Charles Ellicott Commentary Jeremiah 48:11

"Moab hath been at ease from his youth, and he hath settled on his lees, and hath not been emptied from vessel to vessel, neither hath he gone into captivity: therefore his taste remaineth in him, and his scent is not changed." — Jeremiah 48:11 (ASV)

He has settled on his lees.—The image, found also in Zephaniah 1:12, is drawn from the practice of pouring wine from one vessel to another to clarify it and improve its flavour. Wine not so treated retained its first crude bitterness.

So, the prophet says, it is with nations. It is not good for them to remain too long in prosperity that only strengthens their natural arrogance.

There is a wholesome discipline in defeat, even in exile. In Jeremiah 48:47, we find the prophet's hope that this discipline will do its work. The vessels and bottles of Jeremiah 48:12 are, of course, the cities and villages of Moab. (Compare the imagery of Jeremiah 19:10.)