprede his wynges vpon Moab.

American Standard Version
For thus saith Jehovah: Behold, he shall fly as an eagle, and shall spread out his wings against Moab.

Bible in Basic English
For the Lord has said, See, he will come like an eagle in flight, stretching out his wings against Moab.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
For thus saith the LORD: Behold, he shall swoop as a vulture, and shall spread out his wings against Moab.

King James Version (1611)
For thus saith the Lord, Behold, hee shall fly as an eagle, and shall spread his wings ouer Maob.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
For thus saith the Lorde: Beholde, the enemie shall come fleeing as an Egle, and spreade his winges vpon Moab.

English Revised Version
For thus saith the LORD: Behold, he shall fly as an eagle, and shall spread out his wings against Moab.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
The Lord seith these thingis, Lo! as an egle he schal fle out, and he schal stretche forth hise wyngis to Moab.

Update Bible Version
For thus says Yahweh: Look, he shall fly as an eagle, and shall spread out his wings against Moab.

Webster's Bible Translation
For thus saith the LORD; Behold, he shall fly as an eagle, and shall spread his wings over Moab.

New English Translation
For the Lord says, "Look! Like an eagle with outspread wings a nation will swoop down on Moab.

New King James Version
For thus says the LORD: "Behold, one shall fly like an eagle, And spread his wings over Moab.

New Living Translation
This is what the Lord says: "Look! The enemy swoops down like an eagle, spreading his wings over Moab.

New Life Bible
For the Lord says, "One will fly fast like an eagle, and spread out his wings against Moab.

New Revised Standard
For thus says the Lord : Look, he shall swoop down like an eagle, and spread his wings against Moab;

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
For, thus, saith Yahweh, Lo! as an eagle, shall one dart along, - And shall spread out his wings towards Moab.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Thus saith the Lord: Behold he shall fly as an eagle, and shall stretch forth his wings to Moab.

Revised Standard Version
For thus says the LORD: "Behold, one shall fly swiftly like an eagle, and spread his wings against Moab;

Young's Literal Translation
For thus said Jehovah: Lo, as an eagle he doth flee, And hath spread his wings unto Moab.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
For thus says the LORD: "Behold, one will fly swiftly like an eagle And spread out his wings against Moab.

Contextual Overview

¹⁸"Come down from your high horse, pampered beauty of Dibon. Sit in dog dung. The destroyer of Moab will come against you. He'll wreck your safe, secure houses. Stand on the roadside, pampered women of Aroer. Interview the refugees who are running away. Ask them, ‘What's happened? And why?' Moab will be an embarrassing memory, nothing left of the place. Wail and weep your eyes out! Tell the bad news along the Arnon river. Tell the world that Moab is no more. ²¹"My judgment will come to the plateau cities: on Holon, Jahzah, and Mephaath; on Dibon, Nebo, and Beth-diblathaim; on Kiriathaim, Beth-gamul, and Beth-meon; on Kerioth, Bozrah, and all the cities of Moab, far and near. ²⁵ "Moab's link to power is severed. Moab's arm is broken." God 's Decree. ²⁶"Turn Moab into a drunken sot, drunk on the wine of my wrath, a dung-faced drunk, filling the country with vomit—Moab a falling-down drunk, a joke in bad taste. Wasn't it you, Moab, who made crude jokes over Israel? And when they were caught in bad company, didn't you cluck and gossip and snicker? ²⁸ "Leave town! Leave! Look for a home in the cliffs, you who grew up in Moab. Try living like a dove who nests high in the river gorge. ²⁹"We've all heard of Moab's pride, that legendary pride, The strutting, bullying, puffed-up pride, the insufferable arrogance. I know"— God 's Decree—"his rooster-crowing pride, the inflated claims, the sheer nothingness of Moab. But I will weep for Moab, yes, I will mourn for the people of Moab. I will even mourn for the people of Kir-heres. I'll weep for the grapevines of Sibmah and join Jazer in her weeping— Grapevines that once reached the Dead Sea with tendrils as far as Jazer. Your summer fruit and your bursting grapes will be looted by brutal plunderers, Lush Moab stripped of song and laughter. And yes, I'll shut down the winepresses, stop all the shouts and hurrahs of harvest. ³⁴ "Heshbon and Elealeh will cry out, and the people in Jahaz will hear the cries. They will hear them all the way from Zoar to Horonaim and Eglath-shelishiyah. Even the waters of Nimrim will be dried up. ³⁵ "I will put a stop in Moab"— God 's Decree—"to all hiking to the high places to offer burnt sacrifices to the gods. ³⁶ "My heart moans for Moab, for the men of Kir-heres, like soft flute sounds carried by the wind. They've lost it all. They've got nothing. ³⁷ "Everywhere you look are signs of mourning: heads shaved, beards cut, Hands scratched and bleeding, clothes ripped and torn.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

he shall: Jeremiah 4:13, Deuteronomy 28:49, Lamentations 4:19, Ezekiel 17:3, Daniel 7:4, Hosea 8:1

spread: Jeremiah 49:22, Isaiah 8:8

Reciprocal: Leviticus 11:13 - the eagle

Gill's Notes on the Bible

For thus saith the Lord, behold, he shall fly as an eagle,.... The enemy, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, with his army; who is compared to an eagle for his strength, swiftness, and greediness after the prey:

and shall spread his wings over Moab; as an eagle spreads its wings, which are very large, over the little birds it seizes upon as its prey; so the king of Babylon would bring a numerous army against Moab, and spread it over his country. The Targum is,

"behold, as all eagle which flies, so a king shall come up with his army, and encamp against Moab.''

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The rapid and irresistible attack of Nebuchadnezzar is compared to the impetuous dash of the eagle on its prey Deuteronomy 28:49.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Jeremiah 48:40. He shall fly as an eagle — The enemy will pounce upon him, carry him off, and tear him to pieces.