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Jeremiah 49:3

Old Testament Major Prophet ASV (1901)

What does Jeremiah 49:3 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “Wail, O Heshbon, for Ai is laid waste; cry, ye daughters of Rabbah, gird you with sackcloth: lament, and run to and fro among the fences; for Malcam shall go into captivity, his priests and his princes together.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

Wail, O Heshbon, for Ai is laid waste; cry, ye daughters of Rabbah, gird you with sackcloth: lament, and run to and fro among the fences; for Malcam shall go into captivity, his priests and his princes together.
Jeremiah 49:3 — American Standard Version

Context — Jeremiah 49

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
1Of the children of Ammon. Thus saith Jehovah: Hath Israel no sons? hath he no heir? why then doth Malcam possess Gad, and his people well in the cities thereof?
2Therefore, behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that I will cause an alarm of war to be heard against Rabbah of the children of Ammon; and it shall become a desolate heap, and her daughters shall be burned with fire: then shall Israel possess them that did possess him, saith Jehovah.
3Wail, O Heshbon, for Ai is laid waste; cry, ye daughters of Rabbah, gird you with sackcloth: lament, and run to and fro among the fences; for Malcam shall go into captivity, his priests and his princes together.
4Wherefore gloriest thou in the valleys, thy flowing valley, O backsliding daughter? that trusted in her treasures, [saying], Who shall come unto me?
5Behold, I will bring a fear upon thee, saith the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, from all that are round about thee; and ye shall be driven out every man right forth, and there shall be none to gather together the fugitives.
6But afterward I will bring back the captivity of the children of Ammon, saith Jehovah.
← Jeremiah 49:2Jeremiah 49:4 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“Howl, O Heshbon, etc.] Which was a city of Moab, though it formerly belonged to the Amorites; (see <244802>Jeremiah 48:2 <042126>Numbers 21:26); it was upon the border of Ammon, and near to Ai, now destroyed; and therefore is called upon to howl and lament, because its destruction also was near at hand, and might be expected; hence Kimchi gathers, that the Ammonites were destroyed before the Moabites: but some have thought that Heshbon was a double city, divided by a river, which ran through it; and that that city which was on one side of the river belonged to Moab, and that on the other side to Ammon: for Ai is spoiled; not that which was near Jericho in the land of Canaan, but a city in…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Heshbon . . . Ai--Nebuchadnezzar, coming from the north, first attacked Ammon, then its brother and neighbor, Moab. As Ai of Ammon had already suffered destruction, Heshbon of Moab being near it might well fear the same fate. hedges--Their cities being destroyed, the outcasts have no place of shelter save behind the "hedges" of vineyards and gardens; or else the enclosures of their villages. their king--Melchom, the idol, as the mention of "his priests" shows (compare Jer 48:7).”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Ai - Not the town on the west of the Jordan Joshua 7:2; a place not mentioned elsewhere. For Ai some read Ar. Hedges - Fields were not divided by hedges until recent times; the term probably means the walls which enclose the vineyards Numbers 22:24. return to 'Top of Page'”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“Ai - A city of the Ammonites, not the same mentioned, Jos 7:2, for that was on the other side Jordan. By the hedges - Where they might be hidden, and not so easily seen. Jeremiah 49:4”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“49:3 The Ammonites might have thought that their deity, Molech, was powerful. However, the coming invader would take this idol into exile with his priests and officials; their ritual magic would be exposed as a fraud.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“Howl: Jer 48:20, Jer 51:8; Isa 13:6, Isa 14:31, Isa 15:2, Isa 16:7, Isa 23:1, Isa 23:6; Jam 5:1 gird: Jer 4:8, Jer 6:26, Jer 48:37; Isa 32:11, Isa 32:12 run: Job 30:3-7; Isa 15:2 their king: or, Melcom, Jer 49:1; Kg1 11:5, Kg1 11:33; Kg2 23:13, Milcom, Zep 1:5, Malcham shall go: Jer 46:25, Jer 48:7; Amo 1:15 Jeremiah 49:4”
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Related study paths

Read Jeremiah 49 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification