Old Testament · Prophecy

Isaiah 15

Moab's Ruin

A lament for Moab — not from Moab, but from Isaiah. Even in judgment against Israel's enemies, there is grief.

King James Version BSB KJV

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.

Understand This

Isaiah 15, explained

What Isaiah 15 is saying

This oracle against Moab describes the sudden, devastating destruction of its major cities. The Moabites flee in panic, weeping as they go, and the once-fertile land becomes desolate. Even Isaiah expresses sympathy, with his own heart crying out for Moab.

The background behind it

Moab, Israel's neighbor east of the Dead Sea, shared ancestral ties through Lot. The cities named—Ar, Kir, Dibon, Medeba—are attested in the Mesha Stele and other Ancient Near Eastern inscriptions, confirming the geography.

Themes running underneath

Judgment on the nations is not delivered with glee. The prophet's own compassion for Moab reveals that divine justice does not preclude grief over suffering.

Why it still matters

It is possible to acknowledge that consequences are deserved while still grieving the pain they cause. Prophetic truth-telling and empathy are not opposites.

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Scripture text: King James Version — public domain.