This unexplained and sudden promise of the future restoration of Moab comes as a surprise in an oracle that speaks of total destruction. Similar promises are made regarding Egypt (Jeremiah 46:26b), Ammon (Jeremiah 49:6), and Elam (Jeremiah 49:39). The same promise is made regarding Israel and Judah (Jeremiah 30:3). These promises point to the fact that the sovereign Lord does not just control the immediate history of these nations, which involves invasion and destruction, but what follows as well. These times of restoration are also said to happen in the latter days.
This is a well-known phrase in Jeremiah that deliberately points to some unspecified time in the future. Ultimately, it hints of the Messianic age that will bring restoration not just to Israel, but to all nations.
It should be noted that in the oracle against Moab, there were already hints of mercy in verses such as Jeremiah 48:31–32 in which the Lord expresses his sadness at the destruction that was coming to Moab.1 The Lord does not delight in the destruction of his world, and in the end, even though judgment will come and it will deal with sin and evil, it will not be the last word regarding the Lord’s world. Through his Messiah, he will restore his world and re-create it as a place where sin no longer exists.
The oracle against Moab ends with a comment that seems to have been inserted by an editor (probably Baruch), Thus far is the judgment of Moab.
47 Yet I will restore the fortunes of Moab in the latter days, declares the LORD.” Thus far is the judgment on Moab.