Isaiah 15 explained: Grief Sweeps Through Moab

Two cities fall overnight (v. 1)

Ar and Kir were probably Moab's chief cities, so losing both in a single night left the whole country exposed. The repeated line stresses how fast it happened.

A nation in mourning (vv. 2-4)

Shaved heads, cut beards and sackcloth (rough cloth of goat hair) were the usual signs of grief, and people climbed to hilltop shrines and flat rooftops to wail and pray to their god. The towns named run across Moab's territory, and even its soldiers lose heart.

The prophet weeps too (v. 5)

Isaiah says his own heart cries out for Moab, though it was often Israel's enemy. Refugees flee south toward Zoar, near the southern end of the Dead Sea, crying as they climb the roads.

Dry land, fleeing people (vv. 6-8)

The waters of Nimrim have failed, perhaps because invaders stopped up springs and stripped the fields, a known wartime tactic. People carry what wealth they can across a stream, probably near Moab's border, while the cry of grief reaches from one edge of the land to the other.

Blood and a lion (v. 9)

Dimon is likely a play on the town name Dibon, sounding like the Hebrew word for blood, and its stream runs red with the dead. The LORD says more is coming, a lion on the survivors, which may mean a further conquering power or literal wild animals; interpreters are unsure.

Key verse: Isaiah 15:5

Something to think about

Is it possible to genuinely grieve for people you have long seen as rivals or enemies, and what makes that hard?