Woe be unto thee, O Moab! the people of Chemosh perisheth: for thy sons are taken captives, and thy daughters captives.

JEREMIAH 48:46KJV
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Jeremiah 48:46 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 48:46 mean?

Jeremiah 48:46 announces disaster for Moab, saying that the people devoted to their god Chemosh will perish, and that Moab’s sons and daughters will be taken away as captives. The verse declares the downfall of Moab’s people and the powerlessness of their god to protect them from defeat and exile.

In this verse, the prophet Jeremiah is speaking a message from God against the nation of Moab, a neighbor of Israel. Moab’s main god, Chemosh, is singled out to show that even the nation’s religious identity cannot save them from judgment. The verse uses strong language to highlight the total loss Moab faces: not only military defeat, but also the capture and removal of its next generation.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 48:46

  • "Woe" (הוֹי, hoy): This word is an expression of deep distress or impending doom, often used by prophets to announce judgment. It signals that what follows is a pronouncement of disaster.
  • "Chemosh" (כְּמוֹשׁ, Kemosh): Naming Moab’s main deity emphasizes that the defeat is not just political but religious; Chemosh is shown as powerless to save his people.
  • "Perisheth" (אָבַד, avad): This word means to be destroyed or to vanish. It stresses the complete ruin of the people associated with Chemosh.
  • "Captives" (שְׁבִי, shevi and שְׁבִיָּה, sheviyyah): Two related words are used for the captivity of sons and daughters, highlighting the totality of Moab’s loss—both male and female children are taken, leaving the nation empty and vulnerable.

Why Jeremiah 48:46 matters

  • The verse clarifies that Moab’s downfall is not just military but also spiritual, as even their god Chemosh is powerless to help.
  • By mentioning both sons and daughters as captives, the verse emphasizes the complete devastation of Moab’s future and family structure.
  • This verse fits into a larger section where Jeremiah pronounces judgment on various nations, showing that no nation, regardless of its gods or strength, is immune from accountability before God.

Where else these words appear

“Chemosh” Hebrew H3645 · used in 8 verses

  • Numbers 21:29 Woe to thee, Moab! thou art undone, O people of Chemosh: he hath given his sons that escaped, and his daughters, into captivity unto Sihon king of the Amorites.
  • 1 Kings 11:7 Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon.
  • 2 Kings 23:13 And the high places that were before Jerusalem, which were on the right hand of the mount of corruption, which Solomon the king of Israel had builded for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Zidonians, and for Chemosh the abomination of the Moabites, and for Milcom the abomination of the children of Ammon, did the king defile.

“captives” Hebrew H7633 · used in 9 verses

  • Deuteronomy 21:11 And seest among the captives a beautiful woman, and hast a desire unto her, that thou wouldest have her to thy wife;
  • 2 Chronicles 28:5 Wherefore the LORD his God delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria; and they smote him, and carried away a great multitude of them captives, and brought them to Damascus. And he was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who smote him with a great slaughter.
  • 2 Chronicles 28:14 So the armed men left the captives and the spoil before the princes and all the congregation.

“Woe” Hebrew H188 · used in 23 verses

  • Numbers 21:29 Woe to thee, Moab! thou art undone, O people of Chemosh: he hath given his sons that escaped, and his daughters, into captivity unto Sihon king of the Amorites.
  • Isaiah 6:5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.
  • Jeremiah 15:10 Woe is me, my mother, that thou hast borne me a man of strife and a man of contention to the whole earth! I have neither lent on usury, nor men have lent to me on usury; yet every one of them doth curse me.

“captives” Hebrew H7628 · used in 47 verses

  • Exodus 12:29 And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle.
  • Ezra 8:35 Also the children of those that had been carried away, which were come out of the captivity, offered burnt offerings unto the God of Israel, twelve bullocks for all Israel, ninety and six rams, seventy and seven lambs, twelve he goats for a sin offering: all this was a burnt offering unto the LORD.
  • Jeremiah 22:22 The wind shall eat up all thy pastors, and thy lovers shall go into captivity: surely then shalt thou be ashamed and confounded for all thy wickedness.