Isaiah 15 3

Isaiah 15:3 kjv

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

Isaiah 15:3 nkjv

In their streets they will clothe themselves with sackcloth; On the tops of their houses And in their streets Everyone will wail, weeping bitterly.

Isaiah 15:3 niv

In the streets they wear sackcloth; on the roofs and in the public squares they all wail, prostrate with weeping.

Isaiah 15:3 esv

in the streets they wear sackcloth; on the housetops and in the squares everyone wails and melts in tears.

Isaiah 15:3 nlt

They will wear burlap as they wander the streets.
From every home and public square will come the sound of wailing.

Isaiah 15 verses

Isaiah 15 3 Meaning

The verse depicts the widespread grief and devastation across Moab, where people are "cloaked in sackcloth." This attire symbolizes deep mourning and repentance. The anguish is so pervasive that it echoes throughout the land, reaching even the highest places of public assembly like Nebo and Medeba. Their crying out signifies desperate lamentation and possibly appeals for help.

Isaiah 15 3 Context

This chapter is a prophetic oracle against Moab, a neighboring kingdom to Israel, which often exhibited hostility towards God's people. The oracle describes a future devastating invasion and conquest, likely by the Assyrians. The widespread mourning depicted in verse 3 is a consequence of this imminent destruction. The inhabitants of Moab, recognizing the severity of their situation, turn to their gods in an act of desperate worship and lamentation, acknowledging their helplessness and the decree of doom. The prophecy's focus is on the total devastation that will befall Moab due to its pride and rebellious actions against God.

Isaiah 15 3 Word Analysis

• He goes up (Hebrew: alah):
  • Literal: to ascend, to go up.
  • Significance: Implies a procession, often with a solemn purpose. In this context, it signifies going up to their places of worship.
• house (Hebrew: bayith):
  • Literal: house, dwelling, household.
  • Significance: Refers to their temples or places of worship, indicating where they direct their pleas.
• way (Hebrew: derek):
  • Literal: way, road, journey, manner of life.
  • Significance: Specifies the path taken for their worship.
• weeping (Hebrew: beki):
  • Literal: weeping, weeping place.
  • Significance: Emphasizes the depth of sorrow and anguish. It is a sound of profound grief.
• destruction (Hebrew: shod):
  • Literal: destruction, ruin, devastator.
  • Significance: A powerful word indicating utter devastation, signifying the coming calamity.
• is decreed (Hebrew: tsavah):
  • Literal: commanded, appointed, decreed.
  • Significance: Highlights that the judgment is not accidental but a divinely appointed or divinely permitted consequence of their actions.
• They (referring to the people of Moab):
  • Significance: Represents the collective population facing judgment.
• streets (Hebrew: rechob):
  • Literal: street, open space, marketplace, square.
  • Significance: The public places of the city where life and commerce occur, now filled with mourning.
• sackcloth (Hebrew: saq):
  • Literal: sackcloth, sack.
  • Significance: A rough cloth worn as a sign of mourning, repentance, or deep distress.
• rooftops (Hebrew: gab-baim):
  • Literal: backs, roofs, upper parts.
  • Significance: The highest places of the houses, suggesting the mourning is visible and unrestrained.
• squares (Hebrew: me-zul-lot):
  • Literal: inundations, floods, courts, public places.
  • Significance: Open public areas, signifying that mourning engulfs the entire community.
• wail (Hebrew: yawal):
  • Literal: to wail, cry out in distress.
  • Significance: A vocal expression of intense grief and lamentation.
• cry aloud (Hebrew: tsa'aqah):
  • Literal: a cry, outcry, a shriek.
  • Significance: A loud, piercing cry, emphasizing the pervasive nature of the distress.

Isaiah 15 3 Bonus Section

The description of Moab's lamentation and their pilgrimage to worship their gods in distress carries symbolic weight. It highlights the futility of relying on man-made gods or rituals when faced with the true sovereign power of the God of Israel. The weeping and sackcloth are external manifestations of an internal brokenness, which is precisely what God desires, though in this case it is a reaction to impending judgment rather than a turning towards righteousness. The extensive imagery of widespread grief underscores the comprehensive nature of God's judgment, affecting all levels of society and every aspect of their public life.

Isaiah 15 3 Commentary

Isaiah 15:3 vividly portrays the universal despair overtaking Moab. The inhabitants are depicted moving to their religious centers not for celebration, but for desperate supplication, cloaked in sackcloth, a stark symbol of their profound grief and the imminent disaster. Their cries echo from the highest points of their city – rooftops and public squares – indicating that this is not a private sorrow but a communal cry of anguish. The phrase "destruction is decreed" underscores that this devastation is a certain, predetermined judgment. This verse emphasizes the utter helplessness of Moab in the face of impending divine wrath, which will not spare even their places of worship or public gatherings.