Bible Strands
Jeremiah 48:40
For this is what the LORD says: “Behold, an eagle swoops down and spreads his wings against Moab.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The prophet records Yahweh's declaration of judgment against Moab immediately following the description of the nation's public shame and military collapse.
The words — The Hebrew כַּנֶּשֶׁר (ka·nesher) literally means "like an eagle," paired with יִדְאֶה (yi·deh), "he will swoop down," to depict a sudden, overwhelming descent.
The thread — This predatory metaphor appears in Deuteronomy 28:49 and Jeremiah 49:22 to describe foreign armies executing divine judgment.
Why it lands — The text demands acknowledgment that Moab's destruction is a direct, inescapable decree from Yahweh, leaving no room for self-preservation or political maneuvering.
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
For thus saith the Lord; Behold, he shall fly as an eagle, and shall spread his wings over Moab.
Cross-references
- Isaiah 8:8 It will pour into Judah, swirling and sweeping over it, reaching up to the neck; its spreading streams will cover your entire land, O Immanuel!
- Deuteronomy 28:49 The LORD will bring a nation from afar, from the ends of the earth, to swoop down upon you like an eagle—a nation whose language you will not understand,
- Jeremiah 49:22 Look! An eagle will soar and swoop down, spreading its wings over Bozrah. In that day the hearts of Edom’s mighty men will be like the heart of a woman in labor.
- Ezekiel 17:3 and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘A great eagle with great wings and long pinions, full of feathers of many colors, came to Lebanon and took away the top of the cedar.
- Hosea 8:1 Put the ram’s horn to your lips! An eagle looms over the house of the LORD, because the people have transgressed My covenant and rebelled against My law.
- Jeremiah 4:13 Behold, he advances like the clouds, his chariots like the whirlwind. His horses are swifter than eagles. Woe to us, for we are ruined!
- Lamentations 4:19 Those who chased us were swifter than the eagles in the sky; they pursued us over the mountains and ambushed us in the wilderness.
- Daniel 7:4 The first beast was like a lion, and it had the wings of an eagle. I watched until its wings were torn off and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man and given the mind of a man.
- Habakkuk 1:8 Their horses are swifter than leopards, fiercer than wolves of the night. Their horsemen charge ahead, and their cavalry comes from afar. They fly like a vulture, swooping down to devour.