Lament for Moab
Isaiah 15:1-16:14
Isa.15.1 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- משא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מואב: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- כי: CONJ
- בליל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שדד: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ער: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- מואב: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- נדמה: VERB,nip,perf,3,m,sg
- כי: CONJ
- בליל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שדד: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- קיר: NOUN,m,sg,cstr
- מואב: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- נדמה: VERB,nip,perf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Isaiah 16:1 (structural): Direct continuation of the same oracle against Moab; picks up the theme and context (Moab's cities, request for mercy/protection) and thus forms a structural pair with 15:1–9.
- Jeremiah 48:1 (thematic): Begins another prophetic 'oracle concerning Moab' (משא מואב); parallels the genre and overall purpose—announcing divine judgment on Moab's cities and people.
- Amos 2:1 (thematic): Announces punishment 'for three transgressions of Moab...'—another short prophetic pronouncement of Moab's impending destruction, echoing Isaiah's theme of retributive judgment.
- Ezekiel 25:8-11 (thematic): Divine oracle against Moab declaring violent retribution and loss of security; parallels Isaiah 15's announcement of devastation and humiliation of Moabite towns.
Alternative generated candidates
- An oracle concerning Moab: Ar of Moab is laid waste—like a night of plunder; Kir of Moab is laid waste—like a night of plunder.
- An oracle concerning Moab. In the night Ar of Moab is laid waste; in the night Kir of Moab is laid waste—Moab is dismayed.
Isa.15.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- עלה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- הבית: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ודיבן: CONJ+NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- הבמות: NOUN,f,pl,def
- לבכי: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- על: PREP
- נבו: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ועל: CONJ+PREP
- מידבא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מואב: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- ייליל: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- בכל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ראשיו: NOUN,m,pl,abs+3ms
- קרחה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- כל: DET
- זקן: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- גרועה: ADJ,f,sg
Parallels
- Jeremiah 48:1-47 (thematic): Entire oracle against Moab repeats the theme of Moabite mourning and devastation, mentions the same region and cities (Nebo, Medeba) and develops the same motif of national collapse.
- Jeremiah 48:37 (verbal): Closely parallels the language of mourning — 'every head bald, every beard cut off' — using the same physiognomic image of grief and humiliation.
- Isaiah 16:1-5 (structural): Immediate literary continuation of Isaiah's Moab oracle; responds to the lament of 15:2 and develops the political and humanitarian consequences for Moab.
- Ezekiel 25:8-11 (thematic): Prophetic pronouncement against Moab in Ezekiel likewise announces divine judgment and desolation of Moabite towns, reflecting the same tradition of oracles of doom against Moab.
Alternative generated candidates
- Rise up, House of Heshbon; cry, O Beth-dibon; the high places resound—cry out on Nebo and on Medeba. Moab wails on every head; every beard is shorn, every elder is made bald.
- Lift up the lament—Dibon and the shrines of the high places; cry out over Nebo and over Medeba. Moab waileth; on every head is baldness, every beard is cut off.
Isa.15.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- בחוצתיו: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs,poss:3,m,sg
- חגרו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- שק: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- על: PREP
- גגותיה: NOUN,m,pl,abs,poss:3,f,sg
- וברחבתיה: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs,poss:3,f,sg
- כלה: ADV
- ייליל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ירד: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- בבכי: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Lamentations 2:10 (verbal): Shared mourning vocabulary and imagery (dust, girding with sackcloth) and communal lamentation like Isa 15:3’s sackcloth-and-wailing scene.
- Jeremiah 48:31-38 (thematic): Parallel oracle against Moab that depicts mass lament, cries of anguish, and the desolation of Moab—echoing the public mourning of Isa 15:3.
- Isaiah 16:1-5 (structural): Immediate continuation of the Moab prophecy; develops the same context of refuge, grief, and communal lament begun in Isa 15:3.
- Joel 1:8 (verbal): Uses the image of women 'girded with sackcloth' and public lamentation—echoing the sackcloth-and-wailing motif of Isa 15:3.
- Psalm 35:13 (verbal): Personal lamentation using sackcloth and fasting—parallels the ritualized expression of grief found in Isa 15:3.
Alternative generated candidates
- In its plazas they gird themselves with sackcloth; on its roofs and in its public squares all wail—down they bow in weeping.
- They gird themselves with sackcloth in its streets; on its roofs and in its squares all wail—down into mourning they go.
Isa.15.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ותזעק: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,f,sg
- חשבון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ואלעלה: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עד: PREP
- יהץ: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נשמע: VERB,niphal,perf,3,m,sg
- קולם: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,pl
- על: PREP
- כן: ADV
- חלצי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- מואב: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- יריעו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- נפשו: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- ירעה: VERB,qal,imprf,3,f,sg
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Isaiah 15:2 (structural): Immediate parallel within the same oracle: names of Moabite towns (e.g., Dibon) crying out and fleeing—continues the same lamentatory narrative and vocabulary of outcry and flight.
- Isaiah 15:9 (structural): Concluding verse of the chapter that reprises the motif of public mourning and howling in the streets, echoing the communal lament described in v.4.
- Jeremiah 48:1-3 (verbal): Jeremiah’s oracle against Moab lists many of the same towns (Dibon, Nebo, etc.) and depicts their cries and shame—verbal and topographical overlap with Isaiah’s portrayal of Moabite lament.
- Jeremiah 48:31-34 (thematic): These verses call for wailing and lamentation over Moab and describe widespread desolation; they echo Isaiah’s theme of communal mourning and the extended reach of the city-cries (e.g., to Jahaz).
Alternative generated candidates
- Heshbon cries aloud, and Elealeh; their voice reaches as far as Jahaz— their outcry is heard. Therefore Moab’s defenders shout; anguish seizes their hearts.
- Heshbon cries aloud; Elealeh and Jahaz— their voices are heard. Therefore the warriors of Moab cry out; anguish seizes their lives.
Isa.15.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- לבי: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1cs
- למואב: PREP+NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- יזעק: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- בריחה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- עד: PREP
- צער: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עגלת: NOUN,f,sg,constr
- שלשיה: NUM,card,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- מעלה: VERB,qal,ptcp,m,sg
- הלוחית: NOUN,f,sg,def
- בבכי: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יעלה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- בו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- כי: CONJ
- דרך: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- חורנים: NOUN,prop,pl,m,abs
- זעקת: NOUN,f,sg,cons
- שבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יעערו: VERB,qal,impf,3,pl
Parallels
- Jeremiah 48:1–47 (structural): A parallel oracle against Moab that repeats many of the same motifs — flight, mourning, ruined towns (Zoar, Horonaim/Luhith equivalents) — and functions as a near-contemporary expansion of Isaiah’s lament.
- Isaiah 16:1–5 (structural): Immediate literary continuation of Isaiah 15: further treatment of Moab’s fate, refuge for fugitives and sustained lamentation, showing the prophecy’s internal development.
- Amos 2:1 (thematic): A prophetic pronouncement of judgment on Moab (‘For three transgressions of Moab…’) that shares the theme of divine retribution leading to devastation and national mourning.
- Zephaniah 2:8–11 (thematic): Prophecy against Moab describing its humiliation and reversal of fortunes — like Isaiah 15:5, it portrays national disgrace, cries, and loss of standing among the nations.
Alternative generated candidates
- My heart cries out for Moab; his fugitives flee to Zoar, to Eglath-shelishiyah; for the waters of Dimon are in anguish—on the fugitives of Moab I will bring more; a lion upon the remnant of the land.
- My heart cries out for Moab; his fugitives flee to Zoar, to Eglath-shelishiyah. By the ascent of Luhith they go up, weeping; on the road to Horonaim a cry of destruction is raised.
Isa.15.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- מי: PRON,interr,sg
- נמרים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- משמות: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- יהיו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- כי: CONJ
- יבש: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- חציר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כלה: ADV
- דשא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ירק: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- לא: PART_NEG
- היה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Joel 1:10-12 (verbal): Describes fields, vines, and vegetation dried up and ruined—language and images of withered hay/absence of green closely parallel Isaiah 15:6's picture of agricultural desolation.
- Habakkuk 3:17 (thematic): Speaks of crop failure (no figs, no fruit on vines, failure of fields) under calamity; shares the theme of total agrarian devastation despite the larger theological context.
- Isaiah 5:24 (thematic): Uses imagery of fire consuming stubble and vegetation as the result of divine judgment; thematically parallels Isaiah 15:6's depiction of plant life withering as judgment/desolation.
- Psalm 102:4 (allusion): The psalmist's simile of being 'withered like grass' echoes the motif of withered vegetation in Isa 15:6, conveying ruin, weakness, and desolation.
Alternative generated candidates
- For the pastures are dried up, the grass is withered; green grass is no more.
- For the waters of Nimrim are desolate; the grass is withered, the tender herb faileth; there is no green thing.
Isa.15.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- על: PREP
- כן: ADV
- יתרה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- עשה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ופקדתם: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,pl
- על: PREP
- נחל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הערבים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- ישאום: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Jer.48:1-2 (verbal): Jeremiah 48 repeats and expands the prophetic oracle against Moab found in Isa.15, using many of the same place-names (e.g., Kir‑hareseth) and lament motifs; close verbal and narrative parallels between the two oracles.
- Jer.48:31-33 (thematic): These verses in Jeremiah give a pronounced lament over Moab’s destruction and mourning language (cries, howling) that parallels the tone and content of Isaiah 15:7’s lamentation.
- Isa.16:1-5 (structural): Isaiah 16 continues and completes the Moab oracle that began in Isa.15, shifting from announcement of judgment to a call for refuge and mourning—connected material and overlapping imagery.
- Amos 2:1 (thematic): Amos pronounces divine judgment on Moab (‘I will send a fire upon Moab’)—a parallel prophetic tradition condemning Moab and forecasting its devastation, echoing the judgment theme in Isa.15:7.
- Zeph.2:8-10 (thematic): Zephaniah mocks Moab’s pride and announces its humiliation and exile; the passage shares the theme of Moabite downfall and communal lament found in Isaiah 15.
Alternative generated candidates
- Therefore the abundance is cut off; their storehouses are plundered and left desolate; the cry has gone up from the riverbeds.
- Therefore the abundance is wasted, the pastures languish; by the stream of the Arabah they lift up their voice.
Isa.15.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- הקיפה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- הזעקה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- את: PRT,acc
- גבול: NOUN,m,sg,cs
- מואב: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- עד: PREP
- אגלים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- יללתה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- ובאר: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אילים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- יללתה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
Parallels
- Jer.48:34-35 (verbal): Jeremiah's oracle against Moab repeats place-names and the motif of a cry/clamor reaching towns (Eglaim, Beer‑elim), closely echoing Isaiah's report of the howling spreading through Moab.
- Jer.48:31-33 (thematic): These verses depict widespread mourning and desolation in Moab (wails, ruined waters and pastures), thematically paralleling the proclamation that the cry has encircled Moab's borders.
- Isa.16:11 (structural): A continuation of Isaiah's Moab oracle that expresses personal lament and the flight of Moab’s people, reinforcing the theme of pervasive wailing and collapse introduced in Isa.15:8.
- Ezek.25:8-11 (thematic): Ezekiel's judgment against Moab pronounces destruction and reproach; like Isa.15:8 it frames Moab's fate in terms of disaster and public lament, linking prophetic denunciation with communal mourning.
Alternative generated candidates
- The outcry has encircled the border of Moab; its shrieks have gone up to Eglaim, and to Beer-elim its wailings.
- For the cry has gone round about Moab’s border; her wailing reaches to Eglaim and her lamentation to Beer-elim.
Isa.15.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- מי: PRON,interr,sg
- דימון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מלאו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- דם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- אשית: VERB,qal,impf,1,sg
- על: PREP
- דימון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נוספות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- לפליטת: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,cs
- מואב: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- אריה: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- ולשארית: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אדמה: NOUN,prop,f,sg
Parallels
- Jer.48:34-45 (structural): A closely related oracle against Moab in Jeremiah that repeats and amplifies themes found in Isaiah 15–16 (destruction of Moab, fugitives, remnant, and violent imagery).
- Isa.16:6 (thematic): Continuation of Isaiah’s Moab oracle; echoes the themes of mourning, fugitives, and the fate of the remnant of the land after divine judgment.
- Amos 2:1-3 (thematic): Amos pronounces judgment on Moab for transgressions; thematically parallels the prophetic motif of national punishment and loss described in Isaiah 15:9.
- Exod.7:20-21 (verbal): The Nile/ waters turning to blood in the Egyptian plagues — a verbal and symbolic parallel to 'the waters of Dimon shall be full of blood' as a sign of divine judgment on a land.
- Rev.16:3 (allusion): In the vision of the bowls, the sea is turned to blood as judgment; echoes the apocalyptic image of waters made blood to signify catastrophic divine punishment.
Alternative generated candidates
- Who will have pity for Moab? Who will mourn for him? Who will turn aside to ask about his welfare? For I will make Moab a possession of the fugitives, and a haunt for ruined men.
- For the waters of Dimon are full of blood; I will bring upon Dimon a tumult— a lion for the fugitives of Moab and for the remnant of the land.
Isa.16.1 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- שלחו: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,pl
- כר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- משל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ארץ: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מסלע: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מדברה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- הר: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- בת: NOUN,f,sg,cs
- ציון: NOUN,prop,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- 2 Kings 3:4 (verbal): Explicit mention that the king of Moab rendered large numbers of lambs and rams as tribute to Israel — closely parallels the image of sending lambs as a present/tribute from Moab.
- Isaiah 60:6 (thematic): Nations bring livestock and precious gifts to Zion; parallels the idea of offerings/tributes being sent to 'the mountain of the daughter of Zion.'
- Isaiah 18:7 (thematic): Speaks of gifts/presents being brought to the LORD from distant peoples — a similar motif of sending tribute from foreign lands to a central holy place.
- Genesis 32:13-15 (thematic): Jacob dispatches flocks and herds as a conciliatory present to his brother Esau — parallels the practice of sending livestock as tribute or tribute-like gifts to another party.
Alternative generated candidates
- Send tribute to the ruler of the land—lambs as tribute—from Sela, the rocky pasture, to the mount of the Daughter of Zion.
- Send up a lamb as tribute— from the rock of the wilderness to the hill of the daughter of Zion.
Isa.16.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- והיה: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- כעוף: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נודד: VERB,qal,ptc,m,sg
- קן: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- משלח: VERB,piel,part,3,m,sg
- תהיינה: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,pl
- בנות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- מואב: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- מעברת: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- לארנון: PREP+NOUN,prop,m,sg
Parallels
- Jeremiah 48:28 (verbal): Another oracle against Moab that uses bird/dove imagery and urges inhabitants to flee to rocks and caves—parallels the depiction of the daughters of Moab as a cast‑out, wandering bird.
- Deuteronomy 2:24 (structural): Mentions crossing the river Arnon as the border with Moab; provides the geographical/boundary background for Isaiah’s reference to 'the fords of Arnon.'
- Psalm 102:6 (thematic): The psalmist describes himself as like a pelican/solitary bird of the wilderness to convey loneliness and desolation—similar thematic use of bird imagery for abandonment and distress.
- Ezekiel 17:3-4 (allusion): Uses the image of a great eagle snatching a tender shoot and carrying it away to symbolize uprooting and exile—comparable symbolic use of avian imagery for displacement and political calamity affecting peoples.
Alternative generated candidates
- Like a wandering bird, one nest after another, so are the daughters of Moab at the fords of the Arnon.
- Like a wandering bird that forsakes its nest, so the daughters of Moab shall be at the Arnon.
Isa.16.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הביאי: VERB,hiph,imp,2,f,sg
- עצה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עשו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- פלילה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- שיתי: VERB,qal,imp,2,f,sg
- כליל: ADV
- צלך: NOUN,m,sg,abs,2,f,sg
- בתוך: PREP
- צהרים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- סתרי: VERB,piel,imp,2,f,sg
- נדחים: ADJ,qal,ptc,pl,m
- נדד: VERB,qal,perf,3,ms,sg
- אל: NEG
- תגלי: VERB,qal,impf,2,f,sg
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 23:15-16 (verbal): Direct legal parallel: both prohibit handing over an escaped fugitive and instruct protecting/harboring those who flee.
- Amos 8:9 (verbal): Shares the striking motif of sudden darkness at midday (‘darken the noonday’), paralleling ‘make your shadow like night at noon’ as a sign of catastrophe/judgment.
- Isaiah 1:17 (thematic): Commands concerning administering justice and defending the weak—‘seek justice/learn to do good’—echo the call here to give counsel and execute judgment.
- Leviticus 19:34 (thematic): Prescribes protection and fair treatment of the sojourner/alien; thematically parallels the injunction to hide and not betray outcasts and fugitives.
Alternative generated candidates
- Give counsel, enact justice; prepare your shade like night; hide the outcasts; do not betray the fugitive.
- Take counsel, enact judgment; make thy shade like the noonday. Hide the outcasts, be a refuge for the fugitives—do not betray the wanderer.
Isa.16.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- יגורו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- בך: PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
- נדחי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- מואב: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- הוי: INTJ
- סתר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- למו: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- מפני: PREP
- שודד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- אפס: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- המץ: NOUN,m,sg,def
- כלה: ADV
- שד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- תמו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- רמס: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- מן: PREP
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
Parallels
- Isaiah 25:4 (verbal): Uses the same language of God (or a refuge) as a ‘shelter/refuge’ for the needy—parallel imagery of protection from the spoiler/storm (shelter/סתר).
- Ruth 2:12 (thematic): A Moabite (Ruth) being granted protection and favor in Israel; thematically echoes the idea of Moabite outcasts finding shelter among Israel/Judah.
- Jeremiah 48:47 (thematic): Another prophetic oracle concerning Moab that concludes with a promise of future restoration—connects to Isaiah’s concern for Moab’s plight and eventual relief.
- Isaiah 14:1–2 (structural): Within the same prophetic corpus Israel’s land becomes a place of refuge where sojourners/outsiders find shelter and join the house of Jacob—structurally parallel to Isaiah 16’s call to receive Moabite exiles.
- Psalm 9:9 (thematic): General theological parallel: the LORD (or God’s people) as a 'refuge' for the oppressed, resonating with Isaiah’s command to provide shelter from the oppressor.
Alternative generated candidates
- Let the outcasts of Moab dwell with you; be a shelter to them from the plunderer. For the oppressor is ended, the devastator has ceased—destruction and shame are removed from the land.
- The outcasts of Moab shall sojourn in thee; be a covert to them from the spoiler. For the oppressor is ended, devastation ceaseth, and prey is taken from the land.
Isa.16.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- והוכן: VERB,niphal,perf,3,m,sg
- בחסד: PREP
- כסא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וישב: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- עליו: PREP,3,m,sg
- באמת: ADV
- באהל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- דוד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שפט: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- ודרש: VERB,qal,ptc,3,m,sg
- משפט: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ומהר: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- צדק: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Isaiah 9:7 (verbal): Speaks of establishing the throne and government on David’s throne with judgment and justice—verbal/theme overlap about a Davidic throne established in righteousness.
- Isaiah 11:4-5 (thematic): Describes the Davidic shoot judging with righteousness and faithfulness—parallel motif of a righteous, discerning Davidic ruler who executes justice.
- Jeremiah 23:5-6 (allusion): Promises a righteous Branch of David who will reign and execute judgment and righteousness—directly echoes the image of a Davidic ruler administering justice.
- Amos 9:11-12 (allusion): Speaks of raising up the fallen booth (tent) of David and restoring its dominance—parallels Isaiah’s reference to ‘the tent of David’ and the restoration of Davidic rule.
- 2 Samuel 7:12-16 (structural): God’s covenant promise to David to establish his offspring and throne forever—background covenantal basis for texts portraying a perpetual, righteous Davidic throne.
Alternative generated candidates
- A throne will be established in steadfast love, and on it will sit one in truth—one who sits in the tent of David, to judge and to seek justice, and to hasten righteousness.
- And a throne shall be established in steadfast love; one shall sit upon it in truth in the tent of David—he shall judge with righteousness and hasten justice.
Isa.16.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- שמענו: VERB,qal,perf,1,c,pl
- גאון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מואב: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- גא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מאד: ADV
- גאותו: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- וגאונו: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,pl
- ועברתו: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- לא: PART_NEG
- כן: ADV
- בדיו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON:3ms
Parallels
- Jeremiah 48:29 (verbal): Oracles against Moab use the same vocabulary of pride and insolence (גאון/גאוה) and the rhetorical question of who can stand against them, echoing Isaiah 16:6’s lament over Moab’s haughtiness.
- Zephaniah 2:8-9 (thematic): Direct prophetic judgment on Moab for arrogance and boastful conduct; announces humiliation and loss of pride—closely parallels Isaiah’s theme of Moab’s excessive pride and impending downfall.
- Obadiah 3-4 (thematic): Oracle against Edom condemning national pride (‘the pride of your heart’) and predicting humiliation; thematically parallels Isaiah’s denunciation of a nation’s loftiness and presumptuousness.
- Isaiah 13:11 (thematic): Within another oracle of judgment (against Babylon) Isaiah speaks of punishing the arrogance of the proud—the same prophetic pattern of condemning national pride that appears in the Moab passage.
Alternative generated candidates
- We have heard of Moab’s pride—how great is his pride, his haughty bearing and his arrogance! But it is not so; his boasting is false.
- We have heard of the pride of Moab—very proud is he; his haughtiness, his arrogance and his contempt.
Isa.16.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- לכן: ADV
- ייליל: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- מואב: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- למואב: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כלה: ADV
- ייליל: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- לאשישי: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- קיר: NOUN,m,sg,cstr
- חרשת: NOUN,f,sg,cons
- תהגו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- אך: PART
- נכאים: ADJ,m,pl
Parallels
- Isaiah 15:4-5 (structural): Part of the paired oracle against Moab (Isa.15–16); repeats place‑names and the motif of communal lament for cities such as Heshbon and Kir‑hareseth and continues the same narrative of Moabite mourning.
- Isaiah 16:11 (verbal): Immediate parallel within the same chapter: the prophet again uses first‑person lament language (‘my heart shall mourn’) and names Kir/Kir‑hareseth, echoing the sorrow and dirge imagery of v.7.
- Jeremiah 48:31 (verbal): Jeremiah’s oracle against Moab likewise predicts the silencing of songs and the end of rejoicing at Heshbon; shares place‑names and the theme of halted revelry and widespread lament.
- Amos 2:1–3 (thematic): Early prophetic pronouncement of divine judgment on Moab; thematically parallels Isaiah’s depiction of devastation and national mourning that follows Yahweh’s punitive action.
Alternative generated candidates
- Therefore Moab shall wail for Moab; all its headlands shall lament. On Kir-hareseth they shall beat the timbrel and cry aloud—only bitter plaints.
- Therefore Moab shall wail—Moab shall wail; every one shall wail. For the foundations of Kir-hareseth they shall mourn; only lamentation remains.
Isa.16.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- שדמות: NOUN,f,pl,cs
- חשבון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אמלל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- גפן: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- שבמה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- בעלי: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- גוים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- הלמו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- שרוקיה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עד: PREP
- יעזר: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- נגעו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- תעו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- מדבר: VERB,qal,ptc,3,m,sg
- שלחותיה: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- נטשו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- עברו: VERB,qal,imp,2,pl
- ים: NOUN,m,sg,cs
Parallels
- Isaiah 15:4 (verbal): Immediate parallel within Isaiah's Moab oracle: mentions Heshbon and the vine of Sibmah and the ruin of Moab's fields—repeats the same place names and lament imagery found in Isa 16:8.
- Jeremiah 48:32 (verbal): Jeremiah's oracle against Moab echoes the same language—'the fields of Heshbon languish, the vine of Sibmah'—closely paralleling the verbal and thematic content of Isa 16:8.
- Jeremiah 48:34 (verbal): Continues the Jeremiah depiction of Moabite flight and dispersion: fugitives wandering to streams and being scattered—parallels Isa 16:8's motifs of wandering, abandoned divisions, and passage over waters.
- Habakkuk 3:17 (thematic): Uses the image of vines and fields failing (fig tree and vine yielding no fruit) to portray devastation and loss; thematically parallels Isa 16:8's image of languishing vineyards and agricultural ruin.
Alternative generated candidates
- For the pastures of Heshbon languish, the vine of Sibmah also; the lords of the nations have broken off her branches to send them to the sea—their shoots have reached even to Jazer; the remnant have been driven away like a desert wanderer, their messengers have gone forth over the sea.
- For the pastures of Heshbon languish, the vine of Sibmah is brought low; their shoots that reached unto the sea and to Jazer are wasted. Wanderers have gone away; their outposts are forsaken.
Isa.16.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- על: PREP
- כן: ADV
- אבכה: VERB,qal,impf,1,c,sg
- בבכי: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יעזר: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- גפן: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- שבמה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אריוך: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- דמעתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,c,sg
- חשבון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ואלעלה: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- על: PREP
- קיצך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,2,c,sg
- ועל: CONJ+PREP
- קצירך: NOUN,m,sg,abs,poss:2,m
- הידד: INTJ
- נפל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Isaiah 15:5-9 (structural): Immediate literary parallel — the preceding chapter also laments Moab's ruin, naming towns and describing desolation and mourning (same prophetic lament tradition and setting).
- Amos 8:1-2 (verbal): Uses the image of summer/harvest produce (a 'basket of summer fruit') to announce judgment — parallels Isaiah 16:9's reference to 'your summer fruits and your harvest' and the coming calamity on them.
- Joel 1:10-12 (verbal): Community lament over agricultural devastation: 'the vine is dried up' and the loss of harvest — echoes Isaiah's tears for vineyards and the fall of the harvest shout.
- Habakkuk 3:17-18 (thematic): Imagery of failed fig trees and vines (agricultural collapse) met with a voice of lament/trust — parallels Isaiah's mourning for vineyards and summer harvest amid judgment.
Alternative generated candidates
- Therefore I will weep with a bitter weeping for Jazer; my eyes will flow with tears for the men of Kir-hareseth, because the harvest of your summer and your vintage are gone.
- Therefore I will weep; my eyes run down with tears for Jazer and for the vine of Sibmah; I will water thee with my tears— for the harvest of thy summer and thy vintage hath perished.
Isa.16.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ונאסף: CONJ+VERB,niphal,perf,3,m,sg
- שמחה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- וגיל: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מן: PREP
- הכרמל: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ובכרמים: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- ירנן: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- לא: PART_NEG
- ירעע: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- יין: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ביקבים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- ידרך: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- הדרך: NOUN,f,sg,def
- הידד: INTERJ
- השבתי: VERB,hiphil,perf,1,m,sg
Parallels
- Jeremiah 48:33 (quotation): A near-verbatim parallel in the Moab oracle: joy and gladness are taken away from the fruitful hill and in the vineyards they shall no more sing or tread out wine—essentially the same lament as Isaiah 16:10.
- Isaiah 24:7-8 (verbal): Speaks of new wine failing, the vine languishing, and the merry-hearted sighing—similar language and theme of wine, vineyards, and the cessation of joy.
- Amos 8:10 (thematic): Predicts that feasts will be turned into mourning and songs into lamentation—parallels the motif of festivals, singing, and celebration being stopped.
- Joel 1:10-12 (thematic): Describes ruined fields, dried-up wine, and the cessation of celebrations and singing—another prophetic portrayal of agricultural loss leading to the end of joy and festival music.
Alternative generated candidates
- Gladness and rejoicing are taken away from the tillage of Carmel; in the vineyards they will not sing, no one will shout—no treader presses out wine in the vats; I have caused the glad song to cease.
- Joy and gladness are taken from the tillage of Carmel; in the vineyards they will not sing, there shall be no glad clapping; no one shall tread out wine in the presses—shouting has ceased.
Isa.16.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- על: PREP
- כן: ADV
- מעי: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1cs
- למואב: PREP+NOUN,prop,m,sg
- ככנור: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהמו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- וקרבי: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs,1cs
- לקיר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חרש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Jeremiah 48:36 (quotation): Almost verbatim parallel—Jeremiah uses the same image of inner parts/bowels lamenting for Moab and Kir‑hareseth.
- Jeremiah 4:19 (verbal): Uses the cry 'my bowels, my bowels' and language of inward anguish—similar visceral formula of lament.
- Hosea 11:8 (thematic): God's compassionate inner turmoil ('my heart is turned within me')—the same theme of inward, visceral pity and grief.
- Lamentations 2:11 (verbal): Speaks of eyes, bowels, and inward parts poured out in lament—parallel use of bodily imagery to express intense mourning.
Alternative generated candidates
- Therefore my heart laments for Moab like a stringed harp; my inward parts for Kir-hareseth are stirred.
- Therefore my inward parts for Moab are moved like a harp; my heart for Kir-hareseth is stirred.
Isa.16.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- והיה: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- כי: CONJ
- נראה: VERB,nip,perf,3,m,sg
- כי: CONJ
- נלאה: VERB,qal,ptc,3,m,sg
- מואב: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- על: PREP
- הבמה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- ובא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- מקדשו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- להתפלל: VERB,hitp,inf
- ולא: CONJ
- יוכל: VERB,qal,impf,3,ms
Parallels
- Isaiah 1:15 (verbal): Same prophetic motif and similar language: God refuses to hear prayer when people are guilty—praying or entering the sanctuary will not avail.
- Zechariah 7:13 (allusion): God says He did not listen when people called because of their disobedience; parallels the idea that coming to a sanctuary to pray will not help.
- Amos 5:21-24 (thematic): Prophetic denunciation of empty ritual: worship and prayers are rejected when not accompanied by justice, echoing the futility of Moab's sanctuary-prayer.
- Psalm 115:4-8 (thematic): Images of powerless idols and the futility of trusting in shrines—parallels the theme that sanctuary rites cannot save when God withdraws help.
Alternative generated candidates
- And it shall come to pass, when it is seen that Moab is weary on the high places, and he comes to his sanctuary to pray, yet he cannot prevail—
- And it shall come to pass, when it is seen that Moab is weary upon the high place, when he comes to his sanctuary to pray, it shall not avail him.
Isa.16.13 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- זה: PRON,dem,m,sg
- הדבר: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- מואב: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- מאז: ADV
Parallels
- Isaiah 15:1 (structural): Header for the same Moab oracle ('The burden of Moab'); Isaiah 16:13 refers back to the word concerning Moab, linking both verses as parts of one prophetic unit.
- Jeremiah 48:1 (structural): Heading for Jeremiah’s oracle 'Concerning Moab'—parallel in genre and subject as a prophetic pronouncement directed against Moab.
- Ezekiel 25:8 (verbal): Ezekiel introduces a divine pronouncement about Moab with a similar formula ('Thus says the LORD'), matching the verbal pattern of prophetic oracles concerning nations.
- Amos 2:1 (verbal): Amos issues judgment on Moab using the 'Thus says the LORD' formula and addresses Moab's guilt—paralleling Isaiah 16:13’s reference to the Lord’s word concerning Moab.
Alternative generated candidates
- this is the word that the LORD has spoken concerning Moab from of old.
- This is the word that the LORD has spoken concerning Moab from of old.
Isa.16.14 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ועתה: CONJ
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
- בשלש: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- שנים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- כשני: PREP+NUM,m,dual
- שכיר: ADJ,m,sg
- ונקלה: CONJ+VERB,niphal,impf,3,m,sg
- כבוד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מואב: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- בכל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ההמון: NOUN,m,sg,def
- הרב: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ושאר: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מעט: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מזער: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- לוא: NEG
- כביר: NOUN,m,sg,const
Parallels
- Isaiah 15:1-9 (structural): Immediate parallel within the same oracle against Moab: Isaiah 15 describes the same devastation, mourning, and loss of Moab’s former glory that Isaiah 16:14 summarizes (shared imagery and consecutive context).
- Jeremiah 48:1-47 (thematic): Jeremiah’s long oracle against Moab repeats the theme of complete humiliation and destruction of Moab’s pride and remnant; several verses speak of diminished glory and reduced remnants, echoing Isaiah’s judgment and the timeframe of devastation.
- Ezekiel 25:8-11 (thematic): Ezekiel pronounces judgment on Moab (and Ammon) with language of humiliation and loss—God’s act of making them a desolation—paralleling Isaiah’s depiction of Moab’s reduced status and shame.
- Zephaniah 2:8-9 (allusion): Zephaniah foretells Moab’s downfall and compares its fate to Sodom, announcing the removal of its pride and prosperity, resonating with Isaiah 16:14’s motif of Moab’s diminished glory and remnant.
Alternative generated candidates
- Now the LORD says: Within three years, like the wages of a laborer and like a hire paid quickly, the glory of Moab will be diminished among the multitudes; and the remnant will be small and not great.
- Now the LORD says: In three years, as the hire of a laborer and a small reckoning, the glory of Moab shall be brought low— the multitude of its people and the remnant, few and not mighty.
An oracle concerning Moab. In the night Ar of Moab is laid waste; in the night Kir of Moab is laid waste—Moab is ruined.
Up, O house of Dibon; go to the high places to weep. On Nebo and on Medeba cry aloud; Moab laments through all its heads—every beard is shorn, every head is made bald.
They gird themselves with sackcloth in its streets; on its roofs and in its public squares all are howling. Down they go, weeping.
Heshbon cried aloud, and Elealeh; even to Jahaz their voice is heard. Therefore the glory of Moab cries out; his life laments for him.
My heart cries out for Moab; her fugitives flee to Zoar, to Eglath‑Shelishiyah. For the ascent of Luhith is heard—the cry of distress; for on the road to Horonaim they raise a cry of breaking.
For the waters of Nimrim are desolate; the grass withers, the tender herb faints, there is no green thing.
Therefore the remnant is diminished; their store is carried away over the brook; their possessions are taken away.
For the cry has gone round Moab's border; its wailing reaches to Eglaim, and its howling goes up to Beer‑elim.
For the waters of Dimon are filled with blood; for I will bring upon Dimon an additional blow—a lion upon the fugitives of Moab and upon the remnant of the land.
Send lambs as tribute to the ruler of the land—from the rock of the wilderness to the mount of the daughter of Zion.
Like a wandering bird, like a cast‑off nest, so the daughters of Moab shall be at the fords of the Arnon.
Give counsel; carry out justice. Make your shade like night at noon; hide the outcasts, preserve the fugitive; let not the outcasts be exposed.
Let the outcasts of Moab sojourn with you; be a covert for them from the spoiler. For the oppressor is ended, despoiling has ceased, the trampler is removed from the land.
A throne will be established in steadfast love; on it will sit one faithful in the tent of David, to judge and to seek justice, and to hasten righteousness.
We have heard of Moab’s pride—how great is his arrogance, his haughtiness and insolence! Yet his boast is false.
Therefore Moab shall wail for Moab; every one shall wail. At the gate of Kir‑hareseth there will be lamentation—only misery and shame.
For the pastures of Heshbon languish, and the vine of Sibmah; the lords of the nations have plucked off its choicest shoots. Their outcry reached Jahaz; they pressed on to the desert; its outposts were abandoned; they crossed the sea.
Therefore I will weep with bitter weeping for the vine of Sibmah; my tears run down for the pastures of Heshbon and for Elealeh; for your summer fruit and your harvest have failed.
Joy and gladness are removed from Carmel; in the vineyards they will not sing, no rejoicing; the winepresses will give no shout—no treader will tread them out. Gladness is withdrawn.
Therefore my inward being laments for Moab like a harp; my heart for the men of Kir‑hareseth is like a lyre.
It shall come to pass, when it is seen that Moab is weary on the high place and comes to his sanctuary to pray, that it shall not avail him.
This is the word that the LORD has spoken concerning Moab from of old. And now the LORD says: In three years, as the years of a hired man, the glory of Moab shall be diminished—its multitude, its strong men, and the remainder shall be very small; it shall not be a mighty people.