ירמיהו, פרק מ״ח, פסוק י״ח

A sudden and harsh reversal of fortune awaits the Moabite city of Dibon. The prophetic warning is directed at the entire community and congregation of the city, foretelling the end of their era of safety, wealth, and high status [מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The people are called to step down from the elevated position and honor they were previously accustomed to, leaving behind a time when they lacked absolutely nothing [רד״ק, מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

Stripped of their past abundance, the city's inhabitants are doomed to a bitter exile. In this new reality, they will suffer from severe deprivation, thirsting deeply for all the good things they once enjoyed [רד״ק, מצודת דוד]. Their identity will become so intertwined with this loss that they will be counted among those whose very existence is defined by thirst and lack, joining others whose fate is sealed to live in permanent suffering and destitution [מנחת שי, רד״ק].

This great tragedy unfolds because the same invading enemy that has already plundered and destroyed the rest of the Moabite territory has now arrived to conquer Dibon. The mighty fortresses of the city, which were supposed to offer reliable protection and shelter, are completely ruined. Stripped of their defenses, the residents are left entirely exposed, with no place to hide and no way to save themselves from the advancing forces [מצודת דוד, מלבי״ם].