Charles Ellicott Commentary Jeremiah 48:40

"For thus saith Jehovah: Behold, he shall fly as an eagle, and shall spread out his wings against Moab." — Jeremiah 48:40 (ASV)

He shall fly as an eagle ... —The image, as in Deuteronomy 28:49; Isaiah 46:11; Ezekiel 17:3, was the natural symbol of a fierce invader, probably, in this case, of Nebuchadnezzar. Here it receives a fresh vividness from the previous comparison of Moab to the dove that had its nest in the clefts of the rock. The verse is reproduced in Jeremiah 49:22, in reference to Edom.