Text: Jeremiah 48:45
OT Text Referred to: Numbers 21:28
Subject: Moabite oracle
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Reference Type: Direct Quotation
Connection Method(s): None
Significance: Jeremiah 48:45 directly quotes Numbers 21:28 in its oracle against Moab: "For a fire went out from Heshbon, a flame from the city of Sihon." The original poem in Numbers celebrated Sihon's conquest of Moab in the pre-Israelite period. Jeremiah reapplies this ancient taunt song to announce Moab's eschatological destruction, recycling the vocabulary of past defeat to prophesy future judgment. By quoting the Pentateuchal source verbatim, Jeremiah signals that Moab's downfall follows a recurring pattern -- the same fire that consumed them in Sihon's day will consume them again under Babylon's advance.