Jeremiah 48:3

48:3 Cries of anguish will arise in Horonaim,

‘Oh, the ruin and great destruction!’

Jeremiah 48:5

48:5 Indeed they will climb the slopes of Luhith,

weeping continually as they go. ¹ 

For on the road down to Horonaim

they will hear the cries of distress over the destruction. ² 

Deuteronomy 34:3

34:3 the Negev, and the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of the date palm trees, as far as Zoar.

Isaiah 15:5

15:5 My heart cries out because of Moab’s plight, ³ 

and for the fugitives ⁴  stretched out ⁵  as far as Zoar and Eglath Shelishiyah.

For they weep as they make their way up the ascent of Luhith;

they loudly lament their demise on the road to Horonaim. ⁶ 

[48:5]  ¹ tn Or “Indeed her fugitives will…” It is unclear what the subject of the verbs are in this verse. The verb in the first two lines “climb” (יַעֲלֶה, ya’aleh) is third masculine singular and the verb in the second two lines “will hear” (שָׁמֵעוּ, shame’u) is third common plural. The causal particles at the beginning of the two halves of the verse suggest some connection with the preceding, so the translation assumes that the children are still the subject. In this case the singular verb would be a case of the distributive singular already referred to in the translator’s note on 46:15. The parallel passage in Isa 15:5 refers to the “fugitives” (בְּרִיחֶהָ, bÿrikheha) with the same singular verb as here and that may be the implied subject here.

[48:5]  ² tn Heb “the distresses of the cry of destruction.” Many commentaries want to leave out the word “distresses” because it is missing from the Greek version and the parallel passage in Isa 15:5. However, it is in all the Hebrew mss and in the other early versions, and it is hard to see why it would be added here if it were not original.

[15:5]  ³ tn Heb “for Moab.” For rhetorical purposes the speaker (the Lord?, see v. 9) plays the role of a mourner.

[15:5]  ⁴ tn The vocalization of the Hebrew text suggests “the bars of her gates,” but the form should be repointed to yield, “her fugitives.” See HALOT 156-57 s.v. בָּרִחַ, and BDB 138 s.v. בָּרִיהַ.

[15:5]  ⁵ tn The words “are stretched out” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[15:5]  ⁶ tn Heb “For the ascent of Luhith, with weeping they go up it; for [on] the road to Horonaim an outcry over shattering they raise up.”