Bible Strands
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.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The prophet delivers the Lord’s oracle against Edom, announcing imminent judgment on their stronghold of Bozrah during a day of divine reckoning.
The words — הִנֵּ֤ה (hi.Neh) functions as a sudden warning meaning "look!" or "behold," while בָּצְרָ֑ה (botz.rah) identifies the specific fortified city targeted for destruction.
The thread — The eagle imagery recurs in Jeremiah 48:40 against Moab, and the woman-in-labor terror appears in Isaiah 13:8, while Hosea 8:1 links the eagle motif to covenant violation.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition that military power and fortified cities cannot withstand divine judgment, requiring readers to acknowledge their own vulnerability before sovereign authority.
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
Behold, he shall come up and fly as the eagle, and spread his wings over Bozrah: and at that day shall the heart of the mighty men of Edom be as the heart of a woman in her pangs.
Cross-references
- Jeremiah 48:40 For this is what the LORD says: “Behold, an eagle swoops down and spreads his wings against Moab.
- Isaiah 13:8 Terror, pain, and anguish will seize them; they will writhe like a woman in labor. They will look at one another, their faces flushed with fear.
- 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.
- 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 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!
- Jeremiah 6:24 We have heard the report; our hands hang limp. Anguish has gripped us, pain like that of a woman in labor.
- Jeremiah 30:6 Ask now, and see: Can a male give birth? Why then do I see every man with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor and every face turned pale?
- Jeremiah 49:24 Damascus has become feeble; she has turned to flee. Panic has gripped her; anguish and pain have seized her like a woman in labor.
- Psalms 18:5 The cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me.
- Isaiah 21:3 Therefore my body is filled with anguish. Pain grips me, like the pains of a woman in labor. I am bewildered to hear, I am dismayed to see.