Glory is given the meaning “place of honor” by Good News Translation and “prideful height” by Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch.

The parched ground translates one word in Hebrew, which some commentators believe ought to be given different vowels to give the meaning “excrement.” This is the basis for Bright “sit in filth.” Of course, whether translators have “dry dust” or “filth,” the basic call remains for Moab to come down from a place of honor to an exceedingly lowly place. In Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch a contrast is drawn between the “prideful height” and the “dust” where they are commanded to sit: “come down from your prideful height and sit in the dust!”

Inhabitant of Dibon: Dibon was a Moabite city east of the Dead Sea; the famous Moabite stone was found here. The singular form inhabitant can be understood in a collective sense for all those who live in Dibon. It is more natural in many languages to begin the verse with this expression, as Good News Translation has.

The destroyer of Moab: See verses 8, 15.

Has come up against you; that is, “has attacked you.”

Strongholds here means “fortresses” or possibly “fortified cities” (New International Version). See 1.18, where Revised Standard Version has “fortified city.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Jeremiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2003. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .