Bible Strands
Jeremiah 48:14
How can you say, ‘We are warriors, mighty men ready for battle’?
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The prophet Jeremiah confronts the people of Moab with a rhetorical question, directly preceding his announcement of their imminent military defeat and national shame.
The words — The Hebrew תֹּֽאמְר֔וּ (to.me.Ru) translates as "will you say," while גִּבּוֹרִ֖ים (gi.bo.Rim) and חַ֖יִל (Cha.yil) literally denote "warriors" and "strength," forming the exact claim "We are warriors, men of strength for battle."
The thread — This direct challenge to human military pride parallels the rebuke of Assyrian arrogance in Isaiah 10:13 and the declaration that no king is saved by his vast army in Psalms 33:16.
Why it lands — The text forces the reader to acknowledge that human martial strength cannot override divine judgment, demanding a sober assessment of where ultimate security actually resides.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
How say ye, We are mighty and strong men for the war?
Cross-references
- Psalms 33:16 No king is saved by his vast army; no warrior is delivered by his great strength.
- Isaiah 10:13 For he says: ‘By the strength of my hand I have done this, and by my wisdom, for I am clever. I have removed the boundaries of nations and plundered their treasures; like a mighty one I subdued their rulers.
- Isaiah 10:16 Therefore the Lord GOD of Hosts will send a wasting disease among Assyria’s stout warriors, and under his pomp will be kindled a fire like a burning flame.
- Psalms 11:1 For the choirmaster. Of David. In the LORD I take refuge. How then can you say to me: “Flee like a bird to your mountain!
- Ecclesiastes 9:11 I saw something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong; neither is the bread to the wise, nor the wealth to the intelligent, nor the favor to the skillful. For time and chance happen to all.
- Isaiah 16:6 We have heard of Moab’s pomposity, his exceeding pride and conceit, his overflowing arrogance. But his boasting is empty.
- Isaiah 36:4 The Rabshakeh said to them, “Tell Hezekiah that this is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: What is the basis of this confidence of yours?
- Jeremiah 8:8 How can you say, ‘We are wise, and the Law of the LORD is with us,’ when in fact the lying pen of the scribes has produced a deception?
- Jeremiah 9:23 This is what the LORD says: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, nor the strong man in his strength, nor the wealthy man in his riches.
- Jeremiah 49:16 The terror you cause and the pride of your heart have deceived you, O dwellers in the clefts of the rocks, O occupiers of the mountain summit. Though you elevate your nest like the eagle, even from there I will bring you down,” declares the LORD.