Howl, O Heshbon, for Ai is spoiled: cry, ye daughters of Rabbah, gird you with sackcloth; lament, and run to and fro by the hedges; for their king shall go into captivity, and his priests and his princes together.

JEREMIAH 49:3KJV
Know the Bible

Jeremiah 49:3 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 49:3 mean?

Jeremiah 49:3 describes a scene of mourning and chaos among the Ammonite cities, warning that their main towns—Heshbon, Ai, and Rabbah—will suffer destruction, and their leaders, including the king and priests, will be taken captive. The verse calls on the people to express their grief openly, using vivid images like wearing sackcloth and running by the hedges.

The prophet Jeremiah is speaking God’s message of judgment against the Ammonites, a neighboring people of Israel. The verse uses strong language to show the depth of disaster coming: the call to “howl” and “cry” is directed at the cities and their inhabitants, especially the “daughters of Rabbah,” meaning the people of the capital. The mention of sackcloth and lamenting shows traditional signs of deep mourning, while the loss of the king, priests, and princes highlights the total upheaval of their society.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 49:3

  • “Howl” (יְלִילוּ, yelilu; H3213) means to wail loudly in grief or distress. This word sets the emotional tone of the verse, emphasizing the intensity of the coming calamity.
  • “Spoiled” (שָׁדָד, shadad; H7703) means to be devastated or ruined. This word shows that Ai is not just attacked but thoroughly destroyed.
  • “Gird” (חָגַר, chagar; H2296) with “sackcloth” (שַׂק, saq; H8242) refers to putting on rough, uncomfortable clothing as a public sign of mourning or repentance.
  • “Run to and fro by the hedges” uses “hedges” (גְּדֵרוֹת, gederot; H1448), which can mean enclosures or boundaries, suggesting people are fleeing or hiding in desperation.

Why Jeremiah 49:3 matters

  • The verse clarifies that the judgment is not just military defeat but a complete social and religious collapse, affecting every level of leadership.
  • The vivid mourning language connects this prophecy to similar warnings given to other nations in Jeremiah, showing a pattern of accountability for all peoples, not just Israel.
  • Understanding the specific cities and customs mentioned helps the reader see that this was a real historical warning to a neighboring nation, not just a general statement about trouble.

Where else these words appear

“hedges” Hebrew H1448 · used in 10 verses

  • Numbers 32:16 And they came near unto him, and said, We will build sheepfolds here for our cattle, and cities for our little ones:
  • 1 Samuel 24:3 And he came to the sheepcotes by the way, where was a cave; and Saul went in to cover his feet: and David and his men remained in the sides of the cave.
  • Ezekiel 42:12 And according to the doors of the chambers that were toward the south was a door in the head of the way, even the way directly before the wall toward the east, as one entereth into them.

“fro” Hebrew H7751 · used in 13 verses

  • Numbers 11:8 And the people went about, and gathered it, and ground it in mills, or beat it in a mortar, and baked it in pans, and made cakes of it: and the taste of it was as the taste of fresh oil.
  • Job 1:7 And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.
  • Ezekiel 27:26 Thy rowers have brought thee into great waters: the east wind hath broken thee in the midst of the seas.

“Rabbah” Hebrew H7237 · used in 14 verses

  • Deuteronomy 3:11 For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of giants; behold, his bedstead was a bedstead of iron; is it not in Rabbath of the children of Ammon? nine cubits was the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it, after the cubit of a man.
  • 2 Samuel 12:26 And Joab fought against Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and took the royal city.
  • 1 Chronicles 20:1 And it came to pass, that after the year was expired, at the time that kings go out to battle, Joab led forth the power of the army, and wasted the country of the children of Ammon, and came and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried at Jerusalem. And Joab smote Rabbah, and destroyed it.

“Howl” Hebrew H3213 · used in 29 verses

  • Isaiah 13:6 Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.
  • Isaiah 52:5 Now therefore, what have I here, saith the LORD, that my people is taken away for nought? they that rule over them make them to howl, saith the LORD; and my name continually every day is blasphemed.
  • Ezekiel 21:12 Cry and howl, son of man: for it shall be upon my people, it shall be upon all the princes of Israel: terrors by reason of the sword shall be upon my people: smite therefore upon thy thigh.