Jeremiah 48:33
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The most striking thing here isn't just the loss of joy, but the specific kind of joy that's gone. The shouting of the grape harvest, a sound full of celebration and hard-won reward, is replaced by... nothing joyful. This isn't just a quiet sadness; it's a profound reversal where even the sounds of traditional festivity are silenced or perverted into cries of alarm or defeat.
Gladness and joy have been taken away from the fruitful land of Moab; I have made the wine cease from the winepresses; no one treads them with shouts of joy; the shouting is not the shout of joy.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This passage describes the utter desolation coming upon Moab, stripping away its sources of joy and prosperity, much like what has already befallen other nations. Jeremiah emphasizes that even the usual sounds of celebration, like the shouting during the wine harvest, will be silenced or replaced by cries of despair due to the impending destruction. The destruction will be so complete that the land, once known for its fertility and abundant harvests, will be left barren and devoid of any gladness.
Imagine the sound of a harvest festival – the singing, the laughter, the joyous shouts. Now, picture those sounds vanishing, replaced by an eerie silence. Jeremiah 48:33 paints this stark picture for Moab.
From Celebration to Desolation
The prophet Jeremiah vividly describes the loss of joy and gladness in Moab. This wasn't just a general sadness; it was tied to the very source of their celebration: the land's bounty, specifically the wine harvest.
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When a nation's joy evaporates and its prosperity dries up, is it just bad luck, or is there a divine hand at work? Jeremiah 48:33 points to God's direct involvement.
The Lord's Sovereign Decree
The prophecy isn't just an observation of Moab's misfortune; it's a declaration of God's active role in bringing about their devastation.
This prophecy vividly captures the complete devastation of Moabite life, turning their customary shouts of harvest joy into cries of despair, a stark consequence of their actions against God and His people.
c. 700-600 BC
Assyrian and Babylonian Influence
Moab existed as a kingdom increasingly pressured by the rising powers of Assyria and then Babylonia, impacting its trade and political autonomy.
605 BC
First Babylonian Deportations
Nebuchadnezzar's initial campaigns against Judah included securing control over surrounding regions, potentially affecting Moab's borders and resources.
586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem
The destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple by Nebuchadnezzar marked a pivotal moment of judgment and exile for Judah, setting a precedent for divine judgment on surrounding nations like Moab.
c. 590-580 BC— this verse
Prophecy Against Moab
Jeremiah delivers his prophecy against Moab, detailing the devastation and loss of joy that will come upon the land due to its sins and God's judgment.
Post-Exilic Period
Moabite Resettlement and Identity
After the Babylonian exile, Moab gradually re-established itself, though likely diminished in power and influence, facing continued foreign rule and eventual absorption into larger empires.
This passage is nearly identical to Jeremiah 48:33 and describes the same desolation of the land, emphasizing that the joy of the harvest and vintage has been replaced by mourning.
Jeremiah 16:11This verse directly follows Jeremiah's pronouncements and describes the cessation of gladness and joy, mirroring the loss of celebration in the winepresses mentioned in chapter 48.
Isaiah 62:8-9This passage offers a stark contrast to Jeremiah 48:33, describing a future time when the land will yield its bounty and the people will rejoice and drink the wine produced, highlighting the profound loss Moab is experiencing.
Judges 9:27This verse describes the people of Shechem going out into the fields, gathering produce, and making merry with wine, illustrating the kind of communal joy and abundance that has been stripped away from Moab.
Lamentations 2:11-12This passage in Lamentations describes the profound sorrow and loss of nourishment and joy in the land due to God's wrath, paralleling the imagery of empty winepresses and absent gladness in Jeremiah's prophecy.
gillJeremiah 48:33: "And joy and gladness is taken from the plentiful field, and from the land of Moab; and I have caused wine to fail from the winepresses: none shall tread with shouting; their shouting shall be no shouting."
And joy and gladness is taken from the plentiful field,.... Or, from Carmel (k); not Mount Carmel in the land of Israel; for the prophecy is of Moab; though that reached to Sibmah; but here it signifies any fruitful place, like Carmel, where were good pasturage, corn, and fru…
barnesJeremiah 48:33: "And joy and gladness is taken from the plentiful field, and from the land of Moab; and I have caused wine to fail from the winepresses: none shall tread with shouting; their shouting shall be no shouting."
Winepresses - Rather, "wine-vats," into which the wine runs from the presses. Their shouting shall be no shouting - The vintage shout is - silence. For the vines have been destroyed, and desolation reigns where once was the joyful cry of those who tread the grapes.
The most striking thing here isn't just the loss of joy, but the specific kind of joy that's gone. The shouting of the grape harvest, a sound full of celebration and hard-won reward, is replaced by... nothing joyful. This isn't just a quiet sadness; it's a profound reversal where even the sounds of traditional festivity are silenced or perverted into cries of alarm or defeat.
This passage describes the utter desolation coming upon Moab, stripping away its sources of joy and prosperity, much like what has already befallen other nations. Jeremiah emphasizes that even the usual sounds of celebration, like the shouting during the wine harvest, will be silenced or replaced by cries of despair due to the impending destruction. The destruction will be so complete that the land, once known for its fertility and abundant harvests, will be left barren and devoid of any gladness.
This passage describes the utter desolation coming upon Moab, stripping away its sources of joy and prosperity, much like what has already befallen other nations. Jeremiah emphasizes that even the usual sounds of celebration, like the shouting during the wine harvest, will be silenced or replaced by cries of despair due to the impending destruction. The destruction will be so complete that the land, once known for its fertility and abundant harvests, will be left barren and devoid of any gladness.
"Gladness and joy have been taken away from the fruitful land of Moab; I have made the wine cease from the winepresses; no one treads them with shouts of joy; the shouting is not the shout of joy." — The most striking thing here isn't just the loss of joy, but the specific kind of joy that's gone. The shouting of the grape harvest, a sound full of celebration and hard-won reward, is replaced by…
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Last reviewed October 2026
