Jeremiah 48:15

Moab is spoiled,.... The whole country is ruined; which is spoken of as present, though future, after the manner of prophecy, because of the certainty of it:

and gone up [out of] her cities; the inhabitants of Moab were gone up out of their cities, either through fear and flight; or through force, being made to go out of them, and were carried captive. The Targum is,

"the Moabites are spoiled, and their cities are desolate;''

and so Kimchi interprets it,

"the multitude of her cities is made to cease;''

the people of them. It might be as well rendered, "and he is gone up to her cities" u; that is, the spoiler w, as Kimchi's father rightly interprets it; see Jeremiah 48:8; or it may be rendered, "and his cities, into which he went up" x; that is, those are spoiled and destroyed, into which the Moabites used to go up, being built on high places; or whither they went for safety, the enemy being in their country, but in vain:

and his chosen young men are gone down to the slaughter; or, "the choice of his chosen ones" y; the select of them, for comeliness, strength, and valour; these being taken, when the enemy entered the cities, were had down to some place of slaughter, and there put to death; or were brought down to the grave, the pit of corruption; unless this can be understood of the choice young men of the enemy, the Chaldean army; who, mounting and scaling the walls of the cities of Moab, went down into them to slay the inhabitants of them; but this is submitted to consideration. All this was not barely said by the prophet, who was but a man, though sent of God; but by the Lord himself, as it follows:

saith the King, whose name [is] the Lord of hosts; who is "the King" by way of eminency; the King of kings, and Lord of lords; mightier than the king of Moab, or even than the king of Babylon; and the Lord of greater armies than either; and therefore what he said should certainly be accomplished.

u ועריה עלה "et civitates ejus conscendit", Montanus; "ascendit super urbes ejus", Gataker. w "Sub. hostis", Vatablus, Calvin; "vastator", Gataker. x "Et urbes ejus in quas ascendit", Schmidt. y מבחר בחוריו "electio electorum ejus", Gataker.