Moab lay to the east of the Dead Sea. The Moabites had a long and difficult relationship with Israel. They were descendants of Lot, Abraham’s nephew (Genesis 19:30–38), and Moab was one of the regions the Israelites had to travel through before they entered the land of Canaan after the 40 years in the desert (Deuteronomy 2:8–15). It was at Mount Beth Peor in Moab that Moses renewed the covenant with Israel (Deuteronomy 29:1–29). The length of this oracle reflects the history of conflict that Moab had with Israel. A number of the other prophets also have oracles against Moab (Isaiah 15:1–16:14; Amos 2:1–3; Zephaniah 2:9; Ezekiel 25:8–11). In fact, Jeremiah seems to quote from Isaiah’s prophecy and from Numbers 22:1–41 and Numbers 24:1–25 as well. It seems Jeremiah was happy to use this earlier material in crafting his message against Moab.1
It is difficult to give a precise historical setting for the prophecy. Moab probably fell under Babylonian control after the battle of Carchemish in 605 BC. They did not initially rebel against Babylon and even sent some of their mercenaries to help the Babylonian’s deal with Jehoiakim’s rebellion (2 Kings 24:1–2). However, in 594 BC they were part of the meeting in Jerusalem that tried to plot rebellion against Babylon (Jeremiah 27:3). The end of Moab as a nation came in 582 BC when Nebuchadnezzar invaded them, no doubt because of rebellion. Soon after this Moab was overwhelmed by Arabs. It may very well be that the prophecy refers to these final years of Moab’s existence.2 One of the features of this oracle is that it includes detailed knowledge of Moab, including its culture, military might and topography.3
1 Concerning Moab.Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: “Woe to Nebo, for it is laid waste! Kiriathaim is put to shame, it is taken; the fortress is put to shame and broken down;