The Meaning of Jeremiah 48:18 Explained

Jeremiah 48:18

KJV: Thou daughter that dost inhabit Dibon, come down from thy glory, and sit in thirst; for the spoiler of Moab shall come upon thee, and he shall destroy thy strong holds.

YLT: Come down from honour, sit in thirst, O inhabitant, daughter of Dibon, For a spoiler of Moab hath come up to thee, He hath destroyed thy fenced places.

Darby: Come down from thy glory and sit in the drought, O inhabitress, daughter of Dibon; the spoiler of Moab is come up against thee, thy strongholds hath he destroyed.

ASV: O thou daughter that dwellest in Dibon, come down from thy glory, and sit in thirst; for the destroyer of Moab is come up against thee, he hath destroyed thy strongholds.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Thou daughter  that dost inhabit  Dibon,  come down  from [thy] glory,  and sit  in thirst;  for the spoiler  of Moab  shall come  upon thee, [and] he shall destroy  thy strong holds. 

What does Jeremiah 48:18 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The prophet called the residents of Dibon to humble themselves because the destroyer would ruin their strongholds. Archaeologists discovered the Moabite Stone at Dibon in1868.

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 48

1  The judgment of Moab
7  for their pride
11  for their security
14  for their carnal confidence
26  and for their contempt of God and his people
47  The restoration of Moab

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 48:18 mean?

Come down from [your] glory - and sit in thirst inhabiting daughter Dibon for the plunderer of Moab has come against you He has destroyed your strongholds
רְדִ֤י מִכָּבוֹד֙ [ישבי] (וּשְׁבִ֣י) בַצָּמָ֔א יֹשֶׁ֖בֶת בַּת־ דִּיב֑וֹן כִּֽי־ שֹׁדֵ֤ד מוֹאָב֙ עָ֣לָה בָ֔ךְ שִׁחֵ֖ת מִבְצָרָֽיִךְ

רְדִ֤י  Come  down 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, feminine singular
Root: יָרַד  
Sense: to go down, descend, decline, march down, sink down.
מִכָּבוֹד֙  from  [your]  glory 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular
Root: כָּבֹוד  
Sense: glory, honour, glorious, abundance.
[ישבי]  - 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural construct
(וּשְׁבִ֣י)  and  sit 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Imperative, feminine singular
Root: יָשַׁב 
Sense: to dwell, remain, sit, abide.
בַצָּמָ֔א  in  thirst 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: צָמָא  
Sense: thirst.
יֹשֶׁ֖בֶת  inhabiting 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, feminine singular
Root: יָשַׁב 
Sense: to dwell, remain, sit, abide.
בַּת־  daughter 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: בַּת  
Sense: daughter.
דִּיב֑וֹן  Dibon 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: דִּיבֹון 
Sense: a town in Moab on the east side of the Jordan which was taken over by the Israelites and rebuilt by the children of Gad.
שֹׁדֵ֤ד  the  plunderer 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular construct
Root: שָׁדַד  
Sense: to deal violently with, despoil, devastate, ruin, destroy, spoil.
מוֹאָב֙  of  Moab 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: מֹואָב 
Sense: a son of Lot by his eldest daughter.
עָ֣לָה  has  come 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: סָלַק 
Sense: to go up, ascend, climb.
בָ֔ךְ  against  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person feminine singular
שִׁחֵ֖ת  He  has  destroyed 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שָׁחַת  
Sense: to destroy, corrupt, go to ruin, decay.
מִבְצָרָֽיִךְ  your  strongholds 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, second person feminine singular
Root: מִבְצָר 
Sense: fortification, fortress, fortified city, stronghold.