21:30 We have overpowered them; 1
Heshbon has perished as far as Dibon.
We have shattered them as far as Nophah,
which 2 reaches to Medeba.”
15:2 They went up to the temple, 3
the people of Dibon went up to the high places to lament. 4
Because of what happened to Nebo and Medeba, 5 Moab wails.
Every head is shaved bare,
every beard is trimmed off. 6
48:18 Come down from your place of honor;
sit on the dry ground, 7 you who live in Dibon. 8
For the one who will destroy Moab will attack you;
he will destroy your fortifications.
1 tc The first verb is difficult. MT has “we shot at them.” The Greek has “their posterity perished” (see GKC 218 §76.f).
2 tc The relative pronoun “which” (אֲשֶׁר, ’asher) posed a problem for the ancient scribes here, as indicated by the so-called extraordinary point (punta extraordinaria) over the letter ר (resh) of אֲשֶׁר. Smr and the LXX have “fire” (אֵשׁ, ’esh) here (cf. NAB, NJB, RSV, NRSV). Some modern scholars emend the word to שֹׁאָה (sho’ah, “devastation”).
3 tn Heb “house.”
4 tn Heb “even Dibon [to] the high places to weep.” The verb “went up” does double duty in the parallel structure.
5 tn Heb “over [or “for”] Nebo and over [or “for”] Medeba.”
6 sn Shaving the head and beard were outward signs of mourning and grief.
7 tn Heb “sit in thirst.” The abstract “thirst” is put for the concrete, i.e., thirsty or parched ground (cf. Deut 8:19; Isa 35:7; Ps 107:33) for the concrete. There is no need to emend to “filth” (צֹאָה [tso’ah] for צָמָא [tsama’]) as is sometimes suggested.
8 tn Heb “inhabitant of Daughter Dibon.” “Daughter” is used here as often in Jeremiah for the personification of a city, a country, or its inhabitants. The word “inhabitant” is to be understood as a collective as also in v. 19.