Give wings unto Moab, that it may flee and get away: for the cities thereof shall be desolate, without any to dwell therein.

JEREMIAH 48:9KJV
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Jeremiah 48:9 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 48:9 mean?

Jeremiah 48:9 is a warning that Moab should be given a way to escape quickly, because its cities will soon be left empty and ruined, with no one living in them. The verse uses the image of giving Moab "wings" so it can flee from the coming destruction.

The prophet Jeremiah is speaking God’s message to the people of Moab, a nation east of Israel. This verse is part of a longer prophecy about Moab’s downfall. The call to "give wings" is a poetic way of saying that disaster is coming so swiftly and completely that escape is the only hope, but even that will not save the cities from becoming desolate.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 48:9

  • The word for "wings" (כָּנָף, kanaph) often means the literal wings of a bird, but here it is used figuratively to suggest escape or flight, emphasizing the urgency and desperation of Moab’s situation.
  • The word for "desolate" (שְׁמָמָה, shemamah) means a state of utter ruin or emptiness, underscoring that the destruction will leave the cities completely uninhabited.

Why Jeremiah 48:9 matters

  • Jeremiah 48:9 clears up that the prophecy is not just about defeat in battle, but about total devastation—no one will remain in Moab’s cities.
  • The verse highlights the seriousness of the warning: even if Moab could flee, the land itself will still suffer complete desolation.
  • This verse connects to the broader theme in Jeremiah 48, where God’s judgment is pronounced on Moab for its pride and actions, showing that escape is futile when divine judgment is involved.

Where else these words appear

“wings” Hebrew H6731 · used in 15 verses

  • Exodus 28:36 And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it, like the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD.
  • 1 Kings 6:18 And the cedar of the house within was carved with knops and open flowers: all was cedar; there was no stone seen.
  • Psalms 103:15 As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.

“therein” Hebrew H2004 · used in 16 verses

  • Genesis 19:29 And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in the which Lot dwelt.
  • Leviticus 11:21 Yet these may ye eat of every flying creeping thing that goeth upon all four, which have legs above their feet, to leap withal upon the earth;
  • Jeremiah 4:29 The whole city shall flee for the noise of the horsemen and bowmen; they shall go into thickets, and climb up upon the rocks: every city shall be forsaken, and not a man dwell therein.

“desolate” Hebrew H8047 · used in 39 verses

  • Deuteronomy 28:37 And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations whither the LORD shall lead thee.
  • Jeremiah 8:21 For the hurt of the daughter of my people am I hurt; I am black; astonishment hath taken hold on me.
  • Jeremiah 49:17 Also Edom shall be a desolation: every one that goeth by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss at all the plagues thereof.