Isaiah 16:6-14

6 ¹We have heard of the pride of Moab-- how proud he is!-- ²of his arrogance, his pride, and his insolence; in his idle boasting he is not right.

7 Therefore let Moab wail for Moab, ³let everyone wail. Mourn, utterly stricken, for the ⁴raisin cakes of ⁵Kir-hareseth.

8 For the fields of Heshbon languish, and ⁶the vine of Sibmah; the lords of the nations have struck down its branches, which reached to Jazer and strayed to the desert; its shoots spread abroad and passed over the sea.

9 Therefore ⁷I weep with ⁸the weeping of Jazer for the vine of Sibmah; I drench you with my tears, O Heshbon and Elealeh; for over ⁹your summer fruit and your harvest the shout has ceased.

10 ¹⁰And joy and gladness are taken away from ¹¹the fruitful field, and in the vineyards no ¹²songs are sung, no cheers are raised; no ¹³treader treads out wine ¹⁴in the presses; I have put an end to the shouting.

11 Therefore ¹⁵my inner parts moan like a lyre for Moab, and my inmost self for Kir-hareseth.

12 And when Moab presents himself, when ¹⁶he wearies himself on ¹⁷the high place, when he comes to his sanctuary to pray, he will not prevail.

13 This is the word that the LORD spoke concerning Moab ¹⁸in the past.

14 But now the LORD has spoken, saying, "In three years, ¹⁹like the years of a hired worker, the glory of Moab will be brought into contempt, in spite of all his great multitude, and those who remain will be ²⁰very few and feeble."

Isaiah 16:6-14 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO ISAIAH 16

This chapter is a continuation of the prophecy against Moab; in which the prophet gives good advice, but in case of a haughty neglect of it, which he foresaw, threatens with ruin, and fixes a time for it. He advises the Moabites to pay their tribute to the king of Judah, or otherwise they should be turned out of their land, as a bird out of its nest, Isa 16:1,2 to protect, and not betray the people of the Jews that should flee to them, because of the Assyrian army, Isa 16:3,4 and for this end gives a great character of the king of Judah, and assures them of the stability of his kingdom, Isa 16:5 but for their pride, wrath, and lying, they are threatened with destruction, and are represented as howling under it, Isa 16:6,7 because of the spoil of their cities, vineyards, and fields, so that they have no harvest, nor vintage, nor gathering of summer fruits, or joy on these accounts, Isa 16:8-10 for which even the prophet expresses a concern, Isa 16:11 and after having observed the application of the Moabites to their gods without success, Isa 16:12 the chapter is closed with an assurance of the certain ruin of Moab, and of the time when it should be, Isa 16:13,14.

Cross References

• 1. Jeremiah 48:29; Zephaniah 2:10
• 2. Judges 3:14; 2 Kings 13:20; [2 Chronicles 20:1]
• 3. Isaiah 15:3
• 4. 2 Samuel 6:19; [ver. 9]
• 5. 2 Kings 3:25; [Isaiah 15:1]
• 6. Jeremiah 48:32
• 7. [Isaiah 15:5]
• 8. [See ver. 8 above]
• 9. [ver. 7]
• 10. Jeremiah 48:33
• 11. [Isaiah 9:3]
• 12. [Judges 9:27]
• 13. Isaiah 63:3; Jeremiah 25:30
• 14. Isaiah 5:2
• 15. Isaiah 15:5; Jeremiah 48:36
• 16. [1 Kings 18:29]
• 17. Isaiah 15:2; [Numbers 22:41; Numbers 23:14, 28]
• 18. See Amos 2:1-3
• 19. Isaiah 21:16
• 20. [Isaiah 10:22]