Yet another command is given for the people of Moab to flee. This time they must leave the cities, and dwell in the rock.
They must be like the dove that nests in the sides of the mouth of a gorge.
Their flight for safety is compared to a dove trying to find refuge in a place where it is inaccessible as prey. For the people of Moab this probably means fleeing into the wilderness.
The command to flee is then followed by an explanation of why they need to flee. Judgment is coming to Moab because of his famous pride. Six words are used to emphasize Moab’s pride: pride,
loftiness,
arrogance,
“haughtiness," insolence,
and boasts.
Jeremiah says, We
have heard of Moab’s pride and this is probably a reference to himself and Israel. Much of this pride has shown itself in the way Moab had treated Israel. But for all their boastful talk, the Lord says, His boasts are false; his deeds are false.
In the face of the Lord’s judgment, Moab’s deeds will not match their brave, arrogant words.1
28 “Leave the cities, and dwell in the rock, O inhabitants of Moab! Be like the dove that nests in the sides of the mouth of a gorge.