Moab’s calamity is at hand, and his affliction is rushing swiftly.
Parallel translations
- WEB “The calamity of Moab is near to come, and his affliction hurries fast.
- KJV The calamity of Moab is near to come, and his affliction hasteth fast.
- NKJV “The calamity of Moab is near at hand, And his affliction comes quickly.
- NASB “The disaster of Moab will soon come, And his catastrophe has hurried quickly.
- NLT “Destruction is coming fast for Moab; calamity threatens ominously.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Moab's calamity is near and her disaster is rushing swiftly upon her.
Overview
The prophet declares the imminence and speed of Moab's coming ruin. There is no time to escape the appointed judgment. The nearness of the day calls hearers to sober readiness, echoing the wider biblical summons to repent before the day of the LORD comes upon those who refuse His mercy.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Isa 13:22Hyenas will howl in her fortresses and jackals in her luxurious palaces. Babylon’s time is at hand, and her days will not be prolonged.
- Deut 32:35Vengeance is Mine; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; for their day of disaster is near, and their doom is coming quickly.”
- Isa 16:13–14This is the message that the LORD spoke earlier concerning Moab.
- Jer 1:12“You have observed correctly,” said the LORD, “for I am watching over My word to accomplish it.”
- Ezek 12:23Therefore tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I will put an end to this proverb, and in Israel they will no longer recite it.’ But say to them: ‘The days are at hand when every vision will be fulfilled.
- Ezek 12:28Therefore tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘None of My words will be delayed any longer. The message I speak will be fulfilled, declares the Lord GOD.’”
- 2 Pet 2:3In their greed, these false teachers will exploit you with deceptive words. The longstanding verdict against them remains in force, and their destruction does not sleep.
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Against the failure of false shepherds Jeremiah promises the Righteous Branch, 'The LORD our righteousness,' and the new covenant written on the heart and sealed in the blood of Christ.
How Jeremiah 48:16 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.