He that fleeth from the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that getteth up out of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for I will bring upon it, even upon Moab, the year of their visitation, saith the LORD.

JEREMIAH 48:44KJV
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Jeremiah 48:44 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 48:44 mean?

Jeremiah 48:44 warns that those trying to escape danger in Moab will only find more trouble, as every attempt to avoid disaster leads to another trap. The verse declares that this is because God is bringing a time of judgment—called "the year of their visitation"—upon Moab.

In this verse, the prophet Jeremiah is speaking God's message to the people of Moab, a neighboring nation often in conflict with Israel. The language paints a vivid picture: someone fleeing from fear (danger or terror) falls into a pit, and if they climb out, they are caught in a snare. This shows that Moab cannot escape the consequences God has decided for them, no matter how hard they try.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 48:44

  • "Fear" (פַּחַד, pachad) means terror or dread. The verse uses this word to show that the people are running from something frightening, but their escape is hopeless.
  • "Pit" (פַּחַת, pachat) refers to a literal or figurative trap or hole in the ground. Here, it symbolizes a sudden, unexpected danger.
  • "Snare" (פַּח, pach) means a trap or device for catching animals. In this context, it emphasizes that even if someone escapes one danger, another is waiting.
  • "Visitation" (פְּקֻדָּה, pequddah) is often used for a time when God pays special attention to a people, either for blessing or, as here, for judgment. This word signals that what is happening is not random, but part of God's deliberate action.

Why Jeremiah 48:44 matters

  • Jeremiah 48:44 clarifies that Moab's downfall is not just bad luck or military defeat, but a direct result of God's decision to judge them at this specific time.
  • The verse uses strong imagery to show that escaping God's judgment is impossible; every route leads to another form of trouble.
  • This verse connects to the larger passage where Jeremiah is pronouncing judgment on Moab for their pride and hostility, showing that their punishment is thorough and inescapable.

Where else these words appear

“pit” Hebrew H6354 · used in 8 verses

  • 2 Samuel 17:9 Behold, he is hid now in some pit, or in some other place: and it will come to pass, when some of them be overthrown at the first, that whosoever heareth it will say, There is a slaughter among the people that follow Absalom.
  • Isaiah 24:17 Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth.
  • Jeremiah 48:28 O ye that dwell in Moab, leave the cities, and dwell in the rock, and be like the dove that maketh her nest in the sides of the hole's mouth.

“snare” Hebrew H6341 · used in 25 verses

  • Exodus 39:3 And they did beat the gold into thin plates, and cut it into wires, to work it in the blue, and in the purple, and in the scarlet, and in the fine linen, with cunning work.
  • Psalms 119:110 The wicked have laid a snare for me: yet I erred not from thy precepts.
  • Isaiah 8:14 And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

“visitation” Hebrew H6486 · used in 31 verses

  • Numbers 3:32 And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall be chief over the chief of the Levites, and have the oversight of them that keep the charge of the sanctuary.
  • 2 Chronicles 23:18 Also Jehoiada appointed the offices of the house of the LORD by the hand of the priests the Levites, whom David had distributed in the house of the LORD, to offer the burnt offerings of the LORD, as it is written in the law of Moses, with rejoicing and with singing, as it was ordained by David.
  • Jeremiah 11:23 And there shall be no remnant of them: for I will bring evil upon the men of Anathoth, even the year of their visitation.

“fear” Hebrew H6343 · used in 48 verses

  • Genesis 31:42 Except the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely thou hadst sent me away now empty. God hath seen mine affliction and the labour of my hands, and rebuked thee yesternight.
  • Job 3:25 For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.
  • Psalms 105:38 Egypt was glad when they departed: for the fear of them fell upon them.