Isaiah — Chapter 15

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1The burden of Moab. Because in the night Ar of Moab is laid waste, and brought to silence; because in the night Kir of Moab is laid waste, and brought to silence;

2He is gone up to Bajith, and to Dibon, the high places, to weep: Moab shall howl over Nebo, and over Medeba: on all their heads shall be baldness, and every beard cut off.

3In their streets they shall gird themselves with sackcloth: on the tops of their houses, and in their streets, every one shall howl, weeping abundantly.

4And Heshbon shall cry, and Elealeh: their voice shall be heard even unto Jahaz: therefore the armed soldiers of Moab shall cry out; his life shall be grievous unto him.

5My heart shall cry out for Moab; his fugitives shall flee unto Zoar, an heifer of three years old: for by the mounting up of Luhith with weeping shall they go it up; for in the way of Horonaim they shall raise up a cry of destruction.

6For the waters of Nimrim shall be desolate: for the hay is withered away, the grass faileth, there is no green thing.

7Therefore the abundance they have gotten, and that which they have laid up, shall they carry away to the brook of the willows.

8For the cry is gone round about the borders of Moab; the howling thereof unto Eglaim, and the howling thereof unto Beer-elim.

9For the waters of Dimon shall be full of blood: for I will bring more upon Dimon, lions upon him that escapeth of Moab, and upon the remnant of the land.

1The burden of Moab. For in a night Ar of Moab is laid waste, [and] brought to nought; for in a night Kir of Moab is laid waste, [and] brought to nought.

2They are gone up to Bayith, and to Dibon, to the high places, to weep: Moab waileth over Nebo, and over Medeba; on all their heads is baldness, every beard is cut off.

3In their streets they gird themselves with sackcloth; on their housetops, and in their broad places, every one waileth, weeping abundantly.

4And Heshbon crieth out, and Elealeh; their voice is heard even unto Jahaz: therefore the armed men of Moab cry aloud; his soul trembleth within him.

5My heart crieth out for Moab; her nobles [flee] unto Zoar, to Eglath-shelishi-yah: for by the ascent of Luhith with weeping they go up; for in the way of Horonaim they raise up a cry of destruction.

6For the waters of Nimrim shall be desolate; for the grass is withered away, the tender grass faileth, there is no green thing.

7Therefore the abundance they have gotten, and that which they have laid up, shall they carry away over the brook of the willows.

8For the cry is gone round about the borders of Moab; the wailing thereof unto Eglaim, and the wailing thereof unto Beer-elim.

9For the waters of Dimon are full of blood; for I will bring yet more upon Dimon, a lion upon them of Moab that escape, and upon the remnant of the land.

1This is an oracle about Moab: Indeed, in a night it is devastated, Ar of Moab is destroyed! Indeed, in a night it is devastated, Kir of Moab is destroyed!

2They went up to the temple; the people of Dibon went up to the high places to lament. Because of what happened to Nebo and Medeba, Moab wails. Every head is shaved bare, every beard is trimmed off.

3In their streets they wear sackcloth; on their roofs and in their town squares all of them wail; they fall down weeping.

4The people of Heshbon and Elealeh cry out; their voices are heard as far away as Jahaz. For this reason Moab’s soldiers shout in distress; their courage wavers.

5My heart cries out because of Moab’s plight and for the fugitives stretched out as far as Zoar and Eglath Shelishiyah. For they weep as they make their way up the ascent of Luhith; they loudly lament their demise on the road to Horonaim.

6For the waters of Nimrim are gone; the grass is dried up, the vegetation has disappeared, and there are no plants.

7For this reason what they have made and stored up, they carry over the Stream of the Poplars.

8Indeed, the cries of distress echo throughout Moabite territory; their wailing can be heard in Eglaim and Beer Elim.

9Indeed, the waters of Dimon are full of blood! Indeed, I will heap even more trouble on Dimon. A lion will attack the Moabite fugitives and the people left in the land.

1The burden of Moab. For in a night, Ar of Moab is laid waste, and brought to nothing. For in a night Kir of Moab is laid waste, and brought to nothing.

2They have gone up to Bayith, and to Dibon, to the high places, to weep. Moab wails over Nebo and over Medeba. Baldness is on all of their heads. Every beard is cut off.

3In their streets, they clothe themselves in sackcloth. In their streets and on their housetops, everyone wails, weeping abundantly.

4Heshbon cries out with Elealeh. Their voice is heard even to Jahaz. Therefore the armed men of Moab cry aloud. Their souls tremble within them.

5My heart cries out for Moab! Her nobles flee to Zoar, to Eglath Shelishiyah; for they go up by the ascent of Luhith with weeping; for on the way to Horonaim, they raise up a cry of destruction.

6For the waters of Nimrim will be desolate; for the grass has withered away, the tender grass fails, there is no green thing.

7Therefore they will carry away the abundance they have gotten, and that which they have stored up, over the brook of the willows.

8For the cry has gone around the borders of Moab; its wailing to Eglaim, and its wailing to Beer Elim.

9For the waters of Dimon are full of blood; for I will bring yet more on Dimon, a lion on those of Moab who escape, and on the remnant of the land.

Summary
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
Commentary
Videos
Reflection

Summary

The oracle against Moab — in a single night Moab's cities are destroyed, the entire nation weeps and wails, refugees flee southward, and even Isaiah's own heart cries out in compassion for Moab's devastation.

Authorship & Background

Author: Isaiah son of Amoz (see Chapter 1 notes for full details).
Classification: Prophetic Oracle — Burden Against Moab Key Themes: Sudden overnight destruction, national lamentation, refugees fleeing, the prophet's compassion for the judged nation, water and vegetation dried up
Historical Context: Moab lay east of the Dead Sea (modern Jordan). Though related to Israel through Lot (Gen 19:37), Moab was frequently hostile. The oracle (spanning chapters 15-16) describes a devastating invasion — possibly by Assyria (under Tiglath-pileser III or Sargon II) or earlier by unnamed raiders. What's remarkable is Isaiah's COMPASSION: "my heart shall cry out for Moab" (v.5). This isn't gloating but grief — the prophet weeps for a pagan nation's suffering. The cities mentioned (Ar, Kir, Dibon, Medeba, Heshbon, etc.) map the destruction geographically from north to south — the invasion sweeps the entire country.
Structure:
  • Overnight Destruction: Ar and Kir Ruined (vv.1-4)
  • Isaiah's Heart Cries for Moab (v.5)
  • Refugees Flee South (vv.5-7)
  • Weeping Everywhere: Waters of Blood (vv.8-9)

Map & Geography

  • Moab (v.1, v.2, v.4): Land east of the Dead Sea; often in conflict with Israel.

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik notes the prophet's remarkable compassion for a pagan nation under judgment and traces the geographic sweep of destruction through Moab's cities.
  • Charles Spurgeon: "The prophet weeps for Moab. Learn from this: the preacher of judgment should never be dry-eyed. If you can announce damnation without tears, you have not the heart of Christ."

Reflection

  • 1. God judges nations that aren't part of His covenant people. Moab had no Torah, no temple, no covenant — yet God held them accountable. No one escapes divine justice by claiming ignorance of God's specific revelation.
  • 2. "My heart shall cry out for Moab" (v.5). Do you weep for the people you know are under judgment? Or do you secretly enjoy watching enemies suffer? The prophetic heart delivers hard truths with real tears.
  • 3. Destruction came "in the night" (v.1) — unexpectedly, while Moab slept. Are you spiritually awake? "The day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night" (1 Thess 5:2). Vigilance isn't paranoia — it's wisdom.